Speaker 1: What is up, fellows, sik goes, I am Dan Valley
coming at you with yet another twenty twenty four two
thousand and twenty five NBA season look ahead. We're onto
the Portland Trailblazers, which means I have the distinct pleasure
as always to speak with Tara Bowen Biggs. She is
the co host of Though We Have a Take podcast.
You can find them on Twitter. The link to that
will be in the podcast and YouTube description. You can
find Tara on Twitter at tc bbiggs. That's at tc bbiggs.
That will also be on screen for those watching on YouTube.
It will also be in the podcast and YouTube description.
And I don't know why I mentioned that on Twitter
without sending it her handle at We have a Take
spelled exactly as it sounds. We get in all things Blazers.
She brings great perspective always. I really enjoy talking with her.
One of my favorite people too, just in general. I
think you'll particularly enjoy the discussion that we had on
ton of It and Clinging Shade and sharp and the
whole thing. Really so she's great. Check it out, Go
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The link is in the podcast and YouTube description. All
the links in the podcast YouTube descript Let's get to
talking lots and lots of Portland Trailblazers with Tara Bowen Biggs. Tara,
welcome back another year of the Blazers. Look ahead. I
was talking to you before this. This is year five
or six for you, like you've been doing this for
ast long. I actually it has to be year six
because I've never talked to anyone else about the Blazers,
I don't think, And we've been doing this for six
years now. These look ahead. So thank you for coming
back so freaking often. How the heck are you?
Speaker 2: I'm great. I look forward to this every year. I'm
so excited when I get that little DM from you,
I'm like, yes, he still wants to know what I
think about the Blazers. And this has been such a
different off season than any other off season I've experienced
that it really gave me a chance to be like, Okay,
what what did happen? Because you know, usually, like we
were talking a little bit about this before, usually it's
like there's some rumor, there's people calling for trades. There's
like Dame, there's Damon CJ's. It's all hanging over us,
like we're two days out, I think from when you're
anniversary of the actual Dame trade. And this summer was
just quiet, relaxing. We got our draft pick, we made
one small move all in the same day, and then
everybody just went to the beach. It's lovely.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was telling you too, it's like a different
change of pace where we don't have Yeah, there are
people on the team where they don't feel like long
term mainstays, but this is not We don't have to
reflect on a Damian Lillard trade. We don't have to
talk about Damian Lillar rumors. We want have to talk
about CJ McCollum rumors that reflect on a CJ trade.
It's a different type of Blazers look ahead for the
first time in like a half decade. That's incredible.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's amazing. And honestly, last year, like I could
barely even talk about Damian Lillard and like it was
too it was too raw most of the season to
even look and see what was going on with him,
what was how the team was doing. I pretty much
just avoided any Damian Lillard talk whatsoever. And I feel
like another thing that happened this summer as I came around,
like Okay, I'm ready to check back him with Amian,
see how he's doing, and you know, be his uh,
you know, be his fan again. But it took a
little while.
Speaker 1: I get that, especially when someone spent so long with
that franchise and the way he left, and just also
the preamble to how he left where it was like
years kind of in the making. Is this going to happen?
But this Blazers team, I was telling you, I'm struggling
to wrap my head around them, like I I don't. Actually,
I actually like a lot of who they have, what
they've done. I don't necessarily understand what it's all going
to amount to. But I think what contributes to that
is last year they weren't quite on the Grizzlies level
of like the injuries, but just the stop and start availability,
losing sharp for an extended period of time, like Scoot
Henderson starts the year injured. When you look back, though,
do you have any like big takeaways from last year
that still kind of stick with you as we lead
into this season.
Speaker 2: Mm hmm. Yeah. So when the Blazers drafted Scoot and
traded Damien, we you know, we were two years away
from two years away away from what I don't know,
but away from I I take that to being like
away from knowing like what direction and who's going to
make up the future of of the of the team.
And now we're one year away from two years away.
Speaker 1: That's about it. The vocal of NBA teams. I loved
how you phrased that when we were talking in the DMS. Yeah, yeah, no,
we uh.
Speaker 2: I mean this year was supposed to be about, like,
you know, seeing what what Shaden had, could he build
on those little glimpses of what we saw his rookie season,
And it was supposed to be about finding out just
how good Scoot was. And both of those questions weren't
really answered. We have, you know, some I slightly better
idea of what might happen, but nothing you know, concrete
that we can be like, oh for sure, we saw
we saw this, we saw this.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: The other thing is like when are the Vets gonna
get traded?
Speaker 1: You know?
Speaker 2: So? Uh, we we didn't learn a lot, that doesn't
we Well, we also got ourselves in good condition for
what the next three years at least are going to
be like as the Blazers continue to build and try
to like find who it is they're gonna build the
uh you know, build the team around. Nothing like losing
two games by sixty points. Uh, to condition you for
what to get ready for how to survive that? Uh,
we're learning new skills as a fan base.
Speaker 1: What I do think makes this team interesting or it's
interesting in the sense that it exacerbates my confusion. Is
the Denny Ovia trade in before getting into what he does, Like,
what did you think of the actual decisions, Like, oh,
we're going to give up Like this was a team
in a Blazer's position is normally kind of acting as
a seller, and they gave up stuff to get this
player who was young and under contract. But like, by
the time they might be really good, his contract's going
to be almost up and he's going to command a
lot of money and how much are you paying all
these other guys? Were you surprised at all that they
went kind of the iView that as a like they
went the buyer's route. Did that surprise you at all
that they did something like that, especially so early in
the offseason two?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it definitely was a surprise when when
when it was just like simplified into the Blazers gave
up two first round draft picks and Malcolm Brogden for
Denny Avdia, it was like what wait, what, like we're
giving up draft picks and stuff. So yeah, initially I
was like, oh my gosh, what are they thinking? And
then you know, a lot of talk from like local
media kind of talking. At least I took it as
sort of being like talked back, like, Okay, it's actually
not really that bad. The draft, they had two draft
picks and then a high second round draft pick. This season,
they apparently like had really one person in the sites.
They weren't really excited about anybody else, so they gave
up one pick this year that the other future pick
that they gave up is in the season where they
have I think three first round draft picks, and it's
the second best. So yes, you know, when you're a
building team and you want a stockpile, like we all
want to be Danny Ainge sitting on a giant pile
of first round draft picks. But that's not where the
Blazers are. And considering we knew that Malcolm Brogden wasn't
gonna stay here for a long time, he came in.
He provided some really great leadership and a stabilizing for
at a time I think when Scoot really needed to
like watch up close a very very experienced point guard
do his thing. So I think it was great to
have him around for that. But he's not a part
of the future and so we know there's a whole
list of vets who are eventually going to be traded,
and they traded him for somebody who is within the
age group of the people that the Blazers I think
are really most focused on right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think, Look, he's twenty three, and I actually
I am very high on Dennia Avdya as a player.
I think that there's more meat on the bone, so
to speak, when you look at his playmaking. I would
like to see the shooting come up, like he hit
his threes last year but still doesn't take enough of them.
He's very good defensively, and I can't wait to talk
to you just about in general about the defensive talent
populating this team. But have you given any thoughts or
looked into like how you feel like his fit is
going to be or the area that you think he's
going to help them out the most in.
Speaker 2: I think that it's been a really long time since
the Blazers had like a wingy forward.
Speaker 1: I was going forward.
Speaker 2: I went through the list of people on the roster
over the last year, seven or eight years who've played
most of their minutes as a small forward, and like
the last couple of seasons. You know, we've got Justin Maniyah.
Have you heard of him? Okay, Justin Maniah, Josh Hart.
You know he that you know he was, he was
a small forward. Justice Winslow to see your little c
j Ellabie, Tony Snell, Norman Powell, Rodney Hood Camp, Bazemore,
Trevor Resa, you know so, Nick Stauskus, Jake Leman, Alan Crabb.
Speaker 1: Alan Crab. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2: I mean it's been a while, like it's been a
while since there's somebody that I think has this much
potential to really not just be like we need, we
need somebody to come in and fill in, but actually
come in and be a difference maker. So especially because
of his defensive defensive ability and you know, the shooting
was like last season, so let's see if he can
bring it into this season. I'm cautiously optimistic that it
could be. What we're looking for this year. Is fun
basketball to watch, and I think having him on the
team we could be trending in that direction.
Speaker 1: I think Blazers fans are going to fall in love
with the way that he plays the game, honestly, and
I'm really hoping, but they do have so much talent
on this team. I really want to just see him,
Like he's in Washington, he would go through these spurts
where he was turned loose because there'd be injuries or
like last year there was some turnover and then they
like kind of gave him more of the keys. But
like he's never had like that full season stretch of
like okay, like we're gonna use you, like you're kind
of a featured player. I know there are other players
on this team, but it does seem like they're at
least giving up. What my read on it, what they
gave up to get him, is that they view him
as a core piece. And that excites me that a
team now has him and kind of us him as
a core piece moving forward. I really do think that
there's so much more to plumb with his game, and
I think just the way he can play defense, and
like the positional spectrum that he can guard, and he's
like kind of sneakily physical. So I think that he's
going to be a player that fans end up falling
in love with. There hmm.
Speaker 2: I think one of the things that I've I've heard
talked a lot about uh and I've talked about myself,
you know, in the Portland fan base is so we
have a lot of like super chill guys who just
like they go, they play, they're really great players, but
we're looking, you know for someone with a to come
on with a little bit of an aggressive spirit, you know,
like like Matis Steibel super fun to watch play because
you never know, like what kind of havoc he's gonna
like create when he like does some of his amazing
defensive playmaking. But just like absolute, like very chill, and
like Danny Avdia seems like a guy who can sometimes,
uh you know, come in and and be that spark
and bring that little bit of of emotion up a
little bit when he when he comes in.
