Get to know your newest Trail Blazer, rookie Nassir Little, in this in-depth two-part podcast.
Justin Myers sits down with Little and the two talk about Little's process of going from college basketball to the NBA Draft.
They also do a deep dive into draft night and what it was like waiting to hear his name called by Adam Silver for the 25th pick.
Part 1:
Part 2:
In the wake of Monday night’s nasty home loss in Moda Center to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the season-ending injury to Rodney Hood, a lot of people seem to think the Portland Trail Blazers need to make a move. A trade, a free-agent signing – SOMETHING. But here’s what I think they will do:
Nothing.
And I think that’s the right course of action, too.
This team has been ripped apart by injuries. Last season’s No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the NBA, the Trail Blazers are now last in the league in that department. From first to worst in a few months. And why not? This team opened the season with thoughts of eventually having five seven-footers on its roster.
There was Hassan Whiteside, Zach Collins, Skal Labissiere, Jusuf Nurkic and Pau Gasol. But Gasol never made it to the active roster and retired. Collins was sidelined with shoulder surgery and Nurkic still hasn’t made it back from his broken leg. Labissiere, who wasn’t even expected to play much this season, has become the backup center.
And the Trail Blazers have taken a big step back on the boards and in physicality. Offensive rebounding is critical to this team, because it’s often the only avenue for easy baskets. Portland doesn’t get a lot of fast-break baskets and now, without its big men, isn’t getting to the foul line enough,
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are having to carry a big load.
When Collins went down, Neil Olshey, the team’s president of basketball operations, went out and got Carmelo Anthony – a nice addition. Anthony was a player with a presence and the team didn’t have to give up anything to get him.
The Trail Blazers had championship aspirations this season, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious those dreams won’t be realized this season without the big men.
This franchise would be stupid to sacrifice any of its future to obtain a role player just to attempt to improve its position this season.
With Nurkic, Collins and Hood back in the fold next season, the Trail Blazers would be smart to keep their vision long range – next season should be a nice reset.
In the meantime, there is still a chance that a major trade could be made that would make sense for the future.
Hassan Whiteside’s expiring contract has always been expected to be a trade piece at some point. Names such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin and Kevin Love have been mentioned and they would be difference-makers. But much more so next year than this, in all likelihood.
In regard to deals, it’s important to remember that NBA free agents cannot be traded for three months after they signed, or until after Dec. 15, whichever is later. And this season’s trade deadline is Feb. 6 and there is often a flurry of activity in the days leading up to the deadline as teams come to the realization that they probably won’t make the playoffs.
But Portland is not in a great space to make a deal with the Whiteside contract. The free-agent crop this summer is a weak one, with many of the top players expected to re-sign with their old teams. That would mean some teams would be reluctant to deal for a player who would provide cap space when there is not much to spend it on.
And there is a perception, too, that the Trail Blazers are desperate and other teams would want to squeeze more out of Portland in any deals.
So this is another situation when patience will be required. If the team doesn’t play any better than it did Sunday night against the Thunder, what would be the use of adding some marginal free agent who is sitting at home on his couch right now?
I would expect Nurkic to be back at some point this season, at least on a limited basis. Collins, I would assume, is more doubtful.
Better to allow the team’s younger players to grab that playing time, getting them ready for a bench role next season.
It wasn’t pretty.
The Trail Blazers went 36-of-100 from the field and 9-for-33 from three in Sunday's 108-96 loss to the Thunder.
Portland's newest edition, Carmelo Anthony, who played in his 10th game with the Blazers Sunday, had one of his worst shooting nights with his new team. Melo went 4-of-18 from the field, including 1-of-5 from long distance and scored just nine points.
“We were just off, couldn’t make shots,” Anthony said postgame.
But, Melo also gave credit to OKC.
“I think those guys just came out ready to play. They had dropped two games to us already. It’s hard to be a team three consecutive times without them making adjustments.”
“Tonight we didn’t have the energy, they did,” he added.
Blazers head coach Terry Stotts wasn’t concerned with the perimeter shooting, but was upset about his team missing baskets around the rim.
We had fifty shots in the paint, didn’t really convert in the paint very well, obviously Dame [Lillard] and Melo struggled at least from a percentage standpoint. That’s going to happen from time to time. You give credit to their defense they played hard, they made it difficult, but I thought that to get fifty shots in the paint you have to convert more than 21. -- Blazers head coach Terry Stotts
For Melo, “missing shots” was the most frustrating part of the game.
