The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the Memorial Coliseum, before moving to the Rose Garden in 1995. The franchise entered the league in 1970, and Portland has been its only home city. The franchise has enjoyed a strong following; from 1977 through 1995, the team sold out 814 consecutive home games, the longest such streak in American major professional sports.[4] The Trail Blazers are also currently the only NBA team based in the binational Pacific Northwest, after the Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis and became theMemphis Grizzlies in 2001, and the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA Championship once, in 1977. The other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992.[5] The team has qualified for the playoffs in 29 seasons of their 42-season existence, including a streak of 21 straight appearances from 1983 through 2003, the second longest streak in NBA history.[6][7] Six Hall of Fame players have played for the Trail Blazers (Lenny Wilkens, Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Dražen Petrović, Arvydas Sabonis, and Scottie Pippen).[8] Bill Walton is the franchise's most decorated player; he was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 1977, and the regular season MVP the following year.[5][9] Four Blazer rookies (Geoff Petrie, Sidney Wicks, Brandon Roy and Damian Lillard) have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Two Hall of Fame coaches, Lenny Wilkens and Jack Ramsay, have patrolled the sidelines for the Blazers, and two others, Mike Schuler and Mike Dunleavy, have won the NBA Coach of the Year award with the team.[10]

History

Franchise inception
Portland sports promoter Harry Glickman had sought in creating a basketball team in the city as soon as the Memorial Coliseum was opened in 1954, but the NBA board of governors only granted him the rights to a franchise on February 6, 1970.[11] To raise the money for the $3.7 million admission tax, Glickman associated himself to real estate magnates Bob Schmertz of New Jersey, Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle.[12] Two weeks later, on February 24, team management held a contest to select the team's name and received more than 10,000 entries. The most popular choice was "Pioneers," but that name was excluded from consideration as it was already used by sports teams at Portland's Lewis and Clark College. The name "Trail Blazers" received 172 entries, and was ultimately selected by the judging panel, being revealed on March 13 in the halftime of a SuperSonics game at the Memorial Coliseum. Derived from the trail blazing activity by explorers making paths through forests, Glickman considered a name that could “reflect both the ruggedness of the Pacific Northwest and the start of a major league era in our state.” Despite initial mixed response, the Trail Blazers name, often shortened to just "Blazers", became popular in Oregon.[13]

1970–1974
Along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Buffalo Braves (now Los Angeles Clippers), the Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, under coach Rolland Todd. Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks led the team in its early years, and the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in their first six years of existence. During that span, the team had three head coaches (including future hall-of-famer Lenny Wilkens); team executive Stu Inman also served as coach.[14] The team won the first pick in the NBA Draft twice during that span. In 1972, the team drafted LaRue Martin with the number one pick, and in 1974 the team selected Bill Walton from UCLA.

1974–1978
In 1976, the ABA-NBA merger saw those two rival leagues join forces. Four ABA teams joined the NBA; the remaining teams were dissolved and their players distributed among the remaining NBA squads in a dispersal draft. The Trail Blazers selected Maurice Lucas in the dispersal draft.[15] That summer, they also hired Jack Ramsay as head coach.
The two moves, coupled with the team's stellar play, led Portland to several firsts: winning record (49–33), playoff appearance, and NBA Championship in 1977.[5] Starting on April 5 of that year, the team began a sellout streak of 814 straight games—the longest in American major professional sports history—which did not end until 1995, after the team moved into a larger facility.[4]

The team started the 1977–78 season with a 50–10 mark, and many predicted a dynasty in Portland.[16] However, the potential dynasty waned when Bill Walton suffered a foot injury that ended his season and would plague him over the remainder of his career, and the team struggled to an 8–14 finish, going 58–24 overall. In the playoffs, Portland lost to the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1978 conference semifinals.[17] That summer, Walton demanded to be traded to a team of his choice (Clippers, Knicks, Warriors, or 76ers) because he was unhappy with his medical treatment in Portland.[18] Walton was never traded, and he held out the entire 1978–79 season and left the team as a free agent thereafter.[19] The team was further dismantled as Lucas left in 1980.[14]

1980–1983
During the 1980s, the team was a consistent presence in the NBA post-season, failing to qualify for the playoffs only in 1982. However, they never advanced past the conference semifinals during the decade.[20]The Pacific Division of the NBA was dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the decade, and only the Lakers and the Houston Rockets represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. Key players for the Blazers during the early 1980s included Mychal Thompson, Billy Ray Bates, Fat Lever, Darnell Valentine, Wayne Cooper, T. R. Dunn, Jim Paxson, and Calvin Natt.

1983–1995

1983–1988
In the 1983 draft, the team selected University of Houston guard–forward Clyde Drexler with the 14th pick;[21] "Clyde the Glide" would become the face of the franchise for over a decade, and the team's second-most decorated player (after Walton).[22] In the next year's draft, the Trail Blazers landed the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft. After the Houston Rockets selected Drexler's college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon, known at that time as Akeem Olajuwon, at No. 1, the Trail Blazers selected Kentucky center Sam Bowie. Drafting third, the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan. Many sportswriters and analysts have criticized the selection of the injury-plagued Bowie over Jordan as the worst draft pick in the history of American professional sports.[23][24] That summer, the Blazers also made a controversial trade, sending Lever, Cooper, and Natt to the Denver Nuggets for high-scoring forward Kiki Vandeweghe.[25] In the 1985 Draft, the Blazers selected point guard Terry Porter with the last pick of the first round. Porter would go on to become one of the top point guards in the league, and the Blazers' all-time leader in assists.

