Listen to Limited Upside’s Portland Trail Blazers preview here.
Blazers fans didn't have a ton to do this summer, giving them more time to think about the overall state of their franchise. Last year was mostly rough, but a great finish salvaged some hope. What now?
Brian Freeman and Peter Sampson from Blazers Edge join us to discuss the following:
- Why fans are apprehensive about this year and the future despite having two core guards and plenty of stability.
- What happened last year before Jusuf Nurkic came aboard? Why was the same mix of players so much less effective?
- Lillard and McCollum. Dame and C.J. They're the stars of the team and they like each other, and they're great people. They also have similar games and may not be fully maximized next to each other. Is this a pairing that's built for the long haul? Is there a ceiling for the duo? How do fans feel about having them as the two best players?
- Lillard is the leader, but where does C.J. rank in that pecking order?
- Why was Nurkic so effective last year? Can it last?
- What's the level of trust in Terry Stotts and Neil Olshey right now? How badly did the franchise botch the summer of 2016?
- You've been gifted the magical powers to give one of Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless, and Evan Turner a consistent, proficient three-point shot on high volume. Who are you bestowing the gift on and why?
- We spend some time reminiscing about Brandon Roy because he deserves it.
- Some tough choices were made for the all-time banana boat -- but there was one easy one.
- Why did the Blazers pick Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan when they already were overloaded with bigs?
- Predictions, best/worst case scenarios, and much more.
This podcast was part of the Limited Upside podcast’s 2017-18 offseason series previewing all 30 NBA teams with members of SB Nation’s team communities and other friends of the show. We’ve spent the last two-and-a-half months gauging the temperature of every fan base heading into what should be a terrific NBA season. There’s no better way to understand what makes NBA fans in each market tick.
We began these in August and counted down worst-to-first leading up to the season. Here’s how to listen to them all:
- Nets with Kristian Winfield and Nets Daily’s Anthony Puccio
- Lakers with Zito Madu and Silver Screen and Roll’s Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen
- Suns with Bright Side of the Sun’s Dave King and Evan Sidery
- 76ers with Tyler Tynes and Liberty Ballers’ Kyle Neubeck
- Knicks with Kristian Winfield and Posting and Toasting’s Seth Rosenthal
- Magic with Orlando Pinstriped Post’s Zach Oliver and Cory Hutson
- Kings with Kenny Carraway and Sactown Royalty’s Tony Xypteras
- Mavs with Tim Cato and Mavs Moneyball’s Kirk Henderson
- Wolves with Canis Hooups’ Eric Goldman and John Meyer
- Pelicans with The Bird Writes’ Oleh Kosel and Travis Tate
- Hornets with James Dator and At the Hive’s Nicklaus Denning
- Pistons with John Ketchum, Kofie Yeboah and Detroit Bad Boys’ Lazarus Jackson
- Nuggets with Denver Stiffs’ Adam Mares
- Heat with Kelly Cohen and Hot Hot Hoops’ Surya Fernandez
- Bulls with Ricky O’Donnell and Blog a Bull’s Jason Patt
- Pacers with Whitney Medworth and Indy Cornrows’ Caitlin Cooper
- Blazers with Blazers Edge’s Brian Freeman and Peter Sampson
- Bucks with Kevin McCauley and Brew Hoop’s Mitchell Maurer
- Hawks with Harry Lyles Jr. and Peachtree Hoops’ Brad Rowland
- Grizzlies with Grizzly Bear Blues’ Joe Mullinax
- Thunder with Eddie Maisonet and Welcome to Loud City’s Joshua Broom
- Thunder addendum! Carmelo Anthony trade emergency pod with Eddie Maisonet
- Wizards with Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp and Bullets Forever’s Michael Sykes
- Jazz with SLC Dunk’s Mychal Lowman and James Hansen.
- Raptors with Raptors HQ’s Daniel Reynolds and freelance writer Seerat Sohi
- Cavaliers with Fear the Sword’s Chris Manning and MMA Fighting’s Eric Jackman
- Clippers with Clips Nation’s Lucas Hann and former L.A. video coordinator Mo Dakhil
- Celtics with Paul Flannery and Celtics Blog’s Nick Gelso
- Rockets with The Dream Shake’s Ethan Rothstein and Jeremy Brener
- Spurs with Pounding the Rock’s J.R. Wilco and Bruno Passos
- Warriors with Golden State of Mind’s Bram Kincheloe