Agreed. Most of the 'nominees' listed above have holes in their resumes. Kersey played quite a few years, but never achieved that high of a peak to his career. No all-star selections. Rasheed Wallace had the skill, but also lead the league in technicals. Roy only played 5 season, and never really went very far in the playoffs. I think a guy that often gets overlooked is Paxson. 9 seasons. 2 all-star games. One selection to the 2nd team all-NBA. If Dame finishes off his current contract here in Portland, he'll have 9 seasons under his belt as a Blazers. Not very many guys in Blazer franchise history can say that. Drexler, Porter, Kersey, Aldridge, Paxson, and Steele are the only ones I can think of.
Agreed. In the opening post I noted that I believe only Walton, Lucas, Drexler and Porter are the ones we all agree should be there. Are you saying those 4 are ‘too many’?
I think most of the fans agree with you. Does anyone think any of these guys are truly worthy? #13 Dave Twardzik #14 Lionel Hollins #15 Larry Steele #30 Bob Gross #36 Lloyd Neal #45 Geoff Petrie Out of that group, Petrie is the only one I'd have a slight regret about unretiring. Is there a respectable way to 'unretire' a jersey?
If they are retired for their play, what would that matter? Pete not being in the HOF for his hitting is asinine
Thanks @riverman ! Although I don't see myself as an old timer (yes, I hit the half century mark this year), I've been watching this team since the '70s. A lot of good players have come and gone. The key is to enjoy the moment. It's nice to have posters on this site like yourself that are basketball edjumukated, and are able to put it all in perspective with a positive spin.
Good point. Are these guy's numbers hanging in the rafters simply because of their accomplishments on the court? Or are they expected to bring something else to the table?
Kevin Spacey is a great actor too....but he's not winning another Oscar.....Pete got caught gambling …tarnished his career and it was a shame because he was great....I remember when the Ducks got rid of their 7 ft center Ian Crosswhite if I remember his name...Australian center who gambled against his team and threw some games...those guys don't get banners in the rafters...and it's not the team's fault...that's on them
I don’t quite get why people think too many numbers are retired. It’s an honor you give to someone for representing your team well and playing well. Its not the hall of fame. It’s just saying we are putting your number up here and reserving it as yours because of the commitment you had to Portland, to the fans, to the city while you were here. I personally don’t feel too many guys have their number retired and adding a guy like Kersey would be fine!
In the case of Kersey...he was not only a great player but an even greater ambassador to the franchise....I think it often goes beyond just their game although without the game, they wouldn't be in contention ….would roids change Barry Bonds home run record?....many would say yes....guys who hit a few less but didn't take roids to do it get ripped off by the guy who takes drugs to pull it off. Jerry West for example would have 10k more points if there had been a 3 pt shot in his day....scoring title goes to guys who had the 3 pt shot
For all of them but Petrie, the Blazers could have a championship jersey category separate from retired numbers. The only reason any of those guys have a jersey in the rafters is because of the championship.
There are literally an infinite number of numbers. Maybe we should just retire everyone's jersey! Wouldn't it be nice to see Brook Steppe and Carlos Rodgers up in the rafters? barfo
Interesting point. Perhaps the NBA should go to letter and number combinations on the uniforms, like license plates, to allow for additional flexibility.
The difference is that Spacey won awards while he was still acting. Pete belongs in the hall. Just like OJ belongs in the hall
A lot of people agree with you...I think Pete could've handled it better when he got caught...if he had...he definitely deserves the HOF...he lied when caught and got snarky instead of remorseful...really was a sad thing for me personally because I was a huge fan of Pete's...OJ can fuck himself though...I'm glad he gets stripped of all accolades ...murder and theft are pretty fucking far from sports gambling. Young kids need to look up to HOF members in my book.
I'm fond of pi, but it's damned difficult to fit on a jersey. No rounding to less than 50 decimal places allowed.