However, the Blazers continued to struggle in the post-season, and in 1986, Ramsay was fired and replaced with Mike Schuler.[14] That off-season, the team drafted two players from behind the Iron Curtain, Arvydas Sabonis and Dražen Petrović,[21] and sent Thompson to the San Antonio Spurs for former Oregon State University star Steve Johnson. Johnson was a high-scoring forward-center who the team intended to pair with Bowie on the frontline. It was not to be, as Bowie broke his leg five games into the 1986–87 season, missing the next two and a half seasons.[26][27] During Schuler's brief tenure, the Blazers failed to advance out of the first round of the NBA playoffs.[20]

Paul Allen ownership
In 1988, billionaire Paul Allen purchased the Blazers.[28] His first season as owner was one marked by turmoil, as conflicts erupted over who should start at several positions. Both Vandeweghe and Johnson suffered injuries; they were replaced in the starting lineup by Jerome Kersey and Kevin Duckworth. Several players, most notably Drexler, were accused of undermining Schuler.[29] The team went 25–22 to open the 1988–89 season, and Schuler was fired. He was replaced on an interim basis with assistant coach Rick Adelman,[30] and Vandeweghe was traded to the New York Knicks.[31] Under Adelman, the team went 14–21 to finish the season, and barely qualified for the playoffs. That off-season, the team traded Sam Bowie (who had returned to the team to end the season) to the New Jersey Nets for forward Buck Williams, and Adelman was given the coaching job on a non-interim basis.[14]

1988–1995
The addition of Williams, and the replacement of the defensively challenged Vandeweghe with the defensive-minded Kersey, turned the team from a poor defensive squad into a good one.[32] Led by the charismatic Drexler, the team reached the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, losing to the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, respectively. Possibly inspired by the 1985 Chicago Bears's Super Bowl Shuffle, during the runnup to their 1990 Finals appearance, the Blazers recorded two songs: "Bust a Bucket" and "Rip City Rhapsody" (in reference to the city's nickname). The year in between their two finals appearances, the team posted a league-best 63–19 record before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. However, the team failed to win an NBA title, and failed to advance past the first round in 1993 and 1994.[20] Adelman was fired after the 1994 season,[33] and replaced with P. J. Carlesimo,[34] which led to the resignation of executive vice-president Geoff Petrie, a close friend of Adelman's.[35]
In July 1994, the Trail Blazers announced the hiring of a new team president, former Seattle SuperSonics general manager Bob Whitsitt.[4] Whitsitt, known as "Trader Bob" for his penchant for making trades,[36] immediately set about revamping the Blazers roster; this included dismantling the aging Drexler-led team that had twice been to the finals,.[37] Drexler requested to be traded to a contender, and the Trail Blazers traded him to the Houston Rockets.[37] In the fall of 1995, the team left the Memorial Coliseum for a new home, the 20,000-seat Rose Garden.[14] The sellout streak ended in the new building.[4]

1995–2000
Several key players left in free agency, including Terry Porter (1995), Buck Williams (1996), and Cliff Robinson (1997),[38] which left Jerome Kersey unprotected in the 1995 expansion draft.[39]

In an effort to rebuild, the team acquired several players who were highly talented, but had reputations for off-court troubles. Isaiah Rider, who was traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves for just a draft pick and career backups due to his frequent arrests and lack of punctuality,[40] was arrested for cannabis possession two days before his debut with the Blazers.[41] Rasheed Wallace, who was acknowledged as a hot-tempered player since college,[42] was also acquired, in a trade with the Washington Bullets.[43] Point guard Kenny Anderson was signed as a free agent,[44] and subsequently traded to the Toronto Raptors for Damon Stoudamire in February 1998 (the Raptors traded Anderson to the Boston Celtics five days later, because he did not want to play in Canada).[45] Initially, this approach worked, as the team returned to the Western Conference finals in 1999 under head coach Mike Dunleavy.[14] After being swept by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs, Whitsitt sent Rider and guard Jim Jackson to the Atlanta Hawks for guard Steve Smith and acquired former All-Star forward Scottie Pippen from the Houston Rockets. The team again advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced a Los Angeles Lakers team led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. In that series, the Trail Blazers dropped three out of the first four games before winning the next two, forcing a pivotal Game 7. The Blazers had a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but lost the game and the series to the Lakers, who went on to win the first of three consecutive titles.[46]

2000–2003
The Trail Blazers made a series of personnel moves in the 2000 and 2001 off-seasons that failed to produce the desired results. Forward Jermaine O'Neal was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Dale Davis.Brian Grant signed with the Miami Heat, and was replaced with ex-Seattle forward Shawn Kemp.[47] The team started off well, posting the Western Conference's best record through March 2001, and then signed guard Rod Strickland to augment their point guard corps.[48] The move backfired, and the team lost 17 of its remaining 25 games, and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs (swept by the Los Angeles Lakers).[49] Some in the media began to criticize the team,[50] and Whitsitt, previously proclaimed a genius for his work in both Seattle and Portland, was criticized.[49] A particular criticism was that Whitsitt was attempting to win a title by assembling a roster of stars, without paying attention to team chemistry.[49] Longtime NBA coach and analyst, Doug Collins, referred to Whitsitt as a "rotisserie-league manager."[48] A fan was ejected from the Rose Garden for holding up a banner that said "Trade Whitsitt",[51] and many in the national media started referring to the team as the "Jail Blazers" because of many players' off-court problems.

