A good portion of my childhood was spent in Winston Salem NC, home of the Demon Deacons. It's been an absolute pleasure watching Duncan during his amazing run from obscurity to decades of dominance. The Warriors (among other teams in the 95 lotto) openly pined for him to declare after his Sophomore year and smiled through gritted teeth settling for Joe Smith #1. The Sixers slumped to their knees in hopes of Timmy's NBA declaration the next offseason, but were left holding the Alan Iverson bag. Early on it was obvious to everyone with hoops passion that sleepy eyed TD was a tremendous talent. Blaming teams for bending over backwards for top young talent is as ridiculous as trying to hold back waves at the beach with your hands. Of course teams tank for talent, thats the nature of the beast As a sports organization, the NBA is so fucked for the $, I just don't believe that a small market/tucked away in the NW team is allowed to win the big games and players/agents know this. I've seen more then enough playoff game phantom fouls on key Blazers not to. I don't blame the players for wanting the chance to win. The only way a ratings killer like Portland is allowed to succeed in this league is if they somehow feature a player or team who transcends their small market limitations as a world wide marketing sensation. Thats a long long way from what I want to root for STOMP
I think they've extended their window with addition of Aldridge and resigning of Leonard. I don't think they will miss a beat when Duncan retires. To me it's just as much the coach and system as it is the player.
I hate them with a passion. They are probably the team i hated the most in my life. I will cheer for any basketball-related misfortune they will encounter.
The Spurs were always my second favorite team - class organization. However, now with LMA on the team there's no way I can cheer for them. I think (or maybe just hope?) LMA will be their "Rondo" - not in the sense that he's a malcontent (though he kinda is), but in the sense of being the first sign of their final demise. LMA deserves one-and-dones for the rest of his career. My worry is that Pops is such a tremendous coach that not even a bum like LMA can undo Pops' coaching abilities. I have undying respect for Duncan/Pops, but the Spurs no longer rank as a team that I enjoy.
