The Portland Trailblazers Have Hit Rock Bottom
I've defended this team in good times and bad. I bleed black and red. Sometimes, I can't even see reality through the tint of my rose city colored glasses. But that time is over now. The below headline has shaken me out of my haze.
Anthony Tolliver Saves Trail Blazers in Victory Over Hornets. WOWWWW
If you closely examine this sentence... you'll understand EXACTLY why things are broken in Rip City. Anthony Tolliver is now labeled the savior. You know, the 34 year old bench player slash league journeyman whose averaging a whopping 3.8 points a game this year... and HE deserves the game ball for what exactly? For "saving" the Blazers from losing to one of the worst teams in the league? The Hornets are a mess. Full stop. Forever. Their roster is in shambles, their GM is a yes man, and their owner is one of the worst talent evaluators and delegators in the game... so yeah this headline made me a little upset.
Rock bottom is celebrating this win as a win. Rock bottom is acquiring Anthony Tolliver after getting rid of solid role guys who take a teensy bit of burden off of CJ and Dame's shoulders. Rock bottom is acquiring Mario Henzonja... a NY Knick reject. Rock Bottom is trading for Hassan Whiteside and hoping he will give a modicum of effort setting screens, playing hard nosed defense or grabbing rebounds consistently. Rock Bottom is when your one bright spot on the roster is a guy who has been out of the league making basketball mixtapes at Lifetime Fitness for the last year. Rock bottom is... right now.
I know what you might be thinking... the Blazers aren't dead, they're still very much in the playoff "hunt". Yes... but fighting and clawing for the 8th spot only to get bounced in the first round to the Lakers is not the success anyone is hoping for. Especially after going to the Western Conference Finals last year.
Maybe when Nurkic and Collins come back things will change. Maybe they won't though. The time is now to make moves. Go scam some team to take Whiteside before the deadline and grab a wing that can play defense, shoot, and space the floor. I'm CERTAIN someone could be hoodwinked into taking that deal just based on his stats alone.
I'm done diluting myself that this team as currently constructed is going anywhere of note. I just hope the team is too.