We Have A Take: A Portland Trail Blazers Fan Podcast

Highlights

1:00 Icebreaker: Catching a foul ball at an A’s game and a football at Autzen Stadium. 

5:30 Damian Lillard game-winning 3 against the Lakers. Devon couldn’t help but cheer on press row.

8:00 DeVon grew up in the Bay Area playing three sports. Basketball drew him, he especially loved his team. Played four years at Diablo College and Pacific University. As soon as he graduated from college he went right into a sports media internship.

11:00 Was inspired to go into media by a teacher at Pacific University. Had an early internship with John Canzano. He learned from Canzano to be himself. 

15:00 Wake Up and Win podcast was inspired by Dr Jules Boycoff’s class on sports and politics.

22:00 Technical difficulties ……...

23:00 Back to basketball, after dating a Warriors dancer he fell in love with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. 

27:00 Perspective on the team from someone who didn’t grow up a fan. Wants to see Damian Lillard win a championship, especially because of his loyalty to the city. 

29:00 What would it take for the Blazers to take the next step? They need a second all star, and it's not likely to be CJ McCollum. But it could be Jusuf Nurkic? 

31:00 Nurkic’s strong return in the bubble was encouraging. 

34:00 Off-season was really good for bringing in guys who are complimentary pieces. Melo was a good get because he is probably really confident after the bubble. Covington is the best wing they have had in a long time, he can be both 3 and D. Not having to constantly switch out wings for offense or defense gives them a lot more versatility.

37:00 Covington has a big load on his shoulders. There are big expectations for him to be a difference maker right away.

40:00 Younger players who will have a big impact. Anfernee Simons is in a good situation, playing behind Damian Lillard and having Lillard’s confidence will be good. His athleticism may give him All-Star potential. 

43:00 Gary Trent Jr could have a really long and solid career and be a key role player. DeVon doesn’t see him as an All Star. 

46:00 Which outstanding bubble performances are going to turn out to be real and which will be a mirage? 

50:00 What do we feel now that we are hearing about players getting COVID-19? 

58:00 Outro

Find DeVon Pouncey on Twitter @Pounce_Station and find Wake Up And Win on Apple podcasts

Thank you for listening to the WHAT podcast! 

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

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

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify

Find us on Twitter

@wehaveatake

@tcbbiggs

@CassidyGemmet

Part of 

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1:00 Icebreaker: Favorite shared sports memories

12:00 Really well thought out off-season.

13:00 Realistic expectations for Rodney Hood. Restricted minutes, brought back carefully. Be very cautious and don’t let him overdo it. Need to have patience. 

15:40 New personnel rebounding

16:30 Derrick Jones Jr is a really good team defender and communicator. Blazers are good on offense, they don’t need another player who can shoot, an athletic wing provides new options. He’s a good off-ball mover.

19:00 Who is going to throw him lobs?

21:45 Role for Gary Trent Jr? The bench is going to be fun. Does Gary finish games? He’s so good at locking up the best player in one-on-one and he can shoot. 

24:40 We are so ready for GTJ vs Luka Dončić.

26:00 You need a balanced lineup to compete and Gary brings nice balance. 

26:45 Carmelo Anthony reaction. He will be a good release valve on the second unit and will do well if called on to start as well. 

28:45 Melo for 6th man of the year award. Lets go ahead and sweep: Dame for MVP, Melo for 6th man, Gary for Most Improved, Covington for Defensive Player of the year. Yeah these realistic expectations are going great. 

30:00 Other teams in the west didn’t get that much better. 

33:00 Enes Kanter returning made sense for all the teams involved. It was a good move for Celtics. 

34:00 Where does this leave Zach Collins?

35:00 There are a lot of guys who are “known quantities”. 

37:00 Harry Giles is a passing big, but he doesn’t shoot 3, so he and Kanter probably won’t be on the court together. 

39:00 Coaching changes around the league. What is the deal with coaching super teams? 

41:00 Evan Turner on the Celtics coaching staff

45:00 We’re glad the Blazers get Christmas off!

