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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2021)
B2 Th e Bul l eTin • SaTur day, Jun e 5, 2021 ON THE AIR SCOREBOARD SATURDAY GOLF European Tour, European Open PGA Tour, The Memorial Tournament U.S. Women’s Open Championship PGA Tour, The Memorial Tournament PGA Tour Champions, Principal Charity Classic U.S. Women’s Open Championship European Tour, European Open HORSE RACING Epsom Derby Belmont Stakes coverage Belmont Stakes coverage Belmont Stakes race America’s Day at the Races America’s Day at the Races BASEBALL College, NCAA Regionals MLB, Cincinnati at St. Louis College, NCAA Regionals MLB, regional coverage College, NCAA Regionals MLB, L.A. Dodgers at Atlanta College, NCAA Regionals MLB, N.Y. Mets at San Diego MLB, Seattle at L.A. Angels SOFTBALL Women’s College World Series, Okla. vs. Georgia Women’s College World Series, Ariz. vs. Fla. St. Women’s College World Series Women’s College World Series, Okla. St. vs. TBD TENNIS French Open, 3rd round French Open, Round of 16 French Open, Round of 16 BASKETBALL WNBA, Las Vegas at Washington WNBA, Chicago at Los Angeles NBA playoffs, Milwaukee at Brooklyn MOTOR SPORTS NASCAR Xfinity Series, Mid-Ohio Formula 1, Azerbaijan Grand Prix FOOTBALL The Spring League, Sea Lions vs. Generals The Spring League, Blues vs. Jousters AFL Premiership, Fremantle vs. Western Bulldogs HOCKEY NHL playoffs, Carolina at Tampa Bay NHL playoffs, Boston at N.Y. Islanders LACROSSE Premier Lacrosse League, Whipsnakes vs. Chaos GYMNASTICS U.S. Championships, day 3 Time 5 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11 a.m. noon noon 2 p.m. 3 a.m. (Sun) 7 a.m. noon 2 p.m. 3:45 p.m. 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. TV Golf Golf NBC CBS Golf Golf Golf NBCSN NBCSN NBC NBC FS2 FS2 9 a.m. ESPN2/ESPNU/SEC 11 a.m. MLB noon ESPN2/ESPNU/SEC 2 p.m. MLB 3 p.m. ESPN2/ESPNU/SEC 4 p.m. FOX 6 p.m. ESPN2/ESPNU 7 p.m. MLB 7 p.m. Root 9 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 4 p.m. 6:30 p.m. ESPN ESPN ESPN ESPN 9 a.m. 2 a.m. (Sun) 3 a.m. (Sun) NBC Tennis Tennis 10 a.m. noon 4:30 p.m. 10 a.m. 4:55 a.m. (Sun) ABC ABC TNT ON DECK Prep sports SATURDAY Boys basketball: Bend at Crook County, 2 p.m.; Stayton at Sisters, 7 p.m.; l a Pine at harrisburg, 4 p.m. Girls basketball: Sisters at Stayton, 3 p.m.; l a Pine at harrisburg, 2:30 p.m. Wrestling: Bend at hood r iver Valley tournament, 10 a.m. Swimming: Bend, Mountain View at Bend City Meet 1, Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, TBd. PREPS Boys basketball Thursday’s Late Games Bend 65, r idgeview 40 Mountain View 62, Sisters 53 Crook County 58, The dalles 44 r edmond 67, Pendleton 34 north Marion 53, north Marion 33 Friday’s Games r edmond at Mountain View, late The dalles at r idgeview, late Girls basketball Thursday’s Late Games Mountain View 49, r idgeview 48 Pendleton 54, r edmond 17 Crook County 52, The dalles 17 Madras 59, north Marion 31 Friday’s Games Mountain View at r edmond, late Madras at Bend, late r idgeview at The dalles, late BASKETBALL NBA playoffs FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7; x-if necessary) Thursday’s Late Game Phoenix 113, l .a. l akers 100, Phoenix wins series 4-2 Friday’s Game l .a. Clippers 104, dallas 97, series tied 3-3 Sunday’s Game dallas at l .a. Clippers, 12:30 p.m. SECOND ROUND (Best-of-7; x-if necessary) Saturday’s Game Milwaukee at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m., Game 1 Sunday’s Game atlanta at Phila., 10 a.m., Game 1 FS1 ESPN noon 4 p.m. 1:30 a.m. (Sun) FOX FS1 FS1 1 p.m. 4:15 p.m. USA NBC 2 p.m. NBCSN 5 p.m. NBCSN SUNDAY BASEBALL College, NCAA Regional 9 a.m. ESPNU, SEC College, NCAA Regional noon SEC College, NCAA Regional 1 p.m. ESPNU