Benjamin Rash purchased the custom-made Trail Blazers jersey specifically for the game on Nov. 4. It bore a cruel, David Stern-unapproved reminder of Portland’s past and a link to its present.

What his jersey depicted was Michael Jordan’s number and name. And a friend of his completed the fashion statement, wearing a custom-made Trail Blazers jersey with Kevin Durant’s name and number.

In their alternate universe, Jordan and Durant were drafted by the Trail Blazers and played for them.

Instead, when Portland had the chance to select Jordan with the No. 2 pick in the 1984 draft and Durant with the No. 1 pick in 2007, it passed over a dynamic wing player and opted for a seven-foot center with an injury history.

The Trail Blazers’ 1984 selection of Sam Bowie is now considered one of the worst draft decisions any team in any professional sport ever made. Their selection of Greg Oden may end up being viewed the same way. Somehow, history may be repeating itself, and any number of people in Portland are shaking their heads in disbelief.

Durant, of course, is not yet Michael Jordan, and he may never be, but his career has had a fabulous beginning. Oden, meanwhile, is following the Bowie blueprint, as he has been sidelined with repeated injuries...