47:00 Some former Blazers updates: Mason Plumlee is a good vet for Detroit, Wesley Matthews to the Lakers 

51:00 How do we really feel about the Lakers?

52:00 Not getting caught up in the national media opinions. 

53:00 Good luck to Hassan Whiteside. 

56:00 We could not talk ourselves out of an exciting year for the Trail Blazers. 

58:00 Greater Medford Multicultural Fair: check them out on Facebook!

Thank you for listening to the WHAT podcast! 

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

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

Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify

Find us on Twitter

@wehaveatak

@tcbbiggs

@CassidyGemmet

@bluewirehustle

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1:30 What are people going to love about Robert Covington? Great length makes him a good defender. He can make big shots when needed. 

3:00 What was his role in the small ball system that Houston was running?

6:30 Strengths on defense

7:30 Average performance during the seeding games but was consistent in the 12 playoff games. 

9:00 Can get into foul trouble, mostly because he’s a tough defender and offensive players get a lot more leeway. 

12:30 It was sad to see Covington go from Houston both times. He fits in well with Portland’s timetable. 

13:30 How was his fit with the player? As an older guy on the team, could he be helpful for the younger players especially on the defensive end. He has potential to be vocal on both ends. 

Airplane Mode Jones

16:30 Welcome Aaron Washington and JJ 

17:30 Mixed reaction in Portland to the news of his signing. What will Portland fans love about him? High energy player, never stops on offense or defense. Switch heavy defense is a strength for him. Loves to win and have fun. 

19:15 Energy and ability to guard multiple positions are going to be useful for Portland

20:30 What was his development in Heat rotation/culture like? He was pretty raw when he came in, he figured out how he could fit and contribute not just by dunking. Hopefully he can get into Portland’s rotation

23:30 Should his lack of playoff minutes be held against him? Not when it comes to a deep run. He was quite effective in the series against Milwaukee.   

25:00 How can we be assured that all his running is not just for the sake of looking busy? He moves because his opportunities to score come from movement. Offensive contribution is through transition and lobs. He’s not standing on the 3 point line.

28:30 Biggest chance for growth: shooting, getting a bit more creative with the ball in his hands. He has improved as a free throw shooter. He’s not done growing and he works really hard to there seems like he hasn’t reached his peek yet. 

32:30 Portland hasn’t been a team that scores a lot of points in transition. Really hoping that a guy who loves scoring in transition can help the team improve in that area. At least maybe the bench will try it. 

33:30 what else would we like to know about him? He seems like a man of few words, which is quite different from his on-court personality. He’s a solid locker room guy. (Plus a special message to Kings fans).

37:00 It's been fun watching Portland’s older players grow up since the joined the team.

37:30 Wrap up. 

Brit can be found at @britrobotista on Twitter and on Clutch City Control Room (@ClutchCityCR) and Stepback Sisterhood (@StepbackSisters) podcasts 

Aaron Washington can be found at @A_a_ron25 on Twitter and the Business Casual Basketball podcast.

JJ Rivera can be found at @JJRiveraNBA on Twitter and 305 Culture podcast and Out of Bounds podcast (in Spanish)

 

Thank you for listening to the WHAT podcast! 

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

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

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify

Find us on Twitter

WHAT Podcast (@wehaveatake)

Tara Bowen-Biggs (@tcbbiggs)

Cassidy Gemmet (@CassidyGemmet)

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It's always a treat to talk to Sacramento Kings fan Jill Adge, co-host of Hoop Ball Kings podcast. She was very happy to tell Blazers’ fans what we are going to love about Harry Giles. From flashes of brilliance on the court to overcoming serious injuries at a very young age to being just a fun person to watch, Blazers fans will learn a lot about Portland’s newest forward/center Harry Giles. 

2:00 What are people in Portland going to love about Harry Giles? He wears his heart on his sleeve. He plays like every play could be his last. He’s overcome so much to get where he is. 

