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PORTLAND — Larry Miller has a vision.

It is the not too distant future. Game day during the NBA Finals. And the Portland Trail Blazers president sees a vibrant, energetic crowd wandering through the Rose Quarter on a warm summer day in mid-June.

The sea of red and black has gathered in the name of Blazermania. And as an omnipresent blimp passes overhead, it televises an image of passionate, devoted Blazer fans who are shopping, talking and walking — communicating and participating en masse, in a manner normally reserved for major markets such as Los Angeles or New York.

It is the Rip City community in full force. Out to support Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nate McMillan and the rest of the Blazers as they attempt to bring an NBA Championship back to Portland for the first time since 1977.
And converging around a renovated, fully bloomed, fully sustainable Rose Quarter that has been revamped and renewed.

"That’s the vision," said the 59-year-old Miller, who was named franchise president in June 2007.

Miller’s vision will take time. A partnership between the City of Portland and the Blazers to re-do and re-imagine the Rose Quarter is at least two years away from reality.

But the NBA Finals part of the dream? It might be closer than some imagine.

The Blazers’ 2008-09 season changed everything. Fifty-four wins and the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The ascension of Roy, continued emergence of Aldridge, and development of young stars such as Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum and Greg Oden.

A once young and promising team filled with potential became a new sensation, selling out the Rose Garden nightly and commanding national attention. In turn, the ghosts of the franchise’s dark Jail Blazer days were finally exorcised.

"It’s come together quickly," said Tod Leiweke, chief executive officer of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment. "But when you live in dog years, it’s about 21 years, to tell you the truth. It’s actually been an enormous amount of work. And the fact is, we’re not there yet."

McMillan will coach and guide a 2009-10 Blazers team surrounded by excitement and high expectations.

Meanwhile, Miller will continue to work behind the scenes. And the former vice president and general manager of Nike Basketball — who presided over the company’s famed Jordan Brand — will aim to solidify the relationship between a Blazer-crazed region and its lone major professional sports franchise.

"The first thing I noticed when I got here was just how incredibly passionate folks here are about the team, about their jobs," said Miller, an East Coast transplant who has lived in Portland for 18 years and raised a family in the city. "And that’s the majority of the game right there."

Character
Spend enough time around Miller, McMillan or Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard, and you’re likely to hear the word "character" mentioned as often as victories or championships. Maybe more.

The crazy part: They mean it.

The trio agrees that the Blazers’ recent resurgence has as much to do with piecing together a team composed of like-minded, high-character players as it does with the old-school combination of luck, timing and talent.

In addition, Miller has worked to imprint key themes from his Nike years — branding, consumer focus — on his new world.

"To me, one of the problems that the organization had, when you talk about going (back) a few years, was that there was not this connection with what the brand was about," Miller said. "The way I like to express it is, people here like to feel like they wouldn’t mind living next door to one of our players. And for a while here, we definitely didn’t have that."

Now, the Blazers do.

Players such as Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Steve Blake and Martell Webster are valued for their on-the-court contributions. But their realistic, down-to-earth lifestyles are equally prized.

According to McMillan and Pritchard, the push for serious basketball professionals over highly-priced amateurs begins at the top.

"It starts with Larry and it goes down to Kevin, myself and the rest of the team," McMillan said.

Renovation
Miller’s main plan to improve the organization is still just that: a plan.

While the ability to secure Roy and Aldridge to long-term contract extensions was significant for the franchise’s long-term future, so is the ongoing attempt to make the Blazers profitable.

"Larry’s done a great job helping the franchise reconnect with the community and the fans," Blazers owner Paul Allen said. "The sellouts and all those aspects of how the business has gone and our financials really reflect that."

However, despite at times feeling like a major sports town — 71 consecutive Rose Gardens sellouts leave an impression — Portland is still a small-market team in a big sports world.

"It requires us to be on our toes," Miller said. "To always be looking for the new and better ways to support our fans and sponsors."

The idealized new, better way is the main part of Miller’s vision: A fully renovated Rose Quarter that surrounds the Rose Garden and a revamped Memorial Coliseum with restaurants, retail stores, arts-and-entertainment venues and hotels. In turn, what is now a dead zone when the Blazers are not on the court would be re-made into a modern, mixed-use neighborhood located in the heart of Portland.

"Otherwise, there’s tumbleweeds blowing," Miller said.

Change is still at least two years away. But if the plan comes to fruition, the Blazers — who not long ago were a threat to relocate — could have an extended and improved lease on life in the city.

"This will help," said J.E. Isaac, Blazers senior vice president of business affairs. "Why these types of projects work, is that the retail element, the entertainment elements add an environment that makes people come out to events, because it adds to the experience."

Portland mayor Sam Adams asserted that the grand ideas and large, bold vision would not be possible without the return of Rip City and Miller’s worldview. Moreover, Adams said it would not have even been possible just a few years ago, when the despised Jail Blazers term had come to characterize and indict the organization.

"There were behind-the-scenes efforts during the bad times, and they went nowhere," Adams said. "In part, because of what was proposed. But also, specifically, what was proposed wasn’t in keeping with the city; it wasn’t maximizing the value of this particular piece of land; and the Blazers were in disarray — either financially, from a management point of view, or on the court."

Looking ahead
While Miller’s vision requires renovation and change, there is an element that is even more essential: A trip to the NBA Finals.

The Blazers have not played basketball in June since 2000. And the team has not made it to the NBA’s ultimate destination — the championship round — since 1992. Factor in that Portland’s only NBA title came more than 32 years ago, and Miller knows urban construction and renewal will not replace what Blazer fans want the most.

"At the end of the day, our goal here is to win a championship — win multiple championships," Miller said.

While Portland’s triumvirate of Miller, McMillan and Pritchard lead the way, the team will continue to emphasize character. It will continue to prize leaders and pioneers over politics and prima donnas. And it will continue to work toward a democracy, and avoid a dictatorship.

"We agree. We can disagree. But we unite," Pritchard said. "It’s something that I’ve had in my life for a long time. And we implement it here."

Moreover, Miller has already cleared the biggest hurdle: Returning Rip City to its rightful place.

"They’ve related once again to the community," said Harry Glickman, one of the franchise’s original founders and a former team president. "The Blazers are a part of this all over Oregon and Southwest Washington. Versus where we were once before, they’re there again. And I think we have the respect and the admiration of the community.