Today, NBA fan Louis Sears says the Trail Blazers don't deserve to be labeled the season's most pathetic team. The Blazers' season ended not in the championship parade that many had predicted and Blazers fans expected, but instead the season ended in a eerily similar fashion as last season's Western Conference Final Game 7 meltdown to the Lakers. And because of the season-ending losing funk, many people have been jumping on the bandwagon of calling the Blazers the most disappointing team or worse. And the hackneyed statement about money not being able to buy a championship certainly shows no insight or originality when analyzing or commenting on the team or their season. Just as when a team does spend the most money, like the Yankees, the same pundits decry the buying of a championship.
Every year has surprise teams, both winners and losers.
This time the Blazers qualified as one of the losers, but certainly not the biggest bust of the season. Instead the Wizards finally liquidated the team and will try to recruit new players, a new coach and try again. The Blazers remained intact, and for most of the season appeared to have the right formula. The team has been an embarrassment and qualifies as a top reason for lower attendance in the NBA and a reduced TV audience. The Blazers have been a team that has consistently treated fans to a quality team over many years with an exciting product and have not threatened to move to central Oregon or demand a new arena.