4:00  Projected number 1 pick, two major injuries, so much to go through all before 16 years old. He wrote about it in a Players Tribune article after he was drafted: No Spoilers

5:45 Early comparisons to Chris Webber, there have been flashes of that when he has played. 

7:00 Initial reactions when Sacramento drafted him were that he was a risky pick.

8:30 Red shirt year was mostly about helping him build his body. The training staff that worked with him was very close to him and they are excited for him to get a chance in Portland. 

11:00 In 2018 the “Super Team, Just Young” came out strong. Giles was a big part of that. Worked great in a high post system. Needs to work on long range shots. During this time he worked closely with Vince Carter. 

12:15 Bogdan Bogdanovic praised him. Lots of comparisons to big name hall-of-famer types. Lots of pressure. 

13:45 Sacramento Kings fans were shocked that his option was not picked up.

15:30 Prior to the 2019-20 season suspension, Giles again played more and things started to click for him. But Walton avoided playing the younger players. 

18:30 A fun guy, really supportive and welcoming on twitter, helped a local broadcaster get enough tweets so he could wear a Harry Giles jersey to his wedding. 

20:00 He played both center and forward, had a hard time against big centers like Steven Adams.

22:45 Gary Trent Jr is another player who Portland got from Sacramento. 

23:25 Biggest things to watch for are health, fouling, and minutes on the court. The more he plays the better. 

24:40 Drew league story.

26:10 Can’t figure out why the Kings put so much care into developing him but then letting him walk away. It hurt. 

27:30 Nickname: Gizzle, but like gif, its unclear what the correct pronunciation is. 

29:45 Jill can be found on twitter at Jillian Adge (@JillAdge) and if you liked her energy and takes as much as I did, listen to her podcast @hoopballkings. Heck, with so many trades between Sacramento and Portland through the years, you’ll likely hear about future or past Blazers on her show! 

Harry Giles ReferencesHarry Giles Would Like to Re-Introduce Himself (David Gardner, Bleacher Report)

No Spoilers (Harry Giles, Players Tribune)

Harry Giles joins Blazers but still has love for Kings fans, Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee

Thank you for listening to the WHAT podcast! 

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

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

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify

Find us on Twitter

WHAT Podcast (@wehaveatake)

Tara Bowen-Biggs (@tcbbiggs)

Cassidy Gemmet (@CassidyGemmet)

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1:55 Icebreaker: favorite moment from this year’s draft. Payton Prichard getting drafted in the first round, Patrick William’s florist mom, an abundance of graphic ts, athletes at home without a bunch of big cameras in their face.

6:30 Welcome Robert Lord Glovington Covington! On the same timeline as Damian Lillard, this is a win-now move. 

9:30 Coach Stotts is excited and it seems like the chemistry is going to be great. Also, snakes and geckos!

10:30 Covington was a four year college player who was undrafted, it's cool to see someone create a place for themselves in the league. 

13:00 Covington and Hood probably have a higher ceiling than Aminu and Harkless. 

15:00 Was two second round picks too high of a price in the trade for Covington? 

17:05 Welcome CJ Elleby! Coached by Ernie Kent. Comes from the Seattle area. Cassidy loves a lefty shooter. 

20:00 Cassidy helped Tara who momentarily worried that Rodney Hood was leaving.

22:00 Neil Olshey said that Rodney Hood will be ready, but Zach Collins will not. 

23:00 Jamie wasn’t surprised when Carmelo Anthony re-signed in Portland. 

25:00 Melo seemed like he had influence on younger players. Plus he still has buckets in him!

28:25 Cassidy is going to be the Derrick “Airplane Mode” Jones Jr defender. We could have someone who is a Slam Dunk Champion while playing in Portland! 

31:00 DJJ’s first interview. 

35:05 Welcome Harry Giles! Is there a second wave of Blazers forming behind Dame and CJ? He is a clever passer, there is going to be some fun passing. Kings fans were not happy which should make us pretty happy. 

39:50 Dynasty definition for those who were wondering.

41:00 Concerns leading into next season. Injuries are always a concern. 

