# Thinking Back: JR Rider



## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

ALL negativity aside, what are some of your favorite memories/attributes of this incredibly talented athlete?

A few thoughts: 

that great move on the jazz in game 2 that eventually sent us to the second round.

when he was hot in the 4th it'd be tough to stop him.

He was capable of playing some terrific defense when he felt so inclined.


----------



## CelticPagan (Aug 23, 2004)

Rider and Bonzi sure looked good abusing poor 40 year old Jeff Hornacek, who wasn't even a good defender in his prime years.

The only reason some thought Bonzi could be an all-star is because of his great performances against Jeff Hornacek and Antwan Jamison.


----------



## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

I liked what JR brought to the floor. He was a flat out warrior.


----------



## goglik (Mar 14, 2005)

Can anyone tell me in details why JR Rider is not in NBA? I am thinking he got into a fight with somebody.


----------



## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

goglik said:


> Can anyone tell me in details why JR Rider is not in NBA? I am thinking he got into a fight with somebody.


I believe it's that he was more into pot than the game. He apparently didn't take the game as serious as he should've. And there are younger, cheaper and smarter players who could easily repalce him.

It's a shame too, as JR was a good player..and when he was on, he was borderline incredible.


----------



## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

the guy was just a bull dozer. probably the strongest shooting guard in the league back in 98, and when he got hot from outside you just couldn't stop him. just had a really nice form to his jumper, and the guy could really dunk with authority. (as I recall, he won the slam dunk contest one year.) 

funny thing was that I always thought Jimmy Jackson was just as good as Rider, but he never got in the right position to succeed for whatever reason. even back in '99 I thought Jackson would have a job long after everybody forgot about Rider. 

I remember some interview he did about two years ago. he was crying and saying how he wanted just one more chance, because he finally realized how he'd blown it all. I laughed my freakin' *** off. 

Yeah, yeah, oh let me taste your tears Scott. Ummm, your tears are so yummy and sweet.	Oh, the tears of unfathomable sadness. Yummy, yummy guys.


----------



## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

goglik said:


> Can anyone tell me in details why JR Rider is not in NBA? I am thinking he got into a fight with somebody.


not that I remember. mostly, he was famous for:
a. fighting with his coach
b. always being late for practically everything
c. telling the media that people were still lynching blacks 20 miles outside of Portland
d. getting caught with an illegal cell phone (not sure what made it illegal) and smoking pot out of a Pepsi can
e. getting in some kind of argument with Mutombo and their coach down in Atlanta. I think Deke had complained about him smoking pot or something. 
f. being a head case that even Phil Jackson couldn't seem to get through to. 

I'm sure there was more, and that I don't have all the facts right.


----------



## Sambonius (May 21, 2003)

I loved J.R., he was a good guy. He had more talent in his pinky than Bonzi Wells had entirely. He really was such a talented basketball player.


----------



## stupendous (Feb 17, 2003)

He was one of my favorite players of all time. LOVED his game.

My favorite memory was of him pulling on his jersey to reveal his "heart".

Rock on JR.


----------



## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

My favorite moment was when we traded his fat *** out of town.


----------



## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

> My favorite memory was of him pulling on his jersey to reveal his "heart".


I hated that crap. Truth was, he didn't have any "heart." If he did, he would have made it to practices and games on time, and he would have treated people with respect, instead of spitting on them. The other thing that people forget is what a liar Rider was. Every time he was late for a practice, a game, a team flight, etc. he had some ridiculous excuse, such as his car broke down, or his alarm didn't go off. The guy could lie all day long, and it was disgusting. He was given a million chances to clean up his act, and he never did. I'm glad he's out of Portland, and out of the NBA.


----------



## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Rider had some serious personality issues. Charming but unable to do what he had to do to cash in on his talent. He was an excellent player, and I find it fascinating to think how good he COULD have been if he'd had his head on straight.

I wasn't happy to see Rider go, but I was happy to see Steve Smith come back for him. 

Ed O.


----------



## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

> I find it fascinating to think how good he COULD have been if he'd had his head on straight.


Imagine if Wallace had played up to his potential all those years. The guy has more natural ability than almost any player in the NBA, yet he can't seem to put it all together. And what if Shawn Kemp had lost the weight, gotten serious about his career, and returned to his old "Reign Man" self instead of throwing his life away on drugs? A team of Wallace, Kemp, and Rider all playing up to their potential would have been scary good.

As far as I'm concerned, the history of the Portland Trail Blazers over the last ten years has been one of wasted talent and lost opportunities.


----------



## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

Talkhard said:


> As far as I'm concerned, the history of the Portland Trail Blazers over the last ten years has been one of wasted talent and lost opportunities.


Very loaded statement right there. However, I partially agree. Guys like Wallace, Rider and now Miles all seem to have worlds of natural talent and athleticism yet we never figure out a way to tap into that talent... some teams never really do.

