The Portland Trailblazers are cursed.

There's really no other way to explain it. And in all honesty, maybe that's
the best way to cope with everything that has happened since the NBA
lockout ended and even before. It's been almost 24 hours since Brandon
Roy, the Blazers' rising superstar and hero of the Pacific Northwest hit us
all with the sad news that he was retiring at the age of 27. B-Roy had to
retire; the cartilage in his knees had degenerated so much that he risked
never being able to walk again after six surgeries. When I heard the news,
I shook my head. It seems that there's a shadow over Rip City, one that
despite its successes, gets in the way of the Blazers.

Seriously, they might want to get Randy Newman to do a song just like the
one that opens up 'Major League' because it's almost incredible. In addition
to Roy retiring, Portland will have to start the season without their forward
powerhouse LaMarcus Aldridge who'll be out after heart surgery. And Greg
Oden, the man who they thought would be the latest in a line of great big
men like Bill Walton, Arvydas Sabonis and Kevin Duckworth, has suffered
yet ANOTHER setback with his knees after signing a one-year, $8 million
dollar deal with the team. The Blazers can't seem to catch a break. It's as
if someone made a side deal with some sinister force to win that title way
back in 1977 over Dr. J and The Philadelphia 76ers at the expense of any
future wins.


The Blazers thought the bad ol' days when everyone called them the
'Jailblazers' were behind them since they traded Zach Randolph to
the Knicks and got other troubled players off their roster. This was
supposed to be a clean break from hard times. This team had a shot
to bring back the glory days of the 70's, to have an era just like when
Clyde 'The Glide' Drexler first took the floor. To have your three main
stars go by the wayside like this is saddening. But there is hope. The
team snagged veteran Kurt Thomas, and Aldridge will be back to lead
a youthful team on the rise.

Let's hope they can lift Portland up just like B-Roy did.