CJ McCollum Articles - Page 11

Damian Lillard has never made a secret of and has no reason to apologize for a looming desire to maximize his earnings to their utmost extent before his playing days are finished. Despite increasingly massive annual salaries, all superstars with crossover appeal who single-handedly drive sustained team success are underpaid relative to the revenue they […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have been very involved in the news lately, first for the firing of general manager Neil Olshey, and then for trade rumors involving stars Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, among others. A recent report in The Athletic reveals a trade offer from 2020, turned down by Olshey, involving Blazers guard CJ […]

Blazers guard CJ McCollum reveals a painfully honest admission on being a father during the rampant effects of COVID-19 and the ongoing trade rumors around him. The Blazers are experiencing quite a problematic season, failing to compete in the loaded Western Conference— sporting an 11-14 win-loss record and standing at 10th in the conference. Despite […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have not been able to reach any form of decision regarding potential trades for the team’s frustrated All-Star Ben Simmons. Recent reports have arisen concerning a possible trade between the Sixers and the Portland Trail Blazers, with the trade revolving around Ben Simmons and CJ McCollum. However, these rumors have been somewhat […]

The Portland Trail Blazers were engulfed by drama after the firing of general manager Neil Olshey. NBA insiders are expecting more change with the Portland, this time in terms of their personnel. Amid trade rumors, center Jusuf Nurkic and forward Robert Covington are the two Blazers players most likely to be dealt, per Bleacher Report. […]

Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has seen his name pop up in trade rumors recently after a report surfaced which said the Blazers were willing to trade him to the Philadelphia 76ers in a possible Ben Simmons blockbuster. But as we know, his relationship with Damian Lillard has always been strong. McCollum reiterated that […]

Damian Lillard has already refuted a report from The Athletic about his mounting frustration with the Portland Trail Blazers amid team-wide on-court struggles and the dismissal of longtime general manager Neil Olshey. These mfs love drama too damn much. https://t.co/ej15TkAybZ — Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) December 6, 2021 As he reiterated on several occasions over a chaotic, […]

The Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers are two teams that have been intertwined all summer. Following the latest news to surface, they continue to look like a perfect match in terms of trade partners. As we know, the stalemate between Ben Simmons and the Sixers has been never-ending. The three-time All-Star has yet to […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are at a crossroads after firing Neil Olshey. The Blazers need to nail their next hire and get the franchise back on track as they struggle on the court. One possible blockbuster move could be trading for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, which is something that has been rumored for […]

Chauncey Billups, in an increasingly common postgame refrain during the season’s early going, saved his harshest criticism for Portland Trail Blazers’ starters after a dispiriting blowout loss. The bench was a lone bright spot for Portland in its ugly 145-117 loss to the short-handed Boston Celtics on Saturday night at Moda Center, an especially damning […]

The Philadelphia 76ers previously had a good start to the 2021-22 NBA season as they were looking like one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. It even seemed as if they weren’t hurt by the absence of Ben Simmons at all. However, the Sixers recently slowed down after star center Joel Embiid entered […]

As this is already the eighth season of the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum partnership, they have only reached the Western Conference Finals once in 2019. Additionally, the Portland Trail Blazers have the longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances as they have not missed the playoffs since 2013. Their core is talented with Lillard and […]

The Portland Trail Blazers fired Neil Olshey on Sunday, just short of a month after the team launched a probe into allegations that he fostered a toxic, hostile working environment. Olshey’s reign as general manager in Rip City comes to an end after nine seasons, the last eight of which the Blazers have made the […]

Regardless of when the investigation into allegations of Neil Olshey fostering a “toxic” workplace was finished, Jody Allen almost certainly wasn’t going to find a better time to fire the Portland Trail Blazers’ longtime general manager than Friday morning. The Blazers included no conclusions from that probe in their announcement of Olshey’s dismissal, simply specifying […]

Since the beginning of the Ben Simmons trade saga, countless teams have been linked to the situation in rumors. One of the more consistent names that appeared throughout the summer was the Portland Trail Blazers. Primarily because Damian Lillard sits atop Daryl Morey’s wishlist, but both members of the Blazers’ starting backcourt would be an […]

Chauncey Billups touched on the pitfalls of Damian Lillard’s abdominal tendinopathy well before it was officially announced the Portland Trail Blazers superstar would be sidelined for at least the next 10 days. Lillard was clearly more affected by his nagging core injury than normal during Portland’s blowout loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday. He […]

The Portland Trail Blazers survived the worst slump of Damian Lillard’s career in large part due to the individual brilliance of CJ McCollum. Portland’s “other” star guard played like an alpha dog when his team needed it most, picking up Lillard’s slack en route to averaging 23.8 points and shooting 44.2% on nearly 10 3-point […]

The Portland Trail Blazers woke up on Thanksgiving day at 10-9, alone at sixth in a loaded yet inconsistent Western Conference. Chauncey Billups’ team has at least somewhat righted the ship after a chaotic, discouraging start to 2021-22, and there’s ample reason to believe the Blazers’ best basketball awaits as they grow increasingly comfortable operating […]

Less than 10 days after an “embarrassing” blowout loss in the Mile High City, the Portland Trail Blazers got some much-needed revenge against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, beating Michael Malone’s woefully depleted squad, 119-100. The Blazers can only play who’s in front of them and hardly need to apologize for one of their best offensive […]