Speaker 1: I don't know, what is your biggest storyline that you'll
be kind of tracking throughout this season for the team?
Uh dunks? The number of dunks?
Speaker 2: Is that on? No? So it all kind of leads
like there's the tracking the player improvement. What is you
know what scoots potential, what's Shaden's potential? You know what
combos work the best? Like I said earlier, when do
the Vets get traded? I'm still wondering if they have
a good coach, and I'm continuing to look at and
I want to know who's going to be the coach
at the end of the season. This is the coach's
fourth year. At the end of this year, there's a
uh play a team option. But he's got to be miserable.
John Z Phillips was hired to coach Damian Lillard and
he's been thrown into this completely different position. He's now like,
what's his record? It's like eighty one in one hundred
and sixty five, And does he I just I can't
imagine that he's happy having to do this, And so
I just I'm watching to like, are they getting better
because it's just natural growth in they're a year older,
or are they getting better because they're being put into
situations where they're learning the game and they're applying it
on the field and they're running plays that are recognizable
And so yeah, one of the big things I'm tracking
is is who's gonna be the coach at the end
of the season.
Speaker 1: That's a honestly, that's really thought provoking because I'm trying
to think of the last coach who, even if they
were a first time or had a job for three
seasons and we were kind of left asking like, well,
what is his calling card or what is his guiding principle?
And you have that question with Chauncey. I guess the
pushback would be how much of that is on him?
Because while we view this as year two of the
post Dame rebuild, like you kind of had two years
beforehand of just you know, wandering through the wilderness as
everyone calls it.
Speaker 2: Well, and they haven't been trying. They've been trying for
three years to get lottery picks.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so it's like, what are.
Speaker 2: They gonna do if they get rid of him?
Speaker 1: Lose?
Speaker 2: I mean it's like it's kind of a like no
lose situation, you know, on the one hand, but it's
like how good is it for? Everybody's like, okay, so
here's here's the thing. I think about a lot. Donovan
Klington just went two national championships with one of the
best coaches in college ball, and here it comes to Portland,
a team that is not trying to win games. They're
trying to win in other ways. And Donovan Klingon's coming
off a two national championships and excellent coaching into this situation,
and I know that high draft picks often go into
a situation like this, but often it's like with a
team that still like has an identity in a way
they're going, and I really worry, Like I don't. I
think I'm super excited about Donovan Klingen and I don't
want him to get discouraged having come off of I mean,
back to back national championships. Like he's a winner, he's
used to winning, and he's coming to a team. I'm sorry,
I'm going off on my thing that I is good
that the three players who I love, these guys, love
these guys, but the three players who the Blazers are
looking hardest at building around. So let's start with Anthony
Simons didn't play college ball. He did a year at IMG,
and then he came in to Portland and had a
couple of years where they were trying to win. And
now the last three years has gone, you know, two season,
three seasons has gone through. What he's been through. Scoot
for two not just one year on the Ignite, two
years on the Ignite starting when he was seventeen, a
team that does not have a winning record. No, Shayden
didn't play in college. He attended practice, but he didn't play,
and now here comes donnov and clinging into this situation,
and I just I worry about that a lot, and
people assure me that that is not something to worry about,
but I I just I want to make sure Donovan
Klingon gets the coaching that he is used to, and
I want all the other guys to benefit from it too,
And I'm just waiting to see that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I don't think people think about that
enough because everyone's so invested in I guess like the
quantifiable and that the culture and like that impact that
you're kind of just laying out. You can't really quantify that,
and so but it's important, like it is. That's why
these teams. I'm not necessarily in favor of it, Like
you don't need to keep you Donnas Haslam for twelve
years to take up like one of your last roster spots.
But that's why these teams have these kind of veteran
guys that are actually on the roster spots because they
want to set like an important tone. And I'm also
wondering if that I'm this is all stream of conscious
because you thought about this, which is just a great point.
And I haven't. I'm guilty of it. I'm not giving
it much thought. But where we might be criticizing, and
I'm sure I have, it's like, well, like why are
some of these guys still on this team? Why did
they keep Malcolm Brogden for a full year. It's like, well,
that might be why so that these young players can
come up in like the right environment. And there are
people who I do wonder how to square, Like Jeremy
Grant's actually a really good example because when you look
at Malcolm Brogden, he was traded to Portland and he's
not necessarily at a point in his career where he
might want to play that role, like Jeremy Grant chose
to stay. And I know Dame was technicy still on
the team at the time, but like he had to
be eyes fairly wide open, and so having him there
and just like kind of understand, like just to have
high character guys around you while you're losing, I would
think that's super important, especially if, as you note, like
we don't really know how valuable the coach is from
that perspective too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think all these guys can be great players,
And I don't want to say that they're not like
skilled and you know, coachable, and they've all like shown
some improvement over their last years, but that experience of
either playing overseas or with a college team where you're
playing for something yea, and then they come here somewhere
where they're still not trying to win, and it's like
that's why I'm like, Okay, win the N Season tournament.
Play all of that's four game. What is it going
to cost them? Possibly four wins? Okay, Like I can
live with four wins. Play them just so that they
can be in that hype scenario like last seasons. In
one incident tournament game that the Blazers won, they won
the first N Season tournament game, and it was so
fun for the fans because it was like the stakes
were not high, but it didn't mean something. So let
these players who haven't necessarily been lately on teams that
were playing something, let them at least play for the
N Season Tournament.
Speaker 1: Honestly, I hope a team like the Blazers, Like I
would just love a random team to win the N
Season Tournament because that would just be really cool. Whether
it's the Blazers are like the Pistons or something. It
would just be I think that'd be a great story.
I wanted to ask you about Scoot. I have a
very difficult question here. Is he dead to you after
averaging point to two dunks per game as a rookie.
Speaker 2: Okay, so to give everybody context here, big fan of
dunks at one time, I've had to side I'm out
on dunks. If I'm gonna lay my if I'm gonna dunk,
and the Blazers it's just not gonna happen.
Speaker 1: No, that is Uh.
Speaker 2: The Blazers actually have dunked more in the last year,
but not much. And my biggest thing with Scoot is,
and this is something that a lot of people will
talk about in these parts, as he needs to get
to the rim and dunking obviously is getting to the rim.
But he were like, he's so strong and athletic and
he but he just barely gets to the rim and
he does not finish successfully at the rim. So like
that would be my big thing for Scoot. Whether it's
layups or dunks, I don't care, but getting to the
rim is really what I'm hoping to see out a
Scoot next season.
Speaker 1: Is there any level of concern based off some of
the things you So, I mean, even though so I
went back and watched a lot of his like finishes
at the rim, and like, yeah, there were some like
the Spacic's not great, they're heavily contested, but there were
just somewhere he's wide open and he's just kind of
whiffing on them. So is there any just level of
concern about that? Or do you is there anything else
you might be concerned about? Is it the jumper? I
know he shot thirty five percent from three after the
All Star break or whatever it was, So, but or
is it do you kind of chalk it up to
starts the season injury, He's a rookie, let's move forward
and forget about it.
Speaker 2: A lot of that, A lot of that. I just
think he had too much that he was trying to
process all at once. Again, two years with the Ignite
was his pro experience, and he started when he was seventeen, right, So,
like making the lead to the NBA, there's just so
much that he has that he was expected to do.
Like he went out he was our starter on night one, Like, Okay,
here's the number three draft pick, We're gonna start him.
He's gonna go out the first play of the game,
Dan the uh the Blazers won the tip, it goes
to matist Thibel and Matist Bible passes it to Scoot
and it goes right through his hands straight out of bounds.
So like that was that's where that's where we started
the year. So it was just to me, that's just
emblematic of just like he was having to just learn
too many things all at once, and when the when
the coaching staff did simplify things for a little bit
so he didn't have to do everything. After he got
a chance to come off the bench and sit there
and watch the first half and see how the people
that he's going to be playing against played, and then
go in the second half. He definitely improvements, But I
just think it was just too much, too much all
at once.
Speaker 1: Do you think he also could have benefited and I
don't you know, like from not having DeAndre Ayton as
a big where maybe someone who's just like going to
be more of a threat, like to finish around the
basket himself to help open things up or run two
man stuff with.
Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, sure, I mean DeAndre had a tough
time at the beginning of the year finding his way.
But I have to say, at the end of the year,
I really liked how the two of them were playing together,
and it just it just took him a while. I mean,
I cannot tell you how many times at the end
of the year I was just like, oh my god,
where would we be without DeAndre aight, and we'd be
losing by eighty I mean it's just like, by the
time the two of them started to like really feel
a rhythm together, I thought it looked fun. It was
fun to watch.
Speaker 1: Do you have any like big takeaways from Shadon Sharp's season,
Given how abbreviated it was, I was.
Speaker 2: So sad that was like I was there on Night
one with my little Shadon Sharp jersey, just like ready
for this to be the year of Shadon. I was like,
come on, Shadon. I mean, we got such tantalizing glances.
He had a really great stretch in December where he
was scoring on all levels. He was, you know, moving
the ball around, he was passing, he was doing all
kinds of exciting things. So we I think overall in
the year, he's his like statistics were worse than they
were his first year. But the glimpses of potential. You know,
I don't want to get a hold ahead of I
don't want to speak things and not have him come true.
