"There was a virus going around the Rose Garden on Wednesday night, as Marcus Camby was left congested and coughing, able to play only 18 minutes before calling it a night. And there was LaMarcus Aldridge, stuffy and sluggish, saying he was getting worse before he was getting better.

There were also about 20,350 in the stands who felt pretty sick after watching a listless effort by the Blazers during a 103-96 loss to Houston, the second consecutive home loss.

And you know what, the fans should be sick. This team is, and should be, better than this. "