Two for One

Aspiring writer covering @trailblazers and @NBA. Consider it a Two for One deal

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

Hi Blazers Fans,

Just wanna introduce myself as I am new to the Portland X community.

I am an aspiring writer previously writing with Blazers Edge on a brief stint. I am looking forward to building a community and sharing my opinions and work with you all!

Please tag some members of the community I should follow and pay attention to!

#RipCity

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

This series always felt like it was going to be won or lost in Game 3.

Now that’s a literal truth.

A 3-0 lead on one side, or the chance to rattle one of the most anticipated Finals homecomings we can remember on the other.

See you Monday.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

Its so hard not to envy the Knicks and Brunson. Dame should’ve had a roster like this man.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

Deuce McBride and Lu Dort have this eerily similar ability to hit threes that make the other team feel like the sky is falling.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

Legler is 100% right.

My junior year of college, I transferred schools and for the first time in my life I wasn’t a top-three player on my team. I had always been somewhat protected from criticism because of my role, but that year everything changed.

Getting called out for mistakes and feeling like I could lose my spot in the starting lineup, I didn’t know how to handle it. Instead of playing to excel, I started playing not to mess up.

My confidence disappeared.

“Don’t mess this pass up.”

“Please don’t bring the ball over here.”

I started making the safest decisions possible and playing with constant negative thoughts in my head.

It’s easy for fans to dismiss what Chet is going through because he’s a professional athlete making millions of dollars. But that doesn’t change the fact that he thinks and feels like the rest of us.

Playing to avoid mistakes instead of playing to succeed is an absolute killer for an athlete.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

Moda Center magnet ball

[Sweet Kenny @sweetkennypea]

@philfanacc who are the five losses to. WHO

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

Legler is 100% right.

My junior year of college, I transferred schools and for the first time in my life I wasn’t a top-three player on my team. I had always been somewhat protected from criticism because of my role, but that year everything changed.

Getting called out for mistakes and feeling like I could lose my spot in the starting lineup, I didn’t know how to handle it. Instead of playing to excel, I started playing not to mess up.

My confidence disappeared.

“Don’t mess this pass up.”

“Please don’t bring the ball over here.”

I started making the safest decisions possible and playing with constant negative thoughts in my head.

It’s easy for fans to dismiss what Chet is going through because he’s a professional athlete making millions of dollars. But that doesn’t change the fact that he thinks and feels like the rest of us.

Playing to avoid mistakes instead of playing to succeed is an absolute killer for an athlete.

[NBA Base @TheNBABase]

ESPN's Tim Legler on Chet Holmgren’s Game 7 performance

"There is no denying he was shook, he was rattled. It affected the way he was processing the game, and it completely took away his aggressiveness. He started to look like a guy that was afraid of failure, and when you start to play that way as a professional athlete, that’s exactly what it’s going to look like. You don't take chances anymore. You'd rather play it safe and disappear than to try and have it not work out — drive at Wemby and have him block your shot, try to get there in time to stop Wemby at the rim and he get dunked on again. It's better not to try than to have that happen again. That's exactly what he looked like."

(Via @ALLCITY_NBA)

[Evan Turner @thekidet]

@TrailheadMafia @hooptivist @TMZ @markkiszla remember this pic? lol you wrote a crazy article about the squad and I and then we walked into your city and handled business

I believe that loss was your fault for talking like an athlete knowing you grew up a bookworm 🤓

Marky mark

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

@Ajvss15 @BlazersLead 100% agree with it, commit to the qualifying, world cup and olympics.

Wouldn’t want players to let others do the hardwork and then jump in for the Olympics.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

There is an issue with NBA coverage and discourse that has been irritating, to say the least.

Fans and media are often more impressed by the idea of a player than the actual production of one.

Unfortunately, Chet Holmgren and Evan Mobley have become the pinnacle of that concept.

“7-foot unicorns. Defensive monsters.”

I mean, I guess.

Both are phenomenal defenders, but offensively they have produced at a very similar level since entering the league with no significant leap to speak of.

It feels like we’re all waiting for an inevitable breakout that may not actually be inevitable. At what point does potential stop being the selling point?

We know Mobley can’t be the second-best player on a contender, or Cleveland wouldn’t have gone out and acquired James Harden while keeping Jarrett Allen around.

