Portland Trail Blazers 2025-2026 Season Preview

The Portland Trail Blazers surprised by winning 15 more games in 24-25 than they did the previous season.  I wish I could explain how.  They did have solid guard play, DeAndre Ayton was a solid center, but overall this team wouldn't wow you by looking at it.  Toumani Camara did make his mark with a great second half and an All-Defensive team nod.  Scoot Henderson saw modest gains while Jerami Grant struggled.

Portland still decided to go in a different direction this season after the gains made last year.  They bought out Ayton.  Good move.  They traded Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday.  Trade your better shooting guard for an expensive older player (he'll be 35 this season and making $100M+ over the next three seasons)?  They bring back Damian Lillard for $31M over the next three seasons though he will be out all of 25-26.  They drafted another center though Donovan Clingan had a solid rookie season.  I'm not sure how much, if any improvement, the team can expect this season.  Sharpe has to shoot better while Portland decides if he's in their long-term plans.  Seems like they like him, but we'll see.  Can they find takers for Grant or center Robert Williams?  Can Scoot step up and be the player they envisioned when the was taken with the #3 pick?  I can see the team taking a step back.  That's rough considering they won only 31 games but I'm not sure any of the moves made them better.  We'll see.  I think this year they try to figure out what they have overall while fans are left wanting for a team that can win consistently.

 

Portland Trail Blazers 2024-2025 Season Preview

 The Portland Trail Blazers have room for improvement.  Sure, it helps when you only won 21 games the season before, but this team has talent albeit on an unbalanced roster.  I was willing to give Deandre Ayton a chance last year but he's definitely not the answer.  Jerami Grant is good but he signed a big contract when they were going all in with Dame and that didn't work out.  Still not sure who Anfernee Simons is.  Shaedon Sharpe is still young and figuring out who he is too.  Donovan Clingan was the #7 pick in this year's draft but it's too early to know what he brings to the table.  Scoot Henderson is the guy after being picked #3 last year.  He struggled last year but showed some improvement in the second half of the season.  Coach Chauncey Billups has his work cut out for him.  Too many guards and too many centers does not make for a good rotation.  The front office needs to do something to help.  An Ayton trade would be great and Anfernee Simons might be the odd man out in the backcourt, if not now, later.  I do think they win more than 21 games.  Health kept them from playing consistent lineups last season.  If they're healhty this year, it will go a long way determining the team's identity.  A little optimism but I think Scoot really needs to show he's going be the guy.  Doesn't have to be a star this year but he needs to show he can be the point guard of the future for this team commensurate with being a #3 pick.

Scoot

Atlanta Hawks get the #1 Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

 The Atlanta Hawks beat the odds and have the top selection in the 2024 NBA Draft.  Unlike 2023, there is no consensus #1.  The Spurs couldn't lose.  Even if Wemby did nothing in his career nobody faults them for that pick.  The Hawks will not have it so easy.  Atlanta is already rumored to be up for major changes.  Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and the supporting cast have not made for a playoff caliber team.  Personally, I'm okay if Trae Young goes.  His lack of defense has always been a sticking point for me.  Getting Murray was a fail for me.  I like Murray but he just isn't a fit with Young and now that's he's on a big extension he'll be hard to move.  If nothing else, the #1 pick gives Atlanta lots of options.  Whether that is who they pick or the ability to make trades.

Portland has two picks in the top 14.  They need lots of help so this is good.  Same thing in that they'll have options in regard to making trades.  I'm okay if they move up using those two picks but I wouldn't mind them getting two players who can really help.  They are struggling to stay healthy, helps their young core take the next step and to see the benefit of picking up Deandre Ayton.

No matter how much grief teams get for drafting, the NBA draft is a crap shoot.  So whether you're #1 or #14 you have your work cut out for you.  The draft is May 12 in Chicago.

Portland Trail Blazers Season Preview

For Portland this offseason was all about trading Dame.  It set them up for moving forward with Scoot Henderson as the face of the franchise.  In doing so they added Malcom Brogden, Robert Williams and DeAndre Ayton.  I'm not a fan of Ayton but maybe he can finally find another gear.  They also have draft picks that may come in handy down the line.  They have young talent in Anfernee Simons, Shadeon Sharpe, and Jerami Grant.  And Brogden was is the reigning 6th Man of the Year.  It feels like the team is guard heavy.  It'll be interesting to see what Chauncey Billups can do with the lineup.  The team has to be better.  They basically tanked last season.  Do they get to 40 wins.  I don't know.  The West is so tough so that may be too much to ask for right now.  What we all want to see is Scoot succeed.  He doesn't have to be a top ten player in the league this season.  But he needs to show signs he can lead this team moving forward.  I would be happy with 40 wins but would be happier if everyone stays healthy and we see signs this team looks like it'll be a playoff team and contender in years to come.