MLB, Seattle at L.A. Angels 1 p.m. Root College, NCAA Regional 3 p.m. SEC MLB, Boston at N.Y. Yankees 4 p.m. ESPN College, NCAA Regional 4 p.m. ESPNU College, NCAA Regional 7 p.m. ESPNU GOLF PGA Tour, The Memorial Tournament 9 a.m. Golf PGA Tour, The Memorial Tournament 11:30 a.m. CBS PGA Tour Champions, Principal Charity Classic 11:30 a.m. Golf U.S. Women’s Open Championship noon NBC European Tour, European Open 12:30 a.m. (Mon) Golf European Tour, European Open 3 a.m. (Mon) Golf TENNIS French Open, 4th round 9 a.m. NBC BASKETBALL NBA playoffs, Atlanta at Philadelphia 10 a.m. ABC NBA playoffs, Dallas at L.A. Clippers 12:30 p.m. ABC SOFTBALL Women’s College World Series, J. Madison vs. TBD 10 a.m. ESPN Women’s College World Series 12:30 p.m. ESPN Women’s College World Series 4 p.m. ESPN2 Women’s College World Series 6:30 p.m. ESPN2 MOTOR SPORTS Fanatec GT World Challenge America 10:30 a.m. CBSSN NASCAR Cup Series, Sonoma 1 p.m. FS1 GYMNASTICS U.S. Championships 11 a.m. NBC HOCKEY NHL playoffs, Winnipeg at Montreal 3 p.m. NBCSN NHL playoffs, Colorado at Vegas 5:30 p.m. NBCSN SOCCER CONCACAF Nations League final 6:30 p.m. CBSSN Listings are the most accurate available. SPORTS BRIEFING WNBA EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Connecticut 7 2 new york 5 3 atlanta 4 3 Washington 2 4 Chicago 2 6 indiana 1 9 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Seattle 6 1 l as Vegas 6 3 Phoenix 5 3 l os angeles 3 3 dallas 2 4 Minnesota 2 4 Thursday’s Late Games Phoenix 77, Chicago 74, OT l os angeles 98, indiana 63 Friday’s Games Minnesota 86, atlanta 84 dallas at Seattle, late Saturday’s Games l as Vegas at Washington, 10 a.m. Chicago at l os angeles, noon new york at Connecticut, 4 p.m. Pct .778 .625 .571 .333 .250 .100 Pct .857 .667 .625 .500 .333 .333 GB — 1½ 2 3½ 4½ 6½ GB — 1 1½ 2½ 3½ 3½ MLB Tampa Bay Boston new york Toronto Baltimore NATIONAL LEAGUE East Division W L Pct GB new york 27 22 .551 — atlanta 26 29 .473 4 Philadelphia 26 30 .464 4½ Washington 24 30 .444 5½ Miami 24 32 .429 6½ Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 32 24 .571 — Milwaukee 31 26 .544 1½ St. l ouis 31 26 .544 1½ Cincinnati 25 29 .463 6 Pittsburgh 22 34 .393 10 West Division W L Pct GB San Francisco 35 21 .625 — San diego 35 23 .603 1 l os angeles 34 23 .596 1½ Colorado 23 34 .404 12½ arizona 20 39 .339 16½ Thursday’s Late Games Cincinnati 4, St. l ouis 2 San Francisco 7, Chicago Cubs 2 San diego 4, n.y. Mets 3 Friday’s Games Washington 2, Philadelphia 1 Pittsburgh 9, Miami 2 Milwaukee 5, arizona 1 l .a. dodgers 9, atlanta 5 Cincinnati at St. l ouis, late Oakland at Colorado, late Chicago Cubs at San Francisco, late n.y. Mets at San diego, late Saturday’s Games Cincinnati (Mahle 4-2) at St. l ouis (TBd), 11:15 a.m. Miami (r ogers 6-3) at Pittsburgh (de Jong 0-0), 1:05 p.m. Washington (r oss 2-5) at Philadelphia (howard 0-1), 1:05 p.m. arizona (Kelly 2-6) at Milwaukee (Woodruff 4-2), 1:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Stewart 1-0) at San Francisco (Gausman 6-0), 4:15 p.m. l .a . dodgers (Kershaw 7-4) at atlanta (Morton 4-2), 4:15 p.m. Oakland (irvin 3-7) at Colorado (Freeland 0-0), 6:10 p.m. n.y. Mets (deGrom 4-2) at San diego (Musgrove 4-4), 7:10 p.m. NCAA Division I Regionals BASEBALL AMERICAN LEAGUE East Division W L 36 23 34 23 31 27 29 26 20 37 Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 34 22 .607 — Cleveland 30 25 .545 3½ Kansas City 28 26 .519 5 detroit 23 33 .411 11 Minnesota 22 34 .393 12 West Division W L Pct GB Oakland 33 25 .569 — houston 32 25 .561 ½ Seattle 29 29 .500 4 l os angeles 25 31 .446 7 Texas 23 36 .390 10½ Thursday’s Late Game Seattle 6, l .a. angels 2 Friday’s Games Boston 5, n.y. yankees 2 Baltimore 3, Cleveland 1 houston 13, Toronto 1 Texas 