(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) We’re edging closer and closer to draft season. How is the 2023 NBA Draft picture shaping up? We’re in the meat of the college basketball season and the 2023 NBA Draft picture is starting to take form. There are still plenty of unknowable variables and inevitable surprises at play, but
Portland Trail Blazers
Dec 18, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman (33) dribbles the ball while sitting before warm up before a game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports Tired of puny fake NBA trades that only include a handful of teams at a time? Boy,
From outlier 3-point shooting to the most inexplicable technical foul you’ve ever seen, last night was a weird one around the NBA. There are 1,230 games in an NBA season, stretched out over six months, an enormous canvas on which to paint all sorts of weird and never-seen-before scenes. But sometimes it all seems to
With just three games on the docket in the NBA on Thursday night, the focus turns to the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat in the early games, and the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers later in the night. Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard’s statuses for tonight’s game are in question, which could make
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports The 2022 NBA rookie class has been impressive. Two weeks into the season, here are the way-too-early NBA Rookie of the Year rankings. We are now officially two weeks into the NBA season. This year’s rookie class has made a big impact early. Paolo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin are both averaging
Damian Lillard has been nearly unstoppable but he’s not the only player off to an impressive start in their comeback seasons. One of the most fascinating storylines coming into this season was the abnormally large number of players returning from injuries or other circumstances that caused them to miss all or most of last season.
Are the Portland Trail Blazers primed to bounce back from their 27-55 season? Last season did not go according to plan for the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard got off to a disappointing start before suffering a season-ending abdominal injury. Lillard was limited to 29 games, and he posted new career lows in field goal
The back-cut is among the simplest but most spectacular plays in basketball. Gary Payton II and Bruce Brown are two of the best practitioners of this art form. There is something aesthetically captivating about the back-cut and the way it unfolds. Time slows for a second. From the bleachers or our couches, we can see
Damian Lillard made a comment over loyalty, possibly throwing shade Kevin Durant’s way. With Damian Lillard’s comment hinting about being loyal to one franchise, he may have thrown some shade at Kevin Durant and other NBA superstars who have regularly switched allegiances. Lillard has spent his entire professional career with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was
It’s one of the biggest hypotheticals in NBA Draft history — What if Kevin Durant and Greg Oden had been selected in a different order? The 15th anniversary of the 2007 NBA Draft is here. Sorry, Blazers fans. Let’s get this over with and delve into the latest “What If,” courtesy of Strat-O-Matic, the Market Leader
Caleb Swanigan, Purdue Boilermakers. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Blue Jays: 3 left-handed bats that Toronto should trade for by Eric Treuden Former Purdue basketball star Caleb Swanigan has sadly passed away at the young age of 25. Purdue basketball fans are in mourning, as former Boilermakers standout Caleb Swanigan passed away at the age of
Damian Lillard and other Trail Blazers seemed to shoot their shot with Kevin Durant amid trade rumors but KD’s brother was quick to pour some cold water. Another Brooklyn Nets shakeup seems almost inevitable at this point. After the team sent James Harden away in a trade for Ben Simmons ahead of the deadline this
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Team USA. (Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images) Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin already eyeing LeBron James’ crown by Cody Williams Damian Lillard posted a photo of himself and Kevin Durant, who was wearing a Portland Trail Blazers uniform, on his Instagram Story. The NBA world
As the effects of the overturning of Roe v. Wade ripple throughout the nation, notable professional athletes and teams speak out while many remain silent. There’s an intersection between social justice and sports not because people are changing, but because platforms are. In 1969, Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists
The Portland Trail Blazers acquired Pistons forward Jerami Grant the day before the 2022 NBA Draft, and didn’t give up much in immediate assets. Grant has flourished in his time with the Pistons, in part due to the saying, “Well, someone has to score.” But Grant is a capable wing, and has been on the
Portland Trail Blazers power forward Greg Brown III. (Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports) Kyle Shanahan expects Deebo Samuel at 49ers mandatory minicamp by Owen Crisafulli With the Trail Blazers on the verge of being sold, NBA owners are reportedly against letting them move to Seattle preferring expansion for the city. The NBA is heading for major
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard could not believe the team fell to the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery. Just ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics was the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery. The event was set to determine the exact
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The NCAA Tournament starts this week shining the spotlight on, among other things, some of the best draft prospects in this year’s class. The consensus seems to be that
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. This week on The Long Two, Ben Ladner looked at the difficult decision the Blazers are facing at the trade deadline — whether or not to trade Damian Lillard.
Can the Los Angeles Lakers trade for Damian Lillard after the Blazers dealt C.J. McCollum to the Pelicans? Why a deal is still unlikely: To put it simply, despite the Lakers’ fanbase’s insistence that they trade for Lillard, it’s still quite unlikely. Unless the trade between the Blazers and Pelicans for C.J. McCollum loaded the
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 30: CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center on January 30, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. 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
Both the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans took bold swings head of the NBA trade deadline, but where will those moves ultimately take them? Both the blessing and the curse of building around someone like Zion Williamson is the urgency he places upon the present. A player this dominant, this soon with this kind of
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. We’re just four days away from the NBA Trade Deadline and we’ve already seen some dominoes fall with the Cleveland Cavaliers picking up Caris LeVert from the Pacers for
As the NBA trade deadline approaches, the Blazers face the franchise-defining choice of trading Damian Lillard or holding onto him for another playoff run. The trade deadline typically serves as an inflection point of the NBA season, both for the league as a whole and for individual teams. Championship contenders try to upgrade their rosters,
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. In this season, as COVID-19 has pushed player absences and roster uncertainty to historic levels, reliable depth has never been more important — particularly at the point guard position.
Tyler Herro and Jusuf Nurkic had to be separated on Wednesday night as tempers nearly boiled over the top on the hardwood. The Miami Heat ended up getting a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, but fans were most definitely treated to some extra fireworks in the middle of the action. That’s
As the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Golden State Warriors, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard addressed rumors about his unhappiness in Portland. There’s been a lot of talk surrounding Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers this week, and Lillard has heard enough of it. As the 11-14 Trail Blazers prepare to take on the
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Since the season began, any NBA trade rumors or fantasies have mostly been built around Ben Simmons and the ongoing fiasco in Philadelphia, or lingering pessimism about the Blazers’
While the Suns and Warriors have taken the NBA by storm, the Utah Jazz have quietly improved upon last year’s dominant play with the league’s best offense. The Warriors and Suns currently sit at the center of the NBA world’s attention this week, and rightfully so. The two teams have won a combined 36 of
Longtime Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard revealed how a conversation with LeBron James made him contemplate a move to the Lakers. Throughout his career, Damian Lillard has remained extremely loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers. However, when he and the team fell in the first round of the playoffs last year to a short-handed Nuggets team,
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 8
- Next Page »