Weekend Roundup: Trail Blazers struggling to get back on their feet

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 23: Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers posts up against Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 23, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 23: Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers posts up against Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 23, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

From an MVP caliber start for Dame, to the controversial signing of Melo, this Portland Trail Blazers team has been one of the craziest in recent memory.

The Portland Trail Blazers dropped a critical game to the Cleveland Cavaliers without Kevin Love over the weekend, leaving even more questions than answers surrounding this team.

Can they still contend? Is this just a fluke? Did Portland flop with their offseason decisions? By season’s end, I believe these issues will be resolved. But for now, the team (and fan base) seems to be in a state of total disarray.

Rip City Project is here to share some of the best stories surrounding the Trail Blazers that developed over the weekend.

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As always, we’re committed to bringing you the best analysis, coverage and recent developments. For all things related to the Portland Trail Blazers and their eSport affiliate Blazer5 Gaming, check back in here regularly.

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Best of Rip City Project over the weekend

Three stats that should worry the Trail Blazers: With a healthy sample size of games played under our belt, Stevie Cozens analyzes some concerning trends that are starting to develop with this roster. If the Blazers want to recover, they’ll have to address these issues ASAP.

Don’t pump the brakes on the youth movement: Although the season has gotten off to a rather rocky start, Austin Carroll discusses how the surprisingly solid play of the young core off the bench has been one silver lining to hold on to moving forward.

Portland must capitalize on upcoming schedule: The Blazers opened the season with one of the hardest schedules to kick off the year. With their upcoming games being on the softer side, Ryan Gaskins writes about how this is the time for Portland to build up some momentum and not allow the season to go to waste.

Best Blazers news around the internet over the weekend

How Carmelo prepared for his NBA return: Blazers Edge interviews Alex Bazzell — the man responsible for training with Melo and assisting his comeback — and gets some very interesting insight on what team-specific preparations Anthony took before signing with Portland.

Picking each NBA team’s biggest underachiever so far: Dan Favale crunches the numbers and explains why a certain member of the Trail Blazers could be doing more to pull his weight on the team.

 Blazers continue to play together, preach sticking together: NBC’s Jamie Hudson dives in and discusses how Portland’s internal culture has kept the team glued together with their eyes set on the future. Let’s hope they can start materializing this attitude into wins.

As always, here’s one factoid to hold onto this week. This is the worst start to a season Portland has had since 2007, where they began 5-12. However, following that 12th loss, the Blazers cranked out 13 straight victories (and won 17 of their next 18). Let’s hope this team can recapture some of that magic.