We Have A Take: A Portland Trail Blazers Fan Podcast

This week is all about celebrating Damian Lillard. On the eve of the game that Damian Lillard could become the Portland Trail Blazers’ leading scorer, Tara and Rose talk about the man who means so much to Rip City. How did he get here? What makes him so special? And how lucky are we to witness this milestone?

We have lots of stories and tons of sources you can check out in the list below. With someone as interesting as he is, with so many accolades, accomplishments and awards it was hard to narrow down our favorite Damian Lillard stories. So if we didn’t talk about YOUR favorite, let us know what we missed! Hit us up on twitter (@wehaveatake)  or in the discord server with your favorite memories of Damian Lillard’s career (so far).

All of this PLUS a really exciting Social Media Player of the Week (yes, it's Josh Hart!)

Thank you to Erik Peterson for our awesome new music! Find him on twitter at @shoozumoops.

Join us on Discord! It's a place where we can share our love for the Blazers, talk about games, and get to know other Blazer fans. Give it a try! You can also still find us on Twitter: @wehaveatake, @tcbbiggs @roselharding

Sources

Damian Lillard on the Playoffs, Music and Rookie Moment - Wingin’ it Podcast

The Blazers’ Damian Lillard reflects on building generational wealth - Andscape

[Breakaway] Command (Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard)

[Court-side moms] Damian Lillard's mom Gina Johnson

Damian Lillard Goes as Hard on the Mic as He Goes Down the Lane

Baller. Rapper. Underdog. Don't Sleep on Damian Lillard

Twyman- Stokes Teammate of the Year award 

‘I really bleed purple’: Damian Lillard’s full speech at Weber State Hall of Fame induction banquet | News, Sports, Jobs - Standard-Examiner

Why Damian Lillard Doesn’t Celebrate until its Over Conan O’Brian Show

Guard’s bond with NBA star - PressReader

How Portland fell in love with Damian Lillard in the age of NBA super teams

'If I don't nap, I feel it.' Taking regular naps might seem frivolous, even toddler-esque. But they're crucial in the NBA. – Chicago Tribune

Juan Toscano-Anderson on Dame: https://twitter.com/markhaynesnba/status/1464634012828196867

Dame wanted to wear “Oscar Grant” on his bubble jersey: https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1290109760662990850

Sean Highkin (@highkin) joins the podcast and we covered lots of ground! From pandemic memories all wrapped up in the NBA, the infamous press conference introducing the new coach, chasing down (maybe?) Kevin Durant at a local gym, and what it is like covering the Chicago Bulls vs the Portland Trail Blazers. All this and more!

2:00 Pandemic memories of the NBA

10:45 Sean’s basketball origin story

17:00 Storytelling and the storytelling void

19:15 Remembering the new coach’s introductory press conference.

29:00 All the other stuff Sean has to know about to cover the NBA

33:00 When Kevin Durant was maybe in Portland

39:00 Chicago Bulls vs Portland Trail Blazers beat

44:00 Rebuilding: both sides of the coin

46:00 GMs want to keep their jobs

54:00 The cleanup (from the past decade) will likely continue

56:00 What about this version of the team is real and will last?

Join us on Discord! Its a place where we can share our love for the Blazers, talk about games, and get to know other Blazer fans. Its kind of like Twitter but its not. There are different channels with different topics and you can join in where you want, and ignore the stuff you don't want to see. Give it a try! You can also still find us on Twitter: @wehaveatake, @tcbbiggs @roselharding

Tara and Rose are joined by Jamie Hudson (@JamieHudson_), Trail Blazers studio host and KOIN 6 sports anchor. We catch up with Jamie about doing the Trail Blazers studio show and then we look at early frontrunners for the WHAT 2023 Awards! Plus, Social Media Player of the Week, out latest takes and much more!

1:00 Ice Breaker - Do you ski and or snowboard?

4:00 Checking in with Jamie - Blazers hot start, so different from last season,

5:45 Putting the show together

9:00 Covering last year’s team vs covering this season

14:00 Adjustments, learning, how the young guys are growing.

19:00 Fast breaks lead by Josh Hart

21:00 Communication on defense

22:40 Gary Payton II, we’re ready to watch you play!

