It really does seem like there’s a curse on the Portland Trailblazers. Â The team always seems like they have so much potential but every season they’re plagued with injury. Â They’ve had players like Sam Bowie, Greg Oden and Brandon Roy all prominent players succumb to injury. Â In an interview with Marc Stein, Marcus Camby says the players believed in the curse, he also reveals how long he wants to remain in the league. Â Read more after the jump.
Q:Â You know those of us in the media throw around words like “curse.” But what about the players on that team? In the Blazers’ locker room, are guys asking: What next?
A:Â They might not want to admit it, but when I was there, my goodness, people were saying, “Are we really snake-bit? Are we really cursed?” Doubts and talks like that came about. Everybody just tried to brush it to one side and remain positive, but it was hard to escape because everybody was talking about it. It’s hard to argue when it keeps happening year after year after year.
Q:Â Do you have it in your head how much longer you want to play?
A:Â I want to play 20 [seasons]. That’s the goal. That’s the magic number. I’m at 16 now, so we’ll see.
Now I’m more able to think the ballgame through and see different spots out there on the court where I can make plays for my teammates. [Smarts] definitely helps balance what you lose physically. It definitely does. Coming in, I don’t want to say I was a Vince Carter high flier, but I definitely had more spring than I do now. But I still think I can do all the little intangible things out there.
