Trail Blazers Thrive on ‘Reclamation Projects’

Portland Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey has cultivated a reputation of being a master at reclaiming and refurbishing NBA players. Since coming to Portland in 2012, Olshey has attempted to unlock hidden talent in unsuspecting places. Aided by the culture and expertise provided by coach Terry Stotts’ staff, the Olshey-Stotts tandem transformed Maurice Harkless, Shabazz Napier, and Jusuf Nurkic into NBA contributors.

There are two sides to this spectrum, though. For every player Portland has hit on, they also have a miss on the other side of the ledger. Granted, misses are expected when gambling on “buy-low” prospects, but completely passing over the misses would…