Five questions the Portland Trail Blazers must answer this season

By DanecarbaughSep 29, 2017, 10:00 AM EDT

The NBC/ProBasketballTalk season previews will ask the questions each of the 30 NBA teams must answer to make their season a success. We are looking at one team a day until the start of the season, and it begins with a look back at the team’s offseason moves.

Last Season: 41-41, lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

I know what you did last summer: Not a whole lot. They had to unload Allen Crabbe for what amounted to a trade exception — albeit a large one — after signing him to a restricted free agent deal last season and failing to find a trade partner for him last year. The Blazers did draft Caleb Swanigan and Zack Collins. They also signed Archie Goodwin and Anthony Morrow. Portland failed to find a way to entice Carmelo Anthony to Rip City via a trade.

FIVE QUESTIONS THE BLAZERS MUST ANSWER:

1) Can the offense take some of the load off of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum? Lillard struggled with a nagging foot injury last year and indeed it was McCollum that ended up being the more important Blazer to Portland’s success. However, before Nurkic arrived in Oregon the Blazers were an easy team to scout on film.

Gone from this roster are two of last season’s biggest minutes guys — Mason Plumlee and Allen Crabbe. It’s possible that the Blazers have gotten rid of some of the duplication in both services and experience level, which could benefit their younger players with some structure. They have decided to commit to both Evan Turner and Moe Harkless, and having their roles defined could be easier for this team. With room to grow into their respective positions, several Blazers will be looked upon to provide more and take the load off of Lillard and McCollum.

2) Can Jusuf Nurkic play the entire season? This seems like an issue that folks in Portland are just too scared to broach, whether it be because of the team history or just the fact that they enjoy Nurkic so much.

The big man came over in a trade from the Denver Nuggets last year and played in just 20 games for the Blazers before bowing out due to an injury. Nurkic played most of the season approaching 300 lbs, and running in the Trail Blazers offense perhaps took its toll.

Much of media day in Portland was about the weight and eating habits of the players, Nurkic included. He has slimmed down some and that should help him come through the season with a bit more durability. However, the dark cloud hanging over Portland is not just one that’s filled with rain. I think Nurkic has to be able to play in 65 or more games this season for the Trail Blazers to have a chance in a Western Conference that is even tougher than it was last year.

3) Will the Blazers be any good on defense? This has been the question that has plagued the Blazers basically every season in Terry Stotts’ coaching tenure with the team, save for 2014-15. Portland was an abysmal squad on defense of last season, ranking just 24th the defensive efficiency.

Nurkic should help them a little bit and so too should a fully healthy an of Al-Farouq Aminu. Lillard and McCollum appear to have fully developed as much as they reasonably can on that side of the ball (and considering their expenditures on offense). It will be the rest of the team and the bench that will need to rotate in to make up for their deficiencies.

Terry Stotts said during media day that there are not any big shifts planned on defense for the upcoming season. Instead, we are looking for some defined roles to come out of Portland along with a fully healthy squad that has had more time playing together. Getting Ed Davis back into the big man rotation won’t hurt either.

Much like the title hopes of the Houston Rockets, the Trail Blazers’ playoff hopes will remain dependent on whether or not they can perform on the defensive side of the ball.

4) Will this be the last season of the Dame/CJ pairing? Uppity Blazers fans have been losing their mind asking this question for going on three years now. In fact, before Nurkic was traded to Portland, much of the discussion in Portland was around which of these two players they should swap. Indeed, most fans believed that McCollum was the player to trade, often being floated in the fan theories for then-Sacramento Kings big man at DeMarcus Ccousins.

But Portland GM Neil Olshey has a soft spot for McCollum, and he needed to give him and Lillard a full two seasons to play together as legitimate, dual superstars after McCollum won MIP in 2016. This season will give us the answer once and for all whether this tandem can be relied upon to lead this team. Again, it could come down to whether this team is fully healthy, but I don’t believe the Blazers would move McCollum until next summer. If management gets full season of healthy play out of this roster and they still are not great on defense, McCollum could be a move that happens.

Oh, and get it out of your head that Olshey is ever going to trade Lillard, Blazers fans. You remember how long you yearned for a star player at the point guard spot? Now you have a franchise one, you’re not going to swap him out and downgrade.

