Basketball
**Blazer’s Edge: for Portland Trail Blazers fans**

The official home for audio programming from Blazer’s Edge, SB Nation’s community for fans of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Latest Episodes:

Who Can Fill in for Trevor Ariza? Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

On this week's Blazer's Edge podcast, Danny Marang is joined by Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report to discuss: NBA schedule release for the restart, the path to the playoffs for the Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings & New Orleans Pelicans, do the Pelicans and Zion Williamson have and easier path, Trevor Ariza opting out of the restart, the lineup changes with Ariza absent, Blazer's roster moves (if any), and a whole lot more!

Intro

Opening comments

Tom Thibadeau, Daryl Morey and the Rockets situation

SCHEDULE RELEASE! 2:15

"Starting the season with the Jazz is a choice" -Highkin

First game for the Blazers return is against the Memphis Grizzlies 3:00

Did the New Orleans Pelicans get a softer path to a playoff opportunity? 4:30

Taking a look at the Blazer's 8 games and a shot at a play in game

How many games do the Blazer's need to win to make the play in game? 7:00

Could the Blazers get lucky on the back end of their schedule?

Can you judge the schedule based on performance earlier in the season? 10:00

Player privacy and positive tests being disclosed 16:30

Trevor Ariza opting out of the restart due to family situation 19:00

What do the Blazer's do now? 20:00

Do you move Carmelo Anthony down to the 3? 21:00

Who starts....again? 22:30

Could Gary Trent Jr be the answer to start at the 3? 26:00

Who are the free agents the Blazer's could sign?

Michael Beasley, Iman Shumpert, Allen Crabbe, Allonzo Trier? 29:00

The NBPA and Nike working together to customize jerseys to highlight protests 32:00

Can the Blazers/Will the Blazers have the shot at the play in games? 35:30

Overarching thoughts on the restart of the season, the bubble, protests, media access and a lot more 40:00

8 year anniversary of Damian Lillard's draft night and fake earrings

Sean Highkin's story on the 10 year anniversary of the FIBA team that shaped the current NBA 46:00

Closing comments

Outro

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Should the NBA Come Back? Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

On this week's podcast, Danny Marang is joined by Marcus Greaves of KOIN-6 to discuss the recent leaks from NBPA meetings about regarding the possible retur to play, the thought that players want opt out of playing to try to keep focus on a civil rights movement, how some players believe that continuing the season is more beneficial, the Blazer's chances of making it to the playoffs and more!

Opening comments

Could a healthy Blazers team catch a team (Lebron James & the Lakers) off guard? 2:00

Breaking down the idea of sacrifice during COVID-19 and projecting problems 4:30

Taking a look at the outline to return to play - "No One is Being Forced to Play." 11:30

Looking at the reporting coming out of the phone calls and player's meetings 14:30

Understanding what is currently going on in the US/World with civil rights right now 17:00

Platforming the movement with the league vs. opting not to play 19:30

What is the value that you have to figure out to say one option is better than the other? 24:00

How do you measure the net gain of not playing? 26:30

Would a sports blackout across the board be possible? 31:00

Carmelo Anthony wanting to pool resources and platforming a message 33:30

Listener Questions

Wearing sweats with the suit top? 41:00

Will any players have any kind of advantage in the bubble? 44:00

Veteran players vs younger players, and single players vs married players 46:30

CJ McCollum wanting contact practice early and the Blazers having to ready Day 1 of the season resuming 52:30

Rodney Hood looking great on Instagram returning to basketball activities 54:00

Something is off with the Nets - Marcus 55:30

Damian Lillard's leadership mindset/mentality reminds Marcus of Kobe Bryant and Lebron James 59:00

Closing comments

Outro

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It's Official, the Trail Blazers Return July 31st - Now What? Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

On this week's edition of the Blazer's Edge podcast., Danny Marang is joined by guest host Kendyl Bennett to take a look at the Portland Trail Blazers as they return to competitive basketball July 31st. The lead up to the resumption of the season, how Jusuf Nurkic and Hassan Whiteside do (or don't) fit together, how Zach Collins will be able to integrate, whether or not the Blazer's have a real chance at the playoffs and more!

Intro

Opening comments

Kendyl Bennett!

First thoughts on the return of the season? 2:00

Safety, quality competition... competitive?

