San Antonio proved that eight years ago.

The Spurs won only 20 games in 1996-97, and it became obvious to everyone outside the commissioner's office that they were not going all-out to win games in the final weeks of the dreary season.

Good plan.

San Antonio finished with the third-worst record in the league and hit the jackpot during the draft lottery. The Spurs ended up with the first pick, perhaps because of that extra ping-pong ball or two they earned by losing on purpose.

San Antonio selected Tim Duncan.

So much for the painful process of rebuilding.

One season after finishing 44 games behind the Jazz in the Midwest Division, Duncan helped the Spurs win 56 games - only six less than one of Utah's best teams.

No annual trips to the lottery.

No extended absences from the playoffs.

No eroding fan base.

The '96-97 Spurs lost. But in the long run, the franchise won. Those long-ago losses are ancient history. Memories of them are forgotten, replaced by championship trophies and MVP awards.

Hello, Portland.

Trail Blazer management must remember the San Antonio Plan because, this week, the team embarked on a two-month campaign to lose.

Nobody said as much.

Nobody used those exact words.

But GM John Nash says that veterans like Ruben Patterson, Nick Van Exel and Zach Randolph won't be playing much as Portland puts the finishing touches on a horrible season.

Instead, the Blazers will give young players like Sebastian Telfair, Travis Outlaw and Viktor Khryapa extended minutes - hoping they develop, Nash says.

Along the way, of course, Portland will lose games and gain ping-pong balls, even though Blazers fans will still pay top-dollar to see low-level competition.

When he heard of Nash's plan, an understandably upset Van Exel said, "What are we shooting for, a [better] lottery pick?"

Hey, it's happened before.

Not everyone in Portland thinks this is a good idea.

Coach Maurice Cheeks was fired last week, in part because he didn't want to play undeserving young players ahead of his best veterans.

"The question is not, 'Did they make a mistake?' ” longtime broadcaster Steve Jones says. "The question is, 'How big of a mistake did they make?' ”

After watching a losing effort by the new-look Blazers, point guard Damon Stoudamire: "This reminds me of a college team, as young as we are."

Interim coach and director of player personnel Kevin Pritchard defends the youth-is-served approach, even if it means losing.

"I'm as competitive as anybody," he said. "I want to win. . . . [But] you have to make changes that hurt now but will benefit you down the line. Look at Chicago. They've had some down seasons. But I can't tell you a team that has a brighter future. . . . Everybody in this business wants immediate results. Unfortunately, you have to pay your dues to be good."

Unless you're the Spurs.

Then you lose 62 games, win the lottery and draft Tim Duncan.

Simple.

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Steve Luhm is the Tribune's national NBA writer