Guns and Moses

I'm one of those people who don't think it's fair to have the taxpayers pay for the entire renovation of the Moda Center arena, without some contribution from the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team, which is the building's primary, and controlling, tenant. But one of my arguments for keeping taxpayer dollars out of the deal may have just been eliminated.

I've been saying that the Blazers don't deserve a remodel of the venue because the product they've put on the floor over the past several decades has been mediocre at best. But you can't really say that about the team's red hot opening of the season that's just under way. The Portland squad is undefeated after three games, including a beauty of a victory, on the road, over the L.A. Lakers the other night. It has not been fundamentally sound basketball, at least by traditional measures, and its ability to produce wins throughout the long season and especially in the playoffs seems doubtful. But dang, I must say, it's entertaining as all get-out.

Here's the deal. The Blazers' starting five now include not one but three elite players: all-star forward Deni Avdija, returning Hall of Fame point guard Damian Lillard, and the recently acquired all-star point guard Ja Morant. Two point guards? Sounds like trouble, but maybe not. These guys can all shoot the lights out, and it's not advisable to double-team any of them if it means that either of the other two is left open. So far Dame and Ja are acting like they've proved everything they need to individually, and now just want to win.

The trio plays no meaningful defense, but given their ability to shoot and make plays, it might not matter. They'll give up 130 points a night, but they'll score 133. This formula is notoriously unsuitable for the post-season, but between now and then, it's hard for opponents to stop, and genuinely fun to watch.

When the adversaries get tired of having to handle Deni, Dame, and Ja (which sounds like an Eastern European fusion band), off the bench come Scoot Henderson, who still seems like a rising star, and Jrue Holiday, a two-team NBA champion with smarts, experience, and actual talent on defense. You're not going to be catching much of a breather dealing with the two of them.

The big men are no slouches, either: Donovan Clingan, who's as imposing as a Klingon, and Robert Williams, whom they call "the Time Lord" because he has had trouble with alarm clocks, but who's a fine player around the rim.

I might actually pay to go see that lineup, if it stays together. Of course, there will be injuries to disrupt things, and one always worries that Ja may revert to his reckless ways off the court, but the show the Blazers put on against the Lakers kept me watching right up to the happy ending. Lillard hit a big shot down the stretch, and it was Ja pointing to his watch to signal that it was "Dame Time." That was must-see.

Meanwhile, the nicknames around the league for the pairing of the Israeli Avdija and the troubled Morant have been pretty amusing. 

When they start stuff like that, it's a sign that something good is happening. (By the way, Ja's jersey number so far is 1, not 12. He wanted 12, but the Blazers are saving it, maybe to retire in honor of LaMarcus Aldridge.)

So now do I think that Tom Dundon, the predatory car loan guy who owns the team, deserves his $600-million-plus handout from the taxpayers? Oh, heck no. But is he giving ticketholders their money's worth? So far, absolutely.

As I've been saying all along, you won't hear much about the Moda renovation negotiations until after election. But now that's only a week away. Look for things to move quickly, for better or worse, over the next couple of months.