Bemoaning the Blazers, and the draft

If there’s a chance to make a bad draft choice, the Portland Trail Blazers have proven they are quite capable of doing just that.

The franchise’s entire list of botched draft selections are too numerous — and too painful — to rehash here.

But the two that stand out are Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984, and Greg Oden over Kevin Durant in 2007.

Bowie and Oden, of course, went on to have injury-shortened careers.

And you know what MJ did — and what Durant is doing.

I bring this up because, unlike Messrs. Bowie and Oden, there is a hot prospect in this year’s NBA Draft that already has injury issues, and has people wondering about the risk of taking him.

That would be freshman Michael Porter Jr., who played in just three games at Missouri because of back problems.

THAT WOULD be so Portland to draft Porter — then see his back injury flare up and keep him from playing.

Portland, the Northwest’s lone NBA franchise for the last nine seasons, is slotted to pick 24th in tonight’s draft. So, the good news is, unless the Blazers want to swing a deal and move up in the draft, Porter figures to be long gone by then, which would save them the potential trouble.

And, who knows, his back problems may be behind him, and he’ll again look like the player who was considered the top high school player in the country just a year ago.

Unless Portland drafts him. Then the Blazers better make sure they’re up to date on their health insurance premiums on their players.

When stars go to Portland, injuries seem to follow.

Brandon Roy had a stellar career at the University of Washington. He was doing quite well with the Blazers, until the sixth overall pick in 2006 had to retire in 2011 because of knee problems.

And remember, Bill Walton’s injuries began once he landed in the Rose City.

PORTER OR not, hopefully, Portland can stumble onto someone who can help the Blazers be better than a team good enough to make the playoffs, then get bounced in the first round by a lower seed, like this year.

They have two all-star-type players in guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum who feel compelled to take most of the shots, whether they’re good shots or not. Then again, if they didn’t, the Blazers might not score. But that imbalance in talent between those two and the other three on the floor is magnified against the better teams come playoff time.

Forward Zach Collins, the one-and-done from Gonzaga in 2017, may turn out to be a good pro — but it might end up having to be somewhere else. I don’t know if Portland is smart enough to figure out how to use him properly — or if there’s enough shots for him after Lillard and McCollum are done taking theirs.

Maybe the Blazers will pass when their turn to pick comes tonight — that might be the healthiest choice for all of us.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.