“Everybody [was missing], everything was short. And then when you’re missing shots like that, shots that you’re supposed to make and you normally make it puts a lot of emphasis on the defensive end and it makes it tougher to try to get stops on the defensive end, because if you don’t put a lot of effort and energy into making one stop, and trying to make consecutive stops going up against a team like that, they way that they played tonight, you have to be on point with [your shots].”
The 17-year veteran is confident this Blazers squad will bounce back and won’t shoot this bad again.
“We’ll be alright. We’ll get in the gym tomorrow, watch some film, and we’ll figure it out… We can’t shoot as bad as we shot tonight. I don’t think we’ll continue to miss those shots."
Yes, Melo is probably correct -- the Blazers most likely won't shoot that bad again, but as Damian Lillard said, the team lacked a sense of urgency. So, what will it take to get back to playing Trail Blazer basketball? Portland lost a playmaker in Rodney Hood. Filling their final roster spot with someone who can create his own shot seems like a must, but as of right now Coach Stotts says there hasn't been any talk of roster moves. Not yet at least.
Lucky for the Blazers and their current shooting woes, along with injury woes, the worst team in the league makes a stop in Portland Tuesday night. The Blazers and Knicks tip-off at 7:00pm.
The Trail Blazers can’t afford to have many more nights like Sunday at the Moda Center.
Facing a sub-.500 opponent on their home floor was supposed to be an opportunity to bounce back, a chance to grab a winnable game following a blowout loss. These are the nights the Blazers need to be the aggressor, the tone setter, or if nothing else, the victors.
Instead the team walked out of the arena with a frustrating and deflating loss, falling 108-96 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blazers came out flat, showed brief signs of life in the second quarter and then stumbled through a brick-laden second half to drop their second consecutive home game to a team they had dominated 10 days ago.
The Blazers are down two opening night starters -- with Rodney Hood done for the season and Zach Collins out until at least March. They’re still awaiting the return of Jusuf Nurkic, who is hoping to make his debut sometime in the new year. These aren’t excuses as much as they the reality facing this team. They’re shorthanded and reinforcements are weeks, if not months away from returning.
That’s part what makes Sunday night’s loss so costly. If the Blazers (9-15) are going to be a playoff team, they can’t give away games against teams like Oklahoma City (10-12). There are no “must win” games in December, but the Blazers just face planted in a very clear “should win" game with a troubling mix of lack of energy and execution.
“I think it’s just being able to take what our coaches do,” Damian Lillard explained. “They spend a lot of time on scouting reports and schemes and stuff that we want to do. It’s our job to go out there and execute that and do that for longer periods of time. I think we’ve kind of just played well in stretches. We don’t have the luxury of playing well in stretches. We’re a team that if the ball’s not going in, we’ve got to be getting to the fifty-fifty balls. We can’t keep letting teams get second and third opportunities. We foul every thirty seconds – I mean, it’s just like we are doing a lot of things as a team that put ourselves at a disadvantage. We’re just making the game harder than it has to be in a lot of situations. We’re not doing it on purpose. We’re competing hard, we’re trying hard. But it comes to urgency and focus and energy – we’re a team that has to have that every minute of every game if we want to have a real chance. When it’s up and down, the season is up and down. I think that’s what we’re up against.”
Lillard’s assessment is honest and accurate, and while it doesn’t come with a clear solutions it highlights the Blazers issues. They don’t have the luxury or the talent to play hard on occasion. They don’t have the depth to play 12 solid minutes and hope the other 36 won’t bury them.
December was supposed to be a month where the Blazers made a move in the standings, fattening up on home games against teams with losing records. Sunday was a reminder of where this team stands, and its thin margin for error. The Blazers spent the opening weeks of the season offering relentless positivity, insisting they would it figure out after early scuffles. But as the injuries continue to mount and the losses are piling up, much of that optimism has faded from postgame interviews, replaced with an earnest, and realistic concern about a season heading the wrong direction.
“We’re just having a hard time,” Lillard said. “I don’t really have an explanation where I could tell you a list of things. I think it’s things that I feel and I see that we aren’t doing well enough, like I just mentioned. But we’re not the same team (as last season). That’s the most simple way I can put it to you right now. We’re not that same team and we haven’t figured it out. We’re a work in progress, obviously.”