5) What is Evan Turner’s role on this team? Turner was abysmal for Portland during 2016, and he had only really started to figure it out after the turn of the new year before he was injured. After Portland lost out on Chandler Parsons and a few other free agents that summer, Turner was the panic move. He is certainly overpaid, but the whole idea of having him on the roster is to take away the ability of an opposing defense to trap Lillard and McCollum off the pick-and-roll.

Granted, Turner does do that somewhat and he now has more time dealing within this offense. No, Stotts’ offense is not tailored to Turner’s strong suits, but then again I’m not sure which kind of modern NBA offense is. Turner works best when he works his way to a specific spot on the elbow and not much else.

That can be a real weapon, and using him more in the pick-and-roll is a good idea. He will be more comfortable with his teammates this season even if he’s not a threat to shoot himself.

All that being said, it remains to be seen whether or not Turner can simply take some of the pressure off of Lillard and McCollum or elevate his game to another level within the confines of this offense. Like it or not, Portland’s success this season will rely on Turner as perhaps the fourth or fifth most important player on the roster.

USA Basketball to host to Puerto Rico in World Cup tuneup in Las Vegas

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 3:13 PM EDT

Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

USA Basketball has finalized its schedule of exhibition games leading into this summer’s FIBA World Cup, announcing Tuesday that it will open the five-game slate against Puerto Rico in Las Vegas on Aug. 7.

It will be the only World Cup warmup game in the U.S. for the Americans, a team that will be coached by Golden State’s Steve Kerr. His assistants are Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and Gonzaga’s Mark Few.

The roster of NBA players is still being assembled.

“Puerto Rico, obviously, we’re familiar with them,” said Grant Hill, managing director of USA Basketball’s men’s national team. “We’ve competed in the World Cup qualifiers, although neither team had their full heavy roster, if you will, its strongest roster. But it’s an opportunity to throw our guys into the fire. The games, the exhibition games, the lead-up, we’re going to get a lot of basketball in us before we play for real. And that’s good.”

After the Puerto Rico game, the U.S. will leave for Malaga, Spain, and games there against Slovenia on Aug. 12 and Spain on Aug. 13. The final two pre-World Cup games for the Americans will be held in Abu Dhabi, against Greece on Aug. 18 and Germany on Aug. 20.

From there, the Americans head to Manila, Philippines, where they will remain for the entirety of the World Cup. Half of the 32-team World Cup field will have group-stage games in Indonesia or Japan; the Americans are among the 16 that will open the tournament in the Philippines, which will also play host to the medal rounds.

The game against Puerto Rico will coincide with the end of the U.S. team’s training camp in Las Vegas.

“Our preparations for the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup begin in Las Vegas and we are excited to return to a city that regularly and graciously welcomes USA Basketball,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball’s CEO.

The men’s national team played four exhibitions in Las Vegas in 2021 before the Tokyo Olympics, going 2-2 in those games. The Americans opened with losses to Nigeria and Australia before beating Argentina and Spain prior to departing for Tokyo.

“The Nigeria game was important,” Hill said. “It let everybody know that we can’t just show up.”

In Japan, the U.S. won its fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

The U.S. opens World Cup play against New Zealand on Aug. 26, followed by group games against Greece on Aug. 28 and Jordan on Aug. 30. The tournament – one of the major qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics – runs through Sept. 10.

Bob Myers stepping down as Warriors president, GM

By Kurt HelinMay 30, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT

Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

The architect of the four-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors, the former agent turned two-time Executive of the Year Bob Myers is stepping away from the franchise.

This had been rumored all season and Myers confirmed it to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN prior to Myers’ formal press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s just time,” Myers told ESPN.

Warriors ownership wanted to keep Myers on board and reportedly made generous contract offers to retain him, but Myers just wanted to back away from the job.

Myers took over a Warriors franchise in 2012 that had already drafted Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but was still being led on the court by Monta Ellis and David Lee. Myers drafted Draymond Green (in the second round), eventually traded for Andre Iguodala, built out the roster, fired Mark Jackson and replaced him with Steve Kerr, and generally built a championship team. When that team fell short in 2016 — and boosted by a one-time spike in the salary cap due to a new television deal — Myers brought in Kevin Durant to form one of the best, most dominant teams the NBA had seen, and they won two more titles. After Durant left and due to some brutal injuries, the Warriors stumbled for a few years, but in 2022 found their footing again and won a fourth ring. Myers helped guild all of that.