28:00 WHAT Award Quarter season check-in

29:30 Bench celebrator man of the year, front runners, Greg Brown III, Jabari Walker, Drew Eubanks

33:45 Assistant coach of the year: Jonah Herscu, Scottie Brooks

38:00 Most valuable mentor, Nassir Little, Damian Lillard, Gary Payton

41:30 Best accessorizer, Shaedon Sharpe, Jusuf Nurkic, Justise Winslow

43:30 Best friendsship. Anfernee and Nassir,

47:30 Social media player of the week

53:00 Our takes for the week

Join us on Discord! Its a place where we can share our love for the Blazers, talk about games, and get to know other Blazer fans. Its kind of like Twitter but its not. There are different channels with different topics and you can join in where you want, and ignore the stuff you don't want to see. Give it a try! You can also still find us on Twitter: @wehaveatake, @tcbbiggs @roselharding

We are thankful for Jerami Grant and Jabari Walker who gave us lots to talk about and for everyone who take the time to listen to our podcast! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

1:00 Icebreaker: what do you think about the new jerseys

7:00 News Sign Ibou Badji waive Olivier Sarr (their other 2-way player is John Butler).

9:00 Olivier Sarr we hardly knew you :(

12:00 Shaedon getting more comfortable in interviews.

14:30 What we learned about Jerami Grant

18:15 Drafted by the 76ers during the darkest days of The Process

20:00 Goes to OKC when they are trying to figure out what to do after Kevin Durant leaves

22:30 Grant with the Denver Nuggets

24:00 Activism

27:00 Hour Generation

30:30 A little more about the Grant brothers

34:00 Basketball royalty weddings

37:00 What we learned about Jabari Walker

39:00 A bit about Samaki Walker first. Samaki Walker draft night suit.

43:00 Jabari’s mom worked for the FBI.

47:00 Early basketball years - late bloomer with a very high basketball IQ

49:00 Highschool at Campbell Hall school in Los Angeles

50:00 Broken arm and leg

54:50 University of Colorado Boulder (announcement video)

57:45 A few more fun facts . . .

1:05:00 Social Media player of the week. Justise Enjoys a Sunset

1:08:00 Takes for the week: Brooke Olzendam is the best. Justise Winslow is right about a lot of things.

Join us on Discord! Its a place where we can share our love for the Blazers, talk about games, and get to know other Blazer fans. Its kind of like Twitter but its not. There are different channels with different topics and you can join in where you want, and ignore the stuff you don't want to see. Give it a try! You can also still find us on Twitter: @wehaveatake, @tcbbiggs @roselharding

Get to know the newest host , Rose, via a game of 2 Truths and A Lie then dive into what we've noticed about the Blazers so far this season. We review that stats that Tara has been tracking (dunks, assists, passing and distance traveled) to determine if their are truly playing a different style. We touch on some of the players who are settling into their roles, like Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Justise Winslow and Drew Eubanks.

We Have A Discord now! Join us and weigh in on the podcast! Help us track this season's awards (see WHAT Awards? Again episode)

2:00 Ice Breaker: 2 truths and a lie

15:15 Where are the Blazers relative to your expectations?

18:00 Blazers are able to play lots of looks

22:00 WHAT is different about this team? What can we compare it to?

24:00 Dunk update and back-up big interlude

31:45 Assists and passing, Anfernee Simons interlude

43:30 Distance, Jerami Grant interlude

49:30 Awards tracking - help us by joining our discord!

57:00 Social Media Player of the week:

1:02:00 What is your take?

1:08:00 Find us on social! Join us on Discord!

Join us on Discord! Its a place where we can share our love for the Blazers, talk about games, and get to know other Blazer fans. Its kind of like Twitter but its not. There are different channels with different topics and you can join in where you want, and ignore the stuff you don't want to see. Give it a try! You can also still find us on Twitter: @wehaveatake, @tcbbiggs @roselharding

We got together a powerhouse lineup of Trail Blazers podcasters to start our annual 2022-23 Trail Blazers Podcast. Thanks to all these guys for joining us!

Tim & Gary, Busted Bucket Podcast

Rob, Blazing the Path

Alex, Unbiased Blazer Podcast

1:00 Icebreaker: How do you cope with a tough Trail Blazer loss?

