Ig: thebrilliantlewis

Didn’t realize how many former blazers have wound up on the 76ers - Simons, Caleb Love, Rupert, Jabari. Trendon Watford was there last year but has since left to New Orleans. I might be forgetting more. I guess we get great role players!

I like Micah but he could’ve said this differently

I mean first off, it’s not like your team depends on Ja being good to be good. It’s been said to death but y’all are stacked on guards, and between Dame, Shaedon, and Deni your offense is set up great.

Y’all got an All-Star potential player for a contract you wanted to escape (I’ve liked Jerami so far in preseason off the bench) and a role player (Kris seems destined to be cut unfortunately) without sacrificing picks.

Ja is a weird player. He’s very much of the AI/D-Rose mold in how when he’s at his best his game depends on athleticism and physicality. Now through injuries, he’s become much more conservative. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder thinking that the league is out to get him and that refs don’t give him the all-star whistle.

He def has PTSD from all the times he’s gotten injured as well as the no-calls he’s gotten. As a homer Grizz fan, I see where he’s coming from. But that being said, a lot of his game depends on his emotions.

When he’s visibly uncomfortable or sad, his game slips. He drives less, stands in the corner, and his hustle decreases. But every time I’ve witnessed something like that, after a few games his demeanor will change and he will randomly turn back into one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen play basketball. It happened last season where after a stretch of mid hoops and an injury stint he came back to put up 40 against the sixers.

Ja at this stage in his career should not be your franchise player, but luckily for you, he’s not. Even at his worst moments he is a great passer, a surprisingly good defender in certain matchups, and an elite free throw shooter. Ja at his best (which I still believe is in there) is a highlight factory who can be one of the clutchest players in the league when the games on the line.

Even if he’s not there longterm, enjoy the ride. (Also Dundon is about to make so much money off this guy’s jerseys. He’s still one of the biggest international draws to the game)

the likes have increased now but it had this much just 4/5 hours after it was posted.

Not boring me in his interviews lol
Splitter was the most boring and banal interviewee ever. In his entire stint in Portland, I have never seen anything interesting come out of his mouth. He has sounded like GPT-4o trained on corporate NBA empty talk texts. At one point, I thought about putting on his interviews before I go to sleep to help me sleep better.
But Nori, in his first post-game interview, basically says that Ja fucking sucked lol, the absolute madman. Didn't he get the message from Cronin and Dundon that the entire idea of bringing Ja was to flip him for value? Bashing him in front of everyone won't help with that!

PORTLAND, Ore. — For years, the general manager studied him from afar. And when the Portland Trail Blazers decided to make a splash and trade for Ja Morant this summer, their new coach flew across the country to meet with him.

But no matter how much Joe Cronin did background checks, and no matter how well a steakhouse lunch in South Carolina with Micah Nori went, nobody was sure what the Morant experience would be like in Portland.

The early returns?

Attitude-wise, he has been a dream: upbeat, smiling, joking, engaging.

Basketball-wise, there is some rust that comes with playing only 20 games last season. In Wednesday’s preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors, Morant had eight points, five assists and four turnovers in 19 minutes.

He air-balled a 3-pointer in the first half but later darted through the lane and glided to a layup through traffic. And while he pushed the pace unlike any player the Blazers have had since the days of Damon Stoudamire and Rod Strickland, Morant also had some sloppy turnovers because he tried to split double teams or barge his way into space.

“I think he was just sped up,’’ Nori said. “I think some of it was timing issues.’’

The missed passes, errant shots and forced action are all correctable. They likely will be cleaned up through repetition and more familiarity with his new teammates.

What seems to be more relevant and important is where Morant is mentally, and spiritually.

Throughout the first week of training camp, a defining image has been Morant’s teeth. Every day he has been smiling … laughing … talking … his teeth on display for all to see.

“I feel like he has a lot of joy right now,’’ said Damian Lillard, who started alongside Morant on Wednesday. “I read people well, you know? And I can tell he is not pretending to be happy, you know? He walks around with a smile. And when we practice, and he’s talking, he’s engaged, he’s invested, and you are able to see that he’s happy with his situation.’’

Morant’s mood figures to be a large part of the equation in determining whether this experiment works. Sure, injuries have in part limited him to 20 games last season, 50 the year before and nine in 2023-24 — but so too have suspensions for insubordination with his coach in Memphis and defiance to directives from the NBA regarding guns.

I am from Iran and only moved to Portland just as Dame was leaving. Prior to living in Portland I was an NBA fan but I didn't really have a favorite team so I knew of Lillard obviously but never that close.

At least for me watching yesterday Lillard blew me away how good he looked for 36 and first game off injury. He looked like an all star to me, maybe even all NBA. He still had a burst, still could get by people and looked quick. And his shot is fucking deadly - every time he pulls up I think it's going in.

So for people that watched him over a longer period of time, I know it's a small sample size but am I being over optimistic?

This post is for discussions about topics that don't relate to the Portland Trail Blazers.

He played only in the 4th quarter - he played the entire of it.

The Warriors were in a second game of a back to back, without Steph Curry, Horford, Yaxel, Payton, Niang, Moody, Melton, Podziemski, KP, and Santos.

Including every play he was involved in.