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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Portland Trail Blazers going 3-2 in the first week of the 2025-26 regular season

• The early season play of Jerami Grant, Deni Avdija and Jrue Holiday

• The Trail Blazers doing all the things in the first five games that they said they were going to do during training camp and preseason

• Enduring the highs and lows of a new style of play

• Portland finishing the first week first in steals, second in pace, third in shot attempts, fourth in three-point attempts, sixth in defensive rating and eighth in offensive rebounds

• Jerami Grant putting up historic early-season numbers off the bench

• Getting bested by the LA Clippers due to a difficult second half

• Bouncing back to defeat a shorthanded Lakers team going away

• Donovan Clingan having his best game of the season versus his "vet" Deandre Ayton

• Getting up big versus the Jazz before having to grind out a win in the fourth quarter (thanks in large part to Jrue Holiday)

• The NBA Cup group stage begins on Friday versus the Denver Nuggets at Moda Center

• Robert Williams III is upgraded to questionable 

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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter and Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The report that both Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara signed four-year contract extensions on Sunday

• Why it makes sense to settle business before the start of the regular season

• The Trail Blazers now having a wing rotation of Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija under contract for the next three seasons

• Portland now having 18 players (15 on NBA contracts and three on two-way contracts), the maximum number of players under contract

• Why Shaedon Sharpe's contract, reportedly worth $90 million over four seasons, is a good deal for both the player and the team

• Toumani Camara going from a late second-round pick to one of Portland's most important players over the course of two seasons

• Both Sharpe and Camara being rewarded for what they've already done and getting paid for what they could be

• The Trail Blazers signing Javonte Cooke to their third and final two-way contract

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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Finishing up training camp with the season opener scheduled for Wednesday

• Recapping losses to the Warriors and Jazz in the last two games of preseason play

• Both Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday having their best offensive games of preseason versus Utah

• What, if anything, to make of statistics during the preseason

• Shaedon Sharpe extension eligible until Monday afternoon

• Trail Blazers waive Javonte Cooke through he could come back on a two-way

• Rounding up all of Portland's current injuries 

• The Trail Blazers starting their 2025-26 regular season Wednesday night versus the Timberwolves at Moda Center

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On the latest edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter and Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers getting to 1-1 for the preseason by beating the Kings Friday night at Moda Center

• Portland doing Friday night versus the Kings what they couldn't do Wednesday night versus the Warriors in San Francisco

• Deni Avdija gets the start versus the Kings after coming off the bench versus the Warriors

• Jerami Grant coming off the bench versus the Kings in the first half and the starting in the second half

• Trail Blazers rookie center Yang Hansen putting on an absolute show during a six-minute stretch of the third quarter versus the Kings

• Hansen's confidence seemingly growing every time he does something right

• Hansen bouncing back from a lackluster debut versus the Warriors and a so-so first half versus the Kings, which will serve him well throughout his rookie season

• Understanding the comparisons between Yang Hansen and Nikola Jokic

• The upcoming games versus the Warriors on Tuesday and the Jazz on Wednesday

• Making wild guesses about what lineups Chauncey Billups might try in the final two preseason games 

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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers losing to to the Warriors in the first of their four-game preseason schedule

• The game goes down as a loss, but it was really a win for the Trail Blazers

• Chauncey Billups following through on his promise to "tinker" with the starting lineup by starting Shaedon and Jerami and bringing Deni off the bench

• The play of Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan and Deni Avdija in Wednesday's loss to the Warriors

• Everything that we've heard from Shaedon Sharpe 's performance in training camp being reflected in the game versus Golden State

• Yang Hansen's first preseason game

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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Portland having, by all accounts, a great first week of their 2025 training camp

• Building off what they've already done on defense and installing a retooled offense

• New assistant coaches, efficiency and intensity 

• The play of Shaedon Sharpe and Yang Hansen at training camp

• The 2025 Toyota Fan Fest that saw Shaedon Sharpe win MVP (again)

• Jrue Holiday, Yang Hansen, Donovan Clingan and Deni Avdija stand out at Fan Fest

• Trail Blazers begin their four-game preseason schedule Wednesday versus the Warriors in San Francisco 

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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider discusses...

• Trail Blazers' executives having discussions with Tom Dundon, who is heading up a group that has agreed to purchase the franchise

• Injuries to Scoot Henderson and Robert Williams III and how those might effect the start of the season

• Both Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara being up for contract extensions

• Everyone loves Yang Hansen

• Who starts on Opening Night with four of the five spots seemingly secured

• Comments from Chauncey Billups and numerous players about Portland's defensive potential 

• Fan Fest is Saturday at Moda Center

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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Portland's 2025 training camp starting on Monday with Media Day

• The main storylines, including whether Shaedon Sharpe starts and if Yang Hansen cracks the rotation, heading into training camp

• The team announcing on Friday that Scoot Henderson will be out for at least a month with a torn hamstring and what that means for the Trail Blazers 

• Fan Fest, presented by Toyota, scheduled for October 4

• The Damian Lillard Reunion Rally last Sunday at Pioneer Courthouse Square and why it was important

• The upgrades to the Moda Center big screen and the new video boards installs on the end zones

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On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Damian Lillard reunion rally this Sunday at Pioneer Courthouse Square

• The Rip City Rally is underway

• Deni Avdija earning "All-Star Second Team" honors at EuroBasket 2025

• Brian Grant and Terry Porter reportedly taking on new roles with the Trail Blazers and the franchise making a concerted effort to bring former players back to the organization