We Like the Blazers

Ep. 105 - Anfernee Simons had a 24-point third quarter against Dallas and has been averaging well above his career averages over the last three games! Is Simons BACK? Does this mean he'll be traded? We talk about that plus the NBA Cup and whether it matters, how there are no Blazers jerseys in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, now on BlueSky at @WeLikeTheB...

Ep. 104 - Donovan Clingan hurt his knee twice in Portland's win against Houston, yet was allowed to come back into the game... and now he's out for the foreseeable future! Whose fault is it? Hint: maybe nobody's. We also talk about Rodney Hood's retirement, Deni Avdija passing the eye test, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, now on BlueSky at @WeLikeTheBlazers.com, and ALL...

Ep. 103 - US Senator Ron Wyden joined to talk about his connection to the game of basketball growing up, his love of the Portland Trail Blazers, his encouragement for the Blazers to build a Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas statue, his work to support the Albina Vision Trust as it helps the Lower Albina District near the Moda Center in becoming a thriving neighborhood, the nuclear athleticism of Shaed...

Ep. 102 - The Blazers are on a three-game winning streak, and Blazers fans actually have something to root for! With Ryan taking an extended leave because the job that actually pays him demands his attention, Brandon chats with Cory Dickman of the Rip City Roundtable to talk about Shaedon Sharpe's ascendence, the Blazers' logjam of veterans, how Toumani Camara's defense is transforming...

Ep. 101 - The Blazers have started 1-3... should they be starting Donovan Clingan? That and much more on this week's pod! This week, we are also asking to please make a donation to Ryan's cousin Gillian who unexpectedly required a liver transplant, and who is recovering but still needs support! Any amount helps, and thanks in advance. https://gofund.me/548c2545 Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers....

Ep. 100 - Episode 100, episode 100 episode 100 episode 100! Episode, 100 episode 100 episode 100 episode 100 episode 100; episode 100? Episode! 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100... 100 100, 100 100 100 100. Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers, and ALL podcast and streaming apps. We Like the Blazers is a proud member of the Rogue Media Network and the Blazer’s Edge Family...

Ep. 99 - Summer is over, and the 2024-25 season is (almost) here! We talk about what we heard on Media Day, the Blazers' new TV deal, Robert Williams III getting hurt (again), Zach Lowe and Woj no longer being at ESPN, why the Blazers don't need to worry about maximizing losses, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers, and ALL podcast and streaming apps....

Ep. 98 - I gotta be totally honest... we recorded a podcast on August 9 and for some reason I couldn't log into the podcast distribution platform... I was in a hurry... and I never got back to it 😭 So TUNE IN to what we were talking about back in August!! I'm uploading this just to not break the chain of episodes. Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers, and ALL p...

Ep. 97 - As summer drags on, the guys talk about the NBA rejecting TNT's "match" of Amazon's offer on the new TV deal, and whether the Blazers can clear the 21.5 wins that Vegas expects them to eek out next season! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers, and ALL podcast and streaming apps. We Like the Blazers is a proud member of the Rogue Media Network an...

Ep. 96 - Brandon and Ryan try to make sense of if we should be ecstatic or concerned about Donavan Clingan’s Summer League debut. While he showed off his skills on the defensive side of the ball, his offense left something to be desired. From there, the guys break down what they expect to see from the team for the remainder of their Summer League games and also get into a heated debate about some...

Ep. 95 - With the NBA draft behind us and the free agency period in full swing, the Blazers had themselves quite the week. Ryan and Brandon start from the top, reacting to the trade of the 14th pick for a young, proven player at a position of need. Then they discuss their thoughts and feelings about the selection Donovan Clingan with the 7th pick and whether it provides any clues to the direction...

Ep. 94 -  It’s finally the week of the NBA draft, and the Blazers are on the clock with a pair of lottery picks. With Brandon out (moving to east coast), Ryan sits down with friend of the pod and Blazer's Edge writer Steve Dewald to discuss the names most associated with the team. Who are these players, do they make sense for the Blazers, are there any sleepers to be excited about, and should...

Ep. 93 - Brandon and Ryan decide to break the seal on a topic they have put off talking about… COACHING! After discussing where the Blazers rank in terms of being a desirable coaching job, the guys ponder why the team seems to be slow-playing filling out their assistant coaching ranks. Is it intentional? What’s the end game? Then they wrap things up by debating the morals behind some of the bigges...