Will there be a Ray Felton candidate? 4:00

Worried about players being in shape and ready to play without getting injured? 4:30

Is there a point where you would be "comfortable" if you're not already,. about the return to play and at what point would you have to shut things down? 6:00

Open roster situation and how rigid will it be? 7:30

Looking at the early financial implications of the restart to the season and how that impacts a soon-to-be free agent such as Hassan Whiteside 11:00

Looking at how Hassan Whiteside, Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins all get minutes and how to maximize the contribution of each 13:00

Who gets the starting nod at center for Portland when the season resumes? 17:30

Kendyl's love/hate relationship with Hassan Whiteside 18:30

Which version of Whiteside will Portland get int he restart- heading to free agency in a shortened year, how will that impact (or will it at all) how he plays? 25:00

How the schedule will likely play out - and who has a head start with seeding? 30:00

Who gets the starting nod at power forward for Portland when the season resumes? 34:00

How much do you care/how invested are you in a restart to the season? 37:00

How the return of Nurkic and Collins impacts the guys further down the roster 44:00

Closing comments

Outro

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Why Damian Lillard is the Most Valuable Player the Blazer's Have Ever Had Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast, Danny Marang is joined by fellow NBC Sports Northwest Blazers Outsiders co-host, Joe Simons to discuss the current events surrounding the death of George Floyd and the protests around it, the return of the NBA and how the Blazers may benefit, the value that Damian Lillard brings to the franchise OFF the floor, Dan Orlovsky not sticking to football, best and worst case options for the league's return, why the NBA should get weird with the tournament and a whole lot more!

Intro - Joe Simons on the show!

Thoughts on current events- protests and solidarity 1:30

The NBA is coming back, probably? 4:30

Thoughts on what the league is doing/not doing and are they getting it right? 5:30

Why can’t they just make a decision and get rolling 7:00

How does the NBA calendar set up going forward? 8:30

What is the reason for the NBA dragging their feet on the restart? 10:30

Can there be a consensus restart for the league? 13:30

Is there any chance the league caps out at 16 teams for the restart and leaves Portland on the outside? 16:30

Yes, small markets are getting a leg up here because they have Damian Lillard and Zion Williamson

Dame’s leverage play with Chris Haynes 17:00

The value of Damian Lillard and his understanding of his power, pull and reach 18:30

Dame vs Dan Orlovsky 19:30

This is the opportunity to experiment for the league 24:30

Do you like the NBA looking at a NCAA or World Cup inspired tournament play in? 27:00

The return of Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic 29:00

Who starts between Jusuf Nurkic/Hassan Whiteside and Zach Collins/Carmelo Anthony? 33:00

Why starting Jusuf Nurkic makes sense 36:00

Why isn’t Shain Brenden on Blazers Outsiders anymore? 39:00

On-air vs off-air relationships 41:00

Overall takeaway for what the NBA will do, what they should do and how the Trail Blazers will come out? 44:00

Closing comments

Outro

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Best Fits for the Trail Blazers Come Draft Night & the Return Of Basketball May 25, 2020

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast Danny Marang is joined by Steve Dewald, Editor at Blazer's Edge and draft driven vagabond to take a look at what the return to the season could look like for the Portland Trail Blazers. What might the entail? Will the Blazers actually get to play more games- if so how many? Do they have a real chance of surpassing the Memphis Grizzlies and rookie star Ja Morant? Then it's a first look at Steve's 2020 Draft Big Board - who will be available? Who is the best fit? Will there be a surprise Portland pick? What's the value of a draft pick this year and a whole lot more!

Intro

Opening Comments

Does lettuce belong on tacos?

The return of basketball 4:00

Money talks 5:30

This isn’t about the best way to do it - it’s about what’s best for them collectively, that’s what the NBPA is there for 8:00

GM Survey 10:00

How many games will be played? 10:30

Will every team be returning? 12:00

Gearing up for the return 13:00

Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins & Rodney Hood have been working out thru all of this 13:30

Will there be a “Ray Felton” spotting around the league? 14:30

When will the season conclude? 15:00

Will it matter how “old” a team is when it comes to coming back into the season 17:30