But like, maybe he could be a star. I'm not
saying superstar, but maybe he could be a star. Maybe
someday he could be an All Star. I don't know,
Like we got glimpses. And the thing about Shadon is
he is the most aesthetically pleasing player you'll see. Like
when he dunks, it's like his toes are pointed, his
arms are straight, his elbows are parallel, like to us gorgeous,
And I know, like what we want is like a
volume of dunks, not the beauty of dunks. But it's
hard not to see, like what a gorgeous player he
is when he plays. And I think, you know, he
and Scoo did not play much together. They still have
a lot to figure out, you know. If we could
get some shooters in, you know, maybe there's more room
for him to maneuver. But I'm still really open to
the possibility that Shayden could actually be somebody that this
team could really build around.
Speaker 1: I mean, objectively speaking, if you were to look at
the rookie season that Scoot had, Shadon Sharp should be
viewed as like the like the most important cornerstone on
this team. I'm still very high on Scoot. I'm very
high on Shadon the thing with Shaden that I'm still
trying to figure out, though, and it's especially I guess
it's confused me a little bit more. Since they traded
for Denny Avdya, you have Scoot Henderson and in theory,
Jeremy Grant is still there. Do you have any idea
or expectation for how they're ultimately planning to use him
on offense? Because he you said it, he showed flashes
of so much and there are times when he's the
ball in his hands, I kind of wonder why he
has the ball in his hands. But then there are
also moments where it's like, Wow, he just hit a
ridiculously difficult jumper, or Wow, look at that pass he
just threw. Do you think that he is still going
to have the runway to explore those parts of his
game or do you think that maybe having Scoot having
Denny Avvida might telegraph that they're trying to streamline his
offensive role a little bit more? More to kind of like, look,
I mean you talk about like his ability to get
to the rim even off the ball, Like do they
do they kind of envision him being more of a
play finisher from both the interior and the perimeter. I mean, I.
Speaker 2: Don't know how far along they are in thinking about that.
I think they're still throwing spaghetti at the wall at
this point. I think they're I mean I I as
much as you know, I just talked about how you know,
Scoot and DeAndre like fit better together at the end.
I don't think they're in a place right now where
they're worrying overall team build and fit. They're worrying about
finding the guy. And you know, he had the ball
in his hand a lot last year because of injuries.
And then it was like, oh, look at that. You know,
Anthrony was out. Anthrony played like the first quarter of
the first game, and then he was out for like,
I don't know, nineteen games or so with a broken hand.
So suddenly Shadon had to have some more ball handling responsibilities.
But I I don't I don't know that I'm expecting
a lot of planned like Okay, let's let's see how
they gel I think it's more like who who's got
the ball, Who's who shows that they can be aggressive?
Who wants it more? You know, who's showing that who
wants it more? In the context of like you can't
be a ball hog, you know what I mean? Like,
but I think that's that's about as far along they
are down that path as opposed to like, let's see
how they all fit together. I think the luxury that
I don't think that we're quite ready yet.
Speaker 1: You you're mentioning the him like because of the injuries
made me forget, like didn't he average? They played like
Charnshi Bill's played change rop way too much out of
the game. I guess he didn't have a choice, but
didn' he average like like forty minutes or something? In December?
It was something crazy like that.
Speaker 2: Yeah it was in the fort it was Yeah, it
was it was forty. I was lucky enough. So he
had that great stretch in December, and then he started
to show that he had a little bit of an
injury and he actually uh his like one game back
before he had very soon after that they shut him
down for the season. Was the game in Brooklyn that
I got to see in Brooklyn, and uh, it was
a total bonus that the Blazers won. My husband and
I go to an away game every year, and this
year we got to go to New York City and
it was so freaking fun because we got to see
the next game, which they lost. In the Brooklyn game,
which they won, but Shaden was there and he played
like forty one minutes. It was an overtime game, but
I'm so glad that I got to see Shaden like
really play out before he was then shut down. Sure
it was against Brooklyn, but those two teams at that
point were competitive, So even though it wasn't like watching
like two teams at the top of their game battling
it out, it was two teams that were equally matched
battling out, and it was at least fun to watch.
Speaker 1: Is there and well, let's tangent here. What's your way?
Speaker 2: Game?
Speaker 1: Are you going through? This year?
Speaker 2: I don't know. The schedule is not as exciting for
a wake like last year. It was like it fits
just so perfectly that they were playing New York and
Brooklyn back to back, and so we went for an
entire week and that was just like heaven. It was
so much fun. This year, there isn't quite such a
good setup they are. They're always playing like Milwaukee, like
in January, and I don't want to do any more
traveling in January because we had we had two bonus
days in New York because of travel, which was fun
but also not great. So I think this year we
might actually just be going back to Utah because we
have friends there, we love going to Salt Lake, and
we're probably just gonna do it a small trip because
we made such a big one last year.
Speaker 1: Well, let me know if Cody Williams looks like a superstar,
if you have any so with Shayden, is there one
area of his game that you're looking to see whether
he can prove or continue to develop Specifically? Obviously it's
like a huge encomsing thing, but if there's like one
thing that you could pick out.
Speaker 2: I mean, anybody who can really do well enough shooting
threes that it provokes teams to double team them. That's
what I'm looking for. So I would love it if
his three point shot improves even more. It's not terrible,
but I think it could even get better.
Speaker 1: I think he's gonna end up being a really good shooter.
I'd probably like to see him take even more off
the catch, but I actually don't think that's a shade
and Sharp thing. I think that gets into the team
build thing. I'm very curious because I'm kind of fascinated
with him as like a primary initiator. If you can
start like kind of cutting, if they can get him
any semblance of spacing first and foremost. Again, that's not
a shade and sharp thing. But if you can kind
of cut down the turnovers in his pick and rolls,
I'll be even more smitten with him. And I think
I tend to maybe it's a lack of information or
perspective on him, because I'm not lower on consensus than him,
but I don't get as excited about It's not just
you and Blazers fans that are excited about him. There's
like all these national people that think that shade and
Sharp can be a caps locked star And I kind
of remain undecided. But he is like one of my
like this year, if I went through my most intriguing players,
like he might be in the top ten like of
the entire league of just who I'm so intrigued to
see his game expand because I do think I'm not sure,
like there are players I feel most strongly about, but
I do think that there's like real on ball playmaking
and initiation to his game that if it pops, like
we're talking about someone who'll be contending for all NBA teams.
Speaker 2: To me, yeah, uh, you say intriguing, I say enticing.
I mean that's just that adds just a little level
a little to me. The difference there between intriguing and
enticing is because we've seen just enough to want to
like there's intriguing is like okay, maybe.
Speaker 1: Okay, vandalizing, Oh there we go, Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 2: So yeah, I'm still excited about Shaden. And it was
like when we heard Core and we just you could
just feel the fan base just go not another one.
We were just so sad to lose him, and you know,
for him not to be able to come back at
all and play. We were we were hoping still at
the end we could because because honestly, people just like
to watch him play.
Speaker 1: I mean, you said before I almost interrupted you when
you and I forgot to I should have when you said, like,
it's not about the you know, necessarily the aesthetics of
the dunk, like you just want more dunks. It's like, no,
I want quality over quantity, Like give me one put
it on a poster. If he only dunks, you know,
like fifty percent less, but they're all posters. Give me
the poster. But you were. I do find him to
be like one of the players who was aesthetically please
where I even think, you know, when you talk about
LaMelo ball or Ja Moran different styles, but LaMelo ball,
johm ran is, these one man league past shows Shane Sharps,
like the potential be the same thing. Like that's one
guy that one person like I just want to watch
and watch because his game is though first of all,
you don't know what's going to happen next, might just
explode and erupt. But it's just it is that I
can't describe. It's like aesthetically pleasing just watching that guy play.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I know that you can't build around a
team a player who's just esthetically pleasing. But along with
being aesthetically pleasing, you know, he has had moments where
it's like, oh he can do that, Oh he can pass,
Oh he can you know, take a couple of dribbles
and shoot, or he can catch and shoot and you
can come from the baseline or he can just suddenly
be standing there and all of a sudden he's like
above everybody else. You know, he's had some like blocks
that are like where did that come from? You know
that he was able to do just because of his
speed in athleticism. So and I know you, like I said,
you can't build a team around something just because they're
athletic and they're uh, you know, they're they have a
pleasing game. But it's sure would be fun if that
all panned out in Shaden.
Speaker 1: What would we call that? If a team like just
built their entire roster around aesthetics, like they're just going
off of vibes or something, I would appreciate it. You
mentioned something before that I thought was a really good
point about how they're not kind of focused on the
fit or like the what are these players like need
to do or how are their roles gonna scale? They're
just focusing on finding that guy or just dissembling talent.
Nothing probably actualized or rather typified that more than they
drafted Donovan klingon when they have DeAndre and Robert Williams,
if they're and even Duop breath on this team. What
did you think overall, like would you think of the pick?
Do you have any overall impressions of his game?
Speaker 2: Uh? I was super excited. He's huge, like he's giant,
and I know, okay, this is this is gonna seem
like a huge leap. But like, stick with me on this.
I'm not saying saying that Klingon is gonna be the
Wemby Stopper, But if you're gonna have any hope at
all over the next ten years, you have to have
somebody who's huge and loves defense, and like I just
they at least have that right now. And he seems smart.
He seems like he's knows what he can do and
can do it really really well. I'm not particularly you know,
there's a lot of like I've seen much consternation about
all of Blazer's you know, logjam at the big I
don't think that Blazers have a log jam at anything
to this point, Like we are we are not in
a place where we can complain because we have a
logjam of anything. I think Donovan Klingon is new to
this league. He's gonna need like he's a huge guy
that's gonna take a while to like, you know, get
an NBA game shape, uh DeAndre and again finished really strong.
