Blazer's Edge: for Portland Trail Blazers fans

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WHAT about the new players? Feb 15, 2019

Show notes

This week Tara and Cassidy talked to Diana Allen from SLCDunk.com to learn more about Rodney Hood and then they talked to China Parmalee from Knicks blog, PostingAndToasting.com, and Rebecca Lawson from MavsMoneyBall.com to hear from both sides of the big Kristaps Porzingis trade that went down last week.

Find us on twitter: @hoopsandtalks, @tcbbiggs, @CassidyGemmett, @dianaallen, @Chinqua, @beccaaftersixEmail us: hoopsandtalks@gmail.com

COFFEE TALKA blend with mad hops like Jake Layman: Ethiopia Bombe from Dapper and Wise, has hints of an orange creamsicle and caramel candy with a prominent hops flavor.

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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First Looks Under the Hood Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast, Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang take a look at the Blazers since adding Rodney Hood, what's new, what's different, what could things possible look like going forward? After that it's a look back at the 4th quarter meltdown in Dallas? What happened- was Luka Doncic too much? Then it's time to whip around the league to review the deals made or not made and where that leaves teams in the pecking order- are there any new threats to the crown? How about in the Western Conference? All that and more on this week's episode!

Intro

:55 Opening Comments

1:30 Burn the tape and move on

3:00 What was going on there (Dallas getting to the rim)?

6:00 Was Dame going nuclear in the 3rd quarter a good thing?

7:50 I don't think that game is indicative of where they are -Tara

10:00 How much of it has to do with the deadline and adding in new players?

10:20 If I gave you these names could you get 50% of them?

12:30 There is not an argument to be made, Hood is better offensively than Harkless or Aminu

15:00 Turner and Hood- will Turner step on Hood's space?

18:00 Surprised with Hood defensively

18:30 Blazers add Skal Labissiere

21:00 I wish they had a more plug an play, ready to go big man

24:00 Collins playing more center and big man rotations

26:20 It doesn't matter who starts, it's who finishes

28:25 Philadelphia adding Tobias Harris

31:55 Bucks pick up Nikola Mirotic

32:00 Dan pays his bet to Casey

38:00 Mavs taking their time with Kristaps Porzingis

40:00 Ignoring the Lakers all deadline

42:00 Moves made around the Blazers

45:00 Looking ahead to the Thunder and Jusuf Nurkic centered offense

48:00 Blazer's Edge Night reminder!!

Closing Comments

Outro

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Reviewing Hood Trade & Looking for More Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

On this episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast, Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang go through the ins-and-outs of the Rodney Hood trade, look to future - are the Blazers done? What could Portland do between now and the deadline, what they hope Portland will do and what will most likely happen as they read the tea leaves. Beyond that they discuss why Nikola Mirotic is not the answer for the next move, Damian Lillard landing as a surefire all-star, Blazer's struggles in all-star events not named the Skills Contest, Puppy Bowl > Kitten Bowl and more!1:00 Danny wanted to talk about Titanic but the Blazers made a trade! 1:20 Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin for Rodney Hood. 2:15 Is Hood a shooting guard or a small forward? 3:15 Nik saying goodbye was sad. 3:40 Dan is a jerk to everyone who lives in Cleveland. 4:30 Get to know Rodney Hood 5:41 Drafted by Utah 3.5 seasons. Injured as a rookie. 7:01 Difference between his Utah stint and his Cleveland stint. 7:40 He will probably play the 3 and hopefully do everything Harkless is supposed to do. 8:30 Hood fits the profile of players Neil Olshey likes. 12:20 Are they done? Will they be moving on from Harkless or Jake? 13:56 Making a deal with Sacramento 16:30 Portland doesn't like paying the luxury tax 19:02 Will Hood start? 20:08 This move elevates the Blazers to the top 4 teams in the west ,solidly. 21:29 Hood is not a siloed player, he can cut and shoot and handle the ball. 23:07 Will Mirotic be the next move? 25:33 Seems unlikely that they would make a move that would displace two starters 28:33 Taurean Prince? 30:52 All in all a good deal. 33:10 It seems like Hood believes he is coming to play, so either Harkless or Layman is probably on the way out. 33:55 Dan thinks Harkless looks pouty. 35:29 Playoff experience. how important was it for them to get someone with playoff experience? 37:32 Hood has somewhat checkered playoff experience 39:36 Denver doesn't have much playoff experience. Its not like they just didn't make it, they blew it, two years in a row. 42:58 Damian Lillard an All Star reserve 44:09 San Antonio now has a new crop of Vampires. 47:37 Who will pick Damian to be on his All Star Team first? 48:56 Brook Lopez has remade himself. 53:08 No puppy bowl spoilers!