5, Tampa Bay 4 detroit at Chicago White Sox, late Minnesota at Kansas City, late Oakland at Colorado, late Seattle at l .a. angels, late Saturday’s Games detroit (Skubal 2-7) at Chicago White Sox (Giolito 5-4), 11:10 a.m. houston (urquidy 4-2) at Toronto (Stripling 1-3), 12:07 p.m. Cleveland (Civale 7-2) at Baltimore (Means 4-1), 1:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (hill 4-2) at Texas (allard 1-1), 1:05 p.m. Minnesota (Berríos 5-2) at Kansas City (Minor 4-2), 1:10 p.m. Boston (r odríguez 5-4) at n.y. yankees (Taillon 1-4), 4:15 p.m. Oakland (irvin 3-7) at Colorado (Freeland 0-0), 6:10 p.m. Seattle (Kikuchi 3-3) at l .a. angels (Cobb 3-2), 7:07 p.m. Pct .610 .596 .534 .527 .351 GB — 1 4½ 5 15 Double Elimination; x-if necessary In Fayetteville, Ark. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 1 arkansas 13, nJiT 8 Game 2: northeastern (36-10) vs. nebraska (31-12), late Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 1 arkansas vs. Game 2 winner Game 4: nJiT vs. Game 2 loser In Ruston, La. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 16 l a. Tech 18, r ider 2 Game 2: nC State 8, alabama 1 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 16 l a. Tech vs. nC State, 7 p.m. Game 4: r ider vs. alabama, noon In Austin, Texas Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 2 Texas 11, Southern 0 Game 2: arizona St. 7, Fairfield 6 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 2 Texas vs. arizona St., 4 p.m. Game 4: Southern vs. Fairfield, 11 a.m. In Gainesville, Fla. Friday’s Games Game 1: South Fla. 5, no. 15 Florida 3 Game 2: Miami 1, South ala. 0 Saturday’s Games Game 3: South Fla. vs. Miami, 1 p.m. Game 4: no. 15 Florida vs. South ala., 9 a.m. In Knoxville, Tenn. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 3 Tennessee 9, Wright St. 3 Game 2: l iberty 11, duke 6 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 3 Tennessee vs. l iberty, 3 p.m. Game 4: Wright St. vs. duke, 9 a.m. In Eugene Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 14 Oregon 13, Central Conn. St. 10 Game 2: l Su (34-22) vs. Gonzaga (33-17), late Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 14 Oregon vs. Game 2 winner Game 4: Central Conn. St. vs. Game 2 loser In Nashville, Tenn. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 4 Vanderbilt 10, Presbyterian 0 Game 2: Georgia Tech 7, indiana St. 6 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 4 Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech, 4 p.m. Game 4: Presbyterian vs. indiana St., 11 a.m. In Greenville, N.C. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 13 e. Carolina 8, norfolk St. 5 Game 2: Charlotte 13, Maryland 10 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 13 e. Carolina vs. Charlotte, 3 p.m. Game 4: norfolk St. vs. Maryland, 10 a.m. In Tucson, Ariz. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 5 arizona (40-15) vs. Grand Canyon (39- 19-1), late Game 2: uC Santa Barbara 14, Oklahoma St. 4 Saturday’s Games Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. uC Santa Barbara Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Oklahoma St. In Oxford, Miss. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 12 Mississippi (41-19) vs. Se Missouri St. (30-20), late Game 2: Florida St. 5, Southern Miss 2 Saturday’s Games Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Florida St., 3 p.m. Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Southern Miss, 9 a.m. In Starkville, Miss. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 7 Mississippi St. 8, Samford 4 Game 2: Campbell (35-16) vs. VCu (37-14), late Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 7 Mississippi St. vs. Game 2 winner Game 4: Samford vs. Game 2 loser In South Bend, Ind. