Jack Winter Articles - Page 52

So much for consternation over a wholly transformative trade deadline. Instead of reeling from finally breaking up its longtime core, the Portland Trail Blazers entered the All-Star break winners of four straight games, playing with activity and intensity that had often been absent during Chauncey Billups’ inaugural season on the sidelines. The Blazers can’t count […]

The Portland Trail Blazers don’t seem all that keen on pushing for the playoffs. After entering the All-Star break on a stunning 4-0 surge, the Blazers announced on Wednesday that starting center Jusuf Nurkic will miss at least four weeks due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will be […]

Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum weren’t exactly surprised when they were finally split up. Both have clarified as much in wake of the latter’s move to the New Orleans Pelicans, with McCollum even acknowledging he had a say in his ultimate destination at the trade deadline. Just because they’d discussed the likelihood of McCollum playing […]

Anfernee Simons didn’t quite see the gravity of his breakout season coming. Entering his fourth NBA season firmly behind Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum in the Portland Trail Blazers’ backcourt, he expected to play a supporting role for a contender instead of cementing himself as a budding star with Lillard watching from the sidelines and […]

Damian Lillard has doubled, tripled and quadrupled down on his commitment to Rip City. Anfernee Simons is a star right now, and the Portland Trail Blazers will pay him like it this summer. Nassir Little is already entrenched as a long-term building block in Portland, with one more year left on his rookie contract. Josh […]

The Portland Trail Blazers finally tore it down at the trade deadline, sending out C.J. McCollum and three other impact veterans in a series of moves that placed the organization’s focus firmly on next season. Don’t tell that to Chauncey Billups and his team’s new-look locker room, though. Rejuvenated by the additive presence of Josh […]

Mere moments after the most transformational trade deadline in franchise history, interim general manager Joe Cronin all but confirmed what the Portland Trail Blazers’ series of cost-cutting, win-later moves meant for Damian Lillard over the season’s remainder. Portland’s superstar point guard would “most likely” sit out until 2022-23, Cronin said at a post-deadline press conference, […]

Jusuf Nurkic, Anfernee Simons and the new-look Portland Trail Blazers have definitely earned a week-long vacation. Portland will embark on the All-Star break as perhaps the hottest team in basketball, winners of four straight games after taking down the Memphis Grizzlies in a hard-fought, highly entertaining 123-119 victory on Wednesday at FedEx Forum. Memphis entered […]

Joe Burrow won himself hordes of new fans while leading the upstart Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in over 30 years. Among them? The Los Angeles Rams quarterback kept Burrow and the Bengals from bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Cincinnati for the first time ever. After the Rams beat the […]

Anfernee Simons dropped 30-plus points for the third straight game on Monday, the longest streak of his burgeoning career, leading the new-look Portland Trail Blazers to a blowout road victory over the defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks. He made NBA history, too, hitting seven triples against Milwaukee to set a new record for the most made threes […]

Winning isn’t exactly the top organizational priority in Rip City after a truly transformational trade deadline. Nobody seems to have told Anfernee Simons, Josh Hart, Jusuf Nurkic and the re-invigorated Portland Trail Blazers, though. Portland routed the Milwaukee Bucks 122-107 on Monday at Fiserv Forum, winning its third straight game since overhauling the roster last […]

Josh Hart had barely been in Portland for more than 24 hours when he took the floor at Moda Center on Saturday noon. Just after his standout debut with the Portland Trail Blazers, though, it’s more than safe to say Rip City is just as excited about Hart’s new future as he is. Invigorated by […]

The Portland Trail Blazers’ abrupt recent turn in short-term priorities and team-building philosophy had already cast more doubt on the possibility of Damian Lillard returning this season. After his steam stood pat on Thursday at an otherwise wild trade deadline, the slim chances of Lillard coming back in 2021-22 effectively vanished altogether. During a post-deadline […]

The Dallas Mavericks clearly believe their chances for on-court success this season and going forward don’t rely on Kristaps Porzingis. Almost immediately after shipping him to the Washington Wizards in one of the most shocking moves of a frenzied trade deadline, though, the Mavs clarified their additional justification for moving their former franchise pillar: financial […]

The 2022 NBA trade deadline was more active than literally anyone could’ve anticipated. Not only did the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers rock the league by swapping James Harden and Ben Simmons, but a series of additional major, unexpected deals were agreed upon before the clock struck 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. Conspicuously absent […]

It’s barely been more than 48 hours since the Portland Trail Blazers broke up the most successful, productive backcourt in franchise history. After his sorely depleted team’s stirring win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, though, Chauncey Billups implored fans in Rip City to dream of new possibilities awaiting the Blazers with a […]

LeBron James and Anthony Davis didn’t exactly bring it, and several players who were pivotal for the Portland Trail Blazers almost certainly won’t be on the roster when this team is really trying to win. Don’t dismiss the long-term significance of Portland’s stirring 107-105 win over the sinking Los Angeles Lakers despite the unique circumstances […]

The Portland Trail Blazers lost their sixth straight game on Tuesday night, falling to the Orlando Magic 113-95. Another defeat pushes Portland to 21-34 on the season and 11th in the Western Conference, at real risk of tumbling even further down the standings with the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings nipping at their heels. […]

