Portland Trail Blazers Articles - Page 53

Chauncey Billups doesn’t care about wins and losses in the preseason. He views exhibition action as a glorified extension of training camp practices rather than a replica of preseason games, a perspective that could have shielded the Portland Trail Blazers from at least some criticism after their 36-point loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday […]

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. […]

Some disturbing news came out on Wednesday in an exclusive interview with the head of Jordan Brand and former Portland Trail Blazers executive Larry Miller, as he revealed a very shocking secret he’s been holding for years. In 1965, he shot a fellow teenager dead. Via Sports Illustrated, who sat down with Miller prior to […]

Ever since the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Ben Simmons has been swarmed by critics. Although Simmons is still a star, things haven’t gone smoothly for him as of late. The postseason saw him register the most dismal performance of his career. Simmons registered a historically bad 34.2% mark on free throws, which is the worst in […]

With Ben Simmons reporting to the Philadelphia 76ers in a shocking twist to the drama-filled story, it has many wondering what comes next in this fiasco. Will Simmons stay with the Sixers now or will he still heavily push for a trade? According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, there are 10 teams still interested […]

Tipoff of one of the most significant seasons in Portland Trail Blazers history is barely more than a week away. As they prepare for a brief preseason road trip before opening at home against the Sacramento Kings on October 20th, here are four bold predictions about Damian Lillard and the Blazers for 2021-22. Blazers Rank […]

PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers tipoff the regular season against the Sacramento Kings back at Moda Center next week, but don’t expect Monday’s game—fortunately for Chauncey Billups’ team—to prove a barbinger for the 2021-22 opener. Here are four observations from the short-handed Blazers’ 107-93 loss to the Kings. Anfernee Simons (Kind Of) Looked The […]

The brand new season is just around the corner. There are a lot of teams to watch out for, especially those who have a shot at winning it all. Unfortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers won’t be one of those teams — again. While Damian Lillard and Co. have made the playoffs for eight straight seasons […]

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 […]

Barely three minutes had elapsed since tipoff of the Portland Trail Blazers preseason opener, and Jusuf Nurkic already found himself standing alone beyond the arc. He readied his hands, took a pass from C.J. McCollum and let fly from the right wing with zero hesitation as Kevon Looney offered a half-hearted close-out. Clank. Nurkic went […]

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is a huge Las Vegas Raiders fans, but he certainly can’t help but be disappointed over the news that head coach Jon Gruden used a racist trope to describe NFLPA exec DeMaurice Smith in an email back in 2011. In a report by Andrew Beaton of The Wall Street Journal, […]

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 […]

After all the hullaballoo that’s gone on in this wild NBA offseason, the news cycle has spun around numerous times trying to keep up. But way, way back in the past, the headline story was the possibility of Damian Lillard leaving the Portland Trail Blazers. But Blazers fans can now comfortably breath a sigh of […]

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 […]

The Portland Trail Blazers began the offseason dealing with incessant rumors concerning Damian Lillard‘s future in Rip City. Since then, Lillard and his teammates have quashed the idea of the All-Star point guard leaving the team multiple times. However, if Lillard contemplates a change of scenery, head coach Chauncey Billups would be the last person […]

Damian Lillard knew there was something different about Anfernee Simons when the Portland Trail Blazers superstar saw a photo of his young teammate this summer. Suddenly, it was obvious. Simons, ink-less over the first three seasons of his NBA career, had a half sleeve tattoo on his left arm—another step in the 22-year-old’s ongoing growth […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that assistant coach Milt Palacio has been placed on administrative leave due to his indictment for an alleged health insurance fraud scheme involving 18 former NBA players. Portland released a statement acknowledging Palacio’s involvement in the matter following Thursday’s practice. “We are aware of charges as they have become […]

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 […]

Cody Zeller’s official debut with the Portland Trail Blazers has likely been delayed. Considering the severity of his broken nose, the veteran big man is lucky Andre Iguodala’s elbow didn’t do even more damage. Chauncey Billups announced on Wednesday that Zeller is set for surgery to repair the broken nose he suffered in Portland’s preseason […]

The Portland Trail Blazers’ defense in their exhibition loss to the Golden State Warriors wasn’t quite as porous as it often appeared on the floor, at least statistically. The Warriors’ point total was juiced by the high pace of Monday’s affair. Their offensive rating was just 110.0, well below league average last season, and wasn’t […]

Analysis of the Portland Trail Blazers’ porous defense against the Golden State Warriors can wait, and there’s only so much to be gleaned from it in the first place. This is preseason basketball, remember, when offenses league-wide are expected to be ahead of defenses, let alone for a team with a rookie head coach who’s […]

