By booing Meyers Leonard, fans crossed a line

Meyers Leonard has long been the focus of many Blazer fans’ ire, especially when the team isn’t playing well. But last night may have gone too far.

In the Blazers’ 103-91 collapse to the Milwaukee Bucks, there was plenty for fans in Portland to be upset about. But for some reason, the anguish and rage of the crowd seemed to focus on Meyers Leonard.

Jokes and hashtags about athletes on social media are one thing; but this was a Blazer player being openly booed in a Blazer home game.

It was a shameful moment for Blazer fans, and booing your own players shouldn’t be acceptable moving forward.

The Blazers had bigger problems

Obviously, Meyers was not the only (or anywhere near the biggest) problem the Blazers had last night.

Portland looked sloppy on offense all game, and never led after the first three minutes of play. Likewise, their defense was stagnant and lifeless, creating easy backdoor cuts and drives in the paint for a team that needs no assistance doing such.

No player on Portland’s roster outside of their core three scored in double digits. Even Dame and CJ failed to log 20 points, with McCollum shooting 7/20 from the field and each backcourt star missing five of their three-point attempts. All five starters ended the game with a negative +/- rating, which accounts for a team’s scoring gain or deficit depending on which players are on the floor.

When I’m pissed off as a fan, I like to turn my anguish and rage towards the ref. This game provided plenty of opportunities for such.

CJ, once again, failed to earn a single trip to the free throw line, and I’m not putting that all on him. And then there was the EPIC block by Jusuf Nurkic late in the game.

If you haven’t seen it, this block was as clean a block as the cleanest kosher cutting board in an award-winning New York deli.

Except, the refs didn’t see it that way.

Honestly, this game had a number of elements familiar to any homecoming after a long road trip. Back at home in a comfortable environments and their own beds, players tend to relax. The return-home game often doesn’t go as planned.

But again, none of this was the fault of Meyers Leonard.

Why do Blazers fans turn their hate so directly on Meyers?

Late in the game, when Blazers were already down about 20 points, Dame passed to an open Meyers, who airballed the three.

The boos poured down from every corner of the Moda Center.

The shot was ugly, but the opportunity was undeniable: any shooter in the league faced with that shot is going to take it. Lillard obviously felt the same or he would have chosen a different target for his pass.

By any metric I can find, Meyers was nowhere near the worst-contributing player for the Blazers last night. He only played eight minutes, took three shots (only the airball was from deep), and made one of them.

Meyers ended the game with a +/- rating of +1, tied with Evan Turner. The only players who ranked higher were Napier, Layman, and Collins. Of those three, only Napier saw more minutes (15). Layman and Collins played only the closing minute of the game, so their scores can easily be labeled “Sample Size Too Small”.

Jusuf Nurkic airballed a shot not too long after.

Nary a boo was heard.

Why, tho?

The reason that some fans resent Meyers goes beyond the court. His contract is unquestionably larger than what his production has earned, and the team is right at the border of the luxury tax. Then again, it’s less of an anchor than the contract Neil Olshey signed with Turner.

To complete that comparison, ET played 26 minutes in last night’s game, finished with the same rating as Leonard, and even missed a three… but he somehow escaped the hate.

There were also comments on Twitter that booing Meyers was a way for fans to “get back” at a Trail Blazers team that controls the narrative all too often. That it was a rebel yell against Olshey and his communications staff (and the Portland media) being too soft on players when criticism is warranted.

Why couldn’t fans find a better way to send a message to the team? Is the only way REALLY to endlessly shame one of their players? These questions shouldn’t be that tough to answer.

The Blazers are sticking up for their team. Fans should do the same.

Jason Quick reported in a postgame interview with Nurkic that Jusuf was “…unhappy with Blazers fans who booed Meyers Leonard tonight. Said they all played poorly and no one player deserved being singled out.”

Next: Should Damian Lillard be in the MVP discussion

Nurkic also reportedly gave fans the message of “Boo me. Boo everybody.” The point he’s making is clear: The players are not throwing Meyers Leonard under the bus. Fans shouldn’t be so quick to do so either.

The bottom line is… Fans of THIS team, the Portland Trail Blazers, need to hold themselves to a higher standard. Rip City has stood by its squad through a LOT worse than a bench player with a bloated contract, or a big man who didn’t want to play near the rim.

This was not a bright moment in the home of the Blazers, and I’m not talking about a horrible performance on the court. Let’s hope we don’t fall that low again.