Preseason game Portland vs Phoenix 7:00pm KPDX

[Brandon-Clyde]

vs






Time: 7:00pm
Place: Phoenix
TV: KPDX

GLB of the game Barbara Eden

Spoiler:

[DC_Melo]

I’m so excited for this game!

I live in Phoenix and Suns preseason tix are going for pretty cheap. Found a deal last night on a row 1 courtside seat… Preseason or not, how many chances do I get to see the Blazers this up close? Gonna get there when the arena opens to watch the warmups!

Look for the Blazer fan under the basket near the visitor bench with the Shaedon Sharpe Airport Carpet jersey

[ebott]

Love that it's on broadcast TV. Hoping this is a sign of things to come.

[Brandon-Clyde]

Have to miss the game because sleep. Have to wake up at 2Am to get ready for work. So here are the the quarter by quarter GLB pics.

1st quarter

Spoiler:

2nd quarter

Spoiler:

3rd quarter

Spoiler:

4th quarter

Spoiler:

[PDXKnight]

Gonna be an up and down year. Pretty meh game for Scoot

[GreenRiddler]

Well this game is a prime example of why Ant is the lead guard that the offense runs through. Scoot didn’t have a lot of guys to work with though as most of these guys not named Shaedon have 0 NBA games to their name.

[PDXKnight]

Well this game is a prime example of why Ant is the lead guard that the offense runs through. Scoot didn’t have a lot of guys to work with though as most of these guys not named Shaedon have 0 NBA games to their name.

It'll ne interesting to see this roster full

[zzaj]

I’m so excited for this game!

I live in Phoenix and Suns preseason tix are going for pretty cheap. Found a deal last night on a row 1 courtside seat… Preseason or not, how many chances do I get to see the Blazers this up close? Gonna get there when the arena opens to watch the warmups!

Look for the Blazer fan under the basket near the visitor bench with the Shaedon Sharpe Airport Carpet jersey

Curious what your impressions were sitting that close…

Looking at the box it looks like some tired legs creeping in a bit. Nobody but Mays hitting from outside.

Looks like Mays got his +15minutes, and as ususual played well above that split.

I would still rather see a Scoot/Sharpe backcourt be forced to have to figure it out than watch CJ-lite pound the air out of the basketball.

[DC_Melo]

I’m so excited for this game!

I live in Phoenix and Suns preseason tix are going for pretty cheap. Found a deal last night on a row 1 courtside seat… Preseason or not, how many chances do I get to see the Blazers this up close? Gonna get there when the arena opens to watch the warmups!

Look for the Blazer fan under the basket near the visitor bench with the Shaedon Sharpe Airport Carpet jersey

Curious what your impressions were sitting that close…

Looking at the box it looks like some tired legs creeping in a bit. Nobody but Mays hitting from outside.

Looks like Mays got his +15minutes, and as ususual played well above that split.

I would still rather see a Scoot/Sharpe backcourt be forced to have to figure it out than watch CJ-lite pound the air out of the basketball.

Just got home from the game!

Biggest takeaways:

-Grayson Allen is super short lol. Like, Scoot Henderson short. Was covering Sharpe and Sharpe had at least 2 inches on him.

-Speaking of… there is no way Scoot is only 6’2. And if he is, he is easily the biggest 6’2 human I have ever seen. Seemed frustrated today with some of his teammates choices, or perhaps with himself for not clicking with his teammates. It was an off night but he clearly didn’t have much chemistry with today’s rotations.

-Pooh Jeter is so awesome. I went to school with him at UP and we were in the same graduating class. Got to catch up with him for a solid 10 minutes pre game and I am so glad he is with the organization. One of the nicest and most basketball savvy people alive.

-Simons was very engaged and involved in the team huddles. He even shot some warmups in street clothes (sank them all too) and was clearly focused on motivating the younger guys. First off the bench to give high fives during timeouts.

-Camara has literally no chill. Looked very upset with himself over his foul trouble tonight. Not a great game from him but the intensity was still there.

-Sharpe may have a non-chalant demeanor, but he was non-stop talking to the coaching staff throughout the game and seemed very engaged in what they were preaching. I think his body language leaves him a bit misunderstood.

-We did NOT talk at all as a team on defense. Not surprising giving our rotations tonight, but Scoot and Sharpe were the only ones chirping and it was barely audible. Hopefully vets like Brogdon and Timelord change things

-Rupert is soooooooo bad. Like, so so bad. Just not an NBA player. He’s 2 years away from being 2 years away from being 2 years away. Very hesitant to do anything and has soft takes in general. I know it’s early but I doubt he shows much during his rookie contract to warrant getting resigned to a second contract.

-Reath had some decent minutes, but he does not look comfortable at all out there. Don’t get fooled by his stat line… he was the beneficiary of most the good passes we had tonight.