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Casey Holdahl Talks Trade Deadline, Making Bets & Letting Them Fight Feb 02, 2019

Show notes

1:39 Journey from blogspot blog to Blazers Edge 3:36 How did you explain to people what blogging is?? 4:54 What was it like when you went from making all of your own stuff to doing stuff with OregonLive? 6:26 The old days of forums on OregonLive 8:45 Transition from Oregonian to Trail Blazers. Right after Oden draft. The Trail Blazers were going to be good and they wanted to really dive into digital content. 11:30 Imatrailblazersfan.com and other innovations by the Blazers. 12:40 Blazers were ready for social media. 16:00 the case for letting guys fight. 16:15 Team Mom was ready to punch Greyson Allen. 18:15 Utah game and Meyers Leonard stepping up! 19:45 This was the Meyers Leonard everyone has been wating for . 21:55 Dame and Meyers played some of their best pick and roll coverage. Meyers and Dame's defense was impressive. 22:58 Zach Collins was robbed of a block. 23:40 should Seth have grabbed Damian's rebound? 24:20 What change did Terry Stotts make defensively from the first two Utah games to the last two? 26:05 Tara: Waiting to announce that Nurkic was out was a masterful move 27:17 Trail Blazers history of being cagey about injuries might be bad for fantasy sports players but really pays off for the teams in cases like this. 29:05 What was with the Nik Stauskas tribute video during the Utah game? 30:21 Who turns to conspiracy theories whenever someone sits out? 32:34 This team has always held everything very close to the vest. 35:10 When you look at rumors about Portland, who benefits the most? 36:55 What is trade deadline like when you work for the organization? 39:05 When you work for a team you have to be more cautious about what you put out there as a representative of a team. 40:09 Even guys like Peter Vescey get rumors wrong. 41:20 More bets by Dan that the Blazers will be under the Luxury Tax line. 42:04 Casey: if they can do it without losing a key piece, but more likely they will be trying to add. 44:50 Dan is on TV, Casey is not, Dan is going to have Casey on the show when their schedules allow. 46:05 Knicks/Mavericks trade 50:01 Has anyone ever dove so enthusiastically into the tank as the New York Knicks right now? 51:27 For the Knicks sake, Kevin Durant better be coming to New York. 52:46 The whole situation is wonderfully Knicks. 53:05 Neither Casey nor Dan think AD will be moved before the deadline. 55:24 Why this matters. 56:27 Laker's everything--is it really anything? 57:46 Tara: you guys are so boring! 1:00:07 Pelicans will sit Anthony Davis for the rest of the year. 1:01:46 Will Wesley Matthews end up back in Portland? 1:06:05 Melo: why won't national media stop talking about Melo coming to Portland? 1:10:15 Outro.