I don't think there's any reason that we want to
just all of a sudden throw scoot and cling it
out as our starters, but having those two come up
off the bench could be really valuable. Yeah, I'm very
excited about that pick. And I don't know what's gonna
happen with all of the bigs on the on the roster,
but it's not I don't consider it a problem somebody else.
It'll work itself out.
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, we don't even know. I Rober Williams
the third unless you've heard anything different, if he's going
to be ready to start the season, And so that's
something that figures it out there. I was actually when
we did our pro draft reaction and even our pre
draft coverage, I was low, beyond low on Donovan Clinton.
I didn't know why. Well, I just thought he was
going to be too slow on the defensive end. So
then we get to summer league and I'm watching this guy.
And again I don't follow college basketball closely enough to
where anybody. First of all, no one should take anything
I say seriously at this point regardless, But like, I
don't see enough college basketball to just be like, oh,
he's going to be a bus That's not what I
was saying. I was just like, I don't understand the
appeal we get to summer league. That dude you mentioned
he's huge, but he like he knows how to be
huge and leverage being huge, and he's very smart with
like the angles and the spacing he's using in the
way he's directing his body. I still do have some
of those same matchup concerns, but you also just mentioned
something I probably haven't thought enough about. We're entering the
age of Wenby, and it's like something like that, who
can at least be like, Okay, you know what, Wenby's
not gonna get to the basket. At least he might
do all this other stuff that's gonna have value. But
I really do believe I don't know if I still
have questions. Can he be in in more aggressive defense?
But we've seen so many good defenses built around drop
coverage bigs, and if those drop coverage bigs know how
to use spacing and angles to where if they find
a team where that's not always gonna work against, and
he can give you stretches, You're going to be fine.
And so I'm very interested to see how he fares
against certain other like if he's going up against bigs
that will pull him out of the paint. Specifically, can't
say Minnesota anymore because Karl the Towns isn't there, but
like the Knicks or Boston. Trying to think of a
team in the New Orleans right now who just doesn't
really have a center. So I'm very intrigued how he
holds up against those types of teams, or maybe those
really athletic teams that are playing at warp speed. But
I came away thinking, like, this guy can be the
base of an exceptional defense, and I don't know that
I have. And I swear I'm not just blowing smoke
because you're on the podcast and I'm afraid of upsetting you.
I like, I don't think I've ever flipped on a
player that quickly. He didn't play an NBA game yet,
and I've already kind of flipped my entire perception of him.
Speaker 2: Well, isn't that why we just love to talk about
these things, because we can have like the hottest and
the coldest stakes all of this in and you know,
on one player within you know, a month of each other.
Speaker 1: Right, So I guess my only concern would be you
mentioned that it's not you don't view the big man
glutt as a problem, and I think for the Blazers'
overall aims, I don't either, but I'll make jokes about
it because I have to. Like it's I'm going to
but that is allowed, right. I just don't I would
worry that, And I understand there's something you mentioned about
him getting into NBA shape, making sure you're not bringing
him along too quickly. I just don't want us or
the Blazers, excuse me, to get to a point where,
especially if Chauncey Billups feels like his job is kind
of on the line, that you're not gonna play Donovan
Klingon enough because you have a healthy DeAndre Ayton and
a healthy Rob Williams in front of him, and those two,
if we're you know, like historically speaking, those two are
gonna be more valuable to winning games than Donovan Klingon
will be just because he's a rookie. Maybe maybe it
doesn't turn out that way. That would be my one concern,
As you said, though these things often do work themselves
out and you have a very injury prone big in
RW three, So maybe it does wind up working itself
out and Donovan Klingon plays a bunch or maybe it's
one of those things where and this is something I'm
guilty of all the time, I don't figure it out.
Enough is yeah, he doesn't play enough to start, but
post trade deadline, Donovan Klingon's averaging twenty five minutes a
game or something.
Speaker 2: M h, yeah, I mean DeAndre Ayton Robert Williams can play,
you know, all the minutes in the four in season
tournament games and then uh, but so here's here's my
dream about clinging the last I don't know how many
years it's been the Rim. It's just been a red
carpet to the rim, like come, please attack the rim,
go for it, and like it's been like it's been
since like Nurkic's like height, where like when he was
playing his very very best before the leg injury, he
was like a rim deterrent. People were like, m maybe
I'm not going to go to the Rim. But the
whole rest of the time, it's just been like, please
come check out, see what's going on at the rim.
We'd love to have you. And if if Donovan Klingon
can play fifteen to twenty two minutes and during that
time people aren't just like waltzing up to the rim
to do whatever they want, I will be so happy.
Speaker 1: Who takes more threason next year, Donovan Clinging or DeAndre Ayton.
Speaker 2: Sweet DeAndre Ayton. That man, he between sixteen and twenty
sixteen feet and the three point line. He has them.
He's so good, and it's like it's like I know
he's so he's so good at that mid range game,
it's outrageous. So every time he takes another step and
he's on the three, I'm like, let it fly, like
I don't care because he is so good at that rep,
you know, right up into the three point line. He
is so good that I think someday it could so
I don't care if he takes three points. So I'm
thinking he's probably gonna take more three pointers at Donovan Clangen.
But I don't know. You always when you get at
a new rook here, when it's like, oh, look at
him in the gym shooting all these three pointers, and
of course they all go in because he's in the
gym shooting three pointers. But I think I would hope
that he is more concentrated on what is most likely
going to be asked of him, and we can let
DeAndre eight and shoot threes, you know, especially in those
nd season tournament games when we need to rack up
the scores.
Speaker 1: So what if you made of you mentioned you had
a very strong close to the season, you thought he
played really well with scood. What did you make of
the year? One of the DeAndre and experience, likes, dislike, concerned, strengths, whatever,
wherever you want to take it.
Speaker 2: I mean, if they had brought him in to partner
up with Damian Lillard and that was supposed to be
the final piece that was going to win Damien a championship,
I might have had one opinion. But this was we're
saying goodbye to Damian Lord, We're redoing everything. I was
completely fine with DeAndre Aiden's first year in Portland. You know,
he spent so much time in Arizona, in high school,
in college, in the pros. He came to a whole
different place, a whole different kind of expectations that he
wasn't used to. He didn't know, like am I supposed
to be the man, am I not supposed to be
the man, Like it took him a while to get comfortable.
There's all kinds of also hilarious anecdotal stories about his
integration into Portland. But I really think that he's settled
into like the fact that you know, he's he's an
experienced vet, he's got young point guard that he needs
to learn how to work with. He always seems like
super delighted when like real team play would happen, like
if there was good passing, if there's good stuff going on,
and it just it seemed like by the end of
the year, he was he was very comfortable and like
he wasn't being asked to like be the number one
pick anymore. Like I feel like his whole entire life
was like that he was going to be the number
one pick, and then he was the number one pick,
and he had all the expectations of being the number
one pick. When he came to Portland, he just became
a center, and I think by the end of the
year he was comfortable with who he was and I
actually thoroughly enjoyed it. And you know, it was different
than other center experiences we've had. We had the Hussan
Whiteside experience, you know, we had and and this I
felt was more productive and it also actually was beneficial
to Scoot. And you know, Scoot not a superstar yet.
But I think from seeing the progress that they made together,
I think I think it ended up being unbalanced. I
think it was a positive experience.
Speaker 1: Do you think that factored into his because I do
think he is. It's not even a thought. It's just
the fact that he's better when he has someone who
can set him up. And it's where we always wanted
DeAndre and to play with more force. But even like
the zero dribble or one dribble like looks that you
wish were closer to the basket and they're not, Like,
that's still where he's going to be at his best.
Do you think that having Scoot like and now Scoot
getting into a groove to close the year, did that
then actually help you think, like facilitate how well he played,
because his numbers over the last like twenty seven or
thirty games or something like pretty outrageously good.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm telling you, I cannot tell you how many
times I was like, thank God, we have deandret and
on this team, right now because nobody could score, and
and he wasn't like I didn't feel like he ever
was like, well, I'm DeAndre eight, and I'm just gonna
get in there and get all the buckets that I can.
I felt like he really felt like he was participating
as part of the team and trying to make the
team be as good as they could be in the
situation that they were in. So again, it's one of
those things where, like I know, I was saying that
I'm not really worried about fit, but it did show
that the relationship between the point guard and the center,
which is like so critical, could be worked on and
improved and on, Like I said, unbalanced, better for both
of them, beneficial to both of them.
Speaker 1: You did mention I'm calling back to it, I think
a third time now. You said the big man rotation
as a tendency to figure itself out. We did see
a little bit before the RW three injury. It was
very It wasn't a ton like we saw r W
three and DeAndre and play together. Do you think just
knowing that they have so many and I think people
kind of just throw duop breath to the corner. It's
like that's duop breath. It's like that guy spaces the
floor on the front line, and this team needs floor spacing.
Do you think we see like that they will go
to more dual big setups or do you think kind
of you mentioned the what did you say before the
having a wingy guy like Avia plus Grant and if
Sharp is healthy and you have Thible and you have
Timanti Kamara, do you think that the way the roster
is built as of now makes that a little bit
that there's not as much of an incentive to try that.
Speaker 2: I mean, I they if if the Blazers plan as
I think it is, but again I don't know, uh,
but if their plan is to move on from the
Vets before the trade deadline, I mean they have to
like show the remind people that they're there. And you know,
Robert Williams is going to need to get a few
reps in. Like I think everybody knows what Robert Williams
is and what he can bring to a team, and
I think what he is and what he can bring
to the team is just not what the Blazers need
right now. But I do think that they're they're going
to get him in there and playing because otherwise, like
people are going to be like, well, could he play
or not? So I think they'll play him for play
him for that reason. I'm trying to remember what the
what the question, what the whole.