That offseason the churning continued; Dunleavy was fired,[55] and replaced with Maurice Cheeks, a "players' coach" who some thought would relate better to the players than Dunleavy did.[56] More transactions followed as the Blazers traded Steve Smith to the Spurs for Derek Anderson.[47] In one of his most controversial moves to that time, Whitsitt signed free agent Ruben Patterson, who had previously pleaded no contest to a felony sexual assault charge and was required to register as a sex offender.[57] Popular center, Arvydas Sabonis, who had a towel flung in his face by Rasheed Wallaceduring the playoffs,[58] decided to leave the team.[59]

The next two seasons were just as disastrous for the team's reputation. Several players, including Wallace, Stoudamire, and Qyntel Woods, were cited for marijuana possession.[60] Woods pled guilty to first-degree animal abuse for staging dog fights in his house, some involving his pit bull named Hollywood. Hollywood and Woods' other pit bull, Sugar, were confiscated, and Woods was given eighty hours of community service. He also agreed to donate $10,000 to the Oregon Humane Society.[61] Wallace was suspended for seven games for threatening a referee.[62] Zach Randolph and Patterson got in a fight during practice, with Randolph sucker punching his teammate in the eye, an injury which kept Patterson from making a meaningful contribution during the playoffs.[63] When police came to Stoudamire's house to respond to a burglar alarm, they noticed the smell of marijuana, searched the premises, and found a pound of cannabis located in a crawlspace;[64] the search was later declared illegal and charges in the matter were dropped.[65] Guard Bonzi Wells famously told Sports Illustrated in a 2002 interview:[66]

"[T]hey [the fans] really don't matter to us. They can boo us every day, but they're still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street."

Fan discontent soared; despite the team continuing to post a winning record, attendance at the Rose Garden started to decline.[51] In the summer of 2003, with attendance declining, the team going nowhere on the court, and an exorbitant payroll, Whitsitt announced that he would leave the team to focus on Paul Allen's other franchise, the Seattle Seahawks.[67]

2003–2006
To replace Whitsitt, the team hired two men at new positions. John Nash, a veteran NBA executive, was hired as general manager,[68] and Steve Patterson as team president.[69] The new management promised a focus on character while remaining playoff contenders; the team soon published a "Twenty-Five Point Pledge" to fans.[70] Troublesome players including Wells, Wallace, and Jeff McInnis were traded.[14] However, the team failed to qualify for the 2004 NBA Playoffs, ending a streak of 21 straight appearances.[6]

The following year was marked by more trouble as the team plummeted to a 27–55 record. The bankruptcy of the Oregon Arena corporation, which resulted in the Rose Garden being owned by a consortium of investment firms, further alienated the fanbase, as did an incident in which forward Darius Miles (himself African-American) called coach Maurice Cheeks a "nigger", following it up with more racial invective when Cheeks sought out Nash, referring to Nash as Cheeks' "daddy."[71] The latter incident was compounded by what many viewed as inadequate discipline for Miles, followed by a secret agreement between the team and Miles to refund the amount of his fine.[71] Cheeks was fired that season and replaced on an interim basis by director of player-personnel Kevin Pritchard.[72] That summer the team hired Nate McMillan, who had coached the Sonics the prior season,[73] and Pritchard returned to the front office.
The following 2005–06 season was not better, as the Blazers posted a league-worst 21–61 record.[74] Attendance was lower, and the year was not free of player incidents. Players such as Miles, Patterson, Randolph, and Sebastian Telfairwere involved in either on-court bickering or off-court legal incidents.[74] Nash was fired at the end of the season, with Steve Patterson assuming the general manager role in addition to his duties as president.[75] In addition, the team had a poor relationship with the management of the Rose Garden, frequently complaining of a "broken economic model."[76] It was widely speculated by the end of the year that Paul Allen would sell the team, and the team was offered for sale that summer, with several groups expressing interest.[77] However, Allen was willing to spend money and urged Pritchard to make draft-day trades. He subsequently took the team off the market.[78]

2006–2011
In the 2006 NBA Draft the Blazers traded Viktor Khryapa and draft rights for Tyrus Thomas for draft rights to LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers also traded for the sixth pick, Brandon Roy. In the spring of 2007, Steve Patterson resigned as team president,[79] and Paul Allen entered into an agreement to re-purchase the Rose Garden.[80] On the court, the team finished with a 32–50 record, an 11-game improvement, and rookie shooting guard Roy was named the 2006–07 Rookie of the Year.[81] That summer Pritchard was promoted to general manager,[82] and former Nike Inc. executive Larry Miller was hired as team president. The Blazers won the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery and selected Ohio State center Greg Oden with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Some had speculated that they might choose Kevin Durant instead;[83] Durant was picked at No. 2 by regional rivals the Seattle SuperSonics. Oden suffered a pre-season knee injury requiring microfracture surgery, and missed the entire 2007–08 season.[84] Oden's constant battle with injuries and Durant's success resulted in comparisons to the Blazers' selection of Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984.[85]
Despite this, the Trail Blazers had a 13-game winning streak that began in early December, resulting in a 13–2 record, an NBA best for the month of December. Nate McMillan won NBA Coach of the Month honors, and Roy garnered NBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks (the first Trail Blazer to accomplish the feat since Clyde Drexler in the 1990–91 season). Western Conference head coaches selected Roy to the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, the first All-Star for the Blazers since Rasheed Wallace in 2001.[86] The Blazers finished the season 41–41, their best record since the 2003–04 season.