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Has CJ McCollum Found His Shot? Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast, Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang take a look at the Blazer's recent run of play, Jusuf Nurkic against top competition, CJ McCollum possibly rounding into form, the never ending Jake Layman v Moe Harkless debate, trade rumors that do and don't matter and more!1:44 How Did the Blazers play against two strong centers? Rudy Gobert? 3:00 It was nice to see Nurkic really get after Gobert and the Jazz 4:19 In almost every game you can poinpoint the moment Nurkic "engages" 6:06 Nurkic had a 6X5 against the Jazz if you count turnovers and Fouls 8:04 How did OKC limit the ball going through Jusuf Nurkic? Steven Adams backed off him and said "go ahead and shoot" and cut off his passing lanes. 9:34 State of assists for the Portland Trail Blazers 12:39 Anything to be learned from Phoenix and Atlanta games? 13:46 Atlanta game was a good night for CJ McCollum who has been looking a lot more like himself over the last 10 games. 16:53 CJ has always been able to do a lot of these things but he hasn't done them because he's alongside Damian Lillard, for example pick and roll and playmaking. 18:31 How much did CJ's triple double matter? It was fun being in the arena. 19:29 Vince Carter! The older you get the more stuff you have to wear. 21:28 Harkless vs Layman, who should start? 21:58 Dan's frustration with Moe is about effort every night. With Jake you know he's there every night 23:21 Layman is one of those guys who works off screens and almost never stands still. Plus he dunks! 24:25 Moe is more a spot up shooter who runs to his spot and waits. 25:21 Jake is key to the "Warrior-izing" of the Blazer's offense. 26:31 It is a hard to decide which one is better as a starter because they are so close. The team record with the two of them as starters is basicall the same and their scoring numbers are nearly identical. 28:44 Jake doesn't get to the line much yet, can he get better at it? 29:40 Moe should probably start but may play fewer minutes 30:12 The good news is there are choices. 30:39 Layman probably has a wider ranges of things he can do offensively. How many guys can go off for 20 points in a quarter. 32:10 What to make of rumors that Portland has shown interest in Memphis' players either Garrett Temple of JaMychael Green. 34:00 Dan wants "cool guy" deals only. 34:28 Mike Conley would look nice next to LeBron in Los Angeles. 36:42 A trade involving one of these guys would be doing something for the sake of doing something.. 37:54 What games are you going to be watching when the Blazers are not playing this week? 40:46 Update on Tara's pledge to buy a Blazers Edge ticket for every alley-oop in December and January. 41:22 Meyer's Leonard's almost dunk over Vince Carter! 42:34 Choosing between Alley-oop dunks and alley-oop layups 44:14 In addition to the weird travel schedule there are also some early games so there may be some Outsiders shows and WHAT meetups in our jammies and slippers.

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[WHAT Podcast] Gina Mizell on the Suns and Jill Adge on the Kings, how are the top draft picks doing? Jan 24, 2019

Show notes

This week we are checking in with folks in Phoenix and Sacramento to find out how the number one and number two draft picks are living up to expectations. First we talked to Gina Mizell of the Athletic about DeAndre Ayton, chosen first by the Phoenix Suns. What is Ayton like? How is he getting along with first time NBA head coach Igor Kokoskov? Will he and Devin Booker be a powerful force in Phoenix?

Then we reconnect with Jill Adge who joined us right after the 2018 draft to tell us about how fans felt about Marvin Bagley III. The Sacramento Kings are off to one of their best starts in years and people are still mad that they didn’t pick Luka Doncic.

Join us as we catch up with Gina and Jill and learn more about some of the league’s rising stars. Along the way we talk about LEGO robotics, NBA and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) We speculate about a possible Bagley and Dame Dolla collaboration, and ask how former Trail Blazers pick Harry Giles (traded along with Justin Jackson for Zach Collins) doing in Sacramento?

3:30 Sports and technology 7:45 Introducing Gina Mizell of the Athletic9:10 Path to covering the Phoenix Suns: Houston, Oklahoma, Oregon, Denver and Phoenix12:00 What is it like working with people you grew up watching in the media?16:20 How is the DeAndre Ayton experience going in Phoenix? Ayton is a double double machine so far, plus he's shown growth. Nowhere near his ceiling but there are flashes.18:20 Background on Ayton. Grew up in the Bahamas, moved to Arizona. Spent high school, college and his NBA start all in or around Phoenix. 20:15 Big and open personality. She is writing a series about what he has learned from match ups against veteran centers. 22:00 What he is learning about the game from players like Jokic and Embiid. 1567.710665 26:00 Fans knew the young roster was going to have to grow together and there would be growing pains. 27:05 They only have a few wins but they have beaten Nuggets, Celtics and Milwaukee.28:40 Booker and Ayton's chemistry is developing. Booker is trying to learn how to be a point guard or at least distribute the ball more.32:30 Cassidy thought she was over the Trail Blazers picking Greg Oden over Kevin Durant but maybe she's not . . . 33:40 Talking to Jill Adge about the Kings. Marvin Bagley's ultra quick jumping abilities are real!39:30 Does it sting at all not to have Luka Doncic? It is still a daily conversation. Not sure how he would have fit in with the style the Kings are playing now? 41:10 Bagley is easy to root for.46:35 It is fun to actually hear people around the league talk about that the kings are fun. Nice to not be the laughing stock of the league.47:30 Outro

