What's The World Coming To When A Portland Trailblazer Can't Even Bring A Loaded Gun On A plane Anymore?

I feel sorry for Paul Allen. His Seatlle Seahawks fell sort of winning the Super Bowl recently. And his Portland Trailblazers often make news, but for all the wrong reasons.

With so many past problems, this team was called the "Jailblazers" by many popular media outlets. In Utah a few years ago, team members picked up some young underage teenage girls from a shopping mall to bring back to their hotel room for sex. Others were arrested for drugs and other charges over the years. Former Trailblazer, Isiah Rider was recently arrested for charges similar to kidnapping.

Yesterday, despite many changes to the team roster, another Trailblazer made news by bringing a loaded gun on board the team plane, supposedly by accident. He claimed it was an honest mistake when he grabbed his girlfriend's duffle bag by mistake. But once again it raises more absurdly bad publicity for this team that has proven itself far better at losing games this year than winning, despite an excellent coach in Nate McMillan. McMillan will be an assistant coach to Team USA.

Let's hope this is an isolated incident and not the beginning of some new springtime Trailblazer antics. The Trailblazers have lost Paul Allen more than $100 million dollars, more than any professional sporting team ever. If they continue to lose games and make news for all the wrong reasons, then Paul Allen may have to eventually see the team as simply a bad business investment mistake and unload his problem by selling the franchise to some other city.

A few years ago when the Trailblazers had great players such Clyde Drexler or in later years, Scottie Pippen, they were the pride of Portland. Watching Clyde Drexler play against Michael Jordan for the NBA championship was a high point in the Trailblazers. Portland fans would love to see a return to such greatness, but silly incidents such as bringing a loaded gun onto the team plane hardly compare with this past greatness.