There's an argument to be made that, of all the obstacles the Portland Trail Blazers have endured over nearly a half century of existance, none have been more difficult to overcome than Oregon's weather.

Ill-timed injuries certainly have a claim to the title, Michael Jordan at least gets an honorable mention and whomever you want to blame for the fourth-quarter meltdown in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals is worth consideration, but the perception of Oregon as a land in which the rain is omnipresent and the sun is seldom seen has made it difficult over the years to recruit the caliber of players a team needs in order to win championships.

But the new additions to Portland's 2019-20 roster seem to be making the adjustment to life in the Pacific Northwest with aplomb. All had been to Portland many times before with their previous teams, so they were all aware of what the city is like from a forecast perspective between October and April, but so far, they've got nothing but good things to say about the weather.

"It’s been really great, to be honest," said Pau Gasol, a native of Barcelona who spent more than six years playing for the Lakers in Los Angeles. "I’ve really enjoyed it. A lot of people spoke very highly of it. I didn’t get a chance to really know what Portland is because when you come in, you’re in and out, hotel, maybe go to dinner here and there and that’s fine, but you stay within a mile, two mile radius. So now, I’m getting a chance to kind of venture, see the city from a different angle and really explore the beauty of Portland and Oregon as well."

While no resident of the state would tell you it doesn't rain in Oregon, most would tell you it's not as much of an issue as some make it out to be. Sure, it can be wet, but it's still a temperate environment with very few weather events, such as tornados, blizzards or heatwaves, which would qualify as dangerous. The drizzle that typifies Oregon for much of the year might not be optimal, but it could certainly be much worse.

"Love it, my family loves it," said Anthony Tolliver of his time in Portland so far. "I’ve got four kids and they love it. We’re outside all the time, even with the rain. It’s not really a big deal. You hear so much about the rain then you come here like, this is not bad, just a little sprinkle. That’s really all it is. I’m from the midwest, so when I hear rain I think about thunderstorms and getting soaking wet in two seconds type stuff. That’s not really how it is here."

And of course, there are plenty of bonuses to having easy access to water. From the landscape carved by rivers to the ability to grow just about everything, Oregon's splendor and bounty would not exist without the rain.

"Man, grocery stores (in Portland) is unbelievable," said Hassan Whiteside, who spent the last five seasons in Miami, one of the NBA's most sought-after destinations. "Everything is so green, so fresh. A lot of people talk about the rain, but that’s how they get a lot of this nature they get."

Most of the new additions noted that Oregon's weather doesn't deserve the negative stereotypes, but one player took it a step further.

"After Barcelona and Orlando, I had so much sun, I don’t even need it in the rest of my life," said Mario Hezonja. "I was always more rain guy, snow guy. I like that much better than the sun. So I’m loving it, I’m enjoying my off time. It’s really nice, I love it here."

To be fair, new players are likely to avoid criticizing their new home too harshly, though all asked about their time in Oregon thus far seemed genuinely unbothered by the weather. And we have yet to enter the time of year in which the sun sets before 5 p.m. and a near constant mist settles into the valley, so perhaps feelings change as the season goes on. But as far as first impressions of life as an Oregonian go, it's been a selling point rather than a hinderance.

"I’ve been here for almost four weeks and it feels like home," said Kent Bazemore, who noted his wife loves hiking and takes their newborn son on walks every morning. "I pull up in my garage, hit my little garage opener and it seems like I’ve been living there for the past 10 years. Feels good here. The scenery is just amazing on the mind when you leave practice, the canopy trees. I live in Lake Oswego, so got a nice view of the lake and it’s so serene. Got my family there with me, my two puppies and life’s great."