Speaker 1: Question, whether they'll play two bigs at once, Like they'll
try that out.
Speaker 2: Oh sure, yeah, I mean there's no downside.
Speaker 1: I hope I'll try. I hope if they do it
that they kind of spread out the love where it's
like it's not just trying DeAndre and Robert Williams like
they did last year. Like I want to see Clinging
and r W three on the court together because I
know you said maybe the Blazers don't need what r
W three provides right now, but that would be a
nasty defensive combination because r W three is like he's
a filthy guy on defense. If you have Clinging at
the rim and kind of r W three mucking up
stuff from the corners, I just I want to see it,
and I'm hoping. I'm hoping r W three is healthy
because I don't ever want guys to be injured, but
I would love to see that dual big setup from Portland.
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2: I think it could be fun. And you probably must
have like taken a psychic look at my lineups that
you're I know you're gonna ask about like.
Speaker 1: All big spoilet.
Speaker 2: Okay, I want to say one thing about wap Wreath.
So wap Wreath was so last year was filled with
pleasant surprises, and wap Wreath was one of those pleasant
surprises like in a in a year where no one's
trying to win. Uh, you're looking for pleasant surprises and
wap Wreath. He was originally a remixer. I can't remember
if he was on a two way or if he
was like a straight up remixer G League team, but
he played one team with the G League and in
twenty seven minutes score forty seven points, and people were like,
he is not meant for the G League. Get him
on the team. And so he came and he played,
and he's wonderful. Uh. He's like a big who does
spaces like he can legitimately shoot the three, like he
is a three point shooting big, which is like so
exciting and which makes it so odd that I would say,
and he's gonna be somebody else's awesome piece because he's older.
You know, he's like twenty, like he's I think he
could be around to represent like what it would be
like if the team was going to have a three
point shooting center. But I think I don't think the
Blazers are like planning to keep him around to be
their three point shooting center. And I think that he
could be a really great useful addition for a team
that is more contending who might need somebody to be
able to slot in and play that role sometimes not
like as probably you know, the sixth man off the
bench or anything, but like as somebody that could slot
in and legitimately play that role.
Speaker 1: I that's I think that's a series of great points.
I also do believe it's important, like I'm a big
believer now in streamlining the development of your most important players,
and when we look at Scoot and Shade and specifically
if you want those guys who attack off the dribble,
opening up the floor is a really good thing. And
if you have Duoperath who's like, you're only big that
you can count on stretching the floor right now, I
think that winds up helping them in ways where it's
forget about winning basketball game, forget about efficiency. But it's
like if you really want to see what these guys
can do in a better environment or a more sensible environment,
like Dwoprie could maybe help you unlock some of those
types of lineups.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and what I've learned over the last two three
years is that's really valuable up until the trade ten
because it does it like gives you like, oh okay,
so if Shandon could did actually have a little bit
of room, Let's look at this. So yeah, I'll say
you can see I've become so jaded over the last
three years. It's very sad.
Speaker 1: They've scarred you. They made anymore, they made you not
root for Dugs anymore. Though messed up. I was wondering
looking at kind of the other I guess non core
guys on the roster Dolano, Banton, Timanic, Kamara, Chris Murray,
Jabbari Uh why not Jabari Walker? Not Jabari Parker Jabari Parker.
My notes, I apologize, We're already talked about Wreath and then,
of course repair. Are there just one or two guys
from that list that you find the most Should we
use the word tantilizing or intriguing or ent? We want
to go it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I want to talk about Jabari Walker because I'm
a huge fan of Javarie Walker. I love Jabari Walker,
and I think he's somebody who is most likely to
be squeezed out of the rotation at least until the
second half of the season, you know, because we have
so many bigs. I think Jabari is the one that is,
like I said, not going to get as much rotation
minutes as I think he deserves. I think he is
a I think he's going to be a really good
NBA player for a long time. He's a role player,
He's a fantastic defender. He brings great energy in off
the bench, but with all of the people who need
to show that they can play, and I just think
that he's going to be ten or eleven for a while,
which I think is a real bummer because it's just
a pleasure to watch him play. And he has a
skill set that the Blazers desperately need, and that's a
defending or a defensive rebounds.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what is he Does he even do anything else
though that stands out to you, aside from provide that.
Speaker 2: He's he's very good at, like intangible things like helping
everybody on the court with him be aware of what's
going on. He's a very good talker on the court.
He's a very good pointer. He's really good at yeah,
like letting his teammates know what's what's going on. Things
feel organized when Jabari comes in, uh so kind of
some of the And that's why I think he's going
to be a really good NBA player because of those
types of skills. His shooting is okay, it's not great,
it could definitely be a lot better. You know, he
gets a lot of putbacks and second chance points for
the Blazers. He does a lot of clean up, so
he's not you know, somebody you're gonna put the ball
in his hands and be like, oh score. But he's
somebody that could really likely help either you know again
second chance point or just on defense, direct people around
so things are are covered.
Speaker 1: Okay, I really like from that list, I think I'm
most fascinated by, or tantalized to buy excuse me, Tomani Kamara,
who can defend it feels like literally anyone. And it's
like his three point percentage was just high enough last year.
I was like, okay, and he can do some stuff.
And then like, if you're like in the open lane,
I am. I don't know how good he'll look on
offense necessarily with this team specifically, but I think he's
going to be a dude. And he might be a
dude for the Blazers because you're just looking at what
he Maybe they have too much defense and he's not
a dude for the Blazers, but he is ferocious on that,
like he's he's ferociously versatile, or even ferociously capable how
I might phrase it, like I'm just you look at
not just the level I mean, like he defended basically
just stars all the time, but up and down theditional spectrum.
I even a lot more than I would have expected,
like point of attack, like smaller going up against smaller
players than I would have ever assumed.
Speaker 2: Timani is another one of those pleasant surprises. I don't
think anybody when we heard how upset Phoenix was that
they lost him as part of the trade deal that
moved Demian Lillard, we were like, oh, well this is interesting,
and yeah, he is fun. He's super tenacious, and he's
that guy who like is not cool as a cucumber.
He will be like up in somebody's shorts and he
will you know, he will be all over them. He
loved Like if you look at all the you know,
the guys that he guarded, he got it all the
best players, Like that was his job was to go
guard the best player. And he did it like like
he was hungry to do it, and he wanted to
do it, and he very quickly, like he worked himself
into his starting position very quickly. I think he got
it over Matisse. It turned out that he really didn't
have the offense, and so he ended up going back
to the bench. Neither of them particularly have an offense,
so he I don't I can't remember at the very
end of the season, who knows what was happening, but
I can't remember what happened after he went to the bench.
But yeah, he's somebody that we're very excited about. And
he's in, you know, pretty much in that age range,
and you know, he could be somebody that the Blazers
want to really hang on to. And I would not
be surprised if he was somebody who ended up sticking
around the team for a long time.
Speaker 1: Anybody else on that list that you wanted to talk
about or that stood out to you, well.
Speaker 2: I mean, I love Thelano, Banton just because I love
tall point guards. It is such a luxury to have
a tall point guard. I mean, after all of those
years of Damon and CJ, like having a tall point
guard who can like see everything that was going. I
was like, oh, I get it, I get it. But again,
it's a luxury, not a necessity. Let's see who else
is on there that I haven't said anything about.
Speaker 1: I still remain Ryan Repair is a guy that I
really like and he like. I watch him and it
feels like, well, he could be really good at basketball
if he kind of figures out how to play basketball.
It's like a lot of times I come away with thinking,
but he just feels like he has a bunch of
tools that will he ever put them together, and I
think it go a long way if he could be
a little bit more complimentary, like handle the accessory work
on offense. But I still I watch him play and
I I don't know, I'm like just enthralled by it
feels like he could be like subtly disruptive on the
defensive end, and if you could put together some semblance
of just like offensive consistency again and that tertiary just
like never really on the ball capacity. I don't know
where that opportunity is gonna come from on this team,
given how many players they have, but I still just
have his name circled as that could be like someone
who sticks in the NBA.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Ryan Repair is a fan favorite, especially with the remix,
So we're expecting, Like so last year for people to know,
was the first year that the Blazers had a G
League team, And on our podcast on the we have
a Take podcast, we give out awards every year, and
we had a new award this year called most Valuable Blazer,
and we actually gave most Valuable Blazer to the Rip
City Remix because it was a fun to finally have
a G League team. But it kept these guys playing
and engaged and active and like they could And it's
like located actually in Portland, you know, a few miles
away from the from the Motor Center where they play,
so like they can go back and forth and they
can get reps in and they can keep playing and
keep improving rather than just sitting on the bench and
watching all the time. So we're I'm expecting that Ryan
and Chris will probably still play quite a bit with
the remix next year. It might be kind of a
bummer for Chris Murray since he spent two three years
in college before he got out, so he may be
wishing that he had more like NBA minutes. But the
remix gives them a chance to, you know, keep up
and if they're needed when and if injuries strike, when
and if people start having to sit, they are right
there and they've been playing this whole time in games
that you know they're trying to win.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Chris Murray kind of impressed me too with how
he was defensively last year, and it's the rare and
young relatives on the rookie. He's not necessarily young, but
it's rare that a team where it's, oh, if that
guy can hang defensively, he won't get minutes as a
youngster because we kind of have enough people who can
do that. And it was when he was coming out
of college, I didn't know enough about him, but I
thought he was builled as like more plug and play
on offense, and it was kind of it felt flipped
based off what I saw. For it was like, Oh,
he's plug and play on defense, and I don't know
what he's going to be on offense. Maybe I just
maybe I like I thought by Osmosis he would just
have what Keegan Murray does as an offensive player, and
so my expectations were too high.