The Chauncey Billups era in Rip City didn’t exactly live up to its promise during his team’s preseason debut. Gashed on defense from the opening tip and far too careless with the ball offensively, the Portland Trail Blazers fell 121-107 to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night at Moda Center. Portland coughed up 26 […]

Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is a straight shooter, regardless of the platform. This time, Lillard is giving his personal take on the neverending GOAT debate. In an exchange with a fan on Twitter, the Blazers guard bluntly responded when asked about who he thinks is the greatest basketball player of all time. MJ […]

The Chauncey Billups era has officially begun, and the Portland Trail Blazers seem reinvigorated as a result. But it’s easy to find confidence in the afterglow of Media Day, especially for a veteran team like Portland that clearly grew tired of hearing Terry Stotts’ voice during his ninth and final season in Rip City. Hope […]

There is very little doubt, if any, about Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors being the greatest shooter of all time. Very few people can challenge this title. More than a few folks would agree that one of them is Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard. Especially when it comes to range, Dame is […]

Allen Iverson is a big fan of Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard. The NBA legend and basketball Hall of Famer hinted as much on Friday during his interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report. When asked about his Top 5 “killers” in the NBA, Iverson quickly named Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden and […]

It’ll be a truly sad day in the NBA if and when Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard does officially decide to call it quits and demand a trade. There hasn’t been a player more outspoken about his loyalty to the franchise that drafted him in recent memory, and a request like that would no-doubt […]

The basketball ideals being instilled in the Portland Trail Blazers by Chauncey Billups were obvious even before his team tipped off training camp earlier this week. At Media Day on September 28, everyone taking the podium for Portland—from Neil Olshey to Billups and Damian Lillard to Cody Zeller—extolled the virtues of accountability, communication and attention […]

Much of the talk heading into the start of the NBA season remains centered on the uncertain future of Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons. The three-time All-Star has been in the trade rumor mill ever since the Sixers’ shocking elimination at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. […]

Damian Lillard’s pointed calls for the Portland Trail Blazers to make significant roster changes this summer went unanswered. His team enters 2021-22 with last season’s same core in place and an unchanged starting lineup. Portland’s four offseason additions come mostly on the margins, with Larry Nance Jr. the only one among them guaranteed to make […]

Load management and limiting a star player’s minutes in the regular season is the hot new thing in the NBA. For Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum, though, he’d rather play more minutes if given the chance. When asked about potentially playing less in the regular season, the Blazers guard had this to say. (via […]

The Portland Trail Blazers, to a man, have already been invigorated by the relatability, attention to detail and demand for accountability of rookie coach Chauncey Billups and his coaching staff. Damian Lillard has made clear he’s fully committed to the Blazers for now, entering this season more confident than ever that his dreams of winning […]

Anfernee Simons enters 2021-22 coming off a relative breakout season, at least when accounting for the gravity of his struggles over his first two years in the NBA. Fully established as a rotation player with the Portland Trail Blazers now, rookie coach Chauncey Billups is finally affording Simons the opportunity to prove his bona fides […]

There were times last season when Jusuf Nurkic took matters into his own hands defensively for the Portland Trail Blazers. Terry Stotts didn’t outright forbid Nurkic from veering outside Portland’s ultra-conservative defensive scheme, even encouraging his random forays to the perimeter with a simple caveat. “Sometimes Nurk goes rogue,” Stotts said after the Blazers beat […]

Between winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, co-starring in a basketball blockbuster, releasing his fourth studio album and getting married to his longtime girlfriend, Damian Lillard didn’t exactly have much downtime during another shortened offseason. Endless speculation about his suddenly uncertain future with the Portland Trail Blazers only made his summer more hectic. […]

Damian Lillard did his best this summer to recruit free agents to the Portland Trail Blazers. He didn’t even have dreams of somehow luring another superstar to Rip City. Lillard instead sought out potential additions that could help his team on the margins, like former Blazer Nicolas Batum and athletic wing Kelly Oubre Jr. But […]

With the new NBA season about to begin in just a few weeks, all the talk lately has been centered on the continued refusal of some NBA players to get vaccinated against COVID-19. There have been several debates on the issue, including the ones pouring over on social media, and Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ […]

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard knows the importance of getting vaccinated, but he won’t be going around to impose his beliefs on other players. In fact, he won’t get mad at those who say they need to do their research first. However, he highlighted protecting his family and kids as a major reason for […]

The Portland Trail Blazers held their first collective media availability in nearly four months on Monday, since an utterly disappointing playoff exit sparked the most dramatic offseason in franchise history. A lot has changed for this team since we last heard from it en masse on June 3. On the eve of training camp in […]