During the 2008–09 season, after much waiting, Greg Oden debuted with the Blazers, playing in 61 games. Portland also added some international flavor to the team with the arrival of Spanish swingman Rudy Fernández, a member of the Spanish national basketball team. French-native Nicolas Batum emerged as a skilled defensive forward who was inserted into the starting lineup as a rookie. Roy appeared in his second straight All-Star Game, and Rudy Fernandez competed in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All- Star Weekend. Roy had a career-high 52 points against the Phoenix Suns and game-winning shots against the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks.The Blazers clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2003 and achieved a 54–28 record, their first winning record since the 2002–03 season.[91] As the fourth seed and holding home court advantage, the Trail Blazers played the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets in the 2009 Playoffs, losing the playoff series 4 games to 2. Many credit Portland's loss in the first round due to the team's young age and inexperience. However, the 2008–09 season was notable for the inspiring team chemistry on and off the court, the potential for a young, energetic group in the upcoming seasons, and for bringing respect back to the franchise – attributes that fans had been missing for over a decade.

In the 2009 off-season, the Trail Blazers traded the No. 24 pick to Dallas for the No. 22 pick and selected Victor Claver. They also selected Villanova forward Dante Cunningham with the No. 33 pick, Jon Brockman and guardPatrick Mills. Brockman was traded to the Kings in exchange for No. 31 pick Jeff Pendergraph. Free agent Channing Frye signed with the Phoenix Suns and Sergio Rodriguez was traded to the Kings. The Blazers attempted to sign free agent small forward Hedo Türkoğlu, who led the Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, but after a verbal agreement he decided to sign with the Toronto Raptors. The Blazers then attempted to sign restricted free agent Paul Millsap; however, their offer was matched by the Utah Jazz. On July 24, 2009, the Trail Blazers signed point guard Andre Miller.
The 2009–10 season was painful. Despite toting a winning record, injuries hobbled the team. Reserves Batum and Fernández started the season on the inactive list and forward Travis Outlaw soon followed after a serious foot injury early in the season. Most notably, centers Oden and Joel Przybilla suffered season-ending knee injuries, while Roy and Aldridge played through shoulder, hamstring, ankle and knee injuries. Head Coach Nate McMillan was likewise not spared, suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during practice and was in a walking boot. Because of the void at the center position, Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard worked out a deal to acquire Marcus Camby from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Steve Blake and Outlaw. Although wins did not come as easily as the season before, the Blazers rallied to finish at 50–32, and finished 6th in the West. Roy underwent surgery after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee, but returned for Game 4 of the first round series against thePhoenix Suns.[92] However, the accumulation of injuries was too much to bear, and the short-handed Trail Blazers lost the series 4–2 to the Suns.

2010–2011
During the 2010 off-season, the Blazers' front office experienced significant personnel changes beginning in July with the announcement of new general manager Rich Cho, succeeding former general managerKevin Pritchard, who was relieved of his duties after the 2010 NBA Draft. Cho became the first general manager of Asian descent in NBA history.[94] On August 12, the Trail Blazers signed two new assistant general managers, Bill Branch and Steve Rosenberry. Branch and Rosenberry replaced former assistant general manager Tom Penn, who was released by Portland in March.[95] The organization also made changes to Nate McMillan's coaching staff by hiring Bernie Bickerstaff, Bob Ociepka and Buck Williams with Bickerstaff assuming the lead Assistant Coach position due to the departure of Monty Williams.[96] The Blazers acquired rookies Armon Johnson, Luke Babbitt, and Elliot Williams from the 2010 NBA Draft and off-season trades. On July 21, Wesley Matthews signed a five-year deal with the Blazers after his former team, the Utah Jazz, declined to match their offer.[97]

Similar to the previous season, Portland was overcome with injuries from the start of the 2010–11 season. Jeff Pendergraph and rookie guard Elliot Williams both suffered knee injuries that sidelined them for the season; Portland later waived Pendergraph. In November, they announced that Oden would have microfracture surgery on his left knee, ending his 2010–2011 season.[98] This injury marked Oden's third NBA season cut short due to a knee injury. Three-time All-StarBrandon Roy underwent double-arthroscopic surgery on January 17, 2011, to repair both knees after dealing with constant struggles, leaving his future up in the air. Just days after, Marcus Camby also underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair his left knee.