Damian Lillard To the Milwaukee Bucks In Three-Team Trade

I knew it was coming but it still hurts.  Damian Lillard is my favorite all-time Trail Blazer and beyond hope I wanted him to retire in Portland.  Lillard now goes to the Bucks where he'll team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo.  At my core I don't like trade requests but it's part of the game.  Also at my core I'm glad he'll go somewhere where he can compete for a title and play with a great like Giannis. I hope he does great and gets that ring.

Portland's haul isn't bad but not great.  Sounds like Jrue Holiday will not be with the team long since his age (33) doesn't match up with the teams young core.  But Holiday should bring back something good. He's still an excellent defender and can shoot the three.  The definition of a 3 and D guy.  Something a contender would covet.  Deandre Ayton is probably the prize catch here.  He's only 25 and averaged 18 and 10 last season.  That said I'm not big on him, but we'll see if I can get behind the big man in a Portland uniform.  The Draft picks will probably be fodder in the future for another trade down the road.  It's not the haul Brooklyn got for KD but it good and much better than anything Miami could come up with.  What they get for Holiday could really make this look even better.  As is I give it a B+.

Portland receives: From Milwaukee, guard Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee's unprotected 2029 first-round pick, the right to swap first-round picks with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030, From Phoenix, center Deandre Ayton, and forward Toumani Camara from the Suns in the deal.

Phoenix receives: From Portland, center Jusuf Nurkic, forward Nassir Little, and guard Keon Johnson,  from Milwaukee, wing Grayson Allen

Damian Lillard Requests a Trade

Dame has officially requested a trade.  This hurts.  While not completely a surprise I still held out hope when he didn't ask for one early last week when meeting with the team and a trade request didn't come out of that.  Lillard is my favorite Trail Blazer of all-time.  It's easy to have recency bias but I am truly a big fan.  I hope all the best for him.  I know Portland will try to maximize their return.  Not often a top 10 players is traded.  They need something that will set them up for success.  That can happen in different ways so it'll be interesting to see how this turns out.  No matter how it turns out I doubt I'll be happy for a while.

Random Wax: 2018-2019 Hoops Portland Trail Blazers Team Set

18-19 Hoops: Nuggets go for their first Championship in franchise history tonight.  This is a Portland Trail Blazers team set I picked up two years ago.  This was a set I like with a nice ice design.  Lillard would be the easy choice to go first here but CJ McCollum is a really good shooter and helped New Orleans be relevant this last season.  Always liked CJ but I understand why Portland decided to try something different.

Nurkic is one of those guys Portland has to figure out this offseason.  He is a good center but not great.  I like him but I am thinking it is time to move on.  I believe the Trail Blazers keep him.  Zach Collins plays for the Spurs now and had a nice contract year.

Anfernee Simons had a really good year.  Kind of the same stats as what you'd expect from CJ.  He's younger and should be a piece for some time.  I just hope this year wasn't a fluke.

Are these guys still on the team?  No.  All good.  This offseason is all about figuring how to get a team around Dame that can compete.  He has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Portland and also says he wants to win.  Can those two converge soon?  That's the big question.  I love Dame.  He's great and my favorite all-time Trail Blazer.  We'll finish it off with him and here's to hoping he is in Portland for the rest of his career.

2022-2023 Portland Trail Blazers Quick Look

 Last season did not go as planned for the Trail Blazers.  Lillard only played 29 games due to injury, the GM was fired during the season, CJ McCollum was traded and the team only won 27 games, their worst in over 20 years.  Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jusuf Nurkic signed new deals in the offseason.  The Lillard extension was huge as there were lots of rumors of him possibly leaving.  Simons is expected to fill McCollum's shoes.  In the draft the Blazer chose Shaedon Sharpe and Jabari Walker.  Jerami Grant and Gary Payton II joined the team as free agents.

This team will win more than 27 games this year.  How much they contend will depend on Lillard being the Lillard of old and how the new pieces in the lineup work.  I really don't know what that looks like.  Fans have had hope for Simons for years.  He did well last year with both Lillard and McCollum not playing.  What does his game look like with Dame playing?  I really like the Grant and Payton editions.  Grant can score playing SF or PF.  Payton is a great defender.  