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 10 notre dame 10, Central Michigan 0 Game 2: uConn 6, Michigan 3 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 10 notre dame vs. uConn, 3 p.m. Game 4: Central Michigan vs. Michigan, 9 a.m. In Lubbock, Texas Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 8 Texas Tech 6, army 3 Game 2: north Carolina 5, uCla 4 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 8 Texas Tech vs. north Carolina, 6 p.m. Game 4: army vs. uCla , noon In Stanford, Calif. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 9 Stanford 9, north dakota St. 1 Game 2: nevada (25-18) vs. uC irvine (40-16), late Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 9 Stanford vs. Game 2 winner Game 4: north dakota St. vs. Game 2 loser In Columbia, S.C. Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 2 S. Carolina 4, no. 3 Virginia 3 Game 2: no. 1 Old dominion 4, no. 4 Jacksonville 3 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 2 S. Carolina vs. no. 1 Old dominion, 4 p.m. Game 4: no. 3 Virginia vs. no. 4 Jacksonville, 9 a.m. In Fort Worth, Texas Friday’s Games Game 1: no. 3 dallas Baptist 6, no. 2 Oregon St. 5 Game 2: no. 1 TCu 12, no. 4 Mcneese 4 Saturday’s Games Game 3: no. 3 dallas Baptist vs. TCu, 4 p.m. Game 4: no. 2 Oregon St. vs. no. 4 Mcneese, 10 a.m. Elks Continued from B1 Quinlan was a part of the Elks before the opening game, just not on the roster. He was raking the field while getting ready for the season when he was asked if he wanted to sign a 10-day contract. The answer could not have been more clear from the Bend High grad. “I said absolutely,” said Quinlan, who struck out one and gave up two earned runs in one inning of work Thurs- day night. “When they told me I was going to pitch, I was like, ‘No way.’” Both Anderman and Quin- lan are on 10-day contracts as the rest of the Elks players continue to make their way to Central Oregon once their college teams’ seasons come to an end. While they do pitch for the Bend Bucks — the develop- Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin Spectators watch as the Bend Elks play their season opener against Northwest Star Academy in Bend on Thursday evening. mental affiliate of the Elks — Anderman and Quinlan are hoping to keep pitching well enough to earn a season-long spot on the team they spent their summer nights as young- sters watching. “I think it is cool for the Central Oregon kids,” Nobach said. “They know what Bend Elks baseball is about.” Getting the start on the mound for the Nighthawks was Jacob Farnsworth, a for- mer ace for La Pine High School. He pitched 2 2/3 in- nings, struck out four and gave up seven earned runs. The Elks scattered nine hits and took advantage of four ments got the headlines. But it was Lillard’s Instagram feed we should all be paying atten- tion to. After the loss, the All- Star posted a picture of him- self walking through the arena hallway with a quote from rap- per Nipsey Hussle: “How long should I stay dedi- cated? How long til opportunity meet preparation?” Anyone know if Jody Allen is on Insta? If so, the acting owner has to be concerned about the im- plications. The franchise’s best asset has been in Portland nine years. It’s rained money for him. We’ve watched him grow up, have children, and become a star. But he’s working in an industry where loyalty comes behind winning, brand, min- utes and money. The franchise needs to find a new beginning. Immediately. Or it risks alienating Lillard and losing more than games. The entire trajectory of the basket- ball operation is now at stake. The Blazers are set to pay Lillard $140 million in salary over the next three seasons. Af- ter that, he holds a player op- tion. That impending event is