Despite struggles with injury, Portland performed at a playoff level throughout the season. LaMarcus Aldridge emerged as the focal point of the team and posted career-high numbers, as well as Western Conference Player of the Week and Month honors. Wesley Matthews also emerged in the absence of Brandon Roy, proving his worth as the Blazers' key off-season addition. Believing the team could make a significant run in the playoffs, Cho executed his first major trade on February 24, 2011, just seven minutes before the deadline. The Trail Blazers sent forward Dante Cunningham, center Joel Przybilla and center Sean Marks to the Charlotte Bobcats in return for former All-Star and All-Defensive forward Gerald Wallace.[99] The emergence of Aldridge and the play of Matthews kept the Blazers competitive, sealing another playoff berth by winning 48 games. However, like in their last two postseasons, the Blazers were eliminated in six games of the first round, this time against the eventual champions, the Dallas Mavericks.
During the 2011 off-season, the Blazers released Cho, supposedly due to communication and "chemistry issues" with owner Paul Allen. Director of Scouting Chad Buchanan took over as acting interim General Manager. The dismissal of Cho was criticized by Sports Illustrated as "illogical", although they noted that Allen had done a lot of questionable moves during his tenure as team owner.[99]

On June 23, 2011, in the NBA Draft, the Trail Blazers drafted guards Nolan Smith from Duke University with the 21st selection and Jon Diebler from Ohio State University with the 51st selection. On the same day, the Blazers front office had made a three-team trade with the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks. The trade sent Blazers guards Andre Miller to Denver and Rudy Fernández to Dallas along with international player Petteri Koponen, who had yet to make an appearance for Portland; Denver then sent guard Raymond Felton to Portland and Denver also received rookie forward Jordan Hamilton from Dallas as well as a future second-round pick from Portland.[100]

2012–present
A lockout put transactions on hold until early December, and the Blazers were hit with three downfalls once the date came. Brandon Roy announced his retirement due to chronic knee problems, Greg Oden was diagnosed with yet another setback involving his ongoing knee issues, and LaMarcus Aldridge underwent heart surgery.[101] Interim GM Chad Buchanan signed three free agents the week before Portland's first exhibition game, Kurt Thomas, Jamal Crawford and Craig Smith.[102]

In the shortened 2011-12 NBA season, the Blazers got off to a 7–2 start.[103] But the team quickly began to collapse, as starting point guard Raymond Felton, among others, struggled with McMillan's new approach to a running-style offense. The team gained some notability as Aldridge was named to his first All-Star Game. Despite Aldridge's performance, the rest of the team became more inconsistent.

On March 15, 2012, The Portland Trail Blazers made several moves, including two trades before the 3 pm EST deadline. Center Marcus Camby was sent to the Houston Rockets in exchange for center Hasheem Thabeet and point guard Jonny Flynn. Portland also received Houston's second-round draft pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Portland then traded forward Gerald Wallace to the New Jersey Nets for center Mehmet Okur, forward Shawne Williams, and New Jersey's first-round, top-3-protected pick in the 2012 NBA draft. All four players acquired in the trades held expiring contracts, meaning they would be free agents at the end of the season. Oden was released from the roster after playing a total of 82 games in five NBA seasons, being cut along with Chris Johnson in order to make room for the incoming traded players. Finally, head coach Nate McMillan was also fired, leaving the franchise with the third-most coaching wins, behind Jack Ramsay and Rick Adelman. Portland named Kaleb Canales as the interim head coach for the rest of the 2011–2012 NBA season. A few days later, Portland claimed forward J. J. Hickson off waivers from the Sacramento Kings. After shaking up the roster and limping to the end of the regular season with a 28–38 record and finishing out of playoff contention for the first time in three years, the team entered the offseason on the search for a general manager and new head coach.

At the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery on May 30, the Blazers secured the number 6 pick of the draft via the Brooklyn Nets from the Gerald Wallace trade, and also ended up with the number 11 pick due to their own record. Neil Olshey became the new GM in June, making it just over a year since the Blazers had a non-interim general manager.[104]
On June 28, 2012, the Blazers selected Weber State guard Damian Lillard and University of Illinois center Meyers Leonard with the 6th and 11th picks overall, respectively. They also selected University of Memphis guard Will Barton with the 40th pick overall, and traded the rights of the 41st overall pick, University of Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor, to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations.

On July 11, 2012, the Trail Blazers announced the signing of their 22nd pick from the 2009 draft, Victor Claver.[105] On July 12, 2012, the Blazers announced the re-signing of Hickson.[105] On July 13, 2012, the Blazers announced the signing of their 30th pick from the 2006 draft, Joel Freeland. In free agency, the Blazers re-signed Nicolas Batum on July 18.[105] They also signed veteran point guard Ronnie Price. On July 20, 2012, the Blazers received Sasha Pavlovic and draft picks in a three-team trade.[105] Lillard was named Rookie of the Year.[106] However, despite the Blazers remaining among the playoff contenders for most of the season, a losing streak of 13 games - the longest in the franchise's history – led to the 11th position in the West, with a 33–49 record.[107]

Season-by-season results
In the Blazers' 43 years of existence (through 2013), they have qualified for the NBA playoffs 29 times, including a streak of 21 straight playoff appearances from 1983 through 2003. The team has one NBA title, in 1977, and appeared in the NBA Finals two other times, in 1990 and 1992. The best record posted by the team was 63–19, in 1991; the worst record was 18–64, in the team's second season.