Life without Rodney Hood got off to a rough start for the Blazers when they welcomed the Oklahoma City Thunder to town. They hoped for a win, but the game didn't go according to plan.
Portland started slow out of the gate and trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half before mounting a comeback to make it a game.
However, the team just couldn't overcome a rough shooting night. Hassan Whiteside was six for eight from the floor, but the other four starters combined to shoot just 23 of 74. On top of that, the bench was only able to contribute 18 points on the night, being outscored by the Thunder bench by 24 points.
On the bright side, despite a tough shooting night, Kent Bazemore played well with the starting lineup. He flowed within the offense and was his usual energetic self on defense. But on a night when shots weren't falling, the Blazers couldn't get over the hump.
Final score in this one: Thunder 108 - Blazers 96.
QUOTABLES:
Chris Paul on this two delay of game calls:
Two delay of game calls on me; That was good, he got me, he got me back. I learned you can’t have your shooter shirt and your pants on when you checking in. They said if I would have had just one of them on, you learn something new.
Damian Lillard on what frustrated him about the loss:
I mean, I think to start the game, pretty much the whole game, but to start the game, we weren’t making shots and on our home floor, we’ve got to bring energy into the game. Our crowd is out here showing up the situation that we’re in, I just thought our urgency wasn’t where it needed to be. You come out with an opportunity to get some momentum going into another home game with another opportunity to win against a team that we just played a few games ago and blew them away, played a great game. Then the ball’s not going in so we don’t lock in and stay sharp on the defensive end, we just allowed them to pretty much do what they wanted.
Coach Stotts on Kent Bazemore starting for Rodney Hood:
I thought Kent got off to a great start, he made his threes, had good activity defensively, I was surprised he was 3 for 11 because I thought he impacted the game, he was on Chris Paul a lot. I thought he did a nice job in the starting lineup.
BEST OF SOCIAL:
I’m grateful to call games for players, and coaches, who are always so mindful of others. I’m also grateful for all the people who make up the rest of the organization, and for the fans who’ve shown so much love. The cake surprised me, but your thoughtfulness didn’t. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/lm1NoiPgh6
— Lamar Hurd (@L_Hurd) December 9, 2019
The broom is out for the 2nd night in a row as it gets stuck above the stanchion.
— Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) December 9, 2019
PA Announcer Mark Mason came out with a “play on players” after the ball was dislodged.
A good sign. pic.twitter.com/fYEqxfOOZg
— Dwight Jaynes (@dwightjaynes) December 9, 2019
Blazers have a season high 18 offensive rebounds against OKC. So that's something.
— Joe Simons (@joesimonssays) December 9, 2019
Why you gotta disrespect Nurk like that? 😂 https://t.co/gJP8xRhrxW
— Chris Burkhardt (@CBurkhardtNBCS) December 9, 2019
LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS:
Instant Analysis: A tough shooting night plagues Blazers vs. Thunder
Highlights: Blazers can't get over the hump against OKC
Portland Trail Blazers 'frustrated' by lack of urgency
Chris Paul gets played by the "delay of game" game
Dear Blazers fans: Don't be gross
Kent Bazemore starts: "It’s what I wanted, but not how I wanted it"
Kent Bazemore steps into starting role
TALKIN' BLAZERS PODCAST:
The Thunder may have won the battle against the Blazers on Sunday, but they haven't won the war. The Blazers are 2-1 against the Thunder this season, and if you count the game within the game, they're 3-1.
As the old saying goes, "don't hate the player, hate the game."
On Friday, Chris Paul played the game with the Timberwolves. Minnesota was up 121-119 with 1.1 seconds left in the game and Karl-Anthony Towns at the line for two free throws. He missed the first one and that is when Chris Paul alerted officials to the fact that Jordan Bell had checked in with an untucked jersey. The refs called a delay of game on Minnesota, and since it was their second of the game it was a technical foul.
WATCH
You can hear Chris Paul yell "His jersey untucked, that's a delay of game" just before OKC forced OT (h/t @WorldWideWob) pic.twitter.com/vLVoUccoWL
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) December 7, 2019
The Thunder hit the free throw, making it a one-point game. Towns hit the next free throw to make it a two-point game, but the Thunder sent up a prayer and tied the game as time expired. If not for the delay of game technical the Thunder wouldn't have forced overtime. Oklahoma would go on to win the game, but it was all thanks to Chris Paul's vet savvy.
That was Friday. On Sunday against the Blazers, he didn't play the game, the game played him.
