Count me in the "Spurs would have been easier" crowd, but "Didn't want to make mention of tanking on purpose because that's pathetic" crowd as well.
I'll be disappointed if the Blazers don't get past the first round. Randolph getting past the first round won't bother me at all. In fact, I'm rooting for the Grizzlies over the Spurs. I'm a bit tired of the Spurs and their stupid, boring run of excellence!
rooting for Memphis as well. No regrets that Z-bo left Portland. Sure, he's doing great this year, but the Jailblazer era had to end.....and one can only hope that the era of the Frailblazers will soon be over too!
Absolutely true. The end of the Jail Blazers led to Z-Bo getting it together and becoming a good team mate. It was the best solution for both parties.
I wish the best for ZBo- I was unhappy to lose him. I still would take Aldridge over him, based on a complete game, any day of the week.
Changed, that seems quite accurate. Let's remember that he did make the playoffs with the Blazers. And he was arguably the player most responsible for turning a Dallas walk-over into what almost became the greatest series comeback in NBA playoffs history.
Rearview mirror to me. I can't stand the Spurs, so I hope Memphis can close them out, although the way they lost Game 5 could rattle a young team.
I'm really amazed watching that Spurs/Grizz series what a good passer Z-bo has become. He's always been clever and dexterous with the ball in scoring, so I guess it stands to reason he could deliver those kind of passes if he really wanted to. But it's just fascinating to see him do it. It's like watching Leonard Nimoy smile. Anyway, I'm really pulling for the Grizzlies. Zach is like the modern-day Sir Charles, without the hops. It's fun seeing how far a guy like that can go with a really good center next to him. I kind of like to imagine that's Aldridge instead of Mark Gasol....
That was who I compared him to when he first began having success with Portland. His rolly-polly look combined with his remarkable nose for rebounds, despite not being the biggest guy out there, absolutely reminded me of Barkley. Both were punks off the court, when younger, too. So we can definitely assume that one day Randolph will be one of the most famous and insightful basketball analysts on television...just as Barkley is!
Oh, yeah. Losing Z-Bo doesn't bother me much. As others point out, that era had to end. What bothers me is that we ended up getting very, very little in return, relatively speaking. I was one who defended that trade, RLEC, and 'imaginary cap space.' In the end, I was wrong.
No you aren't alone a lot of other Blazer fans think that way. Personally I don’t root against former players that left our team. I desperately want us to get out of the first round but I won’t root against a former player just to validate our decision to part with them. Just as when Jermaine and Clyde left our franchise I do wish we still had Zach on our roster.
I love Z-Bo! Him getting further than the Blazers will have no effect on my disappointment in the Blazers.
Randolph took us to game 7 in 2003. It's the closest we've been to winning a round in the last 11 years. ZBo was never the problem. His teammates were. The whole "you can't win with ZBo" bullshit was just that. Bullshit. And now he is up 3-2 against the #1 seed in the West and we are gone fishing.
Official. ZBO has gone further than the Blazers have in the playoffs since they traded him (and he's still under the Blazers original contract).