Comfort food talk

7:00 Bonus icebreaker - comfort food!

8:30 Getting to know Alex and Unbiased Blazers Podcast.

10:45 Getting to know Rob and Blazing the Path

13:30 Getting to know Tim, Gary and Busted Bucket Podcast

17:30 Anfernee Simons stepping into his role

18:30 Are Josh Hart and Jerami Grant going to play good cop and bad cop in the first half and second half of games this season?

19:30 Shaedon Sharpe gaining confidence

20:30 Damian Lillard’s calf. No big deal?

25:30 Will the Blazers keep Jerami Grant and Josh Hart after their contracts expire?

34:30 Justise Winslow running the second unit and playing every position.

37:45 Still need more dunks

45:00 Playlist, first pick! Twisted Sister, We’re Not Gonna Take it.

46:00 Queen, The Show Must Go On

47:00 Montel Jordan, This is How We Do It

48:00 Epic High, Encore

49:00 Nina Simone, Feelin’ Good

50:00 Motion City Soundtrack, Don’t Call it A Comeback

52:00 Foreigner, Jukebox Hero

53:30 Men at Work, Dr Heckyll and Mr Jive

56:30 ZZ Top, Sharp Dressed Man

57:00 Dr Hook, You Make My Pants Want To Get Up and Dance

1:01:00 Outros

1:05:00 Final Takes

YouTube Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfje1m6I_TpIaBH4jYX_0qJjg80-NEpjb

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6polSwdSAyFwCwu4YfTYJp?si=ec4ccf162fae4b39

With the Blazers off to a hot start, Tara called on Dan Favale, national writer for Bleacher Report and host of Hardwood Knocks podcast, to give us some national perspective. What can we take away from the wins? Does the defense look sustainable? But first, we learn more about growing up a Knicks fan, attending his first game at Madison Square Garden, first jersey, and how he got his high school newspaper to publish stories about Kevin Garnett. All this and more!

1:00 Icebreaker: What is the best Halloween candy?

4:30 Getting to know Dan. From Knicks fan to NBA writer.

8:00 Patrick Ewing Knicks and hating Michael Jordan. Glenn Rice 4Ever

10:00 Early Knicks game experience.

12:30 Current work being a national NBA writer.

17:00 Hardwood Knocks podcast and how listening to local coverage gives unique and special insight.

20:30 “Why your favorite team isn’t going to win the championship this season.”

25:00 Connectivity and the Portland Trail Blazers

26:00 Dan starts by summing up his assessment of the Blazers so far this year, “Holy crap”.

29:00 Accountability needs connectivity to work

33:00 Dunking.

36:30 Players that have stood out: Josh Hart’s rebounding, Jerami Grant pressure on the basket, overall they have a lot of depth and versatility.

38:00 Will they be able to keep up the defense?

39:00 Brief interlude to trash the Lakers

42:30 What can we learn about the team they have played?

45:40 Some of the upcoming opponents: Pelicans,

48:41 There really don’t seem like there are any teams that the Blazers can’t challenge

49:30 Nets

53:00 What is up with the Jazz?

1:00:00 Grizzlies

1:02:00 Outro. Find Dan @danfavale and @hardwoodknocks

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

We start off with an important announcement, Rose will be the next co-host of the podcast! Next, Tara gives a detailed account of her visit to Sacramento - What actually is so great about the arena? What did she learn about Kings fans and about being a Blazer fan? 

We reflect on some of the highlights of the season so far and go into more detail about what we’re going to be watching for this season. What kind of leadership will we see? Will Damian Lillard get help leading the team? What kind of basketball are they going to play? Will there be more movement, both ball movement and player movement? We talk about things we can quantify and things we can observe.

Plus we shout out listeners and Twitter friends we recently met, talk about Halloween costumes (Fruit of the Loom and Up!) and the first time we met!

:30 Rose has been called in to help out as the new co-host while Cassidy is on injured reserve

1:00 Icebreaker

6:45 Sacramento Trip

10:00 Kings Fans

11:30 Quick 2002 WCF story, Kings fans may want to skip it

14:00 Fan psyches. Other franchises have it worse than we do.

20:45 Close up observations of the team working together.

23:00 What defensive accountability actually looks like.

