Post#29 » by a_sensei » Thu Aug 3, 2017 5:41 pm
The "JailBlazer" era often erroneously is stuck to the the early 2000s team. In reality the term started in the mid 90s and lasted for 10+ years. The "JailBlazer" period should really be divided into three or four eras.
Era #1 (96-99):
In 96-97 they brought in JR Rider, Kenny Anderson and Stacy Augmon to join a colorful cast of youngsters that included Dontonio Wingfield, Gary Trent and newly acquired Rasheed Wallace. Buck Williams was gone and the only piece of the early 90s team left was Uncle Cliffy, who had some issues in the community as well. During that time they added Damon Stoudamire in a trade and drafted Bonzi Wells. Off court incidents were dominated by Rider (airport trantrum, following drug arrest for smoking weed out of a soda can in his car he said "Forty miles from here, they're probably still hanging people from trees.") Trent, who was already on probabation for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend, was arrested for assault outside an event for at-risk kids. Young Rasheed was amongst the league leaders in technical fouls (a list dominated by future Hall of Famers like Gary Payton, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley). I've heard numerous people that cover the Blazers say that this group was actually the one that had the real bad guys. That era continued building until 98-99 when they surprisingly were a top team in the WC and made the WCF. Despite some public outcry, the WCF team was well received by the community and good guy Brian Grant (aka the "Rasta Monsta") was the face of that run.
Era #2 (99-01):
I'd say 99-01 was an era all to its self. The team was successful (despite epic meltdowns), fewer off the court incidents, lots of technical fouls. Rider was traded for Steve Smith. A bunch of role playing dudes were traded for Scottie Pippen. Detlef Schrempf was signed. They battled the Lakers as the top team in the NBA throughout the season and had the famous WCF series that ended with the dramatic fourth quarter meltdown. Good guy Brian Grant was traded for Shawn Kemp. Jermaine O'Neal was traded for Dale Davis. At 42-18 the team was looking like championship contenders. The roster was two deep with starter to star quality players at each position (Stoudmire/Anthony, Smith/Wells, Pippen/Augmon, Sheed/Kemp, Sabonis/Davis). Naturally they brought in two more former stars (Schrempf out of retirement and the recenlty bought out Rod Strickland) and that killed their chemistry. For good. They finished the season losing 14 of the final 22 games, falling to the seventh seed, getting swept by the Lakers in the first round in nothing but blowouts.
Era #3 (01-03):
After the 00-01 Sabonis retired. Steve Smith was traded. Zach Randolph was drafted. Ruben Patterson (the "nanny raper") was signed. The following year Qyntel Woods was drafted. Now we're to the era that famously includes:
- Z-Bo coldocking Patterson while Ruben was being held back
- Stoudemire's three weed incidents including with Sheeds in the yellow hummer on the way back from a game in Seattle and trying to get weed wrapped in tinfoil through an airport metal detector
- Bonzi Wells telling the fans they didn't matter
- Qyntel Woods getting pulled over with a lit joint and using his basketball card for ID and being involved in a dog fighting ring
- Shawn Kemp's substance abuse that allegedly included doing blow in the locker room at halftime in full view of teammates
- Sheed setting the technical foul record that may never be broken and precitated changing the rules to included automatic suspensions at different season totals for technicals (personally I think if Draymond was treated by the refs like Sheed he'd have just as many techs), and threatening Tim Donaghy (lol) on the loading dock after a game.
One of my favorite moments was the team's final playoff series when they nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Mavs. Bonzi looked like a star in the making, Z-Bo went from a reserve to a guy with star potential, Pippen and out of retirement Sabonis found the fountain of youth.
The Nash/Patterson era started in the 03-04 offseason and they traded Sheed and Bonzi in Feb. 04. Some would call that the end of the Jailblazer time.
Era #4: (04-06)
Z-Bo and Darius Miles in the early Nate era had their share of incidents. Ruben Patterson was still there. So was Stoudemire, although he was rehabbing his image. Nick Van Exel wasn't known as NBA good guy. Savior PG Sebastian Telfair got into his share of trouble (mostly after his Blazer tenure). Mostly this was just a really crappy team with a little bit of hope for the near future (a nice run in '04 led to contracts for Miles, Abdur-Rahim and Ratliff and the thought that, along with Randoph, this could be a really good NBA front line for years), the future future (Webster, Outlaw, Telfair, Kryapa... okay, maybe we were desperate for hope). Some would argue that the true end of the era was when Brandon Roy took the reigns and/or when Z-Bo was traded.
Personally I was a fan the whole time. I was frustrated when they seemed to give up in the early 2000s. I was frustrated when in the mid-00s when they were terrible and Juan Dixon was consistently leading the team in shots taken while Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw could barely get in the game. That being said, I found hope. I like the journey.