a doozy. I keep asking myself what Portland has to offer po- tential free agents. What’s the attraction? It’s Lillard. That’s it. That’s the entire basketball an- gle. So what ownership needs is a GM who can better sell that on the open market. Nurkic remains under con- tract next season despite his postgame remarks. Only $4 million of his $12 million salary is guaranteed in 2021-22, but the Blazers will pick that up and utilize him as an asset. C.J. Mc- Collum — salary: $30 million — is a complementary player, but nowhere near the ridiculous salary Olshey awarded him. So yeah, take out the dyna- mite. Light the fuse. Run far HOCKEY NHL playoffs FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7; x-if necessary) Friday’s Games Montreal 1, Winnipeg 0, Montreal leads series 2-0 Colorado at Vegas, late, Colorado leads series 2-0 Saturday’s Games Carolina at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.Tampa Bay leads series 2-1 Boston at n.y. islanders, 4:15 p.m., Boston leads series 2-1 SOFTBALL Women’s College World Series In Oklahoma City Double Elimination; x-if necessary Thursday’s Late Game uCla 4, Florida St. 0 Friday’s Games Game 5: James Madison 2, Okla. St. 1 Game 6: alabama vs. uCla , late Saturday’s Games Game 7: Oklahoma vs. Georgia, 9 a.m. Game 8: arizona vs. Florida St., 11:30 a.m. Game 9: Game 6 loser vs. Game 7 winner, 4 p.m. Game 10: Okla. St. vs. Game 8 winner, 6:30 p.m. Sunday’s Games Game 11: James Madison vs. Game 9 winner, 10 a.m. Game 12: Game 6 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 12:30 p.m. TENNIS French Open Friday in Paris (Seedings in parentheses): Men’s Singles Third Round — Kei nishikori, Japan, def. henri l aaksonen, Switzerland, 7-5, 0-0, ret. Federico delbo- nis, argentina, def. Fabio Fognini (27), italy, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. alexander Zverev (6), Germany, def. l aslo djere, Serbia, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. alejandro davidovich Fokina, Spain, def. Casper r uud (15), norway, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 7-6 (6), 0-6, 7-5. daniil Medvedev (2), r ussia, def. r eilly Opelka (32), united States, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Pablo Carreno Busta (12), Spain, def. Steve Johnson, united States, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Cristian Garin (22), Chile, def. Marcos Giron, united States, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Women’s Singles Third Round — elena r ybakina (21), Kazakhstan, def. elena Vesnina, r ussia, 6-1, 6-4. anastasia Pavly- uchenkova (31), r ussia, def. aryna Sabalenka (3), Belar- us, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0. Tamara Zidansek, Slovenia, def. Kater- ina Siniakova, Czech r epublic, 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Victoria a zarenka (15), Belarus, def. Madison Keys (23), united States, 6-2, 6-2. Serena Williams (7), united States, def. danielle Collins, united States, 6-4, 6-4. Sorana Cirstea, r omania, def. daria Kasatkina, r ussia, 6-3, 6-2. Marketa Vondrousova (20), Czech r epublic, def. Polona hercog, Slovenia, 6-3, 6-3. Paula Badosa, Spain, def. ana Bogdan, r omania, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. SOCCER NWSL W L T Pts GF Orlando 3 0 1 10 6 Washington 2 1 1 7 4 Portland 2 2 0 6 8 north Carolina 1 1 1 4 6 r eign FC 1 1 1 4 2 Gotham FC 1 1 1 4 1 houston 1 2 1 4 5 l ouisville 1 1 1 4 2 Chicago 1 2 1 4 3 Kansas City 0 2 2 2 2 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Saturday’s Games north Carolina at Chicago, 11 a.m. r eign FC at Gotham FC, 4 p.m. l ouisville at Portland, 7:30 p.m. GA 3 4 4 2 2 1 6 5 7 5 DEALS Transactions BASEBALL American League SeaTTle Mariner S — acquired rh P yacksel r ios from Tampa