We Have A Take: A Portland Trail Blazers Fan Podcast

First we talk about how we’re feeling after a rough stretch of games for the Portland Trail Blazers. Injuries suck, waiting sucks, but watching a team lean into its identity, and watching young players make the most of their unexpected opportunities always warms our hearts. We talk about how Deni Avdija, Jeremi Grant, Duop Reath and Toumani Camara are keeping the team afloat while carefully falling down and quickly getting back up.  

Then, We Have A Talk about Sidy Cissoko and what a surprisingly hard time getting pretty basic information about his journey to the NBA. From France to Spain to the G League to San Antonio, Sidy made a lot of stops but we still don’t know how many brothers he has or what he wore on draft night! Local media has a great opportunity here to give us a profile about Sidy (hint hint hint)

0:00 Vibe Check 

5:00 Smart Falls

10:00 Missing games

18:50 Injury slide

22:00 That team ugh

27:00 Article about Communication by Joe Freeman The silence is deafening: A look at 1 of the Trail Blazers’ quietest problems

30:00 We have a talk about Sidy Cissoko

37:30 Relative ages of Blazer players 

40:00 Early life and family

45:00 Languages in the locker room

52:30 Basketball connections

1:01:00 Time with the Ignite

1:15:00 Can’t wait to see Scoot and Sidy play together on the Blazers

Plea for media to do an English language profile of Sidi Cissoko

1:25:00 Takes

Sources

Film Sesh with the G-League Ignite's Sidy Cissoko | The Draftdaq 

Sidy Cissoko 2023 NBA Draft Scouting Report | Prospect Profile | 2023 NBA Mock Draft

Sidy Cissoko | Meet The Rookies Interview with Michelle Beadle

How Sidy Cissoko turned depression into productivity | Pounding The Rock

Sidy Cissoko Was Destined to Land With the Trail Blazers: 'It's a Small World'

One of two players on two-way contracts who are getting lots of playing time time season, Caleb Love was a polarizing figure throughout his college career. We did a deep dive to find out who he is, where did he come from and what was his path to the NBA? Of course, we love Love, and hope that you will too!

After catching up on the week that was the perfect trajectory for a developing team, we have a talk about Blazer Cuties in the league - guys who once played with the Blazers who made a positive impression in RipCity. We found Blazer cuties all over the league, in the G League and playing around the world. If you're wondering what happened to players from Blazers circa 2020-24 we've probably got you covered! Plus, a few remarks about guys who definitely are NOT Blazer cuties!

Plus - Donvan Clingan, Deni Avdija, Robert Williams III, Caleb Love, Sidy Cissoko and Ryan Rupert all get mentioned in our weekly recap . . . .

Its that best time of year, Awards Season! We're announcing the categories for the only awards that count in Rip City, the prestigious WHAT Awards.

Find out what Blazer players (and former players) have to do to get an award this season, the tweaks we've made, and old favorites that have returned. All this plus we answered Takers' questions and got to talk about tattoos, pizza, Rob Williams' ally oops, Kris Murray's steady presence, Orcas gathering in Puget Sound, Amazon Bond Girls and so much more!

2:00 Most Valuable Pet (MVP)

6:30 Most Valuable Blazer (MVB)

7:15 Most Improved Blazer (MIB)

8:00 Celebrator Man of the Year (CMotY)

13:00 As yet non-specific fashion award

18:00 Blazer Cutie Award (and potentially a Blazer Legend award)

Taker questions

25:00 Tattoo for the season

29:00 Thanksgiving tables

35:30 Blowout losses, Kris Murray and missing Matisse Thybulle

46:00 8 pm games and Scoot’s celebrations

50:30 Ranch Pizza ideas

57:00 Dunks dunks dunks!(and a side trip on Coaches Challenges)

