Tag: Portland Trailblazers

Harrison Ingram has workout for Western Conference team

Harrison Ingram is working out for teams ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft with the latest being the Portland Trailblazers.

Former North Carolina Tar Heels’ forward Harrison Ingram made the decision to remain in the 2024 NBA Draft, bypassing the chance to return for another season in the college game.

As Ingram continues to prepare for the draft later in June, he’s having workouts with teams who could potentially draft him. And the latest was with the Portland Trailblazers.

Ingram was one of a few players who worked out for them on Friday as they posted to their social accounts. He also met with the media following the workout, discussing his college career which included transferring from Stanford to North Carolina.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7nIIhovOA5

Ingram started in 36 games for the Tar Heels in his lone season during 2023-24, averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 43% from the field and 38.5% on threes. He was one of North Carolina’s best players, earning a starting role after committing to the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal.

Right now, Ingram is mocked to go in the second round as his stock is moving back just a little bit. The Trailblazers have the No. 7, No. 14 and No. 40 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. Snagging Ingram with that second-round pick could cap off a solid draft for a rebuilding team.

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Former Texas A&M and Portland Trailblazers Center Robert Williams III will miss the remainder of the 2023-2024 NBA season

Portland Trailblazers and former Texas A&M center Robert Williams III suffered a season-ending injury.

Sad news regarding Portland Trailblazers center and former Texas A&M standout Robert Williams III, who, in his first season in Portland, reportedly suffered a season-ending knee injury less than ten games into the 2023-2024 NBA season.

According to ESPN NBA lead insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Williams sustained ligament damage in his right knee cap, and even in an 82-game schedule, this type of injury requires nearly a full year to reach a state of physical normality, especially whenever ligament damage is involved.

At just 26 years of age, Williams, who played his first five seasons with the Boston Celtics, was drafted 27th Overall in the 2018 NBA Draft after two memorable seasons in College Station with Texas A&M under former head coach Billy Kennedy.

During his time at A&M, Williams is best known for his incredible vertical and overall length, averaging 8.7 rebounds and 11.1 points, while his windmill dunk during the Aggies’ 2017-2018 NCAA Tournament win vs. North Carolina is etched in Texas A&M history while becoming a popular GIF in the process.

His best season in Boston came during the 2021-2022 season when he averaged  10 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 72% from the charity stripe. In just six games with the Trailblazers, Williams averaged 6.8 points and 6.3 rebounds and was on his way to averaging a career-high in steals with 1.2 per contest.

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Damian Lillard drops ‘Farewell’ song to fans: ‘I will continue leaving trails, but it won’t be for the Blazers’

Turn this song up! It’s getting shady in here.

There is nothing better than a not-so-shady but actually shady song. Former Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard dropped a goodbye track to fans Wednesday that is so good.

Under his alias “Dame D.O.L.L.A.,” Lillard released the song shortly after his trade to the Milwaukee Bucks. His monumental move to join Giannis Antetokounmpo and crew has the NBA world shook. Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler couldn’t help but ask the league to look into the Bucks for tampering.

Lillard put his thoughts into lyrics to celebrate the occasion in a song called Farewell. When the music begins, it paints a picture of realizing that sometimes situations and life will inevitably change, but pressing forward through the shifts is necessary.

The track seems relatively harmless until the 2:05 mark arrives. That’s when things go full scorched earth.

Very matter-of-factly, Lillard says:

I could never be replaced. They’ll know sooner than later. An arrow pointed at who assumed it was greater. Amazing what I get in return for this labor. I will continue leaving trails, but it won’t be for the Blazers.

Cold. But Lillard wasn’t done yet. The lyrics continue getting hotter.

He then addressed fans directly with hopes for a welcomed reunion before taking a parting shot at the Blazers: In the future, man, I hope we greet with hugs and kisses, but you should know that they the ones that chose another mission. They fishin’.

Whew. Please tell us how you really feel, Dame!

Lillard all but certainly set any remaining parts of the relationship with Portland’s front office ablaze. (I’m sorry. That was too good not to include. Not enough fire puns.)

Hang in there, Blazers fans. At least you’ll still get to see Lillard twice a season.

