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After several incidents (and here), it appears TrueHoop is becoming the police. The bad guys are journalists who say Portland is NBA hell, even though the team's overhaul--players, coaches, management, attitude--has been thorough and complete. Only the owner remains.

So we're busting the bad guys.

Lots of you, thanks very much, have been in touch about the latest offense, in which a national NBA writer wondered aloud why someone like Nate McMillan would want to work in NBA "hell." Mark Kriedler didn't provide any evidence it was hell, and brazenly ignored likely motivations like a team with promising young players at every position, a payroll with some flexibility, an owner with the deepest of pockets, a beautiful city, a nice stadium, a tradition of excellence, and (at least recently) straight-shooting management.

So I e-mailed him:

Mr. Kreidler,

I am a sportswriter for HOOP and Inside Stuff, and I run TrueHoop, an award-winning professional basketball blog. (Full disclosure, I am also a Portland fan.)

One topic that has come up on the blog a lot recently is that a lot of NBA writers lazily refer to Portland as some sort of dead-end destination for miscreants, even though the team has new management, new team, and a new coach since the days when that reputation was earned. I have written, and lot of people have agreed, that it is inaccurate not to update your thinking to coincide the facts.

So, from my point of view, you sort of walked into it with your "McMillan goes to hell" crack.

I have written about it here http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-3-38/AP-on--Mr--Sonic-.html and here http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-3-99/Wells-Fargo--Jail-Blazers-No-More.html.

Before I react to your article on TrueHoop, I wanted to give you a chance to give your side of the story.

Talk to you soon,

Henry

And Mark Kreidler e-mailed back:

Henry: I'm saying, straight up, that Portland IS Hell -- in the minds of the NBA public. It seems strange -- from that pespective -- to see Nate head there from a supposedly successful situation in Seattle. What people probably don't know is that McMillan may wind up looking like the one who made the right move -- and that's the line I forgot to include in the ESPN piece.

I actually enjoyed Portland from the Ramsay days forward. It was a crummy few years, but those things happen. Still, you've got to understand that to the NBA at large, Portland is still a dead end until proven otherwise. Having arrived in Sacramento in time to see a couple of the last-place years there, I can attest to how hard it can be for a franchise to shake an image.

best,
mark

And the Portland fan in me felt like it needed a better response, so I e-mailed this:

Thanks for the response.

Here's what I would say to that:

When NBA fans at large only get to know about Portland through people like you and me, and people like you and me continue to tell them it's hell even when there's a whole new cast of characters, who's to blame for their misperception?

I guarantee this is what will happen: the Blazers will go on a winning streak at some point, and then the story will be that they overhauled the roster from the bad days. Why save that news until they win? The overhaul has already happened.

With your permission, I'd like to use some of this back-and-forth on TrueHoop next week. Let me know.

Henry

And then he cleverly replied with this, which makes it clear he's a nice guy. Even though he ducked the issue.

Henry: I certainly don't mind if you wish to mention our dialogue on your blog. It's sports, not war. We can talk. And your blog is your place.

Hope the site continues to have great success.

mark

I e-mailed back to say thanks for the permission and the perspective and it's case closed. At least he knows us Portland fans have a little pride and we're paying attention.

Here's another response to Mark Kriedler that TrueHoop reader Keith Cook e-mailed to me:

Mark, I'm a Blazers fan who is curious to know when you and other sportswriters are going to investigate the changes in Blazerland and finally discover that it is no longer Hell up there. For the most part, the troublemakers are either gone or under control, to wit:

Ruben Patterson has given up alcohol (assist to Derek Anderson), has been in no trouble with the team or the law since his rape conviction, and has become the consummate NBA professional. He refused to get even with Zach Randolph for sucker-punching him, he plays great defense, and he works harder than anyone on the court.

Zach Randolph has walked a fine line the past three years, but the last trouble he was in was something his brother did, not Zach. Zach has a terrific work ethic and wants to be a force in the NBA. The only question about him has to do with his knees, not his character.

Darius Miles is the one to keep an eye on, in my opinion. His verbal abuse of Coach Cheeks last season was a disgrace, but he won't get away with that with Nate McMillan. Miles got married this summer, so let's see what happens with him. If he doesn't get with the program, I'm sure John Nash will deal him away, especially considering the glut of small forwards the team has. It may happen regardless before the season starts.

Damon Stoudamire is no longer with the Blazers, but he turned his life around two years ago after his "airpot" problems and has resurrected his game and career. He will do well in Memphis.

Rasheed Wallace has been off the Blazers since February, 2004 and has been teeing 'em up in Detroit.

Qyntel Woods was summarily dismissed from the team early last season after it was learned that he had mistreated his dogs.

Bonzi Wells was out of control in Portland and management got rid of him. That was almost three years ago. He then ruined his situation in Memphis and has since landed in... Sacramento. Does his arrival make Sacramento Hell?

The rest of the Blazers are good guys and rookies. That's actually most of the team, even if you refuse to cut Ruben, Darius, and Zach any slack.

Finally, Blazers management hired no-nonsense coach Nate McMillan to lead the revamped roster. He's not exactly known for coddling players.

No question that it has taken John Nash and Steve Patterson several years of struggle and dealing to clean up the mess that Trader Bob Whitsitt made of the franchise, but huge progress has been made. The team is under the cap, has a great nucleus of young, talented players, and has traded everyone who has refused to behave himself. The fans and local media are finally optimistic about the team for the first time since the 2000 Western Conference finals, and Wells Fargo has just signed on for five years as a corporate sponsor.

I look forward to the day when you and other sportswriters make the effort to see for yourselves what's been going on with the Portland Trailblazers and stop relying on smug, tired JailBlazer cliches to pad your stories.

Keith Cook
Brentwood, CA