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

Intro

Opening comments

Kendyl Bennett!

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

Safety, quality competition... competitive?

Will there be a Ray Felton candidate? 4:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Closing comments

Outro

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices