If you’re a Portland Trail Blazers fan who also loves the NBA 2K series, you’ve likely been on the edge of your seat waiting for the franchise’s all-time roster to be released. After all, we can only talk about how Carmelo Anthony may or may not want to come to Portland for so long, and we are officially in the dog days of the dreaded offseason.
Alas! 2K has officially revealed Rip City’s all-time 15-man roster.
Did they get it right? We have some thoughts.
Starters
- Damian Lillard
- Clyde Drexler
- Jerome Kersey
- LaMarcus Aldridge
- Bill Walton
There are a couple controversies to address right out of the gate. For starters, Lillard in the first five? Over Terry Porter? It may sound blasphemous to those who’ve watched this team for the better part of three decades (or more), but that’s how good Lillard has been. He not only established himself as a top-tier player upon entering the league, he’s had such a positive impact on the culture/revitalization of the franchise that his inclusion is justifiable.
Also up for debate are Walton and Aldridge. For Walton, his time in Portland was incredible but short-lived. It also came to its bitter end when both injuries and a clash with the organization were too much to take.
When it comes to Aldridge, there’s a recency bias that will probably have fans questioning his admittance into the starting five because of his free-agency departure.
But for both, you have to consider their impacts throughout their Trail Blazers tenure. Walton is an easy add considering how great he was before his injuries (and he was instrumental in bringing Rip City its only title). And Aldridge left Portland as the No. 4 in all-time games played, No. 3 in minutes, No. 2 in field-goals and No. 1 in total rebounds (among other notable top-five finishes).
Reserves
- Terry Porter
- Rod Strickland
- CJ McCollum
- Wesley Matthews
- Isaiah Rider
- Nicolas Batum
- Kiki Vandeweghe
- Zach Randolph
- Arvydas Sabonis
- Kevin Duckworth
So a few things…
We all love Matthews. During his stint in Portland, he was not only the epitome of a three-and-D presence, he was a vocal leader both in the locker room and on the court. His inclusion is nice, but he—as well as Batum—feel like a bit of a stretch when looking at some of the notable omissions below.
Also, on the other end of the spectrum, it’s great to see Strickland and Vandeweghe get attention here. Vandeweghe is criminally underrated by many league-wide historical analysts, while Strickland is often better remembered for his days with the Washington Bullets.
Notable Omissions
- Buck Williams
- Damon Stoudamire
- Geoff Petrie
- Sidney Wicks
- Clifford Robinson
- Brandon Roy
- Jim Paxson
- Mychal Thompson
Let’s address the elephant in the room right away: Why no Roy? Or Sheed?
The simple answer is that 2K likely couldn’t obtain a license to create players based on their likeness. At least we’re hoping that’s the case; otherwise, we call shenanigans.
As far as the rest go, we can at least understand their omissions despite the shame in not having them on board. Clifford Robinson was a great player but more fan favorite than consensus star. And Williams, while being known as the final piece to get Portland out of the Sam Bowie era and into contender status, had his best days with the New Jersey Nets.
So, OSN readers…tell us what you think. Did 2K get it right? What changes would you make? Any notable omissions we should have added?
Hit us in the comments.