Fortunately, Rider had his best years in Portland and ended up being a solid contributor to a playoff team.

Wallace was our core for many years, a role he never wanted and was shipped out because of it along with his volitile personality and bad rep with the media and certain fans. Lucky for Detroit, he was just what the doctor ordered.

Now it's up to Miles to break that trend while keeping a relatively clean image. With such great prospects knocking on his door who are showing us loads of potential, we may be giving up on Miles too. Lets just hope that it doesn't backfire on us a la Jermaine O'Neal.


----------



## chevelle (Feb 8, 2004)

theWanker said:


> not that I remember. mostly, he was famous for:
> a. fighting with his coach
> b. always being late for practically everything
> c. telling the media that people were still lynching blacks 20 miles outside of Portland
> ...



Hey Guys, I'm a long time lurker but a first time poster :sup: 

I was a sophomore at Barlow High School when Fred Jones was a senior, and I remember JR was supposed to have a dunk contest at the Barlow Gym with Freddie the night he was caught for smoking pot out of a pepsi can... kinda funny, huh? Man, Freddie threw up some crazy dunks that night despite JR not showing up. 

As a basketball player, I loved his game! Isaiah is a lot of what Portland needs right now. But as a person, I can't stand him and see him as a huge waste of talent.


----------



## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

stupendous said:


> He was one of my favorite players of all time. LOVED his game.
> 
> My favorite memory was of him pulling on his jersey to reveal his "heart".
> 
> Rock on JR.


My fv memory or him was that too. Didn't he pound on his chest as well too?


----------



## chevelle (Feb 8, 2004)

goglik said:


> Can anyone tell me in details why JR Rider is not in NBA? I am thinking he got into a fight with somebody.


Wasn't he trying to get a tryout somewhere in the Philipines or something? I can't remember.


----------



## RedHot&Rolling (Jun 26, 2004)

He lost his job(s) in the NBA because he wasn't responsible. He was late for practice and planes. He wasted his talents with pot & alcohol. He had talent on par with few NBA guards. But the brain - was the size of a Pea.

I loved him during the playoff run in 1998. He was awesome. I was actually disappointed in the Rider/Jackson for Smith trade. Unlike many players on the team now, he wasn't afraid of contact on the court. We broke up a really good team that year. Our guard core hasn't been the same quality since.

But I don't miss the headlines about cell phones, tardiness, pot, and so many others.


----------



## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

chevelle said:


> Hey Guys, I'm a long time lurker but a first time poster :sup:
> 
> I was a sophomore at Barlow High School when Fred Jones was a senior, and I remember JR was supposed to have a dunk contest at the Barlow Gym with Freddie the night he was caught for smoking pot out of a pepsi can... kinda funny, huh? Man, Freddie threw up some crazy dunks that night despite JR not showing up.
> 
> As a basketball player, I loved his game! Isaiah is a lot of what Portland needs right now. But as a person, I can't stand him and see him as a huge waste of talent.



Nice to see that we've added another poster!

Do you remember your sophomore year (my freshman) when Parkrose beat you guys by 1? I was there stormin' the floor after the game. Freddy was unreal, though.


----------



## Buck Williams (May 16, 2004)

ya rider smokein weed from a pop can and spitting on flight atendents


----------



## meru (Jul 2, 2003)

I have two memories of plays by JR Rider, both against the Lakers. In one, Kobe (who was still a rookie then, I think, or in his second year) was trying to guard Rider, and Rider just swept him out of the way like he wasn't there. It was like one smooth movement ending in a layup or dunk. Swuh-eet.

The other was that move he did round Shaq - Shaq was under the basket waiting to block the shot and Rider continued on under and did a reverse layup. Anyone remember what I'm talking about?

Anyone also remember the one shoe commercial Rider did, when he was still with the T-Wolves - where his face turns into some animated wolf (or something) and some old geezer janitor guy says "Nice game face Kid!"?

The one good thing about Rider was that I never worried when he went to the line at a crucial moment in the game. He was so spacey, it was like he didn't know he should be worrying. You could see from his eyes that he was miles away in happyland, and he invariably swished them.

The day his *** got shipped to Atlanta was, also, swuh-eet. The fact that we got Steve Smith in return was proof that Bob Whitsitt had mind-control powers over lesser mortals.


----------



## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

I miss the lockout shortened season. That was probably one of my favorite teams. Not one superstar. Complete under dogs. Almost went all the way. 

I still have a shirt that says "12 deep"


----------



## meru (Jul 2, 2003)

NateBishop3 said:


> I miss the lockout shortened season. That was probably one of my favorite teams. Not one superstar. Complete under dogs. Almost went all the way.


Didn't we get swept by the Spurs? I know they had to get The Shot out of Sean Elliot, but still, did we win one game in that series? Does that really qualify as "almost"?

