The “treadmill of mediocrity” is a term coined by former Portland Trail Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard in 2011. It’s pro basketball limbo — being good enough to sneak into the playoffs but not good enough to win, yet not quite bad enough to earn a top-5 draft pick and select a serious game-changer. And still, 10 years after the birth of the metaphorical “treadmill,” the Trail Blazers haven’t finished their workout.
Through the 2010's, the Blazers only made it past the first round of the NBA playoffs three times, despite earning eight trips to the postseason.