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#7 Portland Trail Blazers
The call is in for Mighty Mouse to excite fans and rescue Portland from a run of first-round flops
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Stoudamire is eager to direct his hometown team for years to come.
John W. McDonough |
Befitting a franchise that has long prided itself on being ahead of the curve,
the Trail Blazers can boast of having disillusioned fans before it became all
the rage in the NBA. Last season long-simmering frustration among the Portland
faithful boiled over. Savage boos resounded throughout the Rose Garden. The team
that holds the league record with 814 consecutive sellouts (from April 1977 to
November 1995) rarely played to a packed house. Even the once-bustling team
store downtown had to close its doors because of sagging sales.
It didn't help that Portland had been bounced in the first round of the playoffs
for five straight seasons (and went out again in Round 1 last year). The
antipathy was due in part to the team's dubious character. For fans accustomed
to being on a first-name basis with the only major league team in
town -- remember Clyde, Buck and Terry? -- it was hard to root for an Isaiah
Rider-led consortium nicknamed the Jail
Blazers.
Recognizing the seismic shift in public opinion, the organization has been quick
to make amends. Before this season the Blazers reduced ticket prices and
encouraged the coaching staff to place goodwill calls to season-ticket holders.
But the most significant measure of damage control came on Jan. 21, when
management reached into the abyss that is owner Paul Allen's pocket and
re-signed point guard Damon Stoudamire to a seven-year, $81 million
contract. Stoudamire, a.k.a. Mighty Mouse, is lethal in the open floor and runs
neck and neck with Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury as the NBA's best young
playmaker. What's more, he's a Portland kid with a sterling reputation who grew
up during the height of Blazermania. "It might seem like a lot of
pressure -- being the guy from Portland with the new contract," says
Stoudamire. "But it's nothing like the pressure I put on
myself."
The Blazers' roster is almost unchanged from last year. Determined to improve on
his 42.3% shooting from the field, Rider reported to camp in midseason shape.
Arvydas Sabonis, who has the same impossibly white, statuesque presence, if not
the mobility, of Mount Hood, is still the best passing center on the planet.
Portland also expects big things from 24-year-old Rasheed Wallace, a wonderfully
talented forward, but one who all too often crosses the fine line between smooth
and somnolent.
Still, it is Stoudamire who raises hopes in the Rose City. "Damon is more
comfortable with the system, so he'll be more aggressive offensively," says
coach Mike Dunleavy. "Overall, I like what I see, especially our depth. But
first we need to get into the playoffs with home court advantage." If that
happens, the Blazers ought to renew a lapsed relationship not only with
postseason success but also with their
fans. -- By L. Jon Wertheim
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