Ep. 92 - We're joined by friend of the pod and all around awesome human being Brandon Sprague of 1080 The Fan! We talked about how he has shifted his coverage of the Portland Trail Blazers on his radio show now that the team is in the full throughs of a rebuild before he threw cold water on the idea of the media protecting their access to the team. We also take a quick dive into who we think w...

Ep. 91 - We are beyond blessed to be joined by the Portland Winterhawks PA Announcer, one Mr. Michael Burles! He loans his golden baritone to help us discuss the sudden and shocking passing of Portland Trail Blazer great Bill Walton, as well as discuss the secret sauce behind hyping up an arena full of rabid hockey fans, the Blazers' upcoming draft, whether it's okay to root for Luka Donci...

Ep 90 - The NBA's All-Rookie teams were announced, and Scoot Henderson was left off! We talk about whether he got short shrift, plus an update on the NBA Playoffs, the conundrum of access to NBA games and why it's so hard for fans to just watch the games they want to watch, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers, and ALL podcast and streaming apps. We Li...

Ep 89 - The Blazers' lottery luck ran a bit dry as three teams jumped them and they fell from 4th to 7th. We talk about that, plus the NBA's coaching carousel - and whether it might impact Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups. That and MORE this week! Find us at  WeLikeTheBlazers.com , on “Twitter” at @ LikeTheBlazers , and ALL podcast and streaming apps. We Like the Blazers is a proud memb...

Ep. 88 - Ryan and Brandon debate whether the NBA is over-marketing its biggest stars - the LeBron James’ and Kevin Durant’s of the league - in an attempt to appeal to casual fans who might not yet know who the next generation of stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards are. If you want to skip to that discussion, it starts by framing the results of the first round so far at about 6:5...

Ep. 87 - Brandon is joined by his wife and lifelong baller Dr. Cassie Mullen to briefly talk about the NBA playoffs, how Cassie as a basketball player approaches pickup games, the pressures of "representing your gender" when you're just trying to ball, the impact of women's basketball on recreational fans, whether we want our kids to skip college to go directly to the WNBA / NBA, a...

Ep. 86 - The 2023-24 season is in the books! As the Blazers give their exit interviews, we talk about Coach Billups' comments about him saying he's "light years ahead of where I was" as a coach, the Blazers backing into a tie for 3rd-best lottery odds, whether we're excited for the Playoffs, and MORE! Find us at  WeLikeTheBlazers.com , on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers, and ALL p...

Ep. 85 - First: Please click the link to donate to Mike Lynch and his family in his fight against ALS.  https://www.gofundme.com/f/t4yrzf-help-mike-fight-als?qid=f4512a84baa1ed4a7eb4957fb12660ed In this weeks' episode, Ryan and Brandon talk about the Women’s College Basketball Championship, the factors behind why women’s basketball is finally becoming more mainstream, and whether the WNBA'...

Ep. 84 - Keith Feltner-Smith of The Trailcasters joins to talk about what we're looking for from the Blazers late in a tanking season, answering some questions about whether Portland or Charlotte is tanking harder, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on "Twitter" at @LikeTheBlazers, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps! Proudly a part of Rogue Media Network and the Blaze...

Ep. 83 - As the NBA dissolves the G-League Ignite, Ryan is given his flowers and takes a victory lap for essentially breaking news before it happened. After a detour into NBA players (illegally) betting on themselves and the bigger issues of the NBA monetizing gambling on its own product, Brandon and Ryan discuss the recent surge in Scoot Henderson’s output and debate whether you would rather have...

Ep. 82 - Ryan has a hot take: NBA rookies are less prepared, less well-adjusted, and less developed if they forgo college for the G-League. Is this true? Is "player empowerment" harming the NBA product? And is a player-centric league more or less watchable than when players are a cog in a machine? We discuss this and MORE in this week's episode! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on &#34...

Ep. 81 - How do YOU critically watch Blazers games? Do you watch for fun, to analyze what's happening and draw conclusions, as background noise, or something else? Also, a shout out to Dave Deckard of Blazer's Edge, a debate about whether it's more important to tank for the lottery or develop the young players, and MORE! Find us at  WeLikeTheBlazers.com , on "Twitter" at @LikeT...