Irony Of Ironies: The Plight Of The Portland Trailblazers

I'm watching the Mavs-Blazers game live on TV. Przybilla goes up to get a rebound (would be his 6th so far in the first quarter alone). He bangs knees with Dampier, lands awkwardly, crumples to the ground and screams so loud, you can hear him over the crowd and the commentators. He lays prone until play stops, and is eventually carried off the court by his teammates. Doesn't look good, for a team that has already lost Fernandez, Batum, Outlaw and Oden to injuries.

Now, I don't consider myself to be a cruel person. Even as a Lakers fan, I don't wish ill upon any player (except Garnett, he is a punk. Seriously. I've never seen another player act like such a punk and continuously get away with it, getting exceptions from commentators, fans, the league, and officials, who all dismiss it as "KG's intensity". That's bull. A few weeks ago, KG's diving on the floor for a loose ball against the Bucks, he rolls over Ridnour's arm, hyperextending it--it could have been much worse--then proceeds to start kicking out at the approaching Bucks players. If he had made contact with someone's knee he could have ended a career. There's no room for that kind of player in this league. Then for all his tough guy antics, someone like Zaza Pachulia, Jose Calderon or Stephen Jackson steps up to him and he quietens down like a true coward. Punk.)

Anyway, just venting.

I was saying, I don't consider myself a cruel person. I don't wish ill against any player or any franchise. But does the Portland Traliblazers' situation strike anyone else as curiously ironic?

At the beginning of the season, we ALL had to put up with overzealous Blazers fans, annointing their team as the future of the NBA, predicting titles within the next few years, and, in the most ironic twist, almost unanimously labeling their team "The Deepest Team in the League". Some say the universe always give you the opportunity to prove that you are what you say you are. Ouch.

I, for one, was always annoyed whenever I heard the claim that the Blazers were the "deepest team" in the league. I scoffed at that notion, mainly because I felt that while it was true that they probably had the most "4th level" players of any team in the league (4th level meaning, they are probably good enough to be the 4th best player on any other team), this absolutely, in no way qualifies them as the "Deepest Team in the League".

I hardly think a team with ONE All-star type player can be considered the "deepest team in the league" (yes, that's right, ONE. There is no way in hell Oden or Aldridge are all stars at this point. In the future, maybe, but now way right now. Actually, I even allow for the argument that Aldridge is even a future allstar grudgingly. I've watched his game a fair bit, and he doesn't tickle my fancy. His game VERY much resembles that of another player on the Blazers roster, during his peak. Juwan Howard. I don't know about you, but Juwan's all star appearance seems to be quite a dubious one, but an allstar appearance nonetheless. So technically, if Juwan Howard can be an All star player, then yes, I guess Aldridge can be a future all star, for what it's worth).

Frankly, whenever I read an article claiming this, all I could muster was a roll of the eyes and a muttered "moron". For the record, my opinion is that the deepest team in the league is the San Antonio Spurs. 3 All Star level players (Duncan, Manu, Parker), one level 2 or 3 player (Jefferson), two rebounding machines (McDyess, Blair), 2 deadeye shooters (Bonner, Mason), a promising young perimeter player (Hill)...destroys the Blazers "depth". Any team who doesn't have a 6th man of the year type player cannot be in the conversation about "deepest teams in the league". No one is convincing anyone that Outlaw is a 6th man of the year type player.

Anyway, no team deserves to be decimated like the Blazers have. They are hard workers, no doubt (Oden in particular), and it's harsh to have their hard work ruined by something out of their control. But you have to agree, it's kind of a sweet irony for anyone who's ever been annoyed by the arrogant "Deepest Team in the League" claims.

Deepest Team in the League?

Here's your chance to prove it, Portland. You asked for it.