Rip City Project gets back together again to discuss the Portland Trail Blazers’ crazy month and what we can expect to see in the future.
If you would have told me the Portland Trail Blazers would be sitting at 8-12 entering December, I’d be ready to hit the panic button and call for some wide-sweeping changes.
However, the addition of Carmelo Anthony and this recent three-game win streak have helped inject some life back into Rip City’s hopes this year. With this new outlook on the season, Rip City Project sat back down to discuss some of the biggest stories unfolding for Portland right now.
Contributors to this roundtable include: Austin Carroll, Stevie Cozens, Ryan Gaskin, Carson Brown, Isaac Baker, Andrew Zahnd and Taz Kahn. Our previous articles can be found here.
Q1. Do you think the Blazers will hold a top 8 seed by the end of 2019?
"“No. Portland has looked great recently, but Phoenix and Minnesota should still stay ahead for a little while.” — Baker"
"“Phoenix was always outperforming expectations, and is now suffering without Deandre Ayton and Aron Baynes to anchor the frontcourt. It’s not at all unreasonable to think Portland has a good chance of passing up Minnesota and Sacramento if they manage to play even slightly above average to finish the calendar year. I think they’ll hold the #7 seed come New Year’s Day.” — Carroll"
"“Yes, they will. Their upcoming schedule sees 12 of the next 16 at home, with only 2 teams to play above .500 in that time (Lakers and T-Wolves). Blazers seem to have worked it out, and should be back in playoff contention in no time.” — Gaskin"
"“Yes. Maybe. Of course. JK. I had a look at the schedule and I estimate we should be .500 by Dec. 23rd if not earlier. Again, maybe the last couple of games is biasing my decision but really hoping we have turned the corner.” — Kahn"
"“Not by the end of the month, but the Blazers have an easier schedule in December and will definitely start making up ground.” — Zahnd"
Q2. Which player has surprised you the most this season?
Skal Labissiere – 3 votes
Nassir Little – 2 votes
Carmelo Anthony – 2 votes
Q3. Which player has disappointed you the most this season?
Mario Hezonja – 4 votes
Kent Bazemore – 2 votes
Anthony Tolliver – 1 vote
Q4. Is Carmelo’s early success sustainable?
Yes – 7 votes
No – 0 votes
Q5. Does Portland still need to make a big trade to save the season?
Yes – 5 votes
No – 2 votes
Q6. BREAKING NEWS: The Trail Blazers have traded for (blank), who’s name do you hope to see on the screen?
Aaron Gordon – 3 votes
Blake Griffin – 2 votes
Danilo Gallinari – 2 votes
Q7. You’ve been given permission to make one adjustment to the rotation, what would you change?
"“Nassir Little might not be the most talented player on this roster, but he is an amazing competitor. Little plays with so much effort and energy, and the Blazers need more of that right now.” — Baker"
"“No Tolliver and Hezonja. They’re simply not talented and brutal to watch.” — Brown"
"“Good things happen when Nassir Little is on the floor. Despite being 10th in total minutes played (soon to be surpassed by Carmelo), he’s the only bench player on the roster with a positive net plus/minus. Nassir is Portland’s best on-ball defender and his energy and hustle is something that should encouraged.” — Carroll"
"“Hassan Whiteside. His empty stats fool the casual fans who don’t see his lacklustre effort on a nightly basis. He needs to shape up or ship out.” — Cozens"
"“I’m always open to giving Skal more minutes.” — Gaskin"
"“Gary Trent Jr. part of the rotation. Find a way Terry!” — Kahn"
"“More small ball/ 3 guard lineups with Dame, CJ, and Simons playing together” — Zahnd"
Q8. Is the starting lineup of Dame/CJ/Hood/Carmelo/Nurkic a contender when 100% healthy?
Yes – 3 votes
No – 4 votes
Q9. Which preseason prediction have you been most wrong about so far this year?
"“I really thought Mario Hezonja was going to have a breakout season. In the preseason, Hezonja was amazing. We haven’t got see him in that form in the regular season.” — Baker"
"“My biggest prediction for the Trail Blazers was based around Zach Collins’ success so that was ruined pretty quick…” — Brown"
"“I believed Portland found immense value for cheap over the summer, but thus far the signings of Anthony Tolliver, Mario Hezonja, and Pau Gasol have been disastrous. You get what you pay for, I suppose.” — Carroll"
"“CJ making a leap.” — Gaskin"
"“I thought Bazemore would be an upgrade over our previous hoard of small forwards.” — Kahn"
"“I thought Mario Hezonja was going to break out and play a huge role for the Blazers. He’s barely getting minutes now.” — Zahnd"
Let’s say the Blazers have finally been given their own G League team. If you were in charge, where would they be located and what would you call them?
"“Eugene Blazers” — Baker"
"“Put them in Seattle and call them the G-Blazers” — Brown"
"“I’d have them close to home for sure, as I think the fans would support them a good bit. As for a team name, I’d want it to be related to the Rose Garden. The Rosebuds? Maybe that’s too weak.” — Gaskin"
"“Beaverton Ballers” — Cozens"
"“Beaverton, OR. makes the most sense to me but Seattle or Vancouver would a ton of fun. If they are in Seattle they can pay tribute to Jimi Hendrix and name the team the “Purple Blaze” with all purple uni’s.” — Zahnd"