Coach Chancey Billups has his work cut out for him.  Lots of change means figuring out how this team works together.  The starting five should be fun to watch if they all live up to expectations.  I worry about depth but most teams do.  These big contracts the starters and elite players demand make it tough.  Still the Trail Blazers are trying.  They went different.  It looks like they could be better than the Terry Stotts era teams long term but this first season could go one of many ways.  Should be fun and nerve wracking for us Portland fans.

2020-2021 Portland Trail Blazers Quick Look

 I'm a little late on this but didn't the season sneak up on all of us.  Portland did well in the bubble last year after getting Jusif Nurkic and Zach Collins back but were still the #8 seed.  They were greatly overmatched against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs and were out after their first round loss.  This year they add Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. and get back Rodney Hood while Zach Collins should be healthy at some point.  While I'd love to think they'll make great strides this year with a healthy team I think they are  probably a #6 seed waiting to happen.  To get in the top four of the western conference it will take a huge change on the defensive end.  These guys can score but defensively they struggle.  Hopefully Convington and Jones Jr. can help them on the perimeter but it'll take more than two guys to turn this around.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season brings.  Portland is fun to watch and you have to expect Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to be studs again.  Nurkic is so good too.  If this team doesn't make strides I'll be curious to see if management makes some type of change.  Go Blazers!

Portland Trail Blazers Clinch Playoff Spot

 

Portland defeated Memphis yesterday to clinch the #8 seed in the Western Conference.  It was a great game and a tough one for the Trail Blazers.  C.J. McCollum came up huge in the fourth quarter with 14 points and Portland needed all of them.  Portland was actually up by 16 at one point in the game but trailed for much of the fourth quarter before pulling out the win.  Memphis shot 56% from three.  Part of that was some bad defense but the Grizzlies still had to hit the shots and they did.  Great game from Ja Morant and Jonus Valanciunus and the team played well as a whole.

Portland dealt with a disappointing season prior to the bubble where they went 6-2.  Before the season stopped they had injuries from Nurkic and Collins but both were able to play in Orlando.  They were able to trade for Hassan Whiteside, who had an outstanding season, and signed Carmelo Anthony who has surprised everyone playing both forward spots.  Still they struggled but turned it all around in Orlando.  Damian Lillard took his game to another level this year averaging 30 points and 8 assists per game while shooting 40% from deep.  See his shot from the logo against Brooklyn?   And it's not the first time he's done it.  It is so much fun watching this guy.

Next up for these guys are the Los Angeles Lakers.  I'm stoked.  While Portland shouldn't win this series it sure seems like it could be fun.  Lakers haven't been dominant in the bubble.  Still, they have Anthony Davis and Lebron.  I'm not picking against them but I'm excited for this match up.  As a fan I just hope Portland isn't exhausted after their run to just get into the playoffs.  Still I'm excited to see Portland in and to see more Trail Blazer basketball.  Go Portland!

  

2019-2020 Portland Trail Blazers Season Preview

Portland won 53 games last year in route to their Conference Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors.  It was a really good year though the broken leg Jusuf Nurkic sustained during the season was a big loss.  He isn’t expected to return until February and veteran Hassan Whiteside will be expected to fill the void until he returns.  He’s a double double guy who should be a decent place holder but isn’t as dynamic as Nurkic.  Portland of course has one of the top backcourts in Damian Lillard (25ppg/6apg) and CJ McCollum (21ppg/3apg) and that’s a lot to be happy about.  They’ll again be called upon to carry this team.  They are both on long term contracts and have shown they are up to the task.  

As it seems every year it seems like the front court will be the big question.  Gone are Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless who weren’t exciting players but they were a known quantity.  I think that means Rodney Hood now moves to SF and Zach Collins will be the starting PF.  My biggest concerns are their defense and how they’ll match up.  The loss of Seth Curry and his three point shooting will really be missed as well.  Like many Trail Blazer fans I wonder if we’ll get more Anfernee Simmons this year.  He has shown some brilliance in short spurts and has us all wondering if he could be a good if not great option on offense long term.  A natural SG it would seem his path is mostly blocked but maybe he sees more time at SF.  This team begins and ends with Lillard and McCollom.  Can they take it to the next level is the question.  I’m concerned with the supporting roster not being where any fan would like it to be.  I still pencil them in for 50+ wins and with all the changes in the West that will be a good place to be.    

