http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/steve_aschburner/12/07/quarter.mark/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1 someone should start a post with this because i cant.
[TrueHoop] Jason Friedman: On Greg Oden and the Blazers-Rockets bond Jason Friedman had to write about the Blazers after losing a friendly bet with TrueHoop's Henry Abbot. He used the opportunity to write a heart-felt essay on coping with the loss of Greg Oden based on his perspective as a writer and fan who covers Yao Ming, and describing the bond between the Blazers and Rockets franchise. Definitely worth a read. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11307/to-a-grieving-acquaintance [rquoter] ... In fact, Oden and Yao now figure to make their return at the exact same time: training camp 2010. It stands as yet another tie which inexorably binds our two great cities, Portland and Houston, together. The link began 26 years ago when the Blazers selected a ridiculously talented human pogo stick of a guard from the University of Houston named Clyde Drexler. One year later Portland and Houston were the principal figures in an even bigger draft coup: a coin flip for the rights to the No. 1 pick and an opportunity to select yet another U. of H. stud, Akeem Olajuwon. Since then, Drexler returned to Houston, the Blazers drafted Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez – both of whom were hotly desired by Houston – the Rockets made former Portland coach Rick Adelman their bench boss and the two teams recently met in the first round of last year’s playoffs. So maybe we’re more than mere acquaintances after all. Point being, we are now bound together by a common hope: that our two talented and beloved big men can come back to fill the void their absence has left behind; that we can watch them go head-to-head once more, unburdened by the pain of the past and instead enjoying the sight of two of the game’s premiere big men battling each other at the height of their powers. Their cities deserve such a sight. So, too, do their teams. But more than anyone, this Promethean pair deserves it. Thus, it is for them, and for all of us, that I hold out hope. I know they won’t give up. Neither, then, will I. [/rquoter]
Jason does a good job. I worried about him becoming a flak for the Rox when he went 'inside' the Toy Shop. He continually proves to me that I should not have worried.
I have utmost respect for Blazers and their fans, maybe its because of that one Blazers blog. But either way, I dont mind cheering for them when they dont play us.
Promethean pair? Not quite sure if I get the metaphor, they stole fire from the gods and are being punished? If anything, I'd call being a Yao fan Sisyphean. Like being a Texans fan.
I don't see the criticism, I think that most fans agree that with each one-possession loss, this team is learning something... we will be closing out these games a la GSW with more frequency as we get closer to the finish of the season... we are 1/4 of the way through now and sitting on a 11-9 record after a pretty tough opening schedule
Its a reference to the "punishment" of Yao/Oden constantly getting injured, rehabbing, getting injured, rehabbing, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus "Zeus then punished [Prometheus] for his crime by having him bound to a rock while a great eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day."
It's a nice bond... but is it me or does anyone else think that Yao Ming means so much more to our chances of success than Greg Oden does to Portland?
