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On February 6, 1970, the NBA board of governors granted the Blazers franchise, after the Blazers paid $3.7 million to join the league. In that year, the Buffalo Braves and the Cleveland Cavaliers also joined the league. The team was based around Geoff Petrie , a first round draft choice, and the 6'10" (2.08 m) tall LeRoy Ellis , who they picked up in the expansion draft. Their first season the Blazers finished with a 29-53 record, which although generally poor was the best out of the three new teams to the NBA. The next year, the Blazers won only 18 games, but rookie Sidney Wicks was named Rookie of the Year of the NBA. The Blazers did not beat their first season's record until they drafted Bill Walton from UCLA.
After nine years as president and general manager, Bob Whitsitt announced his departure from the Trail Blazers on May 7, 2003, stating that he was retiring to focus his attention on the Seattle Seahawks NFL team. However, he had been the subject of continuous criticism from the team's fans and both the local and national press for team performance on the court, as well as player legal troubles off the court. The Blazers announced Steve Patterson as team president June 18, 2003 and announced that John NashJohn Nash may refer to: John Nash (architect) ( 1752- 1835), British architect John Forbes Nash (born 1928), mathematician and recipient of the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. would become general manager on July 15July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. Events 1099 Christian soldiers take Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after a difficult siege during First Crusade. 1207 John of England.