I would like to nominate Kevin Pritchard to be selected as King of the World. Pritchard should have freeway named after him. At the very least (and with all due respect to Howard Schultz) he should have a drink named after him at Starbucks.
"Welcome to Starbucks, what can I get started for you?"
"I'll have a half-caf, double decaf, extra hot, skinny Kevin Pritchard."
41 wins!
Think about that for a second. Let it sink in. 41 freakin' wins. Two years ago the Blazers had 22 wins. Last year, we had 32 wins. A 19-game turnaround in two years.
Consider this: the average improvement for a team that had the #1 overall pick in the draft the following year has been approximately 10 wins. The Blazers improved their record by 9 wins.....AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE #1 OVERALL PICK PLAYING FOR THEM!!!!!
And this team is just a lot of fun to watch. If you were watching last night's game (and you didn't have a calendar) there is no way you would have known it was the last game of the year. Those guys were out there busting their humps like it was the first game of the season. Man this team is a lot of fun to watch.
And Pritchard is all class, too. Did you hear him on the tv broadcast during the Memphis game? He spoke frankly, without throwing anyone under the bus. I don't know how long Pritchard's contract is, but Mr. Allen better triple it and lock Pritchard up until Oregon elects a Republican governor (which could be several decades from now).
And speaking of contracts, we better give McMillan all he wants, too. Coach Nate has done an equally remarkable job with these young guys, bringing them along and helping them become the fine young players (and men) they have become. Forget about the players for a moment, I don't know that there isn't a franchise out there right now that wouldn't want Pritchard and McMillan running their show. Let's keep them in Portland, Mr. Allen.
But let's get back to the players. I hear people asking "What do the Blazers need to do in the off-season?" Before Monday, my answer was "Get rid of Miles and Lafraentz, but especially Miles." Well, the news earlier this week was that the human paperweight known as Darius Miles is off the team. I have no doubt that several years from now Darius is going to look back on his career and realize he really blew a great opportunity here in Portland. Of course, Darius is something of a knucklehead, so maybe I am giving him too much credit.
And LaFraentz, I am sure he is a nice guy, but his contract costs us $12 million a year, which is money that should be going to the young guys. I realize his contract is set to expire next summer, which is when we can re-sign Brandon and LaMarcus, so keeping Raef for another year makes sense, so I will give the Blazers a pass on that one, because keeping Raef makes sense long term.
But the rest of the roster? One word: leave it alone!!! (Ok, that was more than one word, but you get the point). James Jones has said that the Blazers locker room is the closest locker room he has ever been a part of. The team chemistry is great, and the players are young, talented, and very hungry.
Don't get rid of Jarrett Jack. Keep Channing Frye in Portland (even though the other night after the Memphis game he uttered the god-awful words "Keep Portland Weird"). Get Rudy Fernandez over here. Make Josh McRoberts lay off the banana cream pies and get into even better shape. And keep the gym open the rest of the summer so the guys can keep playing, and getting better.
This team is young and very exciting. Everyone in the Association knows that the Blazers are going to be a team to be reckoned with, especially given that Oden will be on the team next year. They play hard, they are full of class, and they appreciate and respect the fans. Rip City hasn't been able to say that since Terry, Clyde, Jerome, Buck and Duck were here.
I cannot wait for next season.
