The Four Quarters: What we learned about the Trail Blazers 5/20-6/12
The NBA Finals are in full swing with Game 5 set for Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. PDT. Lebron James has solidified himself as the best player on the planet with his performance so far. Stealing home court advantage back with their Game 4 win in Cleveland, the Golden State Warriors’ success the rest of the way weighs heavily on Stephen Curry performing at a level that will match or best James. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers have been busy, despite playoff elimination last month. Over the past few weeks there has been plenty of news surrounding the Trail Blazers, which we will break down right now. As with every week, make sure to leave your comments at the bottom, and submit your Trail Blazers questions to our mailbag via Twitter.
1. LaMarcus Aldridge Free Agency Frenzy
The wait for NBA free agency has Rip City in a frenzy as some signs point toward Aldridge not returning to the Northwest next season. John Canzano of The Oregonian wrote an article about the star power forward and his motives to entertain other offers beyond this season. Of course there will always be a more attractive offer on the table and at times that may be the best decision for a player, but the upswing of this team if the core can remain intact is too high to ignore if you are in Aldridge’s position. In some ways it seems that if Aldridge is able to be re-signed, the next year could hold endless possibilities for this franchise.
2. C.J. McCollum Conducts NBA Finals Interviews
Fresh off of a successful second year in the NBA, McCollum has put his passion for journalism to use. The Trail Blazers guard has been selected by the NBA to conduct one-on-one interviews with players from both teams in the NBA Finals. McCollum has thus far interviewed Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Matthew Dellavedova, and Tristan Thompson, with more interviews to be posted following each game.
3. Terry Stotts Takes the Mound
Head Coach Terry Stotts was interviewed by The Oregonian‘s Jason Quick on his love of baseball and his recent experiences with throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. The Trail Blazers’ coach, being the son of American teachers that moved the family to Guam at age 11, had his baseball career cut short, but the bond shared between father and son over the game is quite clear as Stotts and his father seemed to both have an attraction to the sport. Stotts threw the opening pitch at a Seattle Mariners game last weekend.
4. David Vanterpool earns Denver interview
Trail Blazers Assistant Coach David Vanterpool has been busy this offseason. He recently interviewed for the vacant head coaching position for the Denver Nuggets. The Oregonian‘s Joe Freeman inked an article in which the value that Vanterpool brings to the Trail Blazers organization becomes quite clear. While Stotts is often credited as the guy who developed star guard Damian Lillard, Stotts himself credits Vanterpool. In Vanterpool’s fourth year with the Trail Blazers, his level of contribution to the team’s success goes “beyond his years”.
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