| 17 February 2010
It’s only fitting this History Black series installment goes out to Travis Outlaw.
When Outlaw was traded on Tuesday to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Marcus Camby deal, Portland lost one of the good guys in their franchise history. They really did.
The bashful awe-shucks country kid from Starkville, Miss., Travis was the longest tenured member of the team since the Blazers drafted him out of high school back in 2003. Only 25 years old, Outlaw essentially came of age in Portland.
We came to know him as “Trout”. We came to know him as “Mr. 4th Quarter”.
We came to know him as the guy who would hit the weight room after home games to "get in a workout". We came to know that was a cover for the shy Outlaw to avoid postgame interviews.
We came to know him.
Hard to believe it’s been almost two years since I touched on why Outlaw is “one of the good guys” in this league, let alone Portland during his time here.
I can here him now: "Why he say that?"
As Brandon Roy, Kevin Pritchard and Nate McMillan attested today, it is tough saying good-bye to Travis.
That goes further than the basketball court.
No doubt about it.
The History Black Series - Honoring Black History Month:
February 1: Muhammed Ali
February 2: Gary Payton
February 3: Bo Jackson
February 4: Dr. J
February 5: The Junkyard Dog
February 6: John Starks
February 7: Barry Sanders
February 8: Spud Webb
February 9: Craig Hodges
February 10: The Fab Five
February 11: Ice Man
February 12: Buster Douglas
February 13: Harold Miner
February 14: Reggie Lewis
February 15: Hoop Dreams
photo:bruceely.com
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