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, it's really where rare for the Blazers to
have that many defenders on the team. I mean, let's
let's be honest about that. It's been a long time
since the Blazers had, you know, players that like had
multiple players with defensive chops. Now they have many of them,
and so sometimes it's hard to play them because it's
like who's gonna shoot? And I'll also kind of go
back to what I was saying about the coach Chauncey.
It seems like a lot of these young players that
they brought in who play a lot of defense are
the types of players that he is hoping to have
on the roster and having having to coach. And despite whatever,
I mean, I don't know anything, right, I don't know anything.
But one of the things that we really seem is
that the players really do like him, like they like
playing for him, and that they listen to him and
they appreciate his experience. So I don't want to like
everybody to take away that, like I think that like
he's like the worst coach in the whole world, or
that like nobody likes him, because clearly the player like him,
and he does like represent defense. And so if the
Blazers are truly trying to build a new team in
the future that plays more defense than they have in
say the last ten years, those pieces are are starting
to I'm not gonna say, fall into place, but they're
floating around and maybe we can grab some of them
and put them on the team and have them be successful.
Speaker 1: Well, I almost wonder this team feels like it could
be under the radar good defensively, where if you told
me that they were fifteenth or sixteenth in points alot
of per possession, I'd be like, I believe it, Honestly.
The reason to not predict it to me is just, well,
are they going to steer out of it if they're
too good defensively by post trade down them, by maybe
not trading some guys. But it's you know, like Deanny,
you're under contract, like we know what we haven't, like
you're not gonna play as much because we want to
get minutes for repair or murray, because like you look
at the individual talent and it's like it's not really redundant.
It's even shaite and sharp. I thought showed flashes defensively
last year too, And so you just have a bunch
of dudes who are either good already good defenders, or
might be really good defenders. And so it feels like
this team could maybe surprise people at least in terms
of where they end up in the let's call it
the pre trade deadline defensive rankings.
Speaker 2: So I think that we're not gonna worry about Whoop's
too good at anything. But I would also say that
the Blazers are not like they were not the worst
defensive team last year, so it's just that they don't
have an offense to match it. I actually went through
and looked at all the things that the Blazers were
like the worst at, like thirtieth, because it's like, Okay,
if any of these things can get better next season,
that's a win. And let me let me read you
lament my list. I know it's a we might be
running out of time, and it's a fairly long list,
but the things that these are like the like when
you like sort and the Blazers are thirtieth three point shooting,
two point shooting, rebounds, assists, transition shots, shots between zero
and three feet and three feet and ten feet. So
these are all things that they are absolutely the worst at.
When I went and looked at their defensive rating, they're
not the worst. They're not even like in the bottomle
like three, which is where they are and everything else.
Speaker 1: I think for part of the year they were and
I'm not saying this talking and together, they were like
kind of close to not in the bottom ten for
a good part of the year, I think, until they
sort of steered into okay, like this season is over
for us.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's just that they don't have the offense
to match, and we're so used to having a team
that is so offensively powerful offensively that now when they
have a defense, it's like they don't have anything close
to make up the deficit. You know, I say this
about a team that lost twice by sixty points, so
you can check me on this any time. But they
were not the worst at defense. They were the worst
at defensive rebounds, but not the worst at defense.
Speaker 1: I think when you are dependent on at least a
good number of young guys and you're not caps lock
terrible on defense, that's actually a good sign. I agree
with you on the offense, I don't they're not built
that you could stop me if you disagree here. But
they're not built to get better at three point shooting
right now. I don't know where that's like. You might
see some players improve, but on the roster this does
not look like a good three point shooting team.
Speaker 2: So I feel really bad that I don't know that
we've even said Anthony Simon's name yet.
Speaker 1: Because he said I think at the beginning, don't worry.
Speaker 2: I mentioned him, And I just want to make sure
that for any front officers who are listening, No, just kidding,
I want to make sure that, like we acknowledge the
fact that Anthony is a fantastic shooter, and he is
a great three point shooter. He's just doesn't have a
lot of friends on the team who are also great
three point shooters. So yes, I agree with you that, like,
this team is not built. They're trying to go three
and D, and right now they're the D part is
we're doing good there, you know, we're we're doing good
and it's been a long time since they've been doing
good there. The three point part is probably easier to
fill in I guess than the deep part maybe is
what people say. So anyway, I just want to make
sure that I acknowledge that Anthony Simons is an excellent tutor.
Speaker 1: Are they at least built? And I ended up looking
this up like in preparation of the podcast Tara. They
have not ranked in the top half the league in
fast break frequency since like two thousand and four. And
they're just consistently It's not just like, oh, they've had
a few seasons where they were close, like no, you
go back. It's like twenty seventh, twenty eighth, twenty ninth, thirtieth,
twenty sixth. Is this team? And I would argue yes,
like could they play with a little bit more urgent?
Like could they why can't they get out on the break?
Especially if you don't believe they're a good shooting team
or a polished offensive team. One of the ways to
attend to offset that. And I know it could come
at the expensive defense maybe, but it's hey, go up
against defenses that aren't already set, like just freaking run
and I every time I'm watching them and I think this.
It was frustrating last year and it'll be frustrating as
hell this year, because I think they have the personnel
to do it. But it's like even after Live Ball,
like you're grabbing a run. Just go.
Speaker 2: Imagine how frustrating it is for Chauncey Phillips, who every
year says, we're gonna run more. I have no it's
a complete mystery. I don't know what is in the
water here. I don't know what's in there. Everybody breathes.
But like, if you go back to two thousand and four,
that's many iterations of this team. That is like multiple
superstars that we've been through in that time and still
like for a long time our stars were ISO players.
So I think that's kind of where it comes from,
Like when you have Brandon Roy, when you have Damian Lillard,
like you're not gonna force them into transition because they're
so good and so powerful at what they do. So
I think that's probably has something to do with it.
But Chelsea Billips is said every year at the beginning
of the press every press conference, we'll see what he
says tomorrow this year, we're gonna get out in transition,
And like, why they didn't do it, I have no idea.
I have no idea why they're not doing it.
Speaker 1: I'm trying to. I should have looked this up. Who
is the best player on the last team at ranked
in the time and they were tenth that year in
transition frequency two thousand and four, two thousand and five.
So the leader in minutes played on that team, Oh,
David Stotdamaier. Zach Randolph was second. That actually surprises me.
Derek Anderson, she Dale Davis. So it's actually wild that
that's the iteration. That's and you're right, the ISO stuff
is a great point. And you have a Marcus Aldridge
a little bit before Damian Lillard two. That's not someone
you're gonna build a fast paced offense around. But it's
also just such a long time, just two decades, that's
so long.
Speaker 2: Well, and I think that's one of the things that's
tantalizing about Scoot. Maybe he could show because we have
seen like highlights of him throwing things ahead and even
actually Donovan Klingon I think has had a few, but like,
but you know, maybe that is something that Scoot could
do more of, like he himself not having to get
out in transition, but him seeing the guys running in transition.
I mean, like imagine Scoot to Shandon, how many times
we could see that, and how wonderful it would be.
It would be gorgeous, and you know it would finish.
Shadon has had some spectacular and open court miss dunks,
but I think those two. But again, Scoot had so
much that he had to figure out last season. Maybe
he just had to throw that one out as a
thing that he was going to try to figure out.
And you know, in the beginning, I don't know, I
don't know why they they couldn't, And I feel like
the personnel every year gets closer and closer to a
team that should at least be able to.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean the point you made towards the beginning
of the podcast about Scoot and Shade and not playing
a ton together too definitely has to factor into like, like,
if those two are on the court, how are you
not out in transition more? And they were not even
I'm looking at their minutes now they didn't play a
ton together. Someone reach too much into it, but they
still weren't getting out in transition during those minutes. So
I just hope it changes because it feels like low
hanging fruit. I did want to ask you before we
get to the cookie cutter portion of the podcast. Do
you expect there to be mid season roster turnover this year?
Because there wasn't, like a bunch everyone was expecting it
last year and there just wasn't. So would you expect
it to be this year? Looking at the direction, looking
at the personnel on this team.
Speaker 2: Until you said the second half of that sentence and
reminded me that last year there wasn't either, I was
gonna be like, yes, but I saw last year they
didn't have a lot. They just sat a lot. But
I really think, I mean, the Blazers have to they
are not have they can do whatever they want. I
would think that the Blazers do need to accumulate more
assets and find more players that they want to see
what they can do. And the only way that they
can do that, well, they could sit everybody and get
you know, one more high draft picked, or they could
also trade some players and to get to that. There's
I mean, I since they did very little last year,
they did very little over the summer. At some point
something's got to give. So why not this trade season?
I'm say yes they will.
Speaker 1: This track I actually was coming back through because I
just use the same outline each year and right over
it type over it E sees me. And I said
in my notes to you last year that I would
be shocked if Jeremy Grant finishes this season on the Blazers.
