Family Twine

The Blazers are on a bit of a hot streak, and we discuss why with extra attention given to Jusuf Nurkic, Anfernee Simons and CJ McCollum.

We use the Blazers improved play to discuss The Athletic's John Hollinger's Jan. 24th article proposing that this offseason the Blazers should trade Damian Lillard.  While we understand the logic behind what he says, we disagree with his reasoning that a recent uptick in wins should have any effect on the Blazers strategic path for this season and next.  We also discuss why ignoring the record when discussing ways to upgrade the roster is the right call.

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Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

Damian Lillard is out 6 to 8 weeks, but we discuss how the season may have become more interesting for those who are still hopeful for the Blazers to get back on track.  We discuss the Blazers who have a chance to step up and either show they are a part of the Blazers future or perhaps increase their trade value. 

Coach Billups, CJ McCollum and Norm Powell are the big names to watch, but we also discuss the unique opportunity Ben McLemore, Trendon Watford and CJ Elleby have found themselves in a Blazers season that hasn't gone to plan.

Lastly, we spend some extra time discussing how impactful Anfernee Simons' play over the next three weeks is to the Blazers chance to get back to realistic title contention discussion when Dame returns to the floor (either this season or next).

 Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

Damian Lillard gets shut down for an indeterminate amount of time and we ask if the Blazers are tanking or are they just not playing well this season?  And if they are tanking does that mean Dame is out the door and the rebuild is upon us?

We pick out things to watch while the Blazers play without four starters and give a shout out to one of our favorite players, Sir Robert Covington.  Finally, we see the downside of trading CJ McCollum in the middle of the season, both from a business perspective and more importantly a human one.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

We start this episode getting Jackson's insight on high school testing and playing games almost 1/2 your team out due to COVID protocols which helped provide some insight on how the Blazers current predicament may be adding even more frustration to Damian Lillard.  While we don't take sides in the Damian Lillard/Jason Quick spat we worry that it's another sign of Dame's dissatisfaction with things in Portland before turning a more hopeful note of how things could soon be turning for the better.

After a brief talk about CJ McCollum's return, we spend a few minutes shining a light on what we hope has been a really cool experience for the Blazers Hardship Signees; Reggie Perry, Cameron McGriff, Brandon Williams and Jarron Cumberland.

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Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

The Blazers seem broken right now and it's not hard to see how and why.  We discuss the difference between Norm & CJ, why the defense struggles and why it will continue to do so and try to figure out what's keeping Ant from stepping up in CJ's absence.

We also look at a few bright spots and profess are commitment to seeing the season through.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

The Trail Blazers try to reset their culture off the court, but will it pay dividends on the court this season.  We discuss the Front Office "Media Availability" and what to make of interim GM Joe Cronin's comments about the need to fix the roster.  We evaluate the trade value for CJ McCollum, debate the different paths the Blazers could go with a CJ trade and take a step back to figure out what is realistic approach for Blazers fans right now.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

The Blazers fire Neil Olshey but we discuss while things probably aren't turning around quickly for the Blazers.  We try to put ourselves in the lucratively endorsed shoes of the Blazers players to understand why the team is struggling so hard.

We also evaluate the Coach Billups through 24 games and try to decide if any long-term assumptions can be made.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

The Blazers get back on track at home and we look at the keys (see Lillard, Damian).  We also talk about the emergence of the small ball lineup with Larry Nance Jr. at center and the play of Nas Little and Anfernee Simons.

We also come to a key realization about this team from a fan's perspective and identify some things to watch out for to increase our optimism for the season.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

As bad as the Blazers were on the court last week, they may have found a way to be worse off of it.  We discuss a 1-3 road trip that ended with a disastrous blowout loss to Denver as well as the continued investigation of Neil Olshey creating a toxic work environment and the resignation of CEO Chris McGowan.

There seems to be no shortage of issues with the team right now and we discuss what it's like rooting for a team that doesn't seem to have a plan right now.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/

The Blazers are 10 games into the season and it's still tough to get a read on this team.  So I through out some statements about the team and Jackson provides the context.  Is Dame holding the team back?  Are the Blazers holding Anfernee back?  Is the work on defensive end a waste of effort and how long can the Blazers hover around .500 before it impacts their chances to host a playoff series.

We also spend a few minutes talking about the recent report that the Blazers are investigating President and GM Neil Olshey for creating a toxic work environment.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/familytwine or drop us an email at [email protected].

Special thanks to Andreas Moll for the intro and outro music, https://pixabay.com/music/alternative-andreas-woll-onionizer-2005/