42:15 Interlude: Is Enes Kanter the Danny Zuko of the Trail Blazers? 

43:00 How ready is Anfernee Simons? We will see but the Blazers believe in him so we do too!

46:00 Anfernee Simons put in a lot of work this summer. Gary Trent Jr did a lot of homework last summer and Simons maybe took a page from his book. 

47:00 Wish there were a few more facilitators in the second unit. 

50:00 What will Jamie’s job in the media be like when the season starts up? 

53:00 Recommended  by the WHAT podcast: Gary Trent Jr.  and Jordan Bolton: A basketball bond that will last forever by Jamie Hudson

Thank you for listening to the WHAT podcast! 

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball and those who want to hear what we have to say.

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

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify

Find us on Twitter

WHAT Podcast (@wehaveatake)

Team Mom (@tcbbiggs)

Cassidy Gemmet (@CassidyGemmet)

Jamie Hudson, NBC Sports Northwest

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Intro: We are now We Have A Take!

2:00 What is Woj’s coffee drinking plan for the week? 

3:15 Live your best life teenagers

3:45 Sports is helping a bit with the mental toil the pandemic is taking. 

6:00 Welcome to I’m So Excited

7:00 This year’s draft will be different but it won’t take away the accomplishment of being drafted. 

11:00 You are just as drafted if you are in your living room as if you were in the Barclays center.

12:45 Draft firsts that are not first picks. 

13:00 First international player drafted. 1973 Milwaukee Bucks selected Swen Nater from the Netherlands

(Note: Mychal Thompson who was born in the Bahamas was drafted in 1978, but because he played at Minnesota he wasn’t considered an international player. He was first foreign-born player taken #1)

16:00 1950 Draft, first Black Players drafted: Chuck Cooper (Boston) Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton (NY) Earl Lloyd( DC Capitols) 

17:30 First Woman Drafted: 1969 Draft. San Francisco Warriors 13th Pick-Denise Long Rife. (pick was vetoed). First woman to be picked whose selection was not voided was Lousia Harris to the New Orleans Jazz. 

21:15 Should New Orleans get their own name back. At We Have A Take we say its okay to have new names! 

23:45 Draft prospects that might (probably won’t) come to Portland.

25:30 A lot of the info I gathered from local are from Blazers Edge and Holy Backboard. 

26:00 RJ Hampton

28:30 Hampton’s swaggy swaggerful shot as described by Cassidy. 

32:00 Rating our excitement level for RJ (draft picks are rated out of five possible stars) Cassidy: 4 Stars, Tara: 3 1/2 Stars

34:30 Saddiq Bey Rating Cassidy: 3 Stars, Tara: 4 1/2 Stars

44:00 Frankly, how they line their suit is very important.

45:00 Tyrese Maxey, Interview re Gary Trent Jr. Sage’s write up on Holy Backboard. Rating Cassidy: 3 Stars, Tara: 3 Stars. 

51:30 Precious Achinuwa. We like to watch players with soccer backgrounds. Rating: Cassidy: 4 1/2 Stars, Tara: 4 1/2 Stars.

1:00 Icemaker: What are we looking forward to with our new podcast?

 

References

Holy Backboard Draft Preview episode

Blazers Edge Draft coverage

NBA draft 2020 – Perfect picks for every team in the first round

NBA Mock Drafts 2020 – Basketball Draft Projections – CBSSports.com

2020 NBA Mock Draft 13.0: Two Round Edition

NBA mock draft: Projecting all 60 picks post-Finals

NBA Mock Draft

We held an NBA mock draft with our writers picking for their favorite teams

2020 NBA Mock Draft & Simulator

The Ringer’s 2020 NBA Draft Guide

2020 NBA Mock Draft: Simulating 3 Trades in Historically Unpredictable Lottery

Thank you for listening to the WHAT podcast! 

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify

Find us on Twitter:

WHAT Podcast (@wehaveatake)

Team Mom (@tcbbiggs)

Cassidy Gemmet (@CassidyGemmet)

 

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