Trail Blazers Swept by Warriors - Offseason Starts Now

As a fan of the Portland TrailBlazers the Western Conference Finals were so hard to watch.  As much as Portland struggled I do know that Golden State is just a elite team.  They showed it over and over on both ends of the court.  But even with that knowledge how Portland lost, losing big leads in three of the four games, is a hard pill to swallow.  Watching Portland and their stars start strong but fade in the second half, or in the case of last night the 4^th quarter, you have to ask why.

No matter how poorly the series went the Trail Blazers did have a great year behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.  Getting better will be tough this offseason.  Enes Kanter, Seth Curry, Rodney Hood, Al-Farouq Aminu and Jake Layman (restricted) are all free agents and Portland will only have about $5.7M to spend which means they’ll be largely a non-factor in free agency.  They need scoring at forward but I doubt the money they’ll have available will be able to net them much of an upgrade.

So barring a trade of consequence it seems they’ll just need to get better internally.  This is possible.  When contrasting Golden State’s and Portland’s offense during the series the difference was jarring.  Golden State’s offense is constantly in motion and pushing the ball while Portland ended up with the ball in one guy’s hands trying to create while others did little.  And when the ball did get into the hands of players not named Lillard or McCollum they were tentative and indecisive.  Those things can be taught.  Many Warriors role players look really good – partly due to playing next to great players – but also because of the offense in my opinion.  Defense is also something that can definitely improve. 

We’ll see where the offseason goes but this really was a good year.  Portland was the #3 seed in the tough Western Conference and made the Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.  I’ve watched more of the Trail Blazers this post season than ever before and it has been fun.   I can’t wait to see what next year brings.  Maybe some of the young talent like Zach Collins, Anfernee Simmons or even Gary Trent can make a difference next season.  You just never know.      

Trail Blazers Beat Thunder 4 games to 1 in Round 1

The Portland Trail Blazers advance to round 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs thanks to an outstanding game five by DamianLillard including this spectacular last second three point shot from 37 feet.  You couldn’t ask for a better way to win the game and series.  His 50 points were key but this was about how well Portland as a whole played in this series against a very good Oklahoma City Thunder team.  Watching the games they played good team defense and had solid contributions all around.

As a team Portland shot 44% from the field and 40% from three while getting 33 and 24 points per game from Lillard and CJ McCollum.  Enes Kanter had a monster game one with 20 points and 18 rebounds while giving Portland 13 and 10 for the series. Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu played well rounding out the starting five.  But for me it was the team defense.  As a whole they sagged off Russell Westbrook letting him take outside shots which he didn’t hit consistently.  Paul George got his but you’re never going to “stop” great players like Westbrook and George.  You just hope to contain them which I think Portland did a great job of.

Still I have to think Lillard comes out of this series with a few more fans.  Those of us who are fans of the team already know how really good he is and he really shined this series.  He went toe-to-toe with Russell Westbrook and beat him while looking good doing it.  Hopefully Portland’s second round series will allow even more NBA fans to see how good this guy really is. 

Can’t wait to see who Portland’s round two opponent is and if you haven’t seen the ending to last night’s game – go watch it!

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers - Round 1 NBA Playoffs

The Portland Trail Blazers got the 3rd seed in the Western Conference Playoffs and as their prize play the Oklahoma City Thunder in their seven game first round match up.  The Thunder swept the series series after being swept during last year's season series.  This is a tough match up for the Trail Blazers.  They come in to the series without excellent center Jusuf Nurkic due to injury.  Late season pick up Enes Kanter, a former thunder, has played really well in Nurkic's absence and it should be fun to watch him against Thunder center Stephen Adams.  Still he isn't the player Nurkic is but is a more than capable replacement - good job grabbing him when they did.  The Thunder for their part will be without key defender Andre Robertson.  

The key to this series for me is defense and doing something to corral Thunder stars Paul George and Russell Westbrook.  You can't even pretend you'll stop either of these guys but you have to get them off their game.  I'm not sure how the Trail Blazers do it but the Thunder haven't been unstoppable this year.  Everyone will have to play good defense every possession to have any shot.  Portland has the offense as Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum can light it up with the best of them but the role players will have to step up on both ends of the court.  I'm looking at you Al-Farouq Aminu.  This should be a great series.  Hopefully Portland will prevail and I look forward to good games as the Trail Blazers look to scare away Playoff disappointment ghosts of years past.