-Brogdon warmed up for a solid hour before the game even tho he wasn’t slated to play, worked up a legit sweat, then sat chatting with his son for a solid 15. Hard not to like the guy… just seems like a good dude.

-Kris Murray did the most with his minutes tonight. He’s a lot leaner in person than on film… I’m guessing some of that is results from working out with NBA trainers… he looked lighter on his feet today.

-If Ayton’s points total ever exceeds the amount of bling accessories he wears, he will rival Wilt in scoring records. I almost went blind glancing at one of his wrists.

[Moonbeam]

I’m so excited for this game!

I live in Phoenix and Suns preseason tix are going for pretty cheap. Found a deal last night on a row 1 courtside seat… Preseason or not, how many chances do I get to see the Blazers this up close? Gonna get there when the arena opens to watch the warmups!

Look for the Blazer fan under the basket near the visitor bench with the Shaedon Sharpe Airport Carpet jersey

Curious what your impressions were sitting that close…

Looking at the box it looks like some tired legs creeping in a bit. Nobody but Mays hitting from outside.

Looks like Mays got his +15minutes, and as ususual played well above that split.

I would still rather see a Scoot/Sharpe backcourt be forced to have to figure it out than watch CJ-lite pound the air out of the basketball.

Just got home from the game!

Biggest takeaways:

-Grayson Allen is super short lol. Like, Scoot Henderson short. Was covering Sharpe and Sharpe had at least 2 inches on him.

-Speaking of… there is no way Scoot is only 6’2. And if he is, he is easily the biggest 6’2 human I have ever seen. Seemed frustrated today with some of his teammates choices, or perhaps with himself for not clicking with his teammates. It was an off night but he clearly didn’t have much chemistry with today’s rotations.

-Pooh Jeter is so awesome. I went to school with him at UP and we were in the same graduating class. Got to catch up with him for a solid 10 minutes pre game and I am so glad he is with the organization. One of the nicest and most basketball savvy people alive.

-Simons was very engaged and involved in the team huddles. He even shot some warmups in street clothes (sank them all too) and was clearly focused on motivating the younger guys. First off the bench to give high fives during timeouts.

-Camara has literally no chill. Looked very upset with himself over his foul trouble tonight. Not a great game from him but the intensity was still there.

-Sharpe may have a non-chalant demeanor, but he was non-stop talking to the coaching staff throughout the game and seemed very engaged in what they were preaching. I think his body language leaves him a bit misunderstood.

-We did NOT talk at all as a team on defense. Not surprising giving our rotations tonight, but Scoot and Sharpe were the only ones chirping and it was barely audible. Hopefully vets like Brogdon and Timelord change things

-Rupert is soooooooo bad. Like, so so bad. Just not an NBA player. He’s 2 years away from being 2 years away from being 2 years away. Very hesitant to do anything and has soft takes in general. I know it’s early but I doubt he shows much during his rookie contract to warrant getting resigned to a second contract.

-Reath had some decent minutes, but he does not look comfortable at all out there. Don’t get fooled by his stat line… he was the beneficiary of most the good passes we had tonight.

-Brogdon warmed up for a solid hour before the game even tho he wasn’t slated to play, worked up a legit sweat, then sat chatting with his son for a solid 15. Hard not to like the guy… just seems like a good dude.

-Kris Murray did the most with his minutes tonight. He’s a lot leaner in person than on film… I’m guessing some of that is results from working out with NBA trainers… he looked lighter on his feet today.

-If Ayton’s points total ever exceeds the amount of bling accessories he wears, he will rival Wilt in scoring records. I almost went blind glancing at one of his wrists.

I love this snapshot! Thanks for sharing. Hope you're able to attend more Blazer games this season.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

I don't think there was anything learned this game except that the young guns aren't ready for the big time yet. Too many players sitting, it was basically a try-out for those 13-15th roster spots.

Hot take and I know controversial but I almost want to see the team go full "you gotta earn it kid" and start Brogdon/Simons with Scoot/Sharpe off the bench. I just think there is a right way to earn your place in this league and Brogdon should not be coming off the bench, certainly not if we want to shop him as a midseason pickup to a team willing to pay for a starting level guard. Scoot will be fine long-term taking over starting duties midseason, I don't think that would have any impact to his overall development. Again I get the argument that Scoot should start from day 1 and I think he certainly can without much issue, but I think there is also some benefit to delaying that by a few months.

We are on a long path again. There are 3 goals this year and it basically looks like: pump and dump our vets by the trade deadline, then play our young players a bunch late season and finally end up with a decent draft pick.

