Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad

Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball

Kerry Eggers, who covered the Trail Blazers, goes back twenty years for the stories from the players, coaches, management, and those in Portlandâ€”during an era when the the local NBA stars were in the headlines for both their play and their off-court behavior.

In the late â€™90s and early 2000s, the Portland Trail Blazers were one of the hottest teams in the NBA. For almost a decade, they won 60 percent of their games while making it to the Western Conference Finals twice. However, what happened off-court was just as unforgettable as what they did on the court.

When someone asked Blazers general manager Bob Whitsitt about his teamâ€™s chemistry, he replied that heâ€™d â€œnever studied chemistry in college.â€ And with that, the â€œJail Blazersâ€ were born. Built in a similar fashion to a fantasy team, the team had skills, but their issues ended up being their undoing. In fact, many consider it the darkest period in franchise history.

While fans across the country were watching the skills of Damon Stoudamire, Rasheed Wallace, and Zach Randolph, those in Portland couldnâ€™t have been more disappointed in the playersâ€™ off-court actions. This, many have mentioned, included a very racial elementâ€”which carried over to the players as well. As forward Rasheed Wallace said, â€œWeâ€™re not really going to worry about what the hell [the fans] think about us. They really donâ€™t matter to us. They can boo us every day, but theyâ€™re still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street. Thatâ€™s why theyâ€™re fans and weâ€™re NBA players.â€

While people think of the Detroit Pistons of the eighties as the elite â€œBad Boys,â€ the â€œJail Blazersâ€ were actually bad. Author Kerry Eggers, who covered the Trail Blazers during this controversial era, goes back to share the stories from the players, coaches, management, and those in Portland when the players were in the headlines as much for their play as for their legal issues.
Country USA
Brand Sports Publishing
Manufacturer Sports Publishing
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2018-11-20
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781683582601

Country	USA
Brand	Sports Publishing
Manufacturer	Sports Publishing
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2018-11-20
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781683582601

Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball