Blazer Focused

The Blazers, having trouble finding takers for the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft, could very well end up keeping the player they select. The Blazer Focused podcast crew of Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach discusses what it would mean to add another young player to the roster and whether Damian Lillard would stick around to play with yet another young talent. Learn more a...

The Blazer Focused podcast with Aaron Fentress and Craig Birnbah examines what a Trail Blazers trade for Jaylen Brown could look like for Portland. Also, the Blazers work out high-end draft prospects despite seeking to trade the No. 3 pick, the Brooklyn Nets supposedly want in on Damian Lillard, plus, is it possible that both Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe would welcome a trade out of Portland...

The Portland Trail Blazers received the No. 3 pick during the draft lottery providing the team with a valuable asset. But will they use the pick or trade it? The Blazer Focused podcast wasted no time overanalyzing what the team should do with the pick. Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive says to trade it for a star to help Damian Lillard contend. Craig Birnbach has reservations. Learn more...

With the NBA draft lottery set for Tuesday, the Blazer Focused podcast asks an important question: Would the Portland Trail Blazers securing the No. 1 pick and the chance to draft Victor Wembanyama lead to trading Damian Lillard? Also, should Kevin Durant have chosen the Trail Blazers over Phoenix? Could Portland pursue Phoenix center Deandre Ayton? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

The NBA lottery is about a week away (May 16) and the Portland Trail Blazers will be hoping to land the No. 1 pick. On the latest episode of the Blazer Focused podcast, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Craig Birnbach discuss lottery fever amongst many other topics. They hit on: - Damian Lillard showing up at Phoenix-Denver playoff game. It means nothing but let’s pretend it does for...

On the latest episode of the Blazer Focused podcast, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Craig Birnbach discuss what comes next for the Blazers. They hit on: - Damian Lillard’s expectations. - Lillard spotted at Nets-76ers. Is he recruiting? - What would it take for the Blazers to land Mikal Bridges? - Is it more likely that the Blazers are able to acquire two strong pieces rather than...

The Portland Trail Blazers ended their 2022-23 season on Sunday with a 157-101 loss at home to the Golden State Warriors that left the team’s record at 33-49. On the latest episode of the Blazer Focused podcast, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Craig Birnbach discuss what comes next for the Blazers. Draft lottery. The Draft. Free agency. Trades. Can the Blazers use all of the above...

The Portland Trail Blazers’ have pulled the plug on the 2022-23 season. On the latest episode of the Blazer Focused podcast, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Craig Birnbach discuss why this is a good thing. They hit on: - Blazers have entered the tank race and it’s the best thing they could do? - The value of having a lottery pick this season plus the Knicks’ pick. - Could Anfernee...

The Portland Trail Blazers’ postseason hopes are all but dashed. Aaron Fentress has finally accepted that reality. Craig Birnbach, who gave up on this team two months ago, was not shy with the gloating. On the latest episode of the Blazer Focused podcast, Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Birnbach discuss the team’s performance on the road leading up to the Tuesday night’s loss against the...

Will Portland make the NBA Playoffs? Not likely. How about the play-in tournament? Maybe. On the latest episode of the Blazer Focused podcast, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive and Craig Birnbach discuss all things Rip City. Do any of these recent wins matter? They hit on: - Do the wins matter? -Is it really time to give up? - Cam Reddish showing flashes - Dame’s chance at the scoring tit...

Damian Lillard won the 3-point contest. The All-Star game was unwatchable. The Portland Trail Blazers (28-30) have 24 games to get their act together. All of that and more on the Blazer Focused podcast with Aaron Fentress and Craig Birnbach. SHOW TOPICS. Was winning the 3-point contest a big deal for Damian Lillard’s career? Oh, and about that dunk contest. How to fix the NBA All-Star game. It’s b...

The Portland Trail Blazers made a series of moves before the trade deadline: Trail Blazers trade Josh Hart to the New York Knicks for Cam Reddish Portland Trail Blazers acquire guard Matisse Thybulle from Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers trade Gary Payton II to Warriors for multiple picks, acquire Kevin Knox from Detroit But did the Blazers improve? On the latest episode of Blazer Focused...

The Portland Trail Blazers (26-28) looked small during their 127-108 loss Monday night to the Milwaukee Bucks. With Thursday’s trade deadline looming, can the Blazers add size to the lineup? On the latest episode of Blazer Focused, Aaron Fentress and Craig Birnbach take a look at where the Blazers stand, what moves could be made by the trade deadline and much more. They discuss: Jarred Vanderbilt?...

