Scapegoat Power Rankings: Season's Start

One of the great joys in being a sports fan is choosing someone to blame it all on. Every bad bounce, every missed shot, every horrifying knee injury. It feels natural. Sure, there's a reasonable part of you whispering, "Don't be overreact, don't be stupid," but who wants to listen to that? Blazer fans are as capricious as any in the league, and that's what makes it so fun to be one. We love to place blame.

Past lightning rods included Travis Outlaw during the 08-09 season (until his improvement then injury last season), Andre Miller at the beginning of last season (until the Dallas game), and Juwan Howard to finish out the year. Of course, there are always mainstays in the Blazer fan haterade, such as Nate McMillan, Paul Allen, and of course, the refs.

These rankings are not my own opinion. Someone being on here doesn't mean I personally have anything against them. They are simply a (not really) objective interpretation of the state of mind of Blazer fans at large. Who do they think is going to destroy the team at any given moment?

5. Nate McMillan - The "Fire Nate" warcry has existed as long has he's been here, and has almost never been justified. Still, his one year deal looks ominous to the national media (even though he signs one every year), and his performance against Phoenix last spring still stings.

4. Paul Allen - It was Paul Allen who lobbied for Patty Mills over Wesley Matthews in the draft. And again, we have Patty Mills, cutting Pendergraph to do so.

3. Brandon Roy - Brandon's calls for the ball have been read by much of the fanbase as egotistical, as if he's the bastard son of the unholy triumverate of Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, and Allen Iverson.

2. Rudy Fernandez - If there's one thing Portlanders hate, it's insults to the city. Remember the time when New Yorkers tried to tell us that their food carts were better? Bloodbath. Rudy's preseason suggests he won't be on the list for long, though.

1. The Refs - Who else?