Blazers Owner Paul Allen Writes Open Letter To Fans After Disappointing Season

Amid a disappointing 28-38 season for his Portland Trail Blazers, owner Paul Allen wrote an impassioned letter to the team's fan base today, admitting the year had been a failure but urging fans to anticipate "the start of a new chapter in Trail Blazers basketball."

Allen reflected on a season that featured the injury-forced retirement of Brandon Roy, more bad news for Greg Oden and a locker-room mutiny that led to the firing of head coach Nate McMillan. He called the season "one of the most disappointing years I've had in my 24 seasons as owner of the Portland Trail Blazers."

The Blazers looked like one of the best teams in the NBA in January, as they started the season 7-2. But injuries and chemistry issues precipitated a huge decline, and the team shockingly lost 36 of its last 57.