It is expected Mike Dunleavy Jr. — the No. 2 man in a Warriors front office that values a lot of input from different voices and isn’t classically hierarchical — will take over as the man in charge. Wojnarowski reports that Kirk Lacob, son of owner Joe Lacob, also is expected to have an expanded role.

This changeover comes at a critical time for the Warriors (and adds to the end-of-an-era feeling), heading into an important offseason for the franchise. Green is expected to opt out of his $27.5 million contract for next season and is looking for the security of more years — and this past season showed the Warriors cannot win at a high level without him. However, the Warriors will want him back at a lower figure than that $27.5 million per year. Klay Thompson is set to make $43.2 million next season and is extension eligible, but he is not a max player anymore and the Warriors will want those future years at a much lower price. Then there is Jordan Poole‘s extension kicking in — at $28.7 million — after a down season. The tension following Green punching Poole tainted the entire Warriors’ season, and there is a lot of speculation around the league Poole could be traded.

Myers built strong relationships with the Warriors’ players, and he would have been better positioned to talk to Green and Thompson about sacrifice to keep the team together. That is a tougher sell for Dunleavy.

Don’t expect Myers to jump straight into another NBA job — although offers will come to him fast — he is expected to take a year or more and step back from the game before deciding his next move.

Heat’s Tyler Herro reportedly targeting Game 3 return during Finals

By Kurt HelinMay 30, 2023, 8:10 AM EDT

Tyler Herro fractured his hand just before halftime of Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks, and following his ensuing surgery the target timeline was he could be back for the NBA Finals. That led to a lot of “good luck with that” comments on social media (not to mention comments about his sideline fits).

The No. 8 seed Miami Heat are on to the NBA Finals, and Herro hopes to return to the court when Miami returns home for Game 3, reports Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (hand fracture) is ramping up workouts and is expected to make his return at some point during NBA Finals with Game 3 being the likely target, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 30, 2023

Maybe he returns, perhaps that is optimistic (Game 3 is Wednesday, June 7). Herro is still feeling pain in his right hand, he told reporters after the game.

Tyler Herro says he expects to be able to return during NBA Finals. But he says there is still post-surgical pain in his right hand.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) May 30, 2023

Herro averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game for the Heat this season, shooting 37.8% from 3. He was the team’s secondary shot creator after Jimmy Butler, a guy counted on to jumpstart the offense at points.

If he returns, Erik Spoelstra has to return him to the sixth-man role where he thrived a season ago. The starting lineup without him was better defensively, and with the emergence of Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent, the Heat don’t need the offensive spark with that first group (less Herro has meant more Jimmy Butler with the ball, and that’s a good thing). The second unit could use the offensive spark Herro brings.

It’s something to watch as the Heat return to the NBA Finals for the first time since the bubble, this time facing the formidable Denver Nuggets.

Three takeaways from Heat playing with intent, beating Celtics in Game 7

By Kurt HelinMay 30, 2023, 7:30 AM EDT

Is there a more Miami Heat way to win a series than going on the road and ripping the heart out of Boston fans in their own building in a Game 7?

Is there a more fitting way for this era of Celtics to lose this series than to play poorly until their backs are against the wall, then flip the switch and look like the best team in the NBA, only to not quite get all the way there?

In those ways the Eastern Conference Finals worked out the way it should have, with the Miami Heat taking charge of Game 7 in the first quarter and never looking back. The Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 to advance to the NBA Finals (which start Thursday in Denver).

Here are three takeaways from Game 7.

1) Caleb Martin embodied the difference in this series

Jimmy Butler was officially voted MVP of the Conference Finals. He averaged 24.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game through the series, numbers that are hard to argue. He is the best player on the team.

However, he won in a tight 5-4 vote over Caleb Martin — who had 26 points and 10 rebounds in Game 7, but more than that embodied the difference in this series. Martin played with intention, focus, and with a commitment to the system every night in a way the Celtics don’t do consistently. Martin, a guy waived by the Hornets in the summer of 2021, has had to scrap and fight for everything he’s gotten in the league, and with that comes a hardened edge.