The Portland Trail Blazers earned a much-needed 118-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, emerging from a furious, back-and-forth battle in the fourth quarter for an impressive victory on the second night of a back-to-back. A lot went right for the Blazers from the friendly confines of Moda Center when they needed it […]

The tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has been the franchise cornerstone of the Portland Trail Blazers for more than half a decade The Blazers own the league’s longest active playoff streak but have only once reached the Western Conference Finals. Though obviously talented, they’ve still always had something missing keeping them from legitimately […]

The Portland Trail Blazers lost their fifth straight road game to open the regular season on Friday, falling to the LA Clippers 117-109 at Staples Center. After the game, Chauncey Billups bemoaned his team’s penchant for losing focus on defense away from the friendly confines of Moda Center, remarks echoed by Damian Lillard. The numbers, […]

Lost amid Damian Lillard’s career-worst slump and the Portland Trail Blazers’ ongoing adjustment to playing under Chauncey Billups have been the struggles of Robert Covington. Acquired for a pair of first-round picks before last season, Covington has hardly lived up to that price tag in the early going of 2021-22, struggling to find his footing […]

The Portland Trail Blazers definitely aren’t off to the start that they were hoping for. They are under new head coach Chauncey Billups. Damian Lillard is also playing the worst basketball of his career. Lillard is one of the best players in the league and there’s no reason to be worried about him continuing this […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are heading home to Rip City winless following Wednesday’s disappointing 107-104 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, finishing a quick Eastern Conference road trip 0-3. Here are three key takeaways from another frustrating Blazers defeat. The Wrong Kind of Dame Time Lillard’s fingerprints were all over crunch-time…just not in the way Rip […]

The All-Star Game may just seem like one game where the 24 best players in the league showcase their talents in front of millions of fans. For the players, this achievement means a ton because they are able to receive certain financial incentives and further burnish their reputations. Since the regular season tipped nearly two […]

C.J. McCollum began last season playing the best basketball of his life for the Portland Trail Blazers. Long pigeonholed into the very good but not-good-enough category of a team’s second-best player, he broke from that mold over the first 13 games of 2020-21, providing Portland a much-needed sense of upward mobility in the Western Conference. […]

Forty-eight hours after reaching their peak, the Portland Trail Blazers hit rock bottom. Chauncey Billups’ new team was embarrassed by his old one on Monday night at Staples Center, falling 116-86 to the LA Clippers. Here are three takeaways from the Blazers’ 30-point drubbing, one every bit as ugly as the final score indicates—if not […]

PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers got both their first win of the regular season and the Chauncey Billups era in rousing fashion on Saturday night, blowing out the Phoenix Suns 134-105 at Moda Center. Here are four takeaways from Portland’s dominant victory over the reigning Western Conference champions, a game every bit as lopsided as […]

Rip City’s wait is over. In wake of the most dramatic, controversial offseason in team history, the Portland Trail Blazers finally open the 2021-22 regular season on Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center. Here are three keys to watch for as Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and company look to tip off the […]

Candidacy for individual awards couldn’t be further from the Portland Trail Blazers’ minds as they prepare to host the Sacramento Kings. But just because Chauncey Billups, Damian Lillard and company are singularly focused on the task at hand doesn’t mean Blazers fans have better ways to kill time before tipoff of Wednesday night’s game than […]

The Portland Trail Blazers bookended exhibition action the same way it started, with a double-digit loss to the Golden State Warriors. Unlike the preseason opener and a dispiriting two games to follow, though, the Blazers’ performance in the preseason finale provided some optimism how about how they may play on both ends of the floor […]

There’s only so much to glean from any preseason basketball game, but especially the Portland Trail Blazers’ exhibition finale. Damian Lillard isn’t playing on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, and Chauncey Billups, remember, sees all preseason games as nothing more than a glorified extension of training camp practices anyway. No matter what happens […]

The Portland Trail Blazers labored through Wednesday’s rare matinee matchup with the Phoenix Suns, falling 119-74 despite Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic playing well into the third quarter. Chris Paul didn’t suit up for the Suns at all, while Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges watched the second half from the bench. […]

The NBA All-Star Weekend is definitely one of the most highly anticipated events of the season. While the Saturday Night festivities, headlined by the Slam Dunk Contest and 3-point Shootout, get the fans fired up, the main spectacle of the weekend is still undoubtedly the All-Star game on Sunday night. The 2021 edition was up […]

Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are the Portland Trail Blazers. No star tandem in basketball is more synonymous with their incumbent team than Portland’s, a reality owed both to Lillard and McCollum’s longevity in Rip City as well just how much of the Blazers’ sustained success has been driven by them. Portland owns the league’s […]

It turns out the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in trading Ben Simmons for the Portland Trail Blazers “other” star guard after all. Well, at least for a price that Daryl Morey must have known Neil Olshey would refuse to pay. Shams Charania of The Athletic and STADIUM reported on Friday that Philadelphia asked Portland for […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have long been rumored as a logical trade destination for disgruntled star Ben Simmons. However, the Philadelphia 76ers’ trade demands seem to border on the illogical side. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Sixers and Blazers indeed engaged in recent trade talks. However, the asking price for Ben Simmons was […]

One of the most consequential seasons in Portland Trail Blazers history tips off in exactly two weeks. Chauncey Billups’ team had the day off following its loss to the Golden State Warriors in the preseason opener, the second off-day Portland has enjoyed since training camp officially began September 28th. After a full week of practices—at […]