Do you like the idea of a play-in tournament? 19:00

Could the Blazers get hot enough to make noise in a play in tournament? 20:30

Portland isn’t going down without a fight- on or off the court 23:30

Will Nurkic and Collins be ready when things come back? 25:00

How will the cap situation effect the Blazers going forward 26:30

Looking at the Draft 29:30

There will be guys selected in the Top 5 that will get executives fired 30:30

The Blazers have done well with value in their draft picks 31:30

Who are the guys that will be available between picks 10-16? 34:30

Aaron Nesmith & Saddiq Bey - “a guy who could play for Terry Stotts as a rookie” -Steve Dewald

Where could Portland draft? 37:00

Who is the absolute best fit for this Portland team in the draft? 38:30

Sneaky picks? R.J. Hampton 39:30

Guys to stay away from 42:30

Just Nurkic the Spirit Animal 47:00

Who could change the narrative on their season? 49:00

They have got to find a way to mic the floor 51:00

Watching “The Match” and the return of trash talk 54:00

Ridiculous trash talk from Summer League 54:30

Closing Comments

Outro

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WHAT About the Championship: Part 3 May 20, 2020

Show notes

Finally! Tara and Cassidy are joined one last time by Sasha Ashall and Jannelle Moore to declare a winner of the 2020 NBA Championship bracket. After a round for mascots and a round for uniforms, we focus on which teams have the coolest players and finally, we try to determine who would win in actual basketball games. Along the way we discuss who might be the coach of the Rockets next season, a surprising candidate for the coolest Laker on the team, and what is James Harden like off the court?

On our way to picking a winner we talk about how much we would love to watch a Damian Lillard vs LeBron James playoff series, who might be the most exciting matchup in the Eastern conference finals and how might the season actually play out?

After this episode we’ll be going on hiatus for a few months. Take care of each other and stay in touch by following us on Twitter @tcbbiggs and @cassidygemmet and @hoopsandtalks

Highlights

:30 Whats next for WHAT

2:45 Championship bracket round 3, coolest players

5:00 Who will be the next coach of the Houston Rockets?

10:00 A surprising nominee for coolest Los Angeles Laker

19:30 What is James Harden like off the court?

21:00 Down to the final Four. Who wins Milwaukee Bucks vs Washington Wizards? Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers.

31:00 Damian Lillard vs LeBron James in a playoff series would be the best show in town.

38:00 Possible endings for the regular season.

42:00 Chris Paul might be crabby on the court but he seems like a good person to be leading the players union right now.

48:00 Announcing the winner of the 2020 NBA Championship Bracket

Download Part 2

Download Part 1

Get social

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: @jannelle12

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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Lamar Hurd Talks; Giving Back, Favorite Moments and Growing Up in Basketball May 18, 2020

Show notes

On this week's episode, Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang are joined by Trail Blazer's TV Analyst and all around good-guy, Lamar Hurd! Together they hit on; life since the season was postponed, his new show "Hurd Mentality" highlighting those that are helping those in need, the impact of basketball on Lamar's life early on, remembering this season, what we learned about this current group of players and more!

Editor's Note: This is Tara (Team Mom's) Bowen-Biggs' last podcast here at Blazer's Edge. Attached here is a video message from Tara, wishing goodbye to all of the readers after 5 fantastic years. We wish her the best and if you feel so inclined - leave her a goodbye message in the post below or you can tweet to her @tcbbiggs - Thanks Tara!

Intro

Opening Comments

Checking in - 2:00

Lamar's new show, Hurd Mentality and giving back 4:00

What did youth basketball mean to you? 9:30

Lamar's "origin story" and how basketball has impacted his life 10:30

How are you looking to impact basketball/programs when things return to normal? 20:30

What are you going to remember most about this season? 27:00

What (non-Damian Lillard plays) have been the most memorable/enjoyable sequences in your time as an analyst? 35:45

Nurk Fever 37:00

Maurice Harkless and Jusuf Nurkic trolling Lamar pregame 39:30

What are some of the things we learned this year? 42:00

Damian Lillard having a Steph Curry like impact 45:00

Culture, Bright Spots and missing out on Rodney Hood 51:30

What are the things that could be a challenge as a broadcaster if the season does resume? 55:00

Closing Comments

Outro

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Special Guest Gary Trent Jr on: Development, Defense and Drip May 16, 2020

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast, Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang are joined by "Apple Valley's Finest" and Portland Trail Blazer's guard, Gary Trent Jr!