Paul was called for two delay of game penalties, resulting in a technical foul free throw for the Blazers.
Paul called out the refs, saying they were "trying to prove an (expletive) point."
No, Chris. The Blazers were just playing the game you are a master of. Don't hate the player. Hate the game.
When you’re at the Moda Center enjoying a basketball game, the Trail Blazers want you to feel comfortable and strive to provide an inviting atmosphere.
But, one fan took that level of comfort to the next level during Sunday night’s game vs. the OKC Thunder.
In what world is taking your shoes off and just wearing your socks at a sporting event acceptable 🤢 pic.twitter.com/s83vZ5Am2V
— Kayla Knapp (@TheKaylaKnapp) December 9, 2019
“In what world is taking your shoes off and just wearing your socks at a sporting event acceptable,” Twitter user @TheKaylaKnapp writes.
This fan committed a cardinal sin: Don’t take your shoes off in public spaces. Not on airplanes, not in restaurants, not at the Moda Center. NOWHERE. And to the fan on the sock offender’s left, please also refrain from getting your dirty shoes on the seat in front of you.
The Moda Center Twitter account has weighed in.
Please don't do this here. https://t.co/IEzMBpcPq5
— Moda Center (@ModaCenter) December 9, 2019
It’s simple, common courtesy.
Maybe after the public shaming, the anonymous patrons will think better next time.
Don’t be these fans.
The Trail Blazers played their first game since their starting small forward Rodney Hood went down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts turned to Kent Bazemore to fill the void left by Hood.
Bazemore was dialed in early and looked up for the challenge.
The career 35.1 percent three-point shooter hit his first three three-pointers on the night, tying his season-high from deep.
“I thought Kent got off to a great start," Terry Stotts said. "He made his threes, had good activity defensively, I was surprised he was 3 for 11 because I thought he impacted the game, he was on Chris Paul a lot. I thought he did a nice job in the starting lineup.”
Bazemore attributes his success to getting open looks as well as getting to play alongside the Blazers other starters: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, and Hassan Whiteside.
It’s good to be out there with that kind of firepower… When you’re on the floor with Dame and CJ, Melo, and Hassan, they’re going to attract a lot of attention. So, just being aggressive, guys closing out short, just being able to rise up and knock them down… I’m going to continue to let if fly. I’ve been a starter in this league before and there’s a lot of firepower in the first unit. – Kent Bazemore
After a hot start for Bazemore, he cooled off on a night where the Blazers as a team struggled from the field most of the night.
The 30-year-old finished with nine points to go along with five rebounds and two assists.
It is Bazmeore’s energy and activity on both ends of the floor though that he has made at living at, and Sunday was no different.
“I’m not really a guy that needs the ball,” Bazemore said. “I just like to fly around, play a lot of defense, and just bring energy for the unit. The first go didn’t go as planned, but it’s a lot of things we can work on, make sure we’re successful with this change,” Bazemore said.
Oklahoma City got their first win in three tries against Portland this season.
In this new reality for the Blazers, Bazemore is going to be relied on heavily. In his last 10 games, he had played an average of 20.6 minutes per game. On Sunday night he played 36.
“I think he did good,” Melo said of Bazemore’s performance. “He’s going to have to continue to step up in that role and we’re going to rely on him to do a lot of things, and especially now with Rodney being out. We’re going to rely on him to do more, but he can do it, we know he can do it.”
Lillard mentioned how the Blazers missed Hood's impact on the game, while Bazemore echoed that he and Hood are two very different players, but that’s why it worked so well for them to sub in for each other.
What he brings to the table is a lot different from what I bring. This is why we complemented each other so great, but I came here to play with these guys and get an opportunity to go out there and start. It’s what I wanted, but not how I wanted it. I’m just going to continue to work hard, continue to figure it out, go home tonight and watch the game, see if I can do some things a little bit better to help my teammates.
“Rodney was a huge part of it what we did. We’ll figure it out,” Bazemore added.
The Blazers next opportunity to figure it out will be Tuesday night when they host the 4-19 New York Knicks.
With all the injuries the Trail Blazers have suffered this season, there have been some games where you have to just chalk up a loss to who isn’t playing for them.
On the other hand, Sunday night’s 108-96 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder should rightfully blamed on those who did play.
The Trail Blazers were awful and not just where they’re usually awful – on defense. In this game they were pretty bad at the offensive end, too, shooting 36 percent from the field overall and 27.3 percent from three-point range.