Some of the STEM stuff we talked about:Oregon Robotics Tournament Outreach Program NBA Math Hoops NBPA Internships at Google and Facebook Chris Bosh Coding the Future

Get Social

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guests: Jill Adge (@jilladge) and Gina Mizell (@GinaMizell)Women’s Hoops And Talks (W.H.A.T.)Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Are the Trail Blazers ready for a trade? Jan 21, 2019

Show notes

The Trail Blazers are coming off of a 2-2 week and Tara and Dan dive into what we learned from the losses and the what we can take away from the wins. How bad was it losing to Denver and Sacramento? Does having only 4 turnovers against the Cleveland Cavaliers really tell us anything? Will Jake Layman average 20 points a quarter from here on out? Will there be someone else playing alongside Nurkic if the Blazers make a move at the trade deadline?

We weigh in on the Ringer’s proposed CJ McCollum-for-Aaron Gordon trade that has gotten so much buzz this week--you can guess Dan has some thoughts--and then list our choices for the All Star starters. Join us for all this and more.

1:45 Recapping the week that was. Denver and Sacramento6:10 Cleveland and New Orleans7:30 Is this the Nurkic who is going to be there in the future? 8:40 What can we take away from the League's the lowest turnover game on record? Less bounce passes to seven footers. 12:50 Oral history of the Jake Layman experience against New Orleans16:10 Jake is fun to watch and he's got some attitude too.21:50 CJ McCollum for Aaron Gordon trade proposal 33:10 Is Jake Layman one of the top five guys in the league at running? 34:20 Advantage to Orlando is they have a clear number one guy. 36:40 In the existence of the luxury tax the Blazers have only paid it three times. 38:30 All Star Voting returns39:10 Who are our picks for the All Star Game? Western Conference first43:30 Eastern Conference players45:25 Let Zion Williamson be in the Dunk Contest48:00 What to watch for with Utah and OKC coming up. 49:10 vs Utah, don't go away from Nurkic. 50:40 Zach Collins alongside Jusuf Nurkic, will we see more of that this road trip?52:10 Phoenix and Atlanta games53:00 Casey Holdahl’s laugh54:30 Outro

Find Tara (@tcbbiggs) and Dan (@dmarang) on Twitter.

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Will Portland Be Buyers or Sellers at the Trade Deadline? Jan 14, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang take a look at the upcoming trade deadline and explore what Portland is possibly doing in the lead up to the midseason break. Will they be looking to add to the roster? Will they opt to fall inside the luxury tax and make moves on the periphery? Why would Jeremy Lin's name pop up out of nowhere? Beyond that, they take a look at the past week of very business-like basketball where Portland went 4-1 on a 5 game home-stand, Nurkic v Jokic, what we know now about this team that we didn't to start the season and more!

Intro

Opening Comments

2:00 Taking care of business

5:00 Tara doesn't like to call teams good or bad

6:30 Reviewing the Blazers-Nuggets game

7:45 Jusuf Nurkic v Nikola Jokic

9:00 Why you don't double-team Jokic

10:30 Thoughts after Denver game

12:00 Tara doesn't like Jokic because there's no flash... is she wrong?

15:00 What do we know now about this team that we didn't know to start the season?

19:00 They ran a post up for Jake Layman

20:30 Breaking down shot opportunity

23:30 Auditioning Collins for a starting role?

26:30 Will this Blazers roster look the same after the all-star break?

30:20 Every team is making and taking calls to find where other teams sit

33:00 Teams know what other teams are looking for

35:00 Reading the tea leaves around Jeremy Lin and Atlanta... Taurean Prince

39:00 Buyout candidates and the Blazers - a rabbit hole

47:00 Upcoming schedule - padding some wins before the break

51:00 Jusuf Nurkic and the Blazer's new style- how will it do vs AD and the Pelicans

56:00 Closing Comments

Outro

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[WHAT Podcast] How basketball unites us Jan 10, 2019

Show notes

The Trail Blazers have reached the halfway point in their season and the NBA is weirder than ever. Tara and Cassidy take a look at the last three Blazers games, wonder if Jake Layman should get a starting role and if Noah Vonleh would still be making an impact in Portland.