NBA fans viciously roasted Robert Griffin III after he called the Damian Lillard trade ‘dirty work’

Who wants to tell him?

Somebody check on Robert Griffin III. His social media mentions are in ruins.

In case you missed it, Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard was traded Wednesday to the Milwaukee Bucks. Rightfully so, the internet is buzzing about this transaction. Even NBA players are reacting, unable to contain their pure shock.

It’s not surprising that news of this caliber made its way across the sports landscape and eventually landed at the feet of players from other sports. Enter Griffin, a former NFL quarterback turned broadcaster, who is never afraid to say what he thinks or dress how he wants.

In a tweet, he spoke to the rumors that Lillard wanted to go to Miami but was ultimately traded to Milwaukee. Because of the move, Lillard can play with fellow All-Star and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo.

RGIII seemed perplexed by this decision made by Portland’s front office.

He said Antetokounmpo and Lillard would produce “fun” basketball to watch but called the trade “dirty work by Portland.”

To the surprise of no one but Griffin, NBA fans viciously roasted him for not seeing the irony of the sheer talent Lillard has access to.

Sending thoughts and condolences to the mentions of RGIII.

The Damian Lillard trade to the Bucks had NBA players as stunned as fans

NBA players are all of us reacting this the Damian Lillard trade.

Holy blockbuster trade, Batman. The Milwaukee Bucks landed seven-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard Wednesday as part of a three-way trade.

It’s no secret that Lillard has wanted out of the Portland Trailblazers organization for a while now. Rumors had been flying about the possibility of Portland shipping Lillard to other destinations to accommodate his request. Even Lillard was amazed at the heights these rumors reached, including a request involving the Miami Heat that set social media on fire.

With Lillard heading to Milwaukee to join Giannis Antetokounmpo, players around the NBA reacted to the shocking news.

Like fans, they are equally as stunned.

ESPN draft analyst raves about Kris Murray’s arrival, Portland Trail Blazers’ NBA draft

ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony loves the Portland Trail Blazers’ NBA draft and the selection of Iowa’s Kris Murray.

NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony of ESPN recently extolled praise for how the Portland Trail Blazers approached this year’s NBA draft.

Givony raved about the Trail Blazers’ draft in a video on Twitter, captioning it, “I love how the Portland Trailblazers drafted last night; picking Scoot Henderson and Kris Murray in the first round, and then positioning to snag Rayan Rupert in the second.”

Of course, everyone has nothing but good things to say about the Blazers’ third-overall pick Scoot Henderson. Many saw him as the second-best player in the draft, one worthy of a first-overall selection in a non-Victor Wembanyama year.

Whether or not they look to pair Scoot with star point guard Damian Lillard to create a dynamic backcourt, or if they see Scoot as Dame’s successor we will have to see. Whatever direction they go with, Murray is the perfect complementary player, as described by Givony in the interview.

“He’s a very good complementary player for Portland to add. A guy like Damian Lillard looks at him and says ‘Okay, this guy’s turning 23 in August, I can work with this. This isn’t a teenager,” Givony said.

That is a very important thing to note. Murray is not the youngest player in this draft, but for the type of player he is, that experience actually works to his advantage. The Trail Blazers aren’t drafting Kris Murray to be a superstar or someone to carry the team. They already have Damian Lillard and they just drafted Scoot Henderson with that type of future in mind.

What Portland needs now is to start constructing a cohesive roster around their stars. They already have some pretty good guard play, especially with recent draft picks Shaedon Sharpe and now Scoot Henderson.

What they need are those glue guys. The role players who can come in, play off the stars, and help the team in multiple areas. As Givony pointed out, Murray is just that type of 3-and-D wing player.

Whoever Portland decides to build their franchise around, you can be sure that Kris Murray will be a great complementary fit.

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USA TODAY Sports mocks Iowa’s Keegan Murray to the Portland Trailblazers in the 2022 NBA draft

Iowa standout sophomore Keegan Murray was mocked No. 6 overall to the Portland Trailblazers by USA TODAY Sports.