Hall of Famers
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Players:
• Lenny Wilkens: 1974–1975
• Bill Walton: 1974–1978
• Clyde Drexler: 1983–1995
• Dražen Petrović: 1989–1990
• Arvydas Sabonis: 1995–2001, 2002–2003
• Scottie Pippen: 2000–2003
Coaches:
• Lenny Wilkens: 1974–1976
• Jack Ramsay: 1976–1986
FIBA Hall of Fame
• Fernando Martín: 1986–1987
• Dražen Petrović: 1989–1990
• Arvydas Sabonis: 1995–2001, 2002–2003

Points scored
• 1. Clyde Drexler (18,040)
• 2. Terry Porter (11,330)
• 3. Clifford Robinson (10,405)
• 4. Jerome Kersey (10,067)
• 5. Jim Paxson (10,003)
• 6. Geoff Petrie (9,732)
• 7. LaMarcus Aldridge (9,298)
• 8. Mychal Thompson (9,215)
• 9. Rasheed Wallace (9,119)
• 10. Sidney Wicks (8,882)
• 11. Kevin Duckworth (7,188)
• 12. Damon Stoudamire (6,745)
• 13. Kiki Vandeweghe (6,698)
• 14. Zach Randolph (6,202)
• 15. Brandon Roy (6,107)
• 16. Calvin Natt (5,738)
• 17. Buck Williams (5,677)
• 18. Arvydas Sabonis (5,629)
• 19. Maurice Lucas (5,151)
• 20. Rod Strickland (5,044)
• 21. Larry Steele (5,009)
• 22. Lloyd Neal (4,846)
• 23. Bob Gross (4,484)
• 24. Tom Owens (4,437)
• 25. Lionel Hollins (4,379)
• 26. Bonzi Wells (4,112)
• 27. Kenny Carr (3,903)
• 28. Nicolas Batum (3,656)
• 29. Travis Outlaw (3,607)
• 30. Bill Walton (3,578)

Minutes Played
• 1. Clyde Drexler (24,926)
• 2. Terry Porter (23,978)
• 3. Jerome Kersey (21,760)
• 4. Clifford Robinson (19,839)
• 5. Rasheed Wallace (19,309)

Rebounds
• 1. Clyde Drexler (5,339)
• 2. Jerome Kersey (5,078)
• 3. Mychal Thompson (4,878)
• 4. Buck Williams (4,861)
• 5. Sidney Wicks (4,086)

Assists
• 1. Terry Porter (5,319)
• 2. Clyde Drexler (4,933)
• 3. Damon Stoudamire (3,018)
• 4. Rod Strickland (2,573)
• 5. Geoff Petrie (2,057)

Steals
• 1. Clyde Drexler (1,795)
• 2. Terry Porter (1,182)
• 3. Jerome Kersey (1,059)
• 4. Jim Paxson (857)
• 5. Larry Steele (846)

Blocks
• 1. Mychal Thompson (768)
• 2. Clifford Robinson (726)
• 3. Rasheed Wallace (693)
• 4. Joel Przybilla (623)
• 5. Jerome Kersey (622)

Individual awards
NBA MVP of the Year
• Bill Walton – 1978
NBA Rookie of the Year
• Geoff Petrie – 1971
• Sidney Wicks – 1972
• Brandon Roy – 2007
• Damian Lillard – 2013
NBA Most Improved Player of the Year
• Kevin Duckworth – 1988
• Zach Randolph – 2004
NBA Sixth Man of the Year
• Clifford Robinson – 1993
NBA Coach of the Year
• Mike Schuler – 1987
• Mike Dunleavy – 1999
NBA Executive of the Year
• Bucky Buckwalter – 1991
All-NBA First Team
• Bill Walton – 1978
• Clyde Drexler – 1992
All-NBA Second Team
• Bill Walton – 1977
• Maurice Lucas 1978
• Jim Paxson – 1984
• Clyde Drexler – 1988, 1991
• Brandon Roy – 2009
All-NBA Third Team
• Clyde Drexler – 1990
• Brandon Roy – 2010
• LaMarcus Aldridge – 2011
NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Bill Walton – 1977, 1978
• Maurice Lucas – 1978
• Lionel Hollins – 1978
• Buck Williams – 1990, 1991
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• Bob Gross – 1978
• Maurice Lucas – 1979
• Lionel Hollins – 1979
• Kermit Washington – 1980, 1981
• Buck Williams – 1992
• Scottie Pippen – 2000
• Theo Ratliff – 2004
NBA Rookie First Team
• Geoff Petrie – 1970
• Sidney Wicks – 1972
• Lloyd Neal – 1973
• Lionel Hollins – 1976
• Mychal Thompson – 1979
• Ron Brewer – 1979
• Calvin Natt – 1980
• Kelvin Ransey – 1981
• Sam Bowie – 1985
• Arvydas Sabonis – 1996
• Brandon Roy – 2007
• LaMarcus Aldridge – 2007
• Damian Lillard – 2013

NBA Draft
The Trail Blazers have had the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft four times in their history; each time selecting a center. In 1972 the choice was LaRue Martin, Bill Walton was picked in 1974, Mychal Thompson in 1978, and Greg Oden was taken in 2007. Several Blazer picks have been criticized by NBA commentators as particularly unwise:
• The selection of Martin over Bob McAdoo.
• The selection of Thompson over Larry Bird (drafted No. 6 by the Boston Celtics) in 1978.
• The selection of center Sam Bowie with the No. 2 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft over Michael Jordan (who was then drafted by the Chicago Bulls); other notable players taken later in that draft include future Hall-of-Famers Charles Barkleyand John Stockton.
• The selection of Greg Oden over Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft
• Other notable draft picks include player-coach Geoff Petrie, Sidney Wicks, Larry Steele, Lionel Hollins and Jim Paxson in the 1970s and Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter and Arvydas Sabonis in the 1980s.
In the 1990s the Blazers selected Jermaine O'Neal and in the modern millennium drafted Zach Randolph and, in 2006, acquired Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge in a blockbuster draft day that included six trades involving the Trail Blazers.

