SLAM: Outlaw on the loose!

July 1, 2009

by Adam Fleischer

If you’ve seen any of the game-winning shots or ferocious dunks that Portland Trail Blazer Travis Outlaw has been adding to his resume over the last few seasons, you may have noticed that, regardless of the magnitude of his late game heroics or the level of posterization, Outlaw typically reacts witTravis Outlawh nothing more than a hop and a jog down court—maybe with an understated scream somewhere in the mix. This is not for lack of thrill surrounding what he’s just accomplished. It’s just the way that the soft-spoken Mississippi native has continued to carry himself during his six-year ride through the pros.

Now a key contributor on a youthful, talented and bandwagon-breeding Portland team, Outlaw wasn’t always bringing Blazer fans to their feet. “When I first came in the League, Portland said that I was gonna be just a project, so my plan was that I wanted to continue to get better,” recalls the 6-9 Outlaw.

Both parties made good on their plans, as the lengthy forward put in hard work while the Blazers treated him like the project they had promised in the early going. Appearing in just eight games as a rookie on a veteran-dominated Trail Blazer team, Outlaw didn’t let his lack of playing time nor his teammates’ less than ideal rep as “Jailblazers” interfere with his goal of improving to a point where he’d see action on the floor.

Read complete article at Slam Online.