Carmelo Anthony is finally back on an NBA roster. Both he and the Blazers are in desperate need of revitalization. Can they make it work? Tuesday night, for the first time in over a year, Carmelo Anthony played in an actual NBA game,, though it was hard to watch him and see signs of the
Portland Trail Blazers
Pau Gasol was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday after being unable to return from foot surgery. Is this the end of his playing career? Future Hall of Famer Pau Gasol was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday afternoon after being unable to successfully recover from a surgical procedure to repair
The Portland Trail Blazers have been searching for another piece to complement their star-studded backcourt. Anfernee Simons might be exactly what they’re looking for. For the past few seasons, Portland has been all about the guard duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Those two have become legitimate stars, but the Trail Blazers but they’ve
After rolling the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden to the tune of a 108-87 final score, it wasn’t the Cleveland Cavaliers who received praise. Instead, local and national pundits destroyed the defeated franchise that got blown out on its home floor by a “hapless” rebuilding team. Of course, when you play in such
The injuries are beginning to mount and NBA teams up and down the standings are looking for fill-in production. Who is being asked to step up? If there is anything that has defined the early portion of the 2019-20 NBA season, it’s injuries. We began the year knowing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson would likely
The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a slow start this season, but Damian Lillard is doing all he can to turn around the team’s fortunes. The Portland Trail Blazers ended a four-game losing streak last Sunday night, with a 124-113 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks. Damian Lillard again led the way, with 30
A couple weeks ago, Basketball Insiders started a series looking over who were some of the biggest surprises so far in this young NBA season. This week, we’re changing it up a bit by taking a look at some of the biggest disappointments. To start this off, we’re looking at the Northwest Division. It’s funny
Danny Ainge is a gambler, only not in the typical sense. Yes, Ainge does, on occasion, deal with money. It’s just part of the job. But, more so than cash, Ainge is often one to gamble on players, whether they are his own or on some other roster. For better or worse, the Boston Celtics
Carsen Edwards gets annoyed when people spell his name wrong. Maybe after Tuesday night’s shooting clinic in Cleveland, that won’t happen anymore. In the first half of the Boston Celtics’ preseason finale, the 5-foot-11 rookie had four points, was in foul trouble and just looked out of rhythm after he got bumped in the head
The Southeast Division saw its fair share of new additions this offseason. And while there is less established talent within the division than there is in the Atlantic or Pacific, there is plenty of youth on the precipice of breaking out. With the NBA season right around the corner, Basketball Insiders’ breakout players series is
At long last, the preseason is finally in full swing, giving basketball fans limited time to process the NBA’s drastically-altered state of play before the 2019-20 season officially tips off in a couple of weeks. But one dynamic that was left mostly unchanged by the wildest summer of player movement in league history? The race
After one of the most transformative summers in NBA history, each conference has a new identity and no definitive team has emerged as the overall favorite to win the 2020 NBA Eastern Conference Championship. The Eastern Conference gained the best player in the NBA, who recently injured his Achilles tendon, with Kevin Durant going to
With the 2019-20 NBA season less than a month away, we’re exploring the most interesting players for each team in the Northwest Division. We’re now less than a month away from the start of the 2019-20 NBA season. Coming off one of the most interesting offseasons in recent memory, it feels like an appropriate time
Remember when the Jazz were supposed to be rebuilding? Neither do we. It’s truly astonishing that in the two years after Gordon Hayward deserted Salt Lake for Beantown, Utah has not only kept the wheels turning, but they are projected to be in a better spot now than they ever were with Hayward on the
Stars are king in the NBA. Every offseason, destinations for these stars are speculated on, and the teams who do land one or multiple are vaulted to the forefront of the conversation. It is true that a team’s title chances are virtually non-existent when they do not possess one of the NBA’s elites. The 2004
In any given year, the NBA is chock-o-block with surprises. Whether it be the out-of-the-blue trade, the surprise breakout or the unlikely contender, there is never a lack of the unexpected. True to form, the 2018-19 regular and postseason had unexpected in spades. There were a number of anomalies last year, both good and bad.
After securing their backcourt for the long term, the Portland Trail Blazers pivoted and put the rest of their faith in the unknown. When Klay Thompson tore his ACL and Kevin Durant broke for the Nets, the rest of the Western Conference sensed an opportunity. As the Clippers, Lakers, Jazz and Rockets all jumped at
MILWAUKEE – 1982: Bill Walton #32 of the Portland Trailblazers looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks circa 1982 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. Mandatory
When comparing the loss of a star player to the loss of a glue player, there’s no question which one is worse. Losing a star can set back a franchise for years, with so many questions surrounding what they should do next in light of his departure. Losing a glue player doesn’t make as much
Every four years, approximately 3,000 Jewish athletes from 40 different nations competing in a total of 19 disciplines partake in the European Maccabiah Games for a chance to win a Gold Medal. This year, the games took place in Budapest, Hungary. Just like the Olympic games, each country fields a team to bring home medals for their respective
With another week gone by, we’ve officially flipped the calendar over to August. Preseason football is starting up, as is Team USA Basketball practice, which signals that fall is right around the corner. It also means NBA Training Camps are somehow only a month or so away. Can you believe it? So what better way
The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to a hefty three-year extension with CJ McCollum. For better or worse, it ensures the status quo for a franchise trying to get over the hump. General manager Neil Olshey has rarely shied away from ponying up the dough for his own players, and the Portland Trail Blazers’ latest
Over the next couple of weeks, Basketball Insiders is grading all 30 NBA teams on their offseasons — additions, subtractions, draft picks, trades, etc — and their potential headed into the 2019-20 campaign. Between today and autumn, franchises will be tasked with figuring out how their roster pieces, both new and old, might mesh together
The NBA’s Western Conference has a lot of potential contenders that will be integrating new pieces, and that means one thing: Someone’s gonna be disappointing! The last 40 days have completely overhauled the landscape of the NBA, and specifically the NBA’s Western Conference. Kevin Durant’s Achilles and Klay Thompson’s ACL took the Golden State Warriors
As the teeth of the NBA offseason approaches, the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks have made a trade. Between last week’s draft and the start of free agency, it’s a bit of a down period in the NBA offseason in terms of concrete moves. But according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski a trade was made
Houston, we have a problem. Yeah, it’s an overdone cliche, but when is it not fitting to tie that quote into any problems going on in the Houston area? For the Rockets, it appears that things are not all too peachy at the moment. Despite both another MVP-caliber performance by James Harden and another hard-fought
After Jusuf Nurkic suffered a season-ending leg injury late in the regular season, the story about the Portland Trail Blazers had been written in permanent marker: Damian Lillard would need to carry this team. Once Portland beat Oklahoma City in the first round, that much seemed true. Box-score sheets would have to read something like
Golden State won game one of the Western Conference finals against Portland by 22. Yet in a sense, the Blazers being here is already a victory. For five years, Golden State’s shadow has stretched across the league, dimming a number of teams’ willingness to compete. Once Kevin Durant came aboard, conventional wisdom held it was
PORTLAND, OREGON – MAY 18: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Moda Center on May 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
PORTLAND, OR – MAY 20: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the national anthem before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game Four of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,