1:12:00 We hate to admit it but the Houston Rockets are fun 

1:19:00 Takes The Orcas Are Gathering in Puget Sound. Orcas vs Yachts

1:22:00 Amazon Bond Girls

Thanks to our friends who sent in questions :@hecubus01.bsky.social‬, @hecubus01.bsky.social‬, @jamesgameboy.bsky.social‬, @octdesertlover.bsky.social‬, @athoughtbytim.bsky.social‬

Cutest intro/outro music ever by @shoozumoops.bsky.social

After checking in on the latest news with the team, we go back in time to reminisce about Blazer Road Trips. Thomas Robinson finds a snake in a locker, half the team gets stuck in an elevator, Carmelo Anthony joins the team in New Orleans, Gary Tent Jr makes everyone hold it while staging a photo shoot in the bathroom . . . these memories and more! Tell us what Blazer Road Trip stories you remember!

1:00 Checking in on the last week of Trail Blazer Basketball

15:00 Blazer Cutie Alert! Trendon Watford with his first career triple double

19:00 Memorable Blazer Road Trips

23:00 May 2014 Snake in the Locker Trail Blazers Greeted By Snake In San Antonio Locker Room

2029 January 11 2017 Diversion due to snow

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18456746/portland-snowstorm-leaves-trail-blazers-cleveland-cavaliers-scrambling-play-scheduled-game

36:00 Feb 2019 Blazers get Stuck in an Elevator

Stuck in the Elevator | Rip City Stories 

https://www.blazersedge.com/2019/2/26/18241860/portland-trail-blazers-stuck-elevator-meyers-leonard-evan-turner-enes-kanter

https://www.nba.com/blazers/forwardcenter/team-recounts-harrowing-elevator-experience-boston

47:00 November 2019 - Carmelo Anthony joins the Blazers on road trip

https://andscape.com/features/carmelo-anthony-this-is-a-second-chance-portland-trail-blazers/

51:00 July 10 2020 Gary Trent Jr Fashion Shoot

Trail Blazers' Gary Trent Jr. has photoshoot in airplane bathroom - Sports Illustrated 

57:00 December 19 2022 Damian Lillard becomes all time leading scorer

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35289184/damian-lillard-becomes-trail-blazers-all-leading-scorer

Damian Lillard passes Clyde Drexler to become Portland Trail Blazers' all-time leading scorer 

1:03 February 2023 - Stuck on the Tarmac/Where the Bleep is Tristan?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co_f3KiAeE0/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D

SO much going on in #RipCity!

4:00 The Portland Trail Blazers are so competent!

8:00 Player's seem happy

12:00 Did you hear? Coach got arrested!

22:00 Beating the Gooooooooolden Warriors

24:00 We love having Jrue Holiday on the team

33:30 The Blake Wesley experience (may it continue soon!)

42:00 Kris "The Competent" Murray

51:30 Jerami Grant we hardly knew you!

1:08:00 Donovan Clingan's hands

1:28:00 Takes!

We were joined by the hardest working man on the Blazers beat, Chris Burkhardt of RipCity Radio and the 19:77 Podcast, to talk Trail Blazer's pre-season, our hopes for Yang Hansen and co., and to kick off the 2025-26 playlist. We think you'll think its a banger!

00:01 :00 Intro, catch up, Blazer preseason

00:22:00 Mark Mason appreciation

00:25:00 Play list

00:55:00 Coaching - has Chauncy improved as a coach?

1:20:00 Takes

Cutest intro/outro music ever by @shoozumoops

Today We Had A Talk about Jrue Holiday, Portland Trail Blazers' most experienced player. He's got a huge list of accomplishments, a ton of experience, a fierce love of family and community and we could not be more excited for him to be a Portland Trail Blazer.

00:00 Intro

9:30 Preseason recap (so far)

30:00 All about Jrue Holiday

31:00 Family and early life

49:00 College, meeting his wife, Lauren Chaney

58:00 Draft and rookie season, 76ers team, journey through the NBA

1:05:00 Reflections on what we learned about him

1:15:00 Philanthropic works

1:28:00 Wrap up and odds and ends

1:36:00 Takes

Sources

(remember, some of the linked archived articles were accessed via the public library - go through your local library and use your library card to access hundreds of free resources!)