Team branding
The team's colors are red, white, black, and silver, which was added in 2002.[109] The team's "pinwheel" logo, originally designed by the cousin of Glickman, is a graphic interpretation of two five-on-five basketball teams lined up against each other. One side of the pinwheel is red; the other side is silver (formerly black or white).[13] The logo has gone from a vertical alignment to a slanted one starting in the 1991 season, creating a straight edge along the top[3]
Portland's home uniforms are white in color, with red, black, and silver accents; the primary road uniform is black, with red, white, and silver accents. The alternate road uniform is red with white, silver, and black accents. From 1970 to the 1977–78 season, the team wore red road uniforms, switching to black in that year, with a switch from horizontal lettering with the tail added on the last letter to vertical lettering midway through its lifespan. The team again wore red from 1979 to 1985, switching back to black road jerseys after that. In 2002, the team reintroduced red jerseys. The team's uniforms have virtually remained the same since the 1977–78 season, featuring a "blaze" strip diagonal down the jersey and into the shorts. Notable alterations include the change from lowercase lettering to uppercase in 1991–92, tapered ends on the letters and silver trim in 2002–03, and the return of the city name to the black road jerseys in2005–06. In the 2009–10 NBA season they introduced a special jersey commemorating the Blazers' "Rip City" nickname, borrowing elements from their old and current logos. For the 2012–13 NBA season, the red jerseys were slightly altered, featuring a straightened "Portland" wordmark and black lettering with silver trim, along with a modified "blaze" striping, "Rip City" shorts wordmark and pinwheel logo in front of the uniform.[109]

The team's mascot is Blaze the Trail Cat, a two-tone silver-colored mountain lion,[110] which has been the team's official mascot since 2002.[111] Prior to Blaze's debut, the Trail Blazers never had any official mascot. A popular unofficial mascot was the late Bill "The Beerman" Scott, a Seattle beer vendor/cheerleader who worked for numerous pro teams, including the Trail Blazers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Seattle Mariners. Scott worked for the Trail Blazers from 1981 through 1985.[112]

Front office
The team is owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen; ownership of the Trail Blazers is via a series of holding companies which Allen owns. Vulcan Inc. is a private corporation which has Allen as chairman and sole shareholder. A subsidiary of Vulcan, Vulcan Sports and Entertainment (VSE), manages Allen's sports-related properties, including the Trail Blazers, the Seattle Seahawks NFL team, the Seattle Sounders MLS team, and the Rose Garden. The president of VSE was Tod Leiweke until he chose to leave the organization to become CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Leiweke also briefly served as the president of the Trail Blazers.[79]

The Trail Blazers as a corporate entity are owned by VSE. Allen serves as the team's chairman, and his longtime associate Bert Kolde is vice-chairman. The position of president is empty, with Larry Millerholding the job until resigning in July 2012.[113] The post of chief operating officer is vacant; the most recent COO of the team was Mike Golub, who resigned in July 2008 to take a more enhanced role with VSE.[114][115] Kevin Pritchard served as general manager of the Trail Blazers until he was fired on June 24, 2010. The announcement was issued by the Blazers' head office just an hour before the beginning of the 2010 NBA Draft.[116][117] A month later, the Blazers named Oklahoma City Thunder assistant general manager Rich Cho as their new general manager.[118] Cho was fired a year later, and director of college scouting Chad Buchanan served as interim general manager for the entire 2011–12. In June 2012, the Trail Blazers hired Neil Olshey as general manager.[119]

Before Allen purchased the team in 1988, the Trail Blazers were owned by a group of investors headed by Larry Weinberg.

Venue
The Trail Blazers play their home games in the Rose Garden, a multipurpose arena which is located in Portland's Rose Quarter, northeast of downtown. The Rose Garden, which opened in 1995, can seat a total of 19,980 spectators for basketball games; capacity increases to 20,580 with standing room.[120] Like the Trail Blazers, the Rose Garden is owned by Paul Allen through subsidiary Vulcan Sports and Entertainment,[79] and the arena is managed by Global Spectrum.[121] During a two-year period between 2005 and 2007, the arena was owned by a consortium of creditors who financed its construction after the Oregon Arena Corporation, a now-defunct holding company owned by Allen, filed for bankruptcy in 2004.[122]

Prior to 1995, the Trail Blazers home venue was the Memorial Coliseum, which today stands adjacent to the Rose Garden. This facility, built in 1960, can seat 12,888 spectators for basketball.[120]

In-game entertainment
The team has a cheerleading-dance squad known as the BlazerDancers. Consisting of 16 members, the all-female BlazerDancers perform dance routines at home games, charity events, and promotional events. The 2008–2009 team held auditions in late July 2008. Seven new dancers, as well as nine returning dancers make up the new team.[123] A junior dance team composed of 8- to 11-year-old girls also performs at selected home games,[124] as does a hip-hop dance troupe.[125] Other regular in-game entertainment acts include a co-educational acrobatic stunt team which performs technically difficult cheers,[126] a break dancing squad known as the Portland TrailBreakers,[127] and a pair of percussion acts.[128][129]

Fan support and "Blazermania"
The relationship between the team and its fans, commonly known as "Blazermania", has been well-chronicled. The Trail Blazers have long been one of the NBA's top draws, with the exception of two periods in the team's history. The team drew poorly during its first four seasons of existence, failing to average more than 10,000 spectators per game. Attendance increased in 1974, when the team drafted Bill Walton.[130]