  

Trail Blazers Mail Day from Cards on Cards

Kerry from Cards on Cards sent me a package full of Portland Trail Blazer cards.  He's one of the few basketball fans/card bloggers I know of and not only that but he is  also a fan of the Trail Blazers.  The cards blew me away and I have to say how much I appreciate them.  They are from every era and were stocked full of stars and variety.  There were plenty of sets I've never seen before. Thanks so much to Kerry for his generosity and I can only show off so many of the cards but believe me there were many more.  This Anfernee Simons card is far and away my favorite.  I really do like it.  The design and his emotion work perfectly for me.

 Arvydas Sabonis is a top 5 all-time Trail Blazer for me while Buck Williams is my #2 all-time favorite NBA player.  Great pickups. I've been way too slow adding to my collections of my favorite players and this mail day helped me quite a bit.

I love that Donruss All-Stars card of Damian Lillard.  That's also a sweet Lillard rookie from the Past and Present set.  This Vortex C.J. McCollum is a nice looking card and my favorite of his from those I received.

Some great guards from Portland's past.  I love the Hall Kings cards and this is my first Drexler card from this set.  Porter was such a good point guard and he could shoot too.  Drazen Petrovic didn't hit his stride until after he was traded to the New Jersey Nets.  Sadly a car accident took his life at the age of 28.

Cliff Robinson was a versatile big man who could play center or either forward spot.  He was very athletic and active on defense as well.  Mychal Thompson is a guy I always liked.  More famous for being Klay's dad nowadays.  It is easy to forget that Otis Thorpe spent time with the team.  He was such a good PF.

I remember Chris Dudley as a very hard working player and one who couldn't hit free throws.  More cards of Porter and Drexler that I really like.

Jusuf Nurkic has been a great pickup for this team.  Jim Paxon is a top 5 all-time Blazer for me.  He was such a good player.  I also love the Star cards and had many of the early sets at one time.  The Claver card does a good job of highlighting the ripcity alternate jersey.

This Jerome Kersey is one of two Jam Session oversized cards.  

This Topps Tall Boy is great.  Dave Twardzik was an underrated player for some of those early Trail Blazer teams.  Great addition to my collection.  

2018-2019 Contenders Basketball Case Break - Portland Trail Blazers

I see guys purchasing their teams for a box or case break so I was very excited to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers for a case break (12 boxes) of the 2018-2019 Contenders basketball.  While I originally wanted the Atlanta Hawks the prices were well over $100 before those auctions were done.   The Trail Blazers were still over my budget but I got caught up in the frenzy of the last minute bidding and grabbed them for $32.  I pulled both a Rookie Ticket base auto and a Rookie Ticket premium auto of Anfernee Simons.  Simons hasn't really stood out to this point but they are some nice cards.  Premium parallels are shiny versions of the base card.   

I've done enough research on breaks so I know how they work and what terms to watch for.  This one was pretty straight forward and for my money I received all the Trail Blazer cards pulled during the case break.  The checklist for this set came out real late and I hadn't looked at it and it may not have been out when the break took place.  When I watched the break I quickly figured out that there were only three base cards for Portland.  So I was basically betting on grabbing some good parallels, relics or autos. 

 For me it isn't all about the relics and autos in a break but I did do well pulling two autographs.  I do have a ton of the base cards of Nurkic, Lillard and McCollum and also received two premium Nurkic cards as well of a Playing the Numbers Game insert.  This was a fun break and the seller showed the break live via YouTube which is exciting to watch.  Whoever purchased the Los Angeles Lakers was the big winner.  They pulled four Lakers autographs and a 1/1 LeBron James Championship parallel.  Wow.  

BREAKDOWN:

45 – Total Cards

15 – Jusof Nurkic (2 – Premium)

14 – C.J. McCollum

13 – Damian Lillard

2 – Rookie Ticket Autographs (1 – Premium)

1 – Playing the Numbers Game

Trail Blazers Swept by Warriors

The Portland Trail Blazers were swept by the Golden State Warrior 4-0 in the first round.  After sprinting to an eighth seed in the Western Conference at the end of the season this was to be expected.  Golden State is loaded with more weapons than is fair.   As a team they shot 40% from three and are good on the defensive end of the court making every opponent work for all 48 minutes.  Portland had no answers shooting only 39% overall and 32% from three.  While both C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard both had a good series (though their shooting was off) they are still a two man team.  Jusuf Nurkic was a good addition to the team but he was hurt and only available for 17 minutes in the series.  Not that he would have made a difference.  The Trail Blazers were an eight seed for a reason. 