So I don't want to use that terminology again, but
I would be fairly surprised if both he and Robert
Williams the third are still on this team, Like I
think one of them is at least gonna go. And
I almost want to say the same about Simon's but
as you mentioned, like that's someone who shoots and makes
a lot of shots from beyond the arc. They might
view is you know, he's coming up on his next contracts,
so maybe that increases urgency. I don't know where to
land with him because I don't I don't think he's
a fit long term with Scoot and Shade in. But
I'm also like they need players who can like hit
shots from the perimeter here, Like you don't want to
get to a point where DeAndre Eton from sixteen feet
is like your best perimeter offensive weapon.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and we have to you know, for so long
it's been the narrative that Anthony is so young and
he's not young anymore. He is an experienced VET, and
if anything, I want better for him because he you know,
he's been here for six or seven years. I think
he's going into his seventh year, and he's done everything
that was asked of him, and for the last three
years has not been on a team that has actively
been trying to do well get in the playoffs, let's say.
And I just he's a talented player, and we do
need to have a mix of guys who know what
they're doing alongside the young players who were still how
to navigate the league. But I just I feel for
Anthony in terms of, like I really wish he was
playing Force. I really wish he could go to a
competitor and go play for a team that like needs
his skills and is trying to their best to win.
So I you know, I'm I am happy with who
he's been. He's never complained, he's never asked for a trade.
You know, he seems to be a good guy who
the the young players like, and everybody, well not everybody,
but I've heard that it was a mistake that Joe
Cronin had to Joe cron didn't mean to not mention
him to press conferences in a row. When he was
talking about who he was building around, I was like
kind of a big omission there. I don't know if
he did it on purpose or not, but I just
I want what's best for Anthony.
Speaker 1: I've been trying to get him on the Orlando Magic
for like two years now, like there's a trade there
and it just needs to happen. I'd like to see
him on a good team, but you recognize if I
want to see a watchable Blazers offense, I do kind
of think he's important to that.
Speaker 2: I also think it makes me think I just thought
of this right now that like I've heard about Joe
Cronan is that he's not going to trade just for anything,
which is like kind of why I guess I understand
Jeremy Grant is still around, like he's not going to
just trade for the sake of trading him. And maybe
that's why, like he hasn't made a deal with Orlando,
because like you know, if the narrative is is that
Portland wants to get rid of Anthony Simon's, then Orlando
can come in and lowball him. And you know, I
don't know, maybe I think what I've heard about Joe
Cronan is that he's not going to make moves just
to make moves. He's going to make moves because they're
going to be better for the franchise. And that might
mean a lot of waiting. I don't want to wait
eighty seven years, but that might be why things haven't
happened yet.
Speaker 1: I think he proved your point last offseason with the
way that Damian Lillard trade stuff was handled too. And
the Blazers are also in a unique position now to
maybe not all the players on their team or core
long term players, but they have a lot of players,
and so if you're not really offering enough picks, like
that probably is more of a priority to them than
getting more bodies in here, because as I'm about to
ask you about their rotation, there's I don't want to
use the word stacked, but the team is like there's
NBA talent everywhere on it, and so that kind of
diminishes the value unless you're getting super high in prospects
of you know, kind of like, okaysee doesn't need more
picks as of right now. The Blazers don't need more players.
Speaker 2: It's weird, isn't it. I mean they when I was
in New York last year right before the trade deadline
and we saw it. Not a lot happen since then
in terms of turnover, despite the fact that they had
up and down, you know, the roster like real NBA players.
My friend that I was at that game with was like,
who are these people? They they were, you know, it
was It's like, Oh, it's it's a bunch of remix,
you know. So, yeah, it's weird that they can do both.
They can somehow like have like a roster with players
who are bona fide players and still run out a
team of like.
Speaker 1: Who that's true too. That's honestly impressive. And if they
do that again this year without making any trades, it's
even more impressive because they have more players that just
by virtue of having Donovan klingon and maybe r W
three is healthy, those are gonna be recognizable real NBA players.
So if they end up doing that again without making
a move, I'll have to take my hats off to them.
I don't want to necessarily see that happen, but it
would be impressive.
Speaker 2: I'm doing my best to find things that I can
watch for and enjoy the season.
Speaker 1: So we've made it to the Lightning Round cookie Cutter
portion of the podcast. Tara, are you ready? Yes, I'm
ready looking at the roster. I think this is easy,
But I'm curious if you would have a different answer.
What do you view is its biggest need? Is it
just is it shooting that we've kind of talked a
lot about at this point.
Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're talking about basketball things, is yeah, it's shooting.
If you're talking about like intangibles, it's just like just
knowing what do we have with these players?
Speaker 1: I thought you were gonna I was waiting like better haircuts,
or these teams need like exotic pets or something that
was waiting for something like that. So the other question
I have is is there anything that we haven't discussed
about this team, whether it has to do with a
player or a storyline, a concept, whatever that's flying under
the radar that you want to talk about.
Speaker 2: I think we've really touched on a lot. And so yeah,
I can't think of anything that I was like, Oh,
I really wanted to talk about this that I haven't
already snuck.
Speaker 1: In love to. I actually love to hear that because
it means that I didn't do a terrible job of
building the podcast. Then so's a fantastic job say that
this year.
Speaker 2: You do great job with all of these.
Speaker 1: Thank you, But top full strength, you have to pick
ten players that will be the ones that are being played,
players that will play Tara. What was it? What does
the top ten rotation look like to you as of
right now?
Speaker 2: Yeah, Anthony Scoot Shade and I'm not gonna necessarily like
do these two groups of five that playing together. I'm
just gonna so Anthony scooted Shaden DeAndre Donovan because that's
five Jeremy, uh uh did I I think? Did I
say Donovan? I should be looking at a list. I'll
basically tell you who I think is probably not going
to be in the rotation. Like I said, I think
it's I think Chris Murray, rand Repair, Jabari Walker, and
I think he's he's the one that is going to
be waiting for an opportunity for like to get in there.
I think Matista will be right on the edge because
I think they you know they have uhmar oh, Yeah,
Adiya would be one who will be playing. So I
think I mentioned four that I don't think are really
going to be in the rotation, Rayon, Chris Jabbari, uh
Matista be on the edge?
Speaker 1: Oh do you do you think?
Speaker 2: I think it'll be on the edge.
Speaker 1: That's what I was gonna I was gonna ask which
big kind of falls by the wayside?
Speaker 2: Yeah, and and and then Robert Williams will play, and
I will love every single dunk that he gets. And
then he probably won't play. He'll you know, he'll either
be traded. Hopefully it's because he's traded, and I really
want what's best for him because he seems like a
really cool guy and at any different the Blazers were
in a different situation, I would love to have him
around because he seems like a really fun person to
build a team around or to you know, bey on
the team.
Speaker 1: If he could just stay healthy, he will be probably
in terms of big men, top seven, top ten big
man if he was just that's how that's how good
he is and.
Speaker 2: Is really really intriguing.
Speaker 1: And that's the other thing too, because he doesn't play
a ton even when he's healthy. But I don't know
if that's like one is they're worried about him getting
injured so he doesn't play more. Is it really a
stamina thing. But the only other rotation question I had
is do you think that they start, Like, is it
going to be Scoot, Avia and Shaden's starting, or do
you think that Anfrey Simon's will start and Sharp will
come off the bench? Is something else?
Speaker 2: I think it will be Anthony and Shaden and Avdia
and Grant and Ayton are starting off the bench. Yeah,
I think Scoot will come off the bench.
Speaker 1: Whoa that is?
Speaker 2: Are you surprised about that?
Speaker 1: I'm not surprised, but I really just don't. I wouldn't
structure it that way, and I will let you know.
I promise it won't be this podcast. The national media
is going to have a field day with that if
that is what they open the season with, because him
not starting, he was just the number? Uh was it? Three? Pick?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Pick uh? And to be in your second season and
you you're on a team that doesn't have another floor
general of the future option. Really to know I would
find that, I would find it. I would get it
from a if you're trying to win a basketball games perspective,
from a developmental perspective, we do get caught up too much,
I'm sure. And who's starting, it's about who finishes or
who plays more.
Speaker 2: But man, so you're not gonna start Anthrony?
Speaker 1: No, yeah, I would not start Anthrony because I'm more
invested in Shade and Sharp. The spacing of that lineup
might not be great, but I think it's a vote
of confidence in what we trust. Scot did enough jumpers,
and we trust Shade and Sharp to be a good
enough shooter. So, I mean, Scoot coming off the bench
is the logic. Just do you think it's better for
him to go up against second units or to play
within some of those core bench lineups. I mean, you
even mentioning how important it was like with him playing
with DeAndre Ayton, starting him might be a way of
getting him more minutes with eight mm hmmm.
Speaker 2: I mean, I guess if I was just thinking about,
like on Night one, I don't I want to put
out a lineup that has a promise. I mean, I
don't know. I just I don't. I don't want to
make Anthrony sit while he's on the roster.
Speaker 1: That's what I would just bade him. I mean, he
would still play. I just that's if Look again, maybe
it ends be in the right call.
Speaker 2: I mean, we all we all know how Scoop did
last year, and we know he did better when he
came off the bench, and that's just how it was.
Speaker 1: No, I'm not I'm not saying you're wrong. I just
I don't think it's the I But this again, it
could be me guilty of is it better for his
development to come off the bench? As you said, he
was better when he came off the bench. But I'm
also just like, well, if you want this guy to
be your corner stone in the future, like, why why
are you bringing him off the bench? Still? What is
it about him that makes you want to bring him
off the bench? Still?