Caleb Martin SHINES as the @MiamiHEAT win Game 7 on the road!

26 PTS (Playoff career high)
11-16 FG
10 REB#NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV Game 1:
Thursday, 6/1 at 8:30 PM ET on ABC pic.twitter.com/leZLxechIp

— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2023

“To the untrained eye, he just looks like he’s an undrafted guy who has been in the G League, who has started with Charlotte and now he’s here,” Butler said of Martin. “Started on a two-way contract. That’s what it looks like to y’all. To us, he’s a hell of a player, hell of a defender, playmaker, shotmaker, all of the above. Everybody [on the team] has seen Caleb work on those shots day in, day out. It doesn’t surprise us. We have seen it every single day. I’m so proud and happy for him.”

Martin’s shotmaking also embodied why the Heat won — they were simply better at getting and hitting the shots they wanted all series long. It was historic shotmaking.

Bam Adebayo had another rough offensive outing — 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting with a lot of good looks missed — but his defense was stellar and that was reflected in his +22 on the night, the best of any starter on the team. He remains vital to what they do.

2) Jayson Tatum‘s rolled ankle proved too much for Celtics

The Celtics didn’t lose this series because Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle on the game’s first play.

Jayson Tatum hurt his ankle on the first play of the game.

He's staying in the game. pic.twitter.com/Tny92sVPXb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2023

They lost this series because when they went down 0-3 in the series they left themselves no margin for error — everything had to go perfectly. It never does, just ask the other 150 teams in NBA history to go down 0-3 in a series. Tatum went on to score 14 points, but he admitted he was a shell of himself.

The Celtics needed to collectively make up for Tatum being slowed (much the way the Heat’s role players such as Gabe Vincent stepped up with Tyler Herro out).

Jaylen Brown didn’t, he ended up shooting 8-of-23 for 19 points, but with eight turnovers. Derrick White had 18 and was the best Celtic in Game 7. Malcolm Brogdon tried but could not play through an elbow injury he may need off-season surgery on (and coach Joe Mazzulla stuck with him a little too long).

The bigger problem was Boston was 9-of-42 (21.4%) on 3-pointers. Miami leaned into their zone defense (which allowed them to keep Duncan Robinson on the floor) and while the Celtics did a better job of getting into the middle of that zone, but they still needed to knock down shots over the top of it. They failed.

When the Celtics’ shots aren’t falling it bleeds into the other aspects of their game — the defensive lapses come, the mental focus goes in and out. Consistency is not a hallmark of these Celtics.

We’ll get into Boston’s future in the next couple of days, they should and will re-sign Jaylen Brown and make another run, but this core needs to look at itself in the mirror and figure out why it can’t play closer to its peak nightly.

3) The Heat are the life lesson you want to teach

As a parent, there are a lot of life lessons you try to pass on to your children, although you eventually realize that it’s more about what you show them day-to-day than what you say in any moment that really resonates.

One thing I want to show my daughters, what I want for them is to be resilient like this Miami team — a group that took a punch to the gut in Game 6, stumbled, got up off the ground, shook off the dust, and came back with more resolve and focus.

“I think probably people can relate to this team,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team advanced. “Life is hard. Professional sports is just kind of a reflection sometimes of life, that things don’t always go your way. The inevitable setbacks happen and it’s how you deal with that collectively. There’s a lot of different ways that it can go. It can sap your spirit. It can take a team down for whatever reason. With this group, it’s steeled us and made us closer and made us tougher.

“These are lessons that hopefully we can pass along to our children, that you can develop this fortitude. And sometimes you have to suffer for the things that you want. Game 6, the only thing that we can do is sometimes you have to laugh at the things that make you cry…

“We have some incredible competitors in that locker room. They love the challenge. They love putting themselves out there in front of everybody. Open to criticism. Open to everything. But to compete for it, and that’s a beautiful thing.”

They did compete harder than the team in Green across from them, and that’s why Miami tips off in the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

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1) Caleb Martin embodied the difference in this series

2) Jayson Tatum‘s rolled ankle proved too much for Celtics

3) The Heat are the life lesson you want to teach

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