The phenomenon known as Blazermania started during the 1976–77 season, when the team would post its first winning record, make its first playoff appearance—and capture its only NBA title, defeating the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ersin the NBA Finals; the team has been wildly popular in Portland since that time.[19][131] That season, the team started their famous sellout streak which would continue until the team moved into the Rose Garden in 1995.[4] The team continued to average over 19,000 spectators per game until the 2003–04 season, when attendance declined after the team continued to suffer image problems due to the "Jail Blazer" reputation it had gained, and was no longer competitive on the court.[51] After drafting eventual Rookie of the Year and three-time All Star Brandon Roy in 2006, attendance climbed in the 2006–07 season and continued to rebound in the 2007–08 season. The final 27 home games of the 2007–2008 season were consecutive sell-outs, a streak which continued through the entire 2008–2009 season and remains unbroken thus far in the 2011–2012 season.

Media

Television and radio broadcast
Like all NBA franchises, games of the Trail Blazers are routinely broadcast via television and radio. The team was one of the first in the NBA to produce its own television broadcasts.[132] The team's television production facility is known as Post-Up Productions. Television broadcasts of Blazer games, when not carried on a national network, are broadcast either on Comcast SportsNet Northwest or the Blazers Television Network, a network of five over-the-air television stations (four in Oregon; one in Washington).[133] The flagship station of the Blazers Television Network is KGW-TV in Portland.[133]

For the 2007–08 season, all but six regular-season games were carried on one these networks; the other six were broadcast nationally on TNT or ESPN. Thirty-four games were produced and broadcast in high-definition television.[133] The Trail Blazers television play-by-play announcer and analyst are Mike Barrett and Mike Rice, respectively. The sideline reporter during the broadcasts is Michael Holton, following Terry Porter (2010–11)[134] and Rebecca Haarlow (2009–10). The team was also known for its long association with Steve "Snapper" Jones, who played for the team prior to his career as a television analyst; Jones departed the franchise in 2005.[135]

All Trail Blazer games are broadcast over the radio, with broadcasting carried on the Trail Blazers radio network, which consists of 25 stations located in the Pacific Northwest. The flagship station of the Blazers' radio network isNewsRadio 1190 & 102.3 KEX, the AM news/talk radio station in Portland. The radio broadcasting team consists of play-by-play announcer Brian Wheeler, analyst Antonio Harvey, and studio host Jay Allen.All games are preceded by a pre-game analysis show, Blazers Courtside, and followed by a post-game show known as The 5th Quarter.[133] Bob Akamian served as studio host until halfway through the 2010–2011 season, when the team hired away Adam Bjaranson from their over-the-air TV partner, KGW, and former Trail Blazers' player Michael Holton is the studio analyst. The original radio announcer for the team was Bill Schonely, who served as the team's radio play-by-play announcer from 1970 until his retirement in 1998—calling 2,522 Blazers games—and remains with the team as a community ambassador.

Trail Blazers broadcasts have been criticized on several fronts. The broadcast personalities, all of whom are Trail Blazers employees, have been criticized in the media for being "homers"; further it has been alleged that the 2005 departure of Steve Jones was due in part to team displeasure with Jones' sometimes frank analysis of the team's on-court performance and off-court decisions.[138] A television deal signed with Comcast SportsNet in 2007 has also been criticized for not ensuring access to Blazer games via cable company Charter, as well as satellite television providers such as DirecTV and Dish Network, both of which compete with Comcast's cable television operations.[139]

Press relations
Several local news outlets provide in-depth coverage of the Trail Blazers. Chief among them is The Oregonian, the largest paper in the state of Oregon. Other newspapers providing detailed coverage of the team (including the assignment of beat writers to cover the team) include the Portland Tribune, a weekly Portland paper, and the Vancouver, Washington Columbian. Notable local journalists to cover the team include John Canzano and Jason Quick of the Oregonian and Dwight Jaynes of the Portland Tribune. Online coverage of the Oregonian is provided through OregonLive.com,[140] a website collaboration between the paper and Advance Internet.[141] In addition to making Oregonian content available, oregonlive.com hosts several blogs covering the team written by Oregonian journalists,[142][143] as well as an additional blog, "Blazers Blog", written by Sean Meagher.[144]

Relations between the team and The Oregonian have often been tense; the paper is editorially independent of the team and is often critical. During the Steve Patterson era, relations between the two institutions became increasingly hostile; several NBA executives told ESPN's Chris Sheridan that the situation was the "most dysfunctional media-team relationship" that they could recall.[145] For instance during a portion of a pre-2006 NBA Draft workout, which was closed to the media, an Oregonian reporter looked through a curtain separating the press from the workout and wrote about this on his blog.[146] Outraged, the team closed subsequent practices to the press altogether,[147] leading John Canzano of the paper to respond with outrage on his blog.[148] In November 2006, the Oregonian commissioned an outside editor to investigate the deteriorating relationship,[149] a move the rival Willamette Week called "unusual".[150] In the report,[151] both sides were criticized somewhat, but did not make any revelations which were unexpected.[150]

Additional coverage is offered by various blogs, including Blazers Edge (part of SB Nation) and The Portland Roundball Society (part of ESPN's TrueHoop Network).