Know whatcha mean tho' - I think that's the only time in my memory of following the team that the Blazers were underdogs in a series and won. Nobody even expected us to beat the 'Wolves.


----------



## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

meru said:


> Didn't we get swept by the Spurs? I know they had to get The Shot out of Sean Elliot, but still, did we win one game in that series? Does that really qualify as "almost"?
> 
> Know whatcha mean tho' - I think that's the only time in my memory of following the team that the Blazers were underdogs in a series and won. Nobody even expected us to beat the 'Wolves.


We could have beat the Spurs that year if we would have won that game 2. That game totally crushed our mental psyhcee. I loved that team as well. I was a fan of PDX forever,but that team got be back into my die hard days of the early 90's. At the time, I wasn't too fond of the Rider/JJ deal for Smitty.


----------



## meru (Jul 2, 2003)

I was never one to get my panties in a bunch over JR's antics off court (although, what was that thing where he kicked some woman over a card signing? Was that while he was still in Minny?) - he was just a space cadet. If you don't know somebody like him, who's completely earnest and sweet a lot of the time (and actually pretty articulate) but just TOTALLY unreliable, then you need to get out more. Actually, he reminds me a bit of the brother of a friend who we got to redo the brickwork under our windows, and who did great work until he got paid (in advance) and then disappeared for good. He was an alcoholic, which might explain Rider's disappearance from the NBA scene.

No, what I objected to was his being a space cadet ON the court. Yes, he could jump high. Yes, he was strong as an ox. Yes, he had quite a good shot. But did he grasp the team concept ONE IOTA? If he did, he gave no evidence of it. And he was prone to LOOOONG sulking spells on the court. If you REALLY were mad when we traded him, all I can say is you were DEFINITELY in the minority. The Steve Smith trade is widely regarded as one of Whitsitt's greatest coups, particularly given what little JR did after that.


----------



## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

We almost won the first two in SA. 

The first game it came down to a jumper from the top of the key that Sheed missed.

The second game was lost on that Elliott three...

After that we gave up hope. Got blown out at home the final two games.


----------



## NBAGOD (Aug 26, 2004)

> Know whatcha mean tho' - I think that's the only time in my memory of following the team that the Blazers were underdogs in a series and won. Nobody even expected us to beat the 'Wolves.


We beat the Wolves in the first round in 2000....the first round in 1999 was a sweep of the Suns.

My memories of JR:

**He was among the biggest wastes of potential I have ever seen....on and off the court. On the court he was the total package....athletic, good outside shooter, good posting up. Off the court (when he wanted to be) he was articulate and endearing.....when dealing with him I always thought that he could have owned the city if he wanted to. 

**On the court I remember him for several things.....repeatedly posting up Jeff Hornacek in the 1999 Play-offs....the big celebration after eliminating Utah in 1999, where he and Jimmy Jackson tore off their shirts....and earlier that season against Utah in overtime. I think either Sabas or Sheed stole the ball and passed to JR who went the lenghth of the court for a lay-up to seal the game... the RG went nuts...as loud as it has ever been. 

Unfortunately like Sheed, Bonzi and Whitsitt, JR wore out his welcome and had to go. Knucklehead could have owned this city!


----------



## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

I agree with NB3 - Rider is best remembered as being one of the 12 guys on one of the best teams ever without a star.

There was Rider and Jimmy Jackson at SG. 

Damon Stoudamire and Greg Anthony at PG. 

Stacey Augmon and Walt Williams at SF. 

Brian Grant and Rasheed Wallace at PF. 

And, Arvydas Sabonis, Kelvin Cato, and Jermaine O'Neil at C. 

Who was the 12th man? I think it might've been Bonzi before he started getting any PT. 

That team won two awesome playoff series before Sean Elliott's "Memorial Day Miracle" made us two games down, and prepared the Spurs for the title they won over the Knicks.


----------



## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

My favoritest memory of Rider was his half-court no look alley oop to Rasheed. That was fresh!


----------



## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

NBAGOD said:


> ....repeatedly posting up Jeff Hornacek in the 1999 Play-offs....


In a way, that series to end the strike-shortened season was significant for a number of reasons. 

#1 - it basically meant the Jazz weren't going to win a championship in the wake of Jordan's retirement, even though they'd come so close against the Bulls. The reins to the post-Jordan era were handed to Tim Duncan and Shaq, not Karl Malone. 

#2 - it meant the end of Jeff Hornacek, and really started to show that to be a viable shooting guard in the NBA, you needed strength. Since then, you're less and less likely to see skinny shooting specialists as starters. 

#3 - it validated the Whitsitt approach, that it was possible to win big games with a team of very good players, but with no superstars. Ultimately, it was the Pistons who proved that to be true, rather than the Blazers.


----------



## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

My memory of JR was the night my 2 young sons waited after a game to ask him for an autograph. He told them to their faces that he just didn't have the time, then walked across court and hit on 2 13-year old girls.

What a guy!


----------