Damian Lillard and Carmelo Anthony combined to go 3-17 from beyond the three-point line and 12-42 overall.
But let Lillard, the captain, explain how bad things are with his team right now:
“Not playing well enough to win games – and it’s frustrating,” Lillard said. “The start of the game – pretty much the whole game – we weren’t making shots. And on our home floor we’ve got to bring energy into the game. Our crowd is out here showing up and the situation that we’re in, our urgency wasn’t where it needed to be.
“You come out with an opportunity to get some momentum going into another home game with another opportunity to win against a team we just played a few games ago and blew them away, played a great game … And then the ball is not going in, so we don’t stay sharp and lock in at the defensive end. We just allowed them to pretty much do what they wanted. They started feeling good about themselves and you’ve got a guy like Chris Paul, who has been around and knows how to make a team go and get guys to believe, you could just see it – once they got a good start to the game, we were missing, our energy was low, they started to play with more belief. More conviction.
“We put ourselves in that position with how we came out. It’s just frustrating to do that. No team should be more urgent than us. No team should be more locked in than us. I think for us, that’s the most frustrating part.
“We kind of just play well in stretches. We don’t have the luxury of playing well in stretches. We’re a team, if the ball is not going in, we’ve got to be getting to the 50-50 balls. We can’t keep letting teams get second and third opportunities.
"We foul every 30 seconds. We are doing a lot of things as team to put ourselves at a disadvantage. We’re just making the game harder than it has to be in a lot of situations. We’re not doing it on purpose. We’re competing hard. We’re trying hard.
“But when it comes to urgency, focus and energy we’re a team that has to have that every minute of every game if we want to have a chance. When it’s up and down, your season is up and down – and that’s what we’re up against.”
The only Portland starter who shot well was Hassan Whiteside, who made six of his eight shots, both free throws, had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. Coach Terry Stotts was asked if he would have like to get the ball to Whiteside inside a little more and he answered simply, “Uh, no.”
“Hassan gets most of his stuff on pick-and-rolls,” Stotts said. “We’ve got three primary scorers in Dame, CJ and Melo and obviously we go through them and Hassan will get occasional post-ups, but his bread and butter for us has been rolling on the pick and roll.”
And all of that, from the captain to the coach, was the reality for the Trail Blazers Sunday night.
Along with plenty of complaining to the officials for the second game in a row -- which doesn't seem to be doing any good.
In the third meeting between the Trail Blazers and Thunder this season, both teams got out to a very slow start on Sunday night. At the end of the first quarter, Oklahoma City held a 21-20 lead.
Blazers head coach Terry Stotts inserted Kent Bazemore into the starting lineup at small forward with the Blazers playing in their first game without Rodney Hood who suffered a torn left Achilles tendon on Friday night.
After being down by as many as 18 points in the first half, Portland charged back to take the lead in the third quarter. Yet, it was all Thunder in the final minutes of the fourth as OKC wins its first game against Portland this season.
FINAL BOX SCORE: Thunder 108, Trail Blazers 96
Here are three quick takeaways from the Blazers loss:
1. Rough shooting night
With Damian Lillard and Carmelo Anthony shooting a combined 4-of-20 at halftime, the Blazers were lucky to be down just eight heading into the third quarter. As a team, there were a lot of shots that were in and out in the first half for Portland. Melo missed a lay-in that looked halfway down the basket before it popped out. It was one of those nights where things were not going right offensively. CJ McCollum was one of the only Trail Blazers who found his rhythm from start to finish on Sunday.
2. Bazemore stepping into starting role
In this new reality for the Blazers, Bazemore is going to be relied on more on the offensive end. He delivered on Sunday night. He was ready to step into the starting role. Bazemore was a perfect 3-for-3 from three in the first half and he was still his usual active self on the defensive end all night.
3. Portland’s frustrations come out
In the final seconds of the second quarter, Carmelo Anthony was hit with a technical after missing a lay-in and arguing with the referee because he thought he got fouled on his way to the rim. Then with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter, Kent Bazemore earned a technical foul for yelling at an official after being charged with a personal foul.
Up Next: The Trail Blazers will wrap-up their four-game homestand on Tuesday night with the New York Knicks in town. The Blazers and Knicks will tip-off at 7:00pm on NBC Sports Northwest and the MyTeams App.
Be sure to check back throughout the night and tomorrow morning for analysis, articles, and videos from the players!