Anyways, roughly then the roster would shape up something like this to start the season:

Brogdon - Simons - Thybulle - Grant - Ayton
Scoot - Sharpe - Knox - Walker - Williams
Mays - Rupert - Camera - Murray - Reath/Brown (both on 2 way contracts)

And then we are set up to be a one-stop for any teams looking to make a move during the season with all 5 of those starters being available. We got veteran guards, wings, forwards and bigs that we aren't very attached to, but if the combo of them can appear decent long enough to squeeze all the value possible then it might be worth it, with a next man up mentality from the bench.

There is plenty of time late in the season to give the young players a long leash but I like starting a season with setting expectations and respecting the seniority somewhat, making younger less experienced players earn it. Like the coaching staff and the players should always be unified in the message that this is always about winning... with the understanding that it is also a business where the better we do the more likely that if and/or when they are traded it is to the best possible situation, to the team that values them the most for the most important part of the game (the playoffs). But also that no one is handed anything they don't earn.

And hey, there is also the off-hand chance that something clicks with our oldest, most highest paid players. There is more potential defense there than we have had in a long time, but it depends on Grant and Ayton really stepping up, which really depends on Billups being able to get that effort out of them. I'm not really holding my breath for that for many reasons, but by starting and giving them the most minutes early in the season at least we can try to get the most out of them with this second round of rebuilding moves.

Again, it is a long road ahead of us.

[remi_222]

Honestly, being french i really got myself interested by Rupert, also mostly bc of his dad who was a international french player, and deceased tragically. So a lot of mixed emotions, and see this kid persueing his goal blablabla ...
But this kid is not good enough to play in the NBA, just long arms but thats it ! He's so not fast at all, horizontally nor lateraly.
Its a loooong time project ! I really hope im wrong but i dont see it !

[BlazersBroncos]

Honestly, being french i really got myself interested by Rupert, also mostly bc of his dad who was a international french player, and deceased tragically. So a lot of mixed emotions, and see this kid persueing his goal blablabla ...
But this kid is not good enough to play in the NBA, just long arms but thats it ! He's so not fast at all, horizontally nor lateraly.
Its a loooong time project ! I really hope im wrong but i dont see it !

His combine testing was uniquely bad. Like, if he makes it as a player with that type of testing he will be a unique case study bad.

I dont have much hope. I still like the swing in R2 due to his length but its a really long shot.

[zzaj]

I’m so excited for this game!

I live in Phoenix and Suns preseason tix are going for pretty cheap. Found a deal last night on a row 1 courtside seat… Preseason or not, how many chances do I get to see the Blazers this up close? Gonna get there when the arena opens to watch the warmups!

Look for the Blazer fan under the basket near the visitor bench with the Shaedon Sharpe Airport Carpet jersey

Curious what your impressions were sitting that close…

Looking at the box it looks like some tired legs creeping in a bit. Nobody but Mays hitting from outside.

Looks like Mays got his +15minutes, and as ususual played well above that split.

I would still rather see a Scoot/Sharpe backcourt be forced to have to figure it out than watch CJ-lite pound the air out of the basketball.

Just got home from the game!

Biggest takeaways:

-Grayson Allen is super short lol. Like, Scoot Henderson short. Was covering Sharpe and Sharpe had at least 2 inches on him.

-Speaking of… there is no way Scoot is only 6’2. And if he is, he is easily the biggest 6’2 human I have ever seen. Seemed frustrated today with some of his teammates choices, or perhaps with himself for not clicking with his teammates. It was an off night but he clearly didn’t have much chemistry with today’s rotations.

-Pooh Jeter is so awesome. I went to school with him at UP and we were in the same graduating class. Got to catch up with him for a solid 10 minutes pre game and I am so glad he is with the organization. One of the nicest and most basketball savvy people alive.

-Simons was very engaged and involved in the team huddles. He even shot some warmups in street clothes (sank them all too) and was clearly focused on motivating the younger guys. First off the bench to give high fives during timeouts.

-Camara has literally no chill. Looked very upset with himself over his foul trouble tonight. Not a great game from him but the intensity was still there.

-Sharpe may have a non-chalant demeanor, but he was non-stop talking to the coaching staff throughout the game and seemed very engaged in what they were preaching. I think his body language leaves him a bit misunderstood.

-We did NOT talk at all as a team on defense. Not surprising giving our rotations tonight, but Scoot and Sharpe were the only ones chirping and it was barely audible. Hopefully vets like Brogdon and Timelord change things

-Rupert is soooooooo bad. Like, so so bad. Just not an NBA player. He’s 2 years away from being 2 years away from being 2 years away. Very hesitant to do anything and has soft takes in general. I know it’s early but I doubt he shows much during his rookie contract to warrant getting resigned to a second contract.

-Reath had some decent minutes, but he does not look comfortable at all out there. Don’t get fooled by his stat line… he was the beneficiary of most the good passes we had tonight.

-Brogdon warmed up for a solid hour before the game even tho he wasn’t slated to play, worked up a legit sweat, then sat chatting with his son for a solid 15. Hard not to like the guy… just seems like a good dude.