Iowa sophomore standout [autotag]Keegan Murray[/autotag] announced on March 29 that he would be entering the 2022 NBA draft. It’s no surprise after a season where Murray upped his scoring average by more than 16 points.

No other Big Ten player had increased their points per game average by more than what Murray did in the past 48 years. Illinois’ Rick Schmidt increased his average by 17.6 points from the 1972-73 season to the 1973-74 season.

Murray averaged 23.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game en route to winning the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. The 6-foot-8, 225 pound native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year, too.

As a result, Murray is viewed as a can’t-miss NBA draft lottery pick. In USA TODAY Sports writer Jeff Zillgitt’s latest 2022 NBA mock draft, he has Murray being selected by the Portland Trailblazers as the No. 6 overall selection.

Zillgitt’s top five selections went as follows: Duke’s Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall to the Orlando Magic, Auburn’s Jabari Smith No. 2 to the Houston Rockets, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren No. 3 to the Detroit Pistons, Purdue’s Jaden Ivey No. 4 to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharp No. 5 to the Indiana Pacers.

The rest of Zillgitt’s top 10 selections saw Memphis’ Jalen Duren to the Sacramento Kings at No. 7, Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis No. 8 to the New Orleans Pelicans, Duke’s A.J. Griffin No. 9 to the San Antonio Spurs and Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin No. 10 to the Washington Wizards.

With Murray’s ability to guard positions one through five and his 3-point shooting range, he will be a terrific addition to whichever team he winds up with. He shot 39.8% from 3-point distance this past season. Murray joined former Texas star Kevin Durant in becoming just the second player in Division I history to amass more than 800 points, 60 blocks, and 60 3-pointers in a single season.

In the process, Murray also became Iowa’s fourth consensus first-team All-American in program history, joining Murray Wier (1948), Charles Darling (1952) and Luka Garza (2020 and 2021).

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Three takeaways from the Lakers’ 106-101 loss at Portland

The Lakers fall in Portland

After a 106-101 loss in Portland, the Los Angeles Lakers have a serious amount of work to do to pull themselves out of the play-in tournament. It was Damian Lillard time at the Moda Center, as Portland’s star scored a game-high 38 points on just 18 shots.

Anthony Davis looked more like himself with a team-high 36 points and 12 rebounds, but cold shooting and a struggling supporting cast doomed a Laker team that was without LeBron James and Dennis Schroeder.

Let’s get into three takeaways from Friday night’s loss:

Pelicans at Blazers recap: The good, the bad, and the Lonzo

The good, the bad, and the Lonzo from the Portland win over New Orleans

After falling behind early, the New Orleans Pelicans couldn’t dig themselves out of a hole in Portland. For the second straight game, the Trailblazers finished in the fourth quarter to drop the Pelicans to 17-24 on the year.

Zion Williamson helped lead the comeback effort with a team-high 26 points, but with a sense of deja vu it was Damian Lillard who took it to New Orleans yet again, leading the game with his 36 points.

Let’s get into the good, the bad, and the Lonzo from a game in which Portland led nearly the whole way through.

Seahawks to pay part-time employees, help others impacted by closures

In light of the recent coronavirus outbreak, the Seattle Seahawks will pay part-time employees and help others impacted by venue closures.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Seattle Seahawks – like other sports teams – are stepping up to find ways to help employees and local citizens during this time of need.

The Seahawks and Trailblazers will pay part-time employees impacted by event cancellations at CenturyLink Field and Portland’s Moda Center. In addition, both clubs will donate thousands of pounds of food from their closed venues to local charities.

“We are all witnessing the impacts of COVID-19 and how it is harming the health, vibrancy, and economic well-being of our communities,” said Jody Allen, co-founder and chair of Vulcan Inc. and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and chair of the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers. “We are thoughtfully assessing ways we can help mitigate some of these impacts, and we are grateful to the many health care workers, partners, local and regional authorities, fellow funders and business leaders on the front lines in Seattle and Portland.

“While we work as a community to respond to this crisis, we take seriously the shared responsibility to follow official public health guidance and be diligent in our social distancing during these challenging times.”

If you are interested in donating to the cause, the Seahawks encourage fans to visit the Seattle Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund.

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