Portland, Oregon is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States of America. From the Old Town neon sign that greets all comers like a more subtle ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ declaration. To the sweet skyline, punctuated by the Fuji like Mount Hood, in the broad background.
In the City of Roses, mind you, the town’s once only major sports franchise wasn’t exactly coming up smelling as such.
These days, the Portland Trail Blazers are sitting pretty in the playoff play-in picture after painting Phoenix with a 114-110 win. Behind veterans like Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant, and (Chris) young blood like Scoot Henderson and Yang Hansen, not to mention the Dame Time era returning legend of Damian Lillard, Portland is going places. Not common with controversy, aside from the betting scandal involving suspended coach Chauncey Billups.
Yet, nothing was quite as iconic as the heralded and much maligned ‘Jail Blazers’.
Let Netflix’s UNTOLD sports series tell it, just mere weeks after they offered another compelling, controversial and cautionary tale on ‘The Death and Life of Lamar Odom’. Joining their ‘Chess Mates’ look at the story of Hans Niemann’s cheating scandal against Magnus Carlsen and ‘The Shooting of Hawthorne Hill’ this season. Netflix’s darker alternative to ESPN’s 30 For 30 has been making a name for itself, and its infamous subject matters, since its 2021 rookie year on streaming.
Behind the hippie headband of the late, great, and Grateful Dead purist Bill Walton, Portland won their only championship in 1977. Looking to reclaim that glory twenty years later the Trail Blazers conducted what was dubbed in this documentary as “the greatest sociology experiment in sports”. The Clyde Drexler era was over, like his and my hairline. It was time the pinwheels of the team logo moved in a different direction.
“Let’s see Paul Allen’s card!” Portland was brought by Microsoft man Paul Allen and his first major move was acquiring the then reigning Seattle Sonics General Manager of the year, Bob Whitsitt. Who in this film will double-down on every choice he made for the franchise.
It’s a short trip from Seattle to Portland, and Whitsitt came from the state of Washington with a reputation of taking teams forward at supersonic speed. So much so, he garnered the nickname, “Trader Bob” for his ‘Moneyball’ like approach to analytics and stockpiling stars that some (most) may see as damaged goods. Making big plays for former friends from Emerald City, like ‘Reignman’ Shawn Kemp.
The big-three in question, that this documentary concerns, were Rasheed Wallace (traded from the Bullets), Damon Stoudamire (the former ‘Mighty Mouse’, Raptors rookie) and their own home-grown Bonzi Wells. A trio of incredible talents for a team who were right there with the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings in the early 2000’s, as a championship contender with a room airing window of opportunity open for them.
Alas, just like the fact that Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley and Gary Payton had to play in the same golden era as Michael Jordan, these teams had to play in the Hollywoodland of the Los Angeles Lakers stars Shaq and Kobe. The Blazers facing the Lakers in the playoffs three straight times.
And guess who won?
Portland did pip the Lake Show in getting Scottie Pippen, however. The former Chicago Bulls legend, having problems in Houston, wanted a reunion with Phil Jackson, but Whitsitt tempted Pip with playful taunts of, “you’re going to be the fourth banana again” after playing with Phil, Mike and Dennis Rodman in the Windy City. Scottie was tempted about the prospect of winning it all on his own, and the Lakers ended up picking up Heat hot-shooter Glen Rice for their third-option.
With Pippen, Wallace, Stoudamire and Wells, the Blazers were scorching. That was until an iconic lob pass from Bryant to O’Neal, with Shaquille’s wide-eyes and outstretched hands pointing to his son Shareef in the stands, stopped that trail dead in its tracks.
Was that the closest that they got?
It could have been. Yet it could have been so much more. Problems started to come calling, like Rasheed getting whistled for more technical fouls than Luka Dončić this season. Sheed even got tee’d up in a classic commercial for Nike amidst ball bounces and sneakers squeaks.
That wasn’t it, mind you. Drug problems. Assaults. The team had one point when they went just 17-days…without an incident. It didn’t help when Kemp checked into rehab for cocaine. Or young-stud Zach Randolph was charged with assault. The person he punched was fellow player and his own teammate Ruben Patterson. The former Laker, Sonic and self-dubbed “Kobe stopper” (you can YouTube how that all turned out) who Whitsitt thought wise to bring in, even after sexual-assault charges.
You can here the disappointment in former player, turned commentator Bill Walton’s voice.
Aside from Kemp, most other Blazers players are M.I.A. here. Especially Pippen, who had to feel like Reggie Miller for that infamous Indiana Pacers team featuring Metta Sandiford-Artest and Stephen Jackson. Speaking of which, Jermaine O’Neal was a part of this Portland team, too. He’s also on a milk carton here, but appears candidly on Untold’s ‘Malice at the Palace’ documentary film.
It’s a shame other Portland players like smooth Steve Smith, Arvydas Sabonis (a great who came at the wrong time, marred in injury) and warrior Brian Grant weren’t featured. You can see Wells caring for Brian, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, in the film’s final frames, at a team reunion in-front of fans on centre court. One Wallace refused to join. Playing for the Pistons, with Billups, after Portland and winning an NBA championship…against the LA Lakers.
Rasheed has some choice words for the fans who turned their backs on him. But he has no problem with the hilarious ‘Chappelle Show’ skit with the late, great Charlie Murphy. Stoudamire (now a sought-after college coach) gets candid about his drug problems too. Attending the reunion for Bonzi’s sake, who he feels got treated the most unfairly. The only heat Bonzi Wells kept blazing was above the rim. No problems except saying something in the papers. But that’s all water under ‘Bridge City’ now.
The ‘Showtime’ Lakers. The ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons. The ‘Jail Blazers’. Bob Whitsitt argues that not many teams in history have such a famous moniker…although it might not be the best one. This Portland Trail Blazers team is one of legend, but they could have been legendary. Their legacy is infamous when it could have been iconic. But the post-MJ, pre-King time of the early 2000’s just wouldn’t be the same without their arresting influence.
Go straight to Untold’s ‘Jail Blazers’, on Netflix, for more.