Then we turn to the big question: can NBA players be friends? And how do friendships unite fans? We spoke to some superfans who have bonded over their love of the Trail Blazers even though they are 67 years apart in age! We had a wonderful time talking to Arinze and Charlene McGee and Soosie of The Golden Girls Who Love the Portland Trail Blazers.

1:30 Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, a rare home and home back to back: what did we learn?6:00 More Jake? Moe Fun? What to do with the Jake Layman Maurice Harkless debate?10:30 Basketball is full of hard decisions.12:00 An easy decision, firing Tom Thibodeau. Players don’t need to be yelled at. 13:00 If the Trail Blazers didn’t have Terry Stotts (and they couldn’t have Gregg Popovich) who would be a good coaching fit for the team?15:00 Noah Vonleh was a good teammate and he’s doing well in New York19:00 Basketball friendships! Can players be friends?21:00 The ultimate basketball friendship: the Banana Boat gang.22:00 Other basketball friendships: Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Gerald Henderson, Wayne Ellington and Ed Davis, the Three Goggle bench mob, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez25:30 PSA: Don’t forget to vote for Damian Lillard for All Star26:00 Fan friendships, how basketball unites us. 29:00 Talking with Charlene and Arinze McGee and Blazer Fan Soosie of the Golden Girls Who Love the Portland Trail Blazers. 31:30 How they all met34:30 Who are the Golden Girls Who Love The Trail Blazers?36:30 Arinze diplomatically refuses to name a favorite Trail Blazer40:00 Soosie’s house is Trail Blazers Disney World43:00 Charlene became a Blazer fan when her family moved here from Liberia46:00 Being friends and bonding over the Blazers allows us to see life in different ways and from different perspectives48:30 Friendships formed around sports cross all sorts of boundaries52:00 Game day routines53:30 Arinze gives us a report on young prospects and star sightings at the Les Schwab Invitational57:00 What would you tell your friends to get them to watch basketball?1:04 Basketball bringing families closer too1:07 Outro and reminders: donate tickets to Blazers Edge night, come to the next #BlazersWHAT meetup on January 13, vote for Damian Lillard for All Star!Get Social

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guests: Charlene McGee (@CAddyMcGee), Arinze McGee@ArinzeMcGeePDX and Soosie of the Golden Girls Who Love The Portland Trail Blazers.

Women’s Hoops And Talks (W.H.A.T.)Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Nurkic Has Arrived- But Will He Stay? Jan 03, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang have an off day pod to take a look at the night that was for Jusuf Nurkic, Damian Lillard's All-Star odds, the Blazers going back in time, resorting the Blazers offense, where does CJ McCollum fit in now, storylines to be left in 2018 and more!

Intro

Opening Comments

2:00 Lillard All-Star odds

4:00 The schedule gets "less bleak" after a brutal December

5:20 "I don't under stand how the Blazers are playing every other night"

6:20 You can run the offense through Jusuf Nurkic

8:00 Takeaways from the Nurkic 5x5 performance

9:10 How would Nurkic react without having the ball?

11:00 Nurkic picking and choosing his moments better this year

12:30 Harkless has the ability to be THAT guy nightly, that's what's frustrating

16:20 "Moe is filling that 3rd option."

17:30 "I love it when he (Aminu) brings the chaos."

20:30 "Right now I think it's best that Dame is the 1st option and then Nurkic (with the ball) as the 2nd option."

23:00 "I love the bounce pass...but please throw one over the top."

24:40 Have the Blazers found something to counter what teams will throw at Dame?

29:00 Thoughts on Seth (Curry) and the 2nd unit's performance lately

34:35 I worry that the match ups have favored Nurkic recently, how will h e do

35:00 Nurkic has spent the last few years figuring out his skills and what it all means within the context of the team

38:00 CJ McCollum and his evolution within this new offense

42:00 What are the storylines you want to see left behind in 2018?

43:00 Zach Collins should start

46:00 Feeling sorry for the Warriors

47:10 Saying Meyers Leonard isn't good

50:10 It's not how much the Blazers pass, it's where they pass to

Closing Comments

Outro

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