Dame is on fire. That much is indisputable. Everything else in Blazer land remains on uncertain ground. On the latest episode of Blazer Focused, Aaron Fentress and Craig Birnbach take stock of the Blazers as they head out on another critical three-game roadtrip. The discussed: Dame's brilliance Jerami Grant got a contract offer he hasn't signed. What now? Do they have to trade Ant? Road trip predi...

The Portland Trail Blazers picked up a huge win Monday night over the Gregg Popovich-led San Antonio Spurs, 147-127.  Is this the return to the glory days of November? Yeah, not so sure about that. On the latest Blazer Focused podcast, Aaron Fentress and Craig Birnbach talk about the latest news in Rip City. They talked about Remembering Bill Schonely and veteran cameraman John Curry Why is this t...

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-20) are struggling but return home to play 10 of the their next 11 at the Moda Center during what could be the most critical stretch of their season. On the latest Blazer Focused podcast, Aaron Fentress and Craig Birnbach analyze the Blazers chances of turning their season around in January after falling below .500 for the first time. On this week’s show: The Blazers...

It's a new year and GPII is finally here! On the latest episode of Blazer Focused, Aaron and Craig discuss Gary Payton II's long-awaited debut as a Portland Trail Blazer. Is this the mojo this team sorely needed? They also discussed: - Jerami Grant continues to dazzle - Is Grant an All-Star this season? - The January schedule - Fact or Fentress Subscribe to Blazer Focused anywhere you get your pod...

The Portland Trail Blazers continue their up-and-down season that included a loss Monday at Oklahoma City on the night Damian Lillard became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. The Blazer Focused podcast, supported by ZoomCare (Beyond Better™ Healthcare) goes over that night and Lillard’s somber reaction given the loss. The podcast is hosted by Aaron Fentress, who covers the team for The Oreg...

Turns out Dame is important. The Blazers got their leader back, and after a challenging stretch of games, things are suddenly looking slightly better in Rip City. On the latest episode of Blazer Focused, Aaron and Craig explain why. They hit on: Dame's return What Anfernee still can do to improve The defense: Which version should fans expect going forward Fact or Fentress Subscribe to Blazer Focus...

The Portland Trail Blazers lost back-to-back games to the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers to fall to 11-11 on the season. The Blazer Focused podcast, supported by ZoomCare (Beyond Better™ Healthcare) goes over what’s going wrong with this team that has now lose eight of their last 10 games. The podcast is hosted by Aaron Fentress, who covers the team for The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Craig Birn...

The Portland Trail Blazers entered Wednesday having lost four out of their last five games and were without Damian Lillard, out for at least a week because of a second lower-leg injury. The Blazer Focused podcast, supported by ZoomCare (Beyond Better™ Healthcare) goes over what has gone wrong for the Blazers (10-7) since that eventful 4-2 road trip that left them at 9-4. The podcast is hosted by A...

The Portland Trail Blazers went 4-2 on their recent trip and return home tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 9-4. The Blazer Focused podcast, supported by ZoomCare (Beyond Better™ Healthcare) goes through the five observations on the trip made by Aaron Fentress, who covers the team for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He is joined by podcast producer, Andrew Theen. Craig Birnbach is on...

Kelly AuCoin, the actor and Portland Trail Blazers super fan, joined the Blazer Focused podcast this week. Blazer Focused is supported by ZoomCare and hosted by Aaron Fentress and Craig Birnbach. On this week's show: How Kelly convinced Craig to come to Portland back in the day. Kelly is a total diehard fan Projects he is working on, including a show on former LA Clippers owner, Donald Sterling. H...

The Blazers are sitting tied atop the Western Conference standings. But, Dame is out and a big road trip looms. On the latest episode of Blazer Focused, Aaron and Craig discuss all that and more. They hit on: -How concerned should we be about Dame's injury? -Shaedon Sharpe, of course -The brutal road trip -Fact or Fentress Blazer Focused is supported by ZoomCare. Subscribe to Blazer Focused anywhe...

The Portland Trail Blazers are red, hot and rollin. On the latest episode of the Blazer Focused podcast, which is sponsored by ZoomCare, Aaron and Craig go back to their season previews. Lo and behold, they had a great formula for Blazers success. They hit on: - Dame's return to Dameness - Jerami Grant doing it all - Nurk is Nurk - Josh Hart and Anfernee Simons Subscribe to Blazer Focused anywhere...