Speaker 2: Well, I hope in February he's not coming off the bench,
but like at the beginning and where where they left
off at the and this I don't know. Well, I
don't want to say that because the end of the
season was mess I don't know. I just I just
think that he's still very young, very raw, he still
has a lot of stuff to process and a lot
of stuff to learn about what it's like to play
in the NBA. That I just think it's more beneficial
for his development right now not to go well. And
that's something that Chauncey has talked about too, is like
he really wants to not he wants to put guys
in where they can be successful rather than just throwing
them in and like see if you can, you know,
see how it happens. And that was something that he
had said last year. So maybe I got that in
the back of the back of my mind, but I
just think that, yeah, I just think that it might
be better beneficial. Maybe if Scoot was like twenty three
years old, it would be a different thing. But he's
like beginning his second season and he knows that he
has a lot to prove, and he says all the
right things, and I just I, I don't know. I
just that's what that's that's where what I think is
gonna happen. But I be plenty wrong, and you have
a lot more experience than I do.
Speaker 1: I defer to you on matters of the Blazers, though,
Well this makes this question a lot more interesting for me.
You're coaching the team, what is your go to It'll
be I know it'll change, it can be matchup dependent,
but what is your go to closing lineup?
Speaker 2: Are we playing an nd season tournament game I'm trying
to win?
Speaker 1: This is a team. That's because it's if you want
to approach from the perspective of or are they trying
to lose this? I look at as if they're trying
to win a close game called the mid season tournament game.
Maybe that's a game that they want to win.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think if if they're gonna you know, I
think if I, if I was the coach and it
was a close game, I would throw in a very
defensive lineup with Anthony, so, you know, I think I
would look, you know, maybe even at Donovan. I'm not
sure if I would start Donovan or if I would
finish with Donovan over eight and yet not having seen
Donovan play any NBA ball, but if I really wanted
to like clamp down and make sure the other team
could not do anything, I think I would lean towards Donovan.
Wouldn't Robert Williams be fun in there, Denny and then
probably Matisse and Anthony.
Speaker 1: Oh, that's it. Seems it would be pretty good defensive
lineupsive lineup.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it would be really good defensively. I just don't
know if there's enough, Like if the Blazers were in
a hole and we're trying to like score or if
they were just trying to stop the other team. But
I think that would be a pretty that would be
a pretty fun one to look at to watch, or
maybe it would be like watching mud dry.
Speaker 1: But is that your funky weirdo out there lineup as well,
or do you have a different one for Oh no, I.
Speaker 2: Have I have other criteria for my funky lineups.
Speaker 1: Oh do you want to hear what happen?
Speaker 2: Okay? So my my all big plus Delano Banton lineup
is We've got Dolana as the point guard, tall point
guard six ' nine. It's so fun having a tall
point guard. And then I'd put Wop at the two
because you can really shoot. And then Robert Williams slide
down to the three, Donovan Klingon at the four at
seven to two, and then DeAndrea eight and seven feet
as a center. So that's my all talls plus.
Speaker 1: I love it. That's sicko stuff. I love it.
Speaker 2: I also have the lineup of all the youngest players,
which is actually like maybe in a couple of years
could be like, that's not that bad lineup, right, So
center Donovan clingan small forward right on repair Scoot as
the point guard, Shaden is the shooting guard, and then
Jabari is the power forward.
Speaker 1: Okay, that could be fun.
Speaker 2: Nine, you never know. And then I threw in one
more for fun which is more on brand, which you
were probably more expecting of me. Which is the best
dress lineup. We have Scoot as the best dress point guard,
followed by Dolana Banton as the best dressed shooting guard.
Then we have small forward Jeremy Grant. Obviously, Jabbari is
a power forward. He was actually most improved fits last season.
So we got Jabbari as the power forward, best dress,
and Jeremy is the small forward, best stressed, and then
DeAndre Ayden of course is the center. I don't think
Donovan Klingon is going to challenge him in that arena
at least right now.
Speaker 1: I like that. I will say, sometimes, watching Scoot, and
maybe it was the goggles era Scoot, I felt like
I was watching someone who transported out of a different
era of basketball, and I really like the aesthetics of
like how the uniform looked. I liked it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we love goggles, Scoot, Yes, we love Scoot with
the goggles.
Speaker 1: So mine would be it was actually similar to your
closing lineup, which maybe means that I didn't go weird
enough on it. But give me Clinging and r W three.
You know, I'm kind of obsessed with that pairing. Now
Avdya Tumani Kamara and then Shade and Sharp will be
my point guard in that scenario, so you just have
an Avia will playmake two. I feel like that's a
ton of defense. And then just like if Shayton kind
of pops, maybe you get your shooting from him. Maybe
Avdy hits enough threes terrible four spacing overall, probably, but
I feel like they would ruin lives defensively.
Speaker 2: Wouldn't that be fun if the Blazers turned out to
be a really good defense.
Speaker 1: I mean, look, I root for chaos and the unexpected.
So the best thing ever would be if we were
having a discussion months from now the Blazers are like
ninth in defense or something wild like that. I would
love it.
Speaker 2: From your mouth to God's ears.
Speaker 1: So, Tara, as we record this, they're over under is
set at twenty two and a half, which is five
wins fewer than last year, even though they have more
talent on the roster. Would you take though the direction
they're headed in what we saw at the end of
last season. Would you take the over the under on that?
Speaker 2: The under?
Speaker 1: Wow? So are you just bet you think they're gonna
be Is there any team in the West you could
see them being better than? If you're taking me under on.
Speaker 2: That, any team in the West that they could be
better on? Better than? I mean, I think they're I mean,
the Blazers haven't done this for the last three years
to give up now.
Speaker 1: So it's like if they come out too good out
of the gate, that's when the trades start happening earlier.
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't know. I feel bad talking about
the team like this, and there are a lot of
the reason I talk about like this is to protect
my own expectations and to not like, you know, we're
you know, worry about like are they going to be
too good? Like I think they have a lot of
really fun pieces and like you've said, they have up
and down the roster, or they have players that could
be like perfectly good. I just talk about them like
this because I feel like it's guarding my heart and
protecting myself from you know, the inevitable, because you know,
the front office has a plan and they announced that
plan very loudly when they traded Damian Lillard and so like,
I can either get on board and you know, ride
with the train that has left the station, or I
guess there's other options. But at this point, like, there's
so many tantalizing players and I've overused that word. There's
so many intriguing players in the upcoming draft. It seems
crazy to me that to go through all of this
effort for a fourteen percent chance at the number one.
But there are so many players up and down the
roster that again, the Blazers are trying to find that guy.
And I think, I mean, there's so many players in
the draft, in the upcoming draft that might have that potential.
I just don't see them giving it up. Oops, we
made it into the plane. I think you're made it
into the playoffs. I think that's a couple of years
from now.
Speaker 1: Look, so the goal is to win the NBA Cup
and finish with the worst record in the West. There's
nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 2: And if you win the NBA Cup, that last game
doesn't even count of get your against your record if
you're looking at it that way. God, people are gonna
hate listening to this. I just feel so awful. I
love this team. I just have accepted where the front
office is going, and I've just it's less painful to
fight against it and just like think about all of
the potential of the future that this direction could offer us,
rather than just trying to like keep going, keep going,
like big things had to happen, or that's what I understand.
Big things had to happen. The big things happen, and
I'm just doing my best to like be able to
like mentally make it through the next three to four years.
Speaker 1: For what it's worth, I think you're looking at it
from the correct advantage point, and I honestly think most
fans would agree with you as well. I think where
people might diverge is they might be frustrated that, Okay,
this is year two of what is a real rebuild,
and I think a valuable one, but it feels like
year three or four of kind of what are we
doing here? And so had they started this earlier and
like laid out the plan, so it's just the fact
that was sandwiched all together. I think that's maybe where
the discrepancy comes in. But that's my ten thousand foot
view of it. I think you're looking at it correctly, though.
Speaker 2: It's just it just feels so wrong to like root
for losses. And I don't want to root for a losses.
Every win I'm gonna cherish and enjoy. But I find
myself as I'm watching these games looking at wins as
something like, Okay, we're gonna score more than twenty points
in this quarter? Sweet, we scored twenty five, you know,
and like with the rosters that we've had, like those
are legiti things to cheer for, and we're high fiving
each other going way to go. You guys did better
than we thought. And that's just like I said, that's
just that's just how I have to cope with it.
I cannot wait for the day again where the Blazers
like are legitimate contenders, because it will happen. We just
have to ride this out.
Speaker 1: Tara, this was amazing as always. Thank you for giving
me so much of your time. Are you able just
to tell our listeners where they can find you and
and that we have a take podcast as well?
Speaker 2: Sure, if after everything I've said, didn't just like make
every Blazer listener like shut off the phone shut off
there they're listening devices. I you can find me on
Twitter at tcb bigs and you can find the We
have a Take pod on anywhere you get podcasts. We
haven't done many episodes this summer, which is another thing
that's great about maybe not being a contender is you
can take the summer off, but we have a take podcast.
We'll be starting up again soon, and you can also
follow us on Twitter at We have a Take. We
haven't figedigured out what other social media platforms to go
to because we've just been on Twitter for so long
and it's worked out so well for us for so long.
Speaker 1: My old man take is there's too many social media platforms.
Now it's official, there's too many.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm going to just start writing handwritten letters and
I'll be like Dan and we have another episode out here,
you go.
Speaker 1: We'll just start corresponding via mail and get answers like
once every other week. You can find the links too
that we haven't take podcasts, as well as their Twitter
and Tara's Twitter will be in our podcast and YouTube description.
As always, I cannot thank you enough, Tara. This is
always a blast. You use such a fantastic job. I
appreciate your perspective on this team to no end, and
I wish you gave yourself more credit, but just wanted
to end on that note and say this was great
as always and as you know by now, I'll be
besting you again.
Speaker 2: In the future. Thank you'scrossed