Bay in exchange for cash considerations. FOOTBALL National Football League la S VeGaS r aider S — Signed G Parker ehinger. Waived S r ashaan Gaulden. SeaTTle Seaha WKS — Signed P Michael dickson to a four-year contract. Nighthawks errors to earn the 11-run victory — the first win for Nobach as a head coach. Catcher Brett Joner of Lin- field University finished with three hits and drove in two runs to pace the Elks at the plate. With a win in hand, the Elks began West Coast League play Friday night with a three-game series on the road against the Ridgefield (Wash.) Raptors. The Elks return to Bend to host the Cowlitz (Wash.) Black Bears on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. “It was cool to watch those guys as we’ve been putting this together,” Nobach said. “It is just one game though. We are going up to Ridgefield and it is going to be a battle. Those are the West Coast League games that we are starting. Those are the ones that matter.” e e Reporter: 541-383-0307, brathbone@bendbulletin.com SOCCER Timbers, Thorns to allow 80% capacity — Larger crowds soon will be returning to Providence Park for Portland Tim- bers and Thorns games. Fan capacity at the Portland soccer stadium will increase to 80% beginning with the Timbers’ June 19 match against Sporting Kansas City, the Timbers and Thorns announced Thursday. The first Thorns match for the increased capacity comes June 20 against Kansas City. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all fans 16 and older. Fans must show a CDC vaccination card, a pho- tocopy of the card or photo of the card on a mobile device, and be two weeks past the last dose of their respective vac- cine. At 80% capacity there can be up to about 20,000 fans at the 25,000-seat stadium. Masks will not be required, but will be encouraged in the stadium’s indoor spaces, the teams said. Fans 16 and under who are unvaccinated also are encouraged to wear masks. — Bulletin wire report MEGA MILLIONS The numbers drawn Friday night are: 4 30 34 41 64 8 Oregon Lottery results x 3 The estimated jackpot was not available as of press time. As listed at www.oregonlottery.org and individual lottery websites Blazers Continued from B1 He made the mess, after all. Portland is stuck in the mid- dle of the Western Confer- ence in its current form. Good enough to make the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, but nowhere near dangerous. The Blazers are not better than Denver, Utah, Phoenix or Dallas. The Clippers and Lakers will rein- vent themselves without a big local debate and be back next season. Golden State is going to be vastly improved, too. I couldn’t help but wonder as I watched the final lifeless quarter of the season on Thurs- day if what we were seeing was a protest vote by the team. The Blazers led by double digits, but suddenly looked weary, slug- gish and aloof. Did they throw in the towel? They’d have to ask themselves on that one. Nurkic’s postgame com- from the blast. Don’t wait an- other minute. Start over now. The franchise rebuild probably should have been launched a year ago. This summer feels especially urgent and it hasn’t even officially started. Changes feel certain but again, we’re talking about a franchise that often operates from fear and too easily falls in love with its marginal compo- nents. We’re not talking about changing the drapes and plant- ing flowers. This home make- over may require a bulldozer. I suppose I was wrong about one thing in this column. Lil- lard isn’t all Portland has. The most beautiful product of the city has always been hope. This franchise needs to give us some. As novelist Mary Shelley once wrote, “The beginning is always today.” Someone ought to slap it on the side of Moda Center this summer.