25:30 We’re getting fast breaks now?

26:30 Bench celebration man observation

28:00 How are teams adjusting to the take foul rule

28:45 Meeting fellow Blazer fans! Come up and say hi if you see us!

34:14 What We’re watching for this season

34:45: Things that tell the story of what the coach is doing. Who is going to emerge into what roles? What is their identity?

38:10 Are they going to spread the leadership around?

42:45 Is Jusuf Nurkic going to take on leadership of the big men? Hoping Trendon Watford returns soon.

45:30 Where are all the minutes going to come from?

49:15 Dunks, assists/passes, how much young guys play

51:45 How much are guys moving off the ball?

54:00 What are our takes?  Drew Eubanks is a perfectly serviceable backup big. Josh Hart will be the new Evan Turner in terms of leadership (with a jump shot).

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Announcing 2023 Trail Blazer WHAT Award Categories

WHAT are the Blazers really playing for this season? The Second Annual We Have A Take Awards of course!

After careful consideration and applying lessons learned from our First Annual Trail Blazers W.H.A.T. awards, we’re back with our most ambitious slate yet! We’re looking forward to a fiercely competitive year both on and off the court. Tara (@tcbbiggs) is joined by Rose Harding (@roselharding) to decide which awards we'll be giving out this season plus: preseason reflections, offense vs defense, new players and more!

Announcing the 2023 Categories:

R.I.P. MVP Award (Most Valuable Pet)

1:00 What are you wearing on opening night?

6:00 Prep for Sacramento Road Trip!

9:00 Well worn team gear is probably good luck

10:15 What is different about the new vets on the team compared to vets who were added to the roster in the past.

14:30 Preseason reflections: Jerami Grant fits but he’s not the all-purpose Swiss Army Knife who is going to do everything.

17:30 The team is way more athletic than they have been in a long time and it shows!

20:00 Do more people like offense than defense?

21:30 Award recap and discussion: Coach of the Year

25:45 Most Valuable Pet We don’t even know if anyone has pets anymore! We think Keon Johnson has a dog.

30:30 Bench Celebrator Man of the Year. NBA is trying to ruin bench fun thanks a lot Theo Pinson. We will persevere. Bench players will innovate. We shall overcome.

38:20 Most Improved Fits. Fashion Award is good, but hard to evaluate improvement.

43:00 Proposals for new awards - Best Friendsship

44:30 Most Valuable Mentor

47:30 Social Media Player of the Year

53:30 Outro

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Rafael Barlowe (@Barlowe500) blazed his own trail to become one of the most connected and sought after people to talk to about upcoming NBA prospects. He also happens to be a long-time Trail Blazers fan! Tara got to know him, heard more about how he got to where he is today and talked about the Blazer’s younger players. Tune in, and if you don't already follow his work, you'll have a new favorite source for NBA draft content!

1:00 Taking over NBA Big Board from Chad Ford

7:00 Icebreaker (even though the ice was broken!) What is your favorite season and where?

8:00 Rafael is a Trail Blazers fan! Like from waaaaaay back!

9:36 How Rafael became a basketball/Trail Blazers fan

13:00 It's always fun to remember a Blazers win over the Jazz

15:15 The journey to his dream job

19:30 Learning the business

21:00 Getting his first video featured on Washington Post

24:00 First jobs in Europe

25:45 Keep tweeting- you never know who is watching!

28:45 Young players playing - how many players do you have to learn about to be ready to do the draft work?

31:30 Jabrai Walker thoughts “he had a magnet to the ball”

33:00 Trendon Watford thoughts

34:30 Brandon Williams gets cut :(

36:00 Mike Schmitz to the Blazers and international scouting

39:45 Keon Johnson thoughts - will he end up being the biggest part of that Clippers deal?

41:45 How the team has changed since the lost to the Pelicans in the first round

42:45 Greg Brown III - Will he find a place on this team?

44:15 Shaedon Sharpe - his role is one of the top 10 storylines as the season develops

48:15 Thoughts on the new coach?

53:30 Wrap up - where to find Rafael’s work and what to look for this year

Thank you for listening to the WHAT podcast! You can support the show & help us out by leaving a 5-star rating and a review on iTunes!

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License