Last offseason big contracts were handed out with the expectation of players taking their play to the next level.  That didn’t happen in the case of Allen Crabbe or Evan Turner whom they traded for.  They make $19M and $17M respectively which is way too much for a combined 19.7 points per game.   This team has two stars and some nice pieces but they need more from their front court.  Nurkic should be a solid piece moving forward but they need to get more dynamic elsewhere.  They aren’t good enough to compete with the better teams in the Western Conference.  Their first priority will probably be getting under the luxury tax threshold which doesn’t necessarily align with the team getting better.  They bet some of these young players would be better this year and lost.

Hawks vs Wizards and Trail Blazers vs Warriors NBA First Round Playoffs

Dwight Howard

Atlanta had a decent enough season (43-39) to get the fifth seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference playoffs but I can't say I really know who this team is.  They'll play the Washington Wizards in the first round who are a much better team.  And more than anything they know who they are.  I'd be surprised if Atlanta wins this series but who knows.  The Hawks will need the entire team to play at a high level every game.  That is not something that has happened consistently this year.  They still don't have that go to player to score when they need it.  I'd love to say I know how this game will go but I just can't get a good read on this series.  I am definitely leaning towards Washington though and think they'll probably take the series in six games.  I hope I'm wrong but Atlanta will have to play much better for something like that to happen.

C.J. McCollum

Portland really came on late in the season and grabbed the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.  The addition of Jusuf Nurkic at the trading deadline was a big part of the reason Portland raced into the playoffs.  It is currently unknown if he'll actually be able to play after breaking a leg near the end of the season.  This is a big blow.  The team still have stud Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum but this team need a miracle to win multiple games and playing short handed isn't going to help that happen.  I think Portland can win a game but Golden State is so, so talented that a sweep is a definite possibility.  I just have to believe their great play at the end of season can continue and they are able to steal a win or two.  I just can't make myself believe they can win this series. 

Trail Blazers Defeat Spurs

After seeing Atlanta fall to the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night I was also able to catch the Portland Trail Blazers play San Antonio last night.  It was Portland’s second game in two nights on the road as they fell to New Orleans on Tuesday.  The Blazers prevailed 110-106 in a tough game despite some late game miscues.  Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum starred while new addition Jusuf Nurkic also had a good game.  Lillard led the team with 36 points on 12 of 22 shooting (3/8 threes).  McCollum added 26 hitting both three’s he took.  I like what I see from Nurkic.  He gave them a solid game at center ending the night with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals.  Kawhi Leonard had a great game for San Antonio  34P, 9R, 6A, 3S, 2B) while LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points.  It wasn’t enough in the end.  After erratic play early, Portland put together a late surge to put them up enough to hold off the Spurs.  Lillard and McCollum were once again the driving force and won them the game.  Great to get to see the Trail Blazers play.  They are usually on TV too late at night for my old man schedule.  Also nice to see them win as the season has definitely been a disappointment (30-37) after winning 44 games last year.   

Portland is very reliant on their backcourt as scoring from their forwards has never materialized.  This will have to be addressed at some point.  They gave contract to Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu but they aren’t getting much back for the money spent.  Nurkic looks really good right now and I am loving that trade with Denver.  I do think if Portland can get a bit more punch from the front line they can compete with better teams.  Some better defense is also up there on the list of needs.  Evan Turner ($16M) and Allen Crabbe ($18.5M) are really tying up a lot of money and, while they are very good in their roles, they can’t be paid that much money to give the team nine and 10 points respectively.  I expect that to change once McCollum’s four year contract extension kicks in next season.  As is, all the pressure and shots are coming from the back court and every team knows that.  I believe the future is bright for Portland.  They have two dynamic young stars that if surrounded by a good supporting staff, can take this team far.  I still think they can make it to the playoffs this year as well (currently 2 games out of the playoffs) but as always there are good teams in the West that they will have to catch up to and overtake.  I have hope…    

Portland Signs Terry Stotts to 3 Year Extension

Reports say that the Portland Trail Blazers and Terry Stotts have agreed to a 3 year contract extension.  He was there biggest priority going into the offseason.  He is 182-146 in four seasons with Portland and has been heralded for the outstanding year Portland had this season after losing four of their five starters last offseason.  He's taken the Trail Blazers to the playoffs in three of four seasons, twice getting to the second round.  This is a great move by Portland.  Stotts has done a great job with this team and I'm hoping that with some tweaks to the roster next year will be even better.