Portland Trail Blazers Rising Stars Challenge Participants

Suspended Indefinitely: Josh Smith Pulls Up

Josh Smith was damn good, all things considered, but so frequently and heavily lamented that he became more closely associated with his poor decisions than his broad range of talents.

Basketball's Grandest Ballad: The Utah Jazz

by John Wilmes

Averaged out over a fifteen-year period, the contributions of Karl Malone and John Stockton were greater than anyone else's, but at no point during that time were they good enough to beat everyone.

Prospect Report: Cole Anthony Of North Carolina

by Rafael Uehara

While Cole Anthony certainly lost status compared to how he was viewed entering his freshman year, his season was by no means a disaster.

Suspended Indefinitely: Jermaine O'Neal Spins Baseline, Into The Abyss

by Colin McGowan

Jermaine O'Neal's career, viewed in hindsight, takes on the shape of a slasher film. He got the rawest cosmic deal of his generation. He sat in Portland, flourished in Indiana, and suffered through an aborted phantom season that could have seen him realize new heights. Then he started to get hurt all the time.

Season	Player	Team	Pos	Height	Weight	Age	Pre-NBA Draft Team	MVP
2013-2014	Damian Lillard	Portland Trail Blazers	G	6-3	195	23	Weber State	-
2012-2013	Damian Lillard	Portland Trail Blazers	G	6-3	195	22	Weber State	-
2010-2011	Wesley Matthews	Portland Trail Blazers	G	6-5	220	24	Marquette	-
2008-2009	Rudy Fernandez	Portland Trail Blazers	SG	6-6	185	23	Divina Seguros Joventut (Spain)	-
2008-2009	Greg Oden	Portland Trail Blazers	C	7-0	273	21	Ohio State	-
2007-2008	LaMarcus Aldridge	Portland Trail Blazers	FC	6-11	265	22	Texas	-
2007-2008	Brandon Roy	Portland Trail Blazers	G	6-6	211	23	Washington	-
2006-2007	Brandon Roy	Portland Trail Blazers	G	6-6	211	22	Washington	-
1997-1998	Kelvin Cato	Portland Trail Blazers	C	6-11	255	23	Iowa State	-
1997-1998	Alvin Williams	Portland Trail Blazers	G	6-5	185	23	Villanova	-
1995-1996	Arvydas Sabonis	Portland Trail Blazers	C	7-3	279	31	Zalgiris (Lithuania)	-

Season

Player

Team

Pos

Height

Weight

Age

Pre-NBA Draft Team

MVP

2013-2014

Damian Lillard

Portland Trail Blazers