• 2019 SoCal Basketball Hall of Fame Toya DeCree

• POINT WELL MADE: Sixers' All-Star guard Jrue Holiday is a product of a tight family unit 

•  From boy to man to all-star: The 76ers Jrue Holiday has grown into one of the NBAs top point guards.

• Impact for Influence: Jrue and Lauren Holiday 

• Jrue Holiday is an Incredible Person On and Off the Basketball Court | Sloane Knows! Podcast

• Jrue Holiday is Like Family to Andre & Evan | Point Forward Podcast S1: E8

Fun bonus content

• Jrue Holiday as Modell's Employee Selling His Own Jersey

• 2024 Tenacious D Award WInner

We had a lot of great listener questions and we have a question for you: what should we call listeners of the We Have A Take Podcast? Get you ideas in by telling us on Bluesky: @wehaveatake @tcbbiggs and @roselharding Cutest intro/outro music ever by @shoozumoops

• ‪Team Mom‬ ‪@tcbbiggs.bsky.social‬: Which Blazer cutie will you miss the most? - Anonymous

• ‪The Tortured Florist Department 🍉🍎🌺⛓️⏰‬ ‪@paintnpdx.bsky.social‬ - Stream of consciousness: Which Blazer is most into Halloween? Nate Bjorkgren deep dive? Or has that been done already? 8:00 start times: yea or nay? What’s the number one thing you would want to change in a major renovation to Moda?

• ‪Brandon Mullen‬ ‪@brandonmullen.bsky.social‬ - Do you think the Blazers are looking to trade Scoot? I got fileted in the comments for suggesting they might!

• ‪Jason‬ ‪@hecubus01.bsky.social‬ - Will this season be a trick or a treat?

• ‪Keanu_reevebooks‬ ‪@jamesgameboy.bsky.social‬ - The vibes seem unbelievably good so far and everyone seems to be getting along great, in particular the young core built over the last three seasons (them going to watch Yang at summer league was so nice). I'm wondering, do Dame and Jrue feel left out?

• Blevins Country, Nurkic Road‬ ‪@shoozumoops.bsky.social‬ - What do you hope to see from Jrue this season on the court?

• ‪Twenty Thousand Thorns‬ ‪@20000thorns.bsky.social‬ - Yang Hansen is a Cinnamon Bun. Discuss.

• ‪zaphod b‬ ‪@semicolonoverdrive.bsky.social‬ - umm, I have a question. With Scoot out, who is our backup PG?

• ‪Basketball Jones 🏀🦁‬ ‪@shawnjohn.bsky.social‬ - How great of an impact do you think nearly all games being streamed in China will have on the minutes Yang Hansen plays? Obviously he has to play up to his NBA potential but one has to think there will be a little pressure to encourage tapping into that market by extending his minutes.

• ‪Basketball Jones 🏀🦁‬ ‪@shawnjohn.bsky.social‬ - Do you think fans are putting too much importance on the Grant/Sharpe starting conundrum or do you think it's warranted?

Tara and Rose catch up on the Kawhi Leonard news, the enshrinement of Carmelo Anthony and the 2008 Redeem Team in the Basketball Hall of Fame, plus, who was on the Blazers 2019-20 Roster (it never stops surprising us) and this season is brought to us by Deandre Ayton!1:00 Kawhi Leonard and who else is getting sweet deals? 13:00 Basketball Hall of Fame, Carmelo Anthony and the Team That Set The Conditions For the Redeem Team (long live the 2004 Olympic team)31:00 What we'll be watching for this season: Will Shaedon Sharpe play defense? 37: 00 25 point quarters40:00 Who closes games? 42:00 Jrue Holiday defense and who guards the best player on the other tea49:30 How many minutes does Donovan Clingan play54:00 What is Jerami Grant doing? 1:05:00 Takes!Cutest Intro Outro music ever by @shoozumoops