The Portland Trail Blazers recently announced that they planned to retire the number of former guard Lionel Hollins at their last regular-season game this year (April 18 against the Warriors). Hollins will become the sixth member of the Blazers' 1976-77 NBA Championship team to have his number retired, and the franchise's eighth retired number overall. I know that that championship team means a lot to Blazer fans, but the level of number retirement given to them borders on ridiculous. Let's look at the other "immortals" from that team who've had their numbers taken out of circulation:

Dave Twardzik, #13: Played four seasons with the Blazers. Averaged 9.5 points per game, 3.4 assists per game and 2.2 rebounds per game while playing just 24.7 minutes per game during that time. He was a very good shooter for a 6'1" guard, with a .552 field-goal percentage, but other than that his stats aren't anything special.

Larry Steele, #15: Spent all nine seasons of his career with the Blazers. Averaged 8.2 PPG, 2.8 APG, 2.9 RPG while playing 24.2 MPG. He was a good ball thief, averaging 1.79 steals per game, but again, his stats are nothing special overall.

Maurice Lucas, #20: Had a 14-year pro basketball career, spending 4½ of them in Portland. His Blazer averages are 15.6 PPG and 8.7 RPG. He's one of the better players on this list, but I would've expected a player who had his number retired to play with the team longer.

Bill Walton, #32: The only Hall of Famer on this list, Walton had a good career limited by injuries. In four seasons with the Blazers he averaged 17.1 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.4 APG and shot .510. This core of players didn't stick together very long, did they?

Lloyd Neal, #36: Spent his entire seven-year career with the Blazers. Averaged 11.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and .92 blocks per game.

As you can see, most of these number retirements are questionable, as not one of these players spent even ten seasons with the team, and some of them were basically role players. Now they're adding another to the mix:

Lionel Hollins, #14: Spent 4½ seasons in Portland. Averaged 13.9 PPG and 4.4 APG during that time. Pretty good, but hardly great.

It's just my opinion, but if you retire a number it should be someone who played with the team a long time and was consistently productive during that time. If you retire the number of someone without those credentials, he should be someone who meant a lot to the franchise. Like I said earlier, I know that the Blazers' lone championship team means a lot to them, but I have to wonder how much each of those guys individually means to the fans and the franchise. Let's look at another player whose number the Blazers have retired:

Clyde Drexler, #22: Spent 11½ seasons with Portland. Averaged 20.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.7 APG, and 2.07 steals per game over that period. He never led the team to a championship, but did take them to the NBA Finals twice.

That's the type of player who should have his number retired: a Hall of Famer who was the face of the team for a decade. The Blazers can certainly retire any number they see fit, but if I were running things, most of their retired numbers would still be available.

I'm a Bulls fan, and though my team has won six championships, only two players from that era have had their numbers retired: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (unless you count B.J. Armstrong's #10, which was retired in honor of Bob Love). In my opinion, the Bulls have got it right. We don't need to retire the number of everyone who played a significant role on one of those teams. Steve Kerr, Horace Grant, John Paxson, Toni Kukoc, Dennis Rodman, etc. were all important to our success, but retired numbers should be reserved for the elite players.

The Nets-Magic game is on ESPN right now and Clifford Robinson is playing. Yes, Clifford Robinson. The same Clifford Robinson who's standing behind Michael Jordan in that now-famous clip of "The Shrug" from Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals. It's hard to believe that not only is he still in the NBA but he's still playing significant minutes.

He's doing all this at the age of 40. No, he isn't the oldest player in the NBA (that distinction goes to Dikembe Mutombo), but he's right behind him in second place. Robinson was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the 1989 NBA Draft, which makes him the only active NBA player to participate in an NBA game during the decade of the 1980's.

I'm not some huge Clifford Robinson fan or anything, but it's weird when you realize how long certain athletes have been around. You also feel old when you realize how relatively young some of these guys were when you first started following the sport.

On a related note, I came across this page on nba.com while checking facts for this post. It's interesting.

After my last post listing the top ten teams whose old uniforms were better than their current ones, I thought I'd do another post along the same lines. This time it's the top 10 teams whose uniforms I hope never change. Some of these uniforms probably will be changed someday, but one can always hope not. All the teams on my list are ones whose uniforms I think potentially could be changed someday. I didn't include any teams whose uniforms have so much history that they'll probably never have any major changes made to them. Like the last list, baseball, basketball and football are the only sports represented and photos are included.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers made one of the best uniform changes in history when they switched from those terrible light orange jerseys to the cool red ones they have now in 1997. They fit the team's pirate theme and the colors are bold but well-balanced. I don't see any way they could do better than these.

9. Portland Trail Blazers

While they've made some slight changes in recent years (such as adding a border to the letters and making the road jerseys say "PORTLAND"), the basic design has stayed the same since 1991. I've always liked this uniform. I hope they don't make the mistake of trying to revamp it.

8. Kansas City Chiefs

I don't think the Chiefs have ever had a different uniform. That's a good thing. These yellow and red threads are a nice throwback to the old days of the AFL.

7. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons made a good move in 2002 when they got rid of those teal uniforms and returned to the look of their classic jerseys with a modern touch. It seems that it isn't uncommon for a team to make a uniform change only to realize years later that their classic look was better.

6. Washington Wizards

Ever since the Bullets changed their name to the Wizards they've had the uniforms they currently sport. I had a scare (for lack of a better word) earlier this season when I turned on the TV and saw the Wizards wearing an ugly gold version of this uniform, but was relieved to discover later that it was only an alternate and that the team still has the one pictured.

5. Detroit Lions

They've had these uniforms for a long time. That cool lion silhouette on the helmet and the "Hawaii blue" jerseys are a winner in my book.

4. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are another example of a team returning to an old look after years of wearing something different. The red, white and blue color scheme is good for the team that plays in our nation's original capital, and the stars that dot the i's are a nice touch. I hope they're smart enough to stick with this design, as they have been for the past 15 years.

3. San Diego Chargers

All those lightning bolts are awesome. I was disappointed when the Chargers were eliminated in the Playoffs this year because I was pulling for them, but another minor reason to be disappointed was that we wouldn't get to see their great uniforms anymore this season.

2. Atlanta Braves

They've had the same basic uniforms since 1987, though a few alternate caps and jerseys have been added along the way. They wore a similar uniform back in the old days, but for about 20 years they experimented with different ones. This uniform has stood the test of time, so I doubt they plan to change it anytime soon, but I wouldn't put anything past Ted Turner.

1. tie-Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears

I'm not going to lie. These are three of my teams, and I have a strong attachment to each of their uniforms.

The White Sox have had their old-fashioned look with the pinstripes and chest logo since the 1991 season. I think they're the most likely team on this list to make a uniform change, but I also think that many of us fans have embraced the Sox' look the way it is over the years.

I'm almost inclined to put the Bulls in the class of teams whose uniforms have so much history that they'll never change, but I think a slight chance exists that the team would want something new someday.

Some people might think it impossible that the Bears could ever change their classic uniforms, but years ago I remember reading some columnist in the Chicago Tribune making suggestions to the Bears franchise, and one thing he said was (paraphrased) "Get new uniforms. The Broncos finally won a Super Bowl after they changed theirs." I read recently that Ron Wolf had planned to change the Packers' famous uniforms early on in his tenure as GM, but he changed his mind at the last minute. You never know.

If any executive from any of these teams ever reads this, I can sum up my post in a simple statement. Your uniforms look great. Don't try to mess with a good thing.