Already the league’s most active trade partner, the Portland Trail Blazers still may not be done dealing leading up to Thursday afternoon’s deadline. Indeed, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in the immediate wake of Portland sending C.J. McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday that interim general manager Joe Cronin and the front office are […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have already rocked the league with two major deals ahead of the trade deadline. Even after parting with C.J. McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington in the past few days, though, the Blazers apparently aren’t done trying to revamp their roster around Damian Lillard before Thursday afternoon. According to Jake Fischer […]

The Portland Trail Blazers sent C.J. McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, a move that continues their roster overhaul leading up to the trade deadline and signals the end of an era in Rip City. Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell are headed to New Orleans as well, with Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, […]

The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of their most troubling stretch of play since signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the summer of 2019. Losers of seven straight games, the Nets are facing off with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in a Sunday matinee. So, is James Harden playing to […]

Jusuf Nurkic’s future with the Portland Trail Blazers would be in doubt even if he wasn’t the subject of frequent trade rumors leading up to the deadline. He’s a free agent this summer, and it wouldn’t shock if Portland’s new decision-making regime preferred going after a more versatile, athletic center to bringing back Nurkic on […]

The Portland Trail Blazers’ primary goal in Friday’s shocking trade with the LA Clippers was saving money. They not only ducked below the luxury tax this season, making the franchise and billionaire owner Jody Allen subject to the most lucrative distribution of tax penalties in league history, but also shaved considerable money off their books […]

The Portland Trail Blazers welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder to Moda Center on Friday night, but his team’s chances of avenging a blowout loss only four days earlier wasn’t the focus of Chauncey Billups’ pregame presser. Instead, the rookie head coach shed some much-needed light on Portland’s stunning trade that sent Norman Powell and Robert […]

The Portland Trail Blazers tipped off trade season in stunning fashion on Friday, moving Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the LA Clippers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson, Justise Winslow and a future second-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Here’s why interim general manager Joe Cronin and the Blazers’ front office agreed […]

So much for the Portland Trail Blazers’ midseason momentum amid Damian Lillard’s indefinite absence. After going 7-4 once the eight-time All-Star was sidelined come the New Year, the Blazers have lost five of their last six games, trudging toward next week’s trade deadline in just as disappointing a position as they were a month ago. […]

The Portland Trail Blazers just missed out on the first winning month of 2021-22, finishing January an even 8-8 after losing back-to-back games to the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week. Unfortunately, the reinforcements needed for Portland to finish above .500 in at least one of the season’s last three months don’t […]

The Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers both took the floor on Wednesday night without franchise-defining superstars. What proved the biggest difference in the Blazers’ third straight loss? Los Angeles has another one. Portland fell to the Lakers 99-94 at Crypto.com Arena, missing Damian Lillard more than ever with its starting backcourt struggling from […]

Ben Simmons’ complete list of grievances with the Philadelphia 76ers is no doubt long. Those he and his camp decided to share publicly with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, though, don’t exactly portray Simmons’ superstar teammate and current head coach in as negative a light as they think. In a sprawling feature story on the drama continuing […]

The Portland Trail Blazers brought the early energy they needed to make up for a massive rest deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Once the jumpers stopped falling and the clock started winding, though, they looked every bit a depleted, veteran team playing a much younger, fresher foe on the back half of a road […]

The move the Portland Trail Blazers are more likely to make than any other at the trade deadline won’t address their most obvious, big-picture need. But shedding just over $3 million worth of salary by February 10th to duck the luxury tax and receive part of the most lucrative distribution from taxpaying teams in league […]

Anfernee Simons’ breakout isn’t over, C.J. McCollum picked up right where he left off after six weeks on the sideline and Jusuf Nurkic has taken advantage of his increased role as a scorer. But the Portland Trail Blazers entered Sunday’s tilt with the Chicago Bulls at a surprising 8-6 in January not due to significant […]

The Portland Trail Blazers used isolation basketball to pull away from the worst team in the Western Conference on Friday night. After the Houston Rockets suddenly pulled within six as the game clocked ticked below five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, C.J. McCollum and Anfernee Simons mercilessly matchup-hunted for Garrison Mathews in pick-and-roll, clearing […]

Chauncey Billups called timeout with 5:29 remaining in Friday’s game, his team at real risk of squandering what seemed like an insurmountable lead after Jalen Green’s step-back three pulled the Houston Rockets within six. The Portland Trail Blazers hadn’t encountered much trouble running roughshod over the Western Conference’s worst team, but some ugly turnovers and […]

Myles Turner may not be moved before the trade deadline after all. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported earlier this week that the Indiana Pacers big man is increasingly likely to remain with his current team past February 10th, in part due to concerns about his ongoing recovery from a stress reaction in his left foot. […]

Damian Lillard isn’t going anywhere. But as the February 10th trade deadline fast approaches, the prevailing assumption had been that the Portland Trail Blazers would actively seek deals for pretty much any other player on the roster—especially the veterans that have long comprised this team’s core. Don’t tell that to Jusuf Nurkic, though. In a […]

The Portland Trail Blazers’ surprising recent surge sans Damian Lillard, thankfully, may not prevent them from making a major deal at the trade deadline after all. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the New Orleans Pelicans have shown interest in acquiring C.J. McCollum leading up to February 10th. Portland would reportedly receive a package […]

Nassir Little’s shoulder injury is far worse than initially anticipated. Less than 24 hours after Chauncey Billups described the third-year forward as “day-to-day,” the Portland Trail Blazers announced on Thursday that an MRI revealed Little suffered a labral tear in his left shoulder. An MRI taken January 26 revealed Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little with […]