-Kris Murray did the most with his minutes tonight. He’s a lot leaner in person than on film… I’m guessing some of that is results from working out with NBA trainers… he looked lighter on his feet today.

-If Ayton’s points total ever exceeds the amount of bling accessories he wears, he will rival Wilt in scoring records. I almost went blind glancing at one of his wrists.

Thanks for posting your takeaways!

That’s not a good sign about lack of talking on defense…there should be MORE talking on defense if it’s players who aren’t used to playing together. But technically, the talking should be there no matter what…that’s on coaching.

It will be very interesting to see how Scoot handles adversity. He’s obviously got a lot of pride, and at least outwardly has high expectations of himself. He’s going to get his a$$ handed to himself most nights in the NBA playing against men who are as big and strong and fast as he is, know all the plays the team runs, and exactly what he likes to do on the court. Ages ago I had a conversation with Terrell Brandon about his transition to the NBA. He told me the hardest part was “facing a better version of myself” every night…one that knew exactly how to stop everything he wanted to do. Apparently in college it wasn’t like that for him…

[DC_Melo]

Thanks for posting your takeaways!

That’s not a good sign about lack of talking on defense…there should be MORE talking on defense if it’s players who aren’t used to playing together. But technically, the talking should be there no matter what…that’s on coaching.

It will be very interesting to see how Scoot handles adversity. He’s obviously got a lot of pride, and at least outwardly has high expectations of himself. He’s going to get his a$$ handed to himself most nights in the NBA playing against men who are as big and strong and fast as he is, know all the plays the team runs, and exactly what he likes to do on the court. Ages ago I had a conversation with Terrell Brandon about his transition to the NBA. He told me the hardest part was “facing a better version of myself” every night…one that knew exactly how to stop everything he wanted to do. Apparently in college it wasn’t like that for him…

Yea, not a good sign on defense to be sure. I think it was a case of a lot of guys that don’t usually get minutes not finding their voice on the court, but I agree that’s something that proper coaching should fix. The Suns weren’t much better, but I only got to see their defense in the second half, when they sat all their starters.

As for Scoot, I agree he will see a lot of new challenges in the NBA. I think those challenges will be more scheme based, as he already looks like the fastest and strongest guy on the court, and he’s spent the last two years playing grown men like Kenneth Faried and other ex NBA players. But I’m equally curious as to how he’ll respond.

[mighty_duck]

Anyways, roughly then the roster would shape up something like this to start the season:

Brogdon - Simons - Thybulle - Grant - Ayton
Scoot - Sharpe - Knox - Walker - Williams

From a marketing standpoint, this would be a disaster. Not a lot of fans will show up to see an over-the-hill Brogdon lead us to 34 wins.
I, for one, would more likely be interested in seeing Scoot usher in a new era on his ROY campaign, even if it means fewer wins this season.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Anyways, roughly then the roster would shape up something like this to start the season:

Brogdon - Simons - Thybulle - Grant - Ayton
Scoot - Sharpe - Knox - Walker - Williams

From a marketing standpoint, this would be a disaster. Not a lot of fans will show up to see an over-the-hill Brogdon lead us to 34 wins.
I, for one, would more likely be interested in seeing Scoot usher in a new era on his ROY campaign, even if it means fewer wins this season.

Oh I am sure you are right, the team is going to do everything they can to highlight their shiny new draft pick, even more so after the Lillard drama. The ROY race is probably another good reason to have him start all year. They absolutely aren't going to do what I suggested.

Although even if they did I would have no worry about how much Scoot we would see, the kid is still a player that coaches want to find minutes for even if they didn't have a GM breathing down their neck to maximize his exposure.

[mighty_duck]

So do we keep Reath or Brown as a 3rd string center?
From what I've seen both are serviceable. We haven't had a decent 3rd center in a while, and with injury concerns for Timelord (and to a lesser extent, DA), this is important.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

So do we keep Reath or Brown as a 3rd string center?
From what I've seen both are serviceable. We haven't had a decent 3rd center in a while, and with injury concerns for Timelord (and to a lesser extent, DA), this is important.

Billups did not seem to trust Brown out there at all so I would guess Reath, although both are a long ways from "decent".

[mighty_duck]

So do we keep Reath or Brown as a 3rd string center?
From what I've seen both are serviceable. We haven't had a decent 3rd center in a while, and with injury concerns for Timelord (and to a lesser extent, DA), this is important.

Billups did not seem to trust Brown out there at all so I would guess Reath, although both are a long ways from "decent".

Depends on your expectations...
My expectations of a 3rd string center are pretty low. When needed, and for about 15 minutes a game: Box out, contest drives (and have the length to block/alter shots), be able to hold your ground when being posted by the other team's 2nd string centers, make the occasional lay up or dunk.