The Next Beloved Portland Trail Blazer Big Man
Portland has had a long history of adopting a “Blue Collar” big man as one of their own; a player that is adored while in Rip City, and fondly remembered when recanting tales of teams past. Bill Walton, Kevin Duckworth, Arvydas Sabonis, Brian Grant, and Robin Lopez (first ballot beloved big), are all men that find themselves on the Rushmore of Blazer bruisers. So, what does it take to be the next beloved Blazer big? More importantly, who is next in line to the throne?
Rather than making a list of intangible’s and trying to tie them to current players on the roster, I will instead try to list what makes former blue collar guys so special to Rip City. Forgive me if my memory gets a little fuzzy, or I embellish on a players traits, but when you are remembering larger than life legends, it is bound to happen.
“…his ability to break the curse that seemed to be surrounding Blazer centers for over a decade.”
Let’s face it, small market teams have to get a little creative when putting together the parts of a winning team. Creative often means replacing flashy top level talent with a little character and hard work. Nothing sums up this creativity better then the 1986 mid-season trade for Kevin Duckworth. The two biggest factors of Duckworth’s popularity have to do with the massive fan appeal of late 80’s early 90’s Blazer squad, and his ability to break the curse that seemed to be surrounding Blazer centers for over a decade.
Just when Blazer fans had accepted that the Sam Bowie bust train had left the station, the pudgy second round pick from Eastern Illinois University took the Blazers by storm. He went from back up center in his rookie year , to be being thrust into the starting role in the 1987-88 season. From there, he went on to put up a respectable 15.8 points per game along with 7.4 rebounds per game(basketball-reference.com) en route to winning the 1988 NBA Most Improved Player Award.
We can talk about stats all day though, and present logical reasons why Duckworth was loved by so many. The real reason I became a Duckworth fan was he didn’t look like a pro athlete on the TV. This guy looked like my Dad’s friends, my neighbor, the guy playing rec league at your local gym; he certainly didn’t resemble the fine tuned athletes of today. Along with his less than flattering stature, his name became a description of playing style: to put in a Duckworth like effort was to dive for loose balls, set hard screens, sweat, and sweat. (Seriously. The big fella was visibly sweaty even in pre HDTV days). All these traits firmly place him the blue collar Hall of Fame.
The Rasta Monsta
Really I could leave it at that. The nickname representing the signature look of Brian Grant is enough alone to put him the blue collar Hall. Nickname aside, he quickly endeared himself to the Rip City faithful by choosing Portland over other suitors in the 1997 free agency period. As I mentioned before about small market teams, getting your first choice is not always an option. Brian Grant to this day is still on a very short list of free agent suitors that picked Portland first over other cities.
“Brian Grant to this day is still on a very short list of free agent suitors that picked Portland first over other cities.”
Besides merely just showing up to the Blazers, he also went on to play a huge role as a starter for his first two seasons in Portland. But, what he did in his third season as a Blazer probably speaks the loudest to his playing legacy. When Portland acquired Scottie Pippen before the 1999-2000 season, Grant selflessly accepted a role as the first big off the bench. Not just his acceptance of a lesser role, Blazer fans remember Grant as the one who played tough defensive minutes in the playoffs that year, going toe to toe with the likes of Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O’Neal through each round of the playoffs. Selfless acts like these enshrine you in the blue collar Hall of Fame forever.
Sep 28, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Chris Kaman (35)
Now, matching the legacy of these two examples is a tall order for sure (I promise that wasn’t a bad pun attempt), but I will admit that we do have some potential on this roster for a fan favorite big. Chris Kaman was the clear frontrunner, but with an undefined role on a young roster coupled with a shaved beard, the field remains wide open. So, who does that leave as candidates?
First off, I don’t think Cliff Alexander(if he makes the roster) will receive enough playing time to propel him into a lead position amongst the fans. That leaves four serious players left to consider: Meyers Leonard, Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis, and Noah Vonleh. All these youngsters appear to be on the verge of receiving major minutes in Coach Stotts‘s rotation.
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You can really weed out half the field on appearance alone. You can’t be a blue collar big if you look like you moonlight as a Abercrombie & Fitch model in your spare time. Sorry Mason and Meyers, you guys are out. Doesn’t mean they won’t be fine players this season, just they don’t fit the mold of the guys mentioned above.
As for Vonleh, we just don’t have enough game tape to see what kind of player he is going to be. He has shown, so far in the preseason, a willingness to get down on the blocks and fight for boards. But, he has also been touted for his outside shooting and potential to be a coveted stretch four. Let me be clear: the term stretch four can never be used along side blue collar. The concepts, for me, are mutually exclusive.
Now for my candidate, the sultan of screen, Mr. Ed Davis. While others looked at the additions of Plumlee, Henderson, and Aminu as the biggest free agency grabs, I had already jumped on the Davis bandwagon. From how we signed him, to his style of play, I am siding with the believer camp.
As the Lakers prepared their failed social media storm to try to lure LaMarcus Aldridge to LA, they failed to prepare a contingency plan to keep their own free agents in the chance that they missed out on the top free agents. While they reeled from the first botched LaMarcus pitch, they a lost lost out on Davis after a career year.
Oct 5, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Ed Davis (17) shoots over Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00)
While Davis’s numbers won’t dazzle you, he does the small things very well. He is coming off his best year for offensive rebounds per game (2.9) and a career best FG% of .601. Along with those numbers, he has shown glimpses of being one of the better screen and roll players in the league. Lucky for Davis, he will be working with a much better point guard in Damian Lillard than what he had in LA, so look for his efficiency to improve again this year.
“This is the guy that Rip City desperately wanted Thomas Robinson to be”
Along with the numbers, I think the story of Ed Davis is one that Blazer fans can get behind. He is on his fourth team in his six-year career, it has taken him time to find his niche in the league, but now he is set to thrive. This is the guy that Rip City desperately wanted Thomas Robinson to be. If anyone has a chance to break into the blue collar Hall of Fame, my money is on this guy.
With all that said, it takes a lot more than just being a memorable player on the court to become a true beloved Blazer big. Brian Grant and Kevin Duckworth both made Portland their home. They became active members of the community, giving back whenever possible. Brian Grant has been a pillar for the fight against Parkinson’s, and his foundation website can be found here. As for Duckworth, he is still missed in the area after his passing in 2008. With the right amount of success on the court and contributions off it, Davis could become a legend in his own right.