Portland Trail Blazers Articles - Page 59

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 […]

Larry Nance Jr. turned another page in his career this summer after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers. While the 28-year-old was reportedly gracious in his exit from the Cavs, Nance could not help but take a dig at his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on his way out. Nance […]

Damian Lillard certainly didn’t seem like a player with any plans on playing elsewhere during Portland Trail Blazers Media Day. In fact, the league’s favorite hypothetical trade centerpiece seemed more comfortable with the notion of continuing his career in Rip City for good than he has in months. Why? Lillard’s newfound confidence he really could […]

Depending on the veracity of several published media reports and countless unsourced rumors, Damian Lillard came close to requesting a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers this summer. But even if the greatest player in franchise history demanded to leave Portland with four years remaining on his contract, it seems clear Neil Olshey would have […]

As a professional athlete, you know you’ve made your mark on the game when your signature skill somehow crosses over into other sports. As if he didn’t already know, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is at that point in his career. He was no-doubt watching his beloved Las Vegas Raiders play the Miami Dolphins, […]

The most controversial and potentially consequential offseason in Portland Trail Blazers history is over. Media day is finally here, and with it come many unknowns about Portland’s present and future. Here are some of the most pressing questions the Blazers need to answer on Monday as they begin official preparations for the 2021-22 season. Where […]

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard couldn’t help but send his prayers for Dominican Republic boxer Lenin Castillo after his scary knockout at the hands of Callum Smith on Saturday. In the second round of the light heavyweight bout, Smith connected a massive right hand to the jaw of Castillo. Right after it landed, it […]

Fans who choose to come at Damian Lillard on Twitter better be prepared with bullet-proof comments or risk being shamed in front of over 2.8 million pairs of eyes. One Twitter user learned that the hard way when he chose to attack Lillard’s workout post. The person even went as far as invoking LeBron James […]

Nassir Little enters his third NBA season with the Portland Trail Blazers subject to relatively low expectations. The 25th overall pick of the 2019 draft played sparingly as a rookie, and barely got off the bench more last season despite making obvious all-around strides and Portland’s departed coach at one point publicly earmarking him regular […]

Chauncey Billups believes what ailed the Portland Trail Blazers most on defense last season was attitude. He’s preached the significance of a team-wide commitment to that side of the ball since being named Terry Stotts’ replacement in late June, even going so far as to insist players who don’t buy into it on a possession-by-possession […]

NBA 2K is one of the biggest game franchises out there, and it’s not surprising that a ton of people are hooked on the highly addictive basketball game. As it turns out, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is no different. Based on his own admission, Lillard actually plays NBA 2K every single day. On […]

Damian Lillard has already proven himself as the best player in Portland Trail Blazers history, and the summer-long frenzy induced by his wavering commitment to Rip City is just the latest indication of his exalted standing in the league’s individual hierarchy. Lillard’s an unqualified superstar, basically, the exceedingly rare and valuable caliber of player around […]

Chauncey Billups was Neil Olshey’s top choice as the Portland Trail Blazers’ next head coach even before the job became available. Damian Lillard gave Billups his public seal of approval about 12 hours after Portland parted ways with Terry Stotts. Norman Powell says conversations with Billups played a major part in his decision to re-sign […]

All offseason, the basketball community has asked one question: What is going to happen with Ben Simmons? The former number one overall pick has made it abundantly clear that he has no intentions of returning to the Philadelphia 76ers. General manager Daryl Morey has actively been in trade discussions all summer, but an enticing deal […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are no doubt uncomfortable with the notion of honoring Ben Simmons’ trade demand as he continues to publicly flaunt their irreparably damaged relationship. Daryl Morey wants to win at everything, and placating a player in open breach of a max contract with four years and $147 million on it doesn’t exactly sound […]

The Portland Trail Blazers fan base has been through a lot recently. Damian Lillard hasn’t formally requested for a trade just yet, but his fealty to the franchise seems to be at the lowest point that it’s ever been. But it’s far from lowest point in their recent history. Every Blazers fan remembers the true […]

The Portland Trail Blazers added another journeyman on Tuesday, signing Quinn Cook to a non-guaranteed contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Free agent guard Quinn Cook is signing a non-guaranteed deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 21, 2021 Though the disclosure of Cook’s deal […]

Official preparations for the 2021-22 season begin in less than a week, and Ben Simmons seems no closer to moving on from the Philadelphia 76ers despite his best efforts to force a trade. The disgruntled three-time All-Star, in fact, reportedly has no plans to budge from his longtime stance of refusing to report to his […]

Jusuf Nurkic, entering a crucial contract year that could double as Damian Lillard’s swan song with the Trail Blazers, isn’t feeling the pressure as 2021-22 fast approaches. The seven-year veteran has never looked forward to an NBA season more than he has this one, in fact, despite an immediate future in Portland that seemed uncertain […]

Despite a summer full of speculation that he could be traded, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard ultimately stuck to his word and stayed with the team. Of course, there was no shortage of organizations who showed interest in making a move for the guard, but he remained loyal to the Blazers. The Sixers, in […]