Intro

Opening Comments

Trent Jr on "The Last Dance" 1:00

The genesis of Gary Trent Jr 4:00

Trash talk and Tyus Jones 5:00

The impact of growing up the son of an NBA player, and having "uncles" like Sam Cassell and Kevin Garnett 7:00

When did you jumper surpass your Dad's? 9:00

Hard work pays off, eventually 10:00

How have you been the last couple of months? 12:00

What was it that clicked for you- what specific what did you put in to slow the game down? 15:00

Breaking down tape with Trent Jr 16:00

Coming together and building on success 24:30

If you’re always ready, you’ll never have to get ready 26:00

The transition game developing was just a part of growth and experience 27:00

Guarding a CJ McCollum or a Damian Lillard, that can’t do anything but help you 27:30

Who are the guys in the league who you watch to pull from? 28:30

The origin of “Gary will be in the league for at least a decade” 31:00

What were your thoughts when you found out you were drafted by Portland 32:00

Evan Turner taking GTJ under his wing 33:00

Trent Jr on his fashion 35:00

As the years progress, it (my fashion) will only get better 36:00

2K Battle between Trent Jr and Hassan Whiteside 38:00

Did they get your jumper right on 2K? 39:00

Do you have any Gary Trent Jr approved nicknames? 41:00

Call to action: We need an official Gary Trent Jr nickname 43:00

Listener questions

Were you at Tyus Jones’ draft party? 46:00

Start, bench, cut - Kobe, MJ, LeBron 47:00

What is the most valuable lesson you’ve gained from playing alongside Carmelo Anthony? 49:00

Who’s the better storyteller- Kevin Garnett or Carmelo Anthony? 51:00

What does the development path look like for you between now and whenever NEXT season starts? 53:30

Closing Comments

Outro

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WHAT About the Championship Part 2 May 10, 2020

Show notes

We’re back to continue the 2020 NBA Championship bracket to determine a champion in case the NBA doesn’t resume. In this episode we use team uniforms to narrow down the sweet 16 to the elite eight (sorry, NCAA, we’re borrowing your terminology). We also talk games we’ll remember this season, Carmelo Anthony and falling for narratives, questionable logo choices, and what does Cream City mean?

Guests: Jannelle Moore (@Jannelle12) and Sasha Ashall, producer of From the Rose Garden

3:00 Ice Breaker: what is one game that will stand out for you? Houston vs Golden State on Christmas Day, first Clippers vs Lakers Game, Memorial Coliseum pre-season, Anthony Tolliver's last game with Portland.

14:45 Bracket Challenge continues with uniforms

Listen to Part 1 of the bracket challenge: uniforms

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet.

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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The Bounce and The Echo: Dying to Love a Game Author Ian Johnson May 04, 2020

Show notes

Tara talks to Ian Johnson, author of The Bounce and the Echo: Dying to Love a Game. Johnson is a former Division 1 basketball player at Davidson College and a five year veteran of European Leagues. In the book he talks about his basketball journey, his mental health journey, his effort to move on from basketball to the next phase of his life and how he came to love the game again. All of this is intertwined with anecdotes about the history of basketball.

Tara talks to him about why he wrote the book and they share a mutual appreciation of how sports reflects history (and history is reflected in sports). Johnson discusses what it was like playing at Oak Hill Academy with Carmelo Anthony, playing against LeBron in high school, and balancing (or trying to balance) being a student and an athlete in college.

Finally, Johnson shares some radical ideas about how to change youth sports that he believes would lead to more well-rounded and healthier players.

Highlights

1:00 Intro and pandemic talk.

4:00 Early basketball memories, going from being a soccer player to a basketball player.

7:00 Inspiration behind The Bounce and The Echo. A lot of it was about figuring out how to create his own narrative about his basketball career.

10:30 Why did he weave the history of basketball and historical anecdotes into his own story?

14:30 History is reflected in sport and sport is a reflection of history.

17:30 What was it like to be in such a competitive situation when he was very young?

23:00 Trying to describe how good it feels to play the game of basketball.

27:00 What was it like playing on a team with Carmelo Anthony and all the attention he brought?

29:00 Shout out to school uniforms

30:45 Playing against LeBron’s team in high school.

34:00 What was it like at Davidson and balancing being a player and an athlete.

36:00 Exploring mental health and athletes.

40:00 Playing in the Czeh republic, frequenting a speakeasy

41:00 Suggestions for how the youth game could help lead to better mindset for athletes when they become adults.

52:00 A week on board the cruise ship in Rio with the 2016 Olympic basketball teams.

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