We just watched Chet struggle immensely as a second option, and even his defensive impact was minimal throughout much of the series.

There isn’t a world where I can put Holmgren in a higher tier than players like Scottie Barnes or Deni Avdija right now. The same goes for Mobley.

As impressive as these players look on paper, and as intriguing as their measurements and skillsets may be, eventually you have to call a spade a spade.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

As a Canadian, it’s not all that surprising to me.

If anything, it comes across as an ego thing. Especially after how Jamal Murray’s Olympic run went, Team Canada is clearly going to be built around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moving forward, and I’m not sure that interests everyone.

For a lot of us, the national team was Steve Nash and a bunch of overseas guys growing up.

Players like Shaedon Sharpe and Andrew Wiggins came through the youth ranks believing they could one day be the face of Canadian basketball.

Now they’re looking at a situation where they’d most likely be playing supporting roles behind SGA.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

This “Giannis bidding war” that keeps getting pushed across timelines isn’t nearly as expensive as people are making it out to be.

Milwaukee simply doesn’t hold all the cards here.

Giannis is eligible for a contract extension in October, and after this season he’ll effectively be one year away from a player option in 2027-28. With each day that passes the urgency for Milwaukee to find clarity grows, while the leverage they hold begins to diminish.

In a normal circumstance, 2-3 blue-chip prospects and 4-5 first-round picks makes sense for a player of Giannis’ caliber.

But when a 31-year-old superstar coming off multiple injury-riddled seasons wants a new situation, and the team doesn’t have overwhelming contractual control, it’s hard to see a package reaching those historic levels.

The bright side for the Bucks is that this isn’t a full-blown divorce. It’s nothing like the Jimmy Butler situation in Miami where the relationship became unsalvageable.

But it’s a difficult truth Bucks fans may have to accept: yesterday’s price is not today’s price.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

It really is a beautiful thing to watch Clingan operate as a roller instead of a popper launching a three that immediately crushes your soul.

[ᴛʏʟᴇʀ @blazersforreal]

Dame and Clingan getting some offseason work in together 👀🔥

Cannot wait to watch this duo! 🤩

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

You have just lost about 2-3 calls per game this series Mr. Castle

[Oh No He Didn't @ohnohedidnt24]

Stephon Castle:

"I sell calls too sometimes. I mean I can't lie. I think we talk to the refs a lot, especially me in particular but most of the times they're right"

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

@TheyLikeRozier I would think so strictly because the franchise owes their greatest ever player a chance to go somewhere he wants.

However there definitely is another side to the coin, where Milwaukee can be sought after the best possible package.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

This “Giannis bidding war” that keeps getting pushed across timelines isn’t nearly as expensive as people are making it out to be.

Milwaukee simply doesn’t hold all the cards here.

Giannis is eligible for a contract extension in October, and after this season he’ll effectively be one year away from a player option in 2027-28. With each day that passes the urgency for Milwaukee to find clarity grows, while the leverage they hold begins to diminish.

In a normal circumstance, 2-3 blue-chip prospects and 4-5 first-round picks makes sense for a player of Giannis’ caliber.

But when a 31-year-old superstar coming off multiple injury-riddled seasons wants a new situation, and the team doesn’t have overwhelming contractual control, it’s hard to see a package reaching those historic levels.

The bright side for the Bucks is that this isn’t a full-blown divorce. It’s nothing like the Jimmy Butler situation in Miami where the relationship became unsalvageable.

But it’s a difficult truth Bucks fans may have to accept: yesterday’s price is not today’s price.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

@LottoKing556 @BlazersLead The 3rd word in my sentence.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

As a Canadian, it’s not all that surprising to me.

If anything, it comes across as an ego thing. Especially after how Jamal Murray’s Olympic run went, Team Canada is clearly going to be built around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moving forward, and I’m not sure that interests everyone.

For a lot of us, the national team was Steve Nash and a bunch of overseas guys growing up.

Players like Shaedon Sharpe and Andrew Wiggins came through the youth ranks believing they could one day be the face of Canadian basketball.

Now they’re looking at a situation where they’d most likely be playing supporting roles behind SGA.

[Vivek Jacob @vivekmjacob]

Andrew Wiggins and Shaedon Sharpe are also out moving forward.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

@kkuderer05 @drisky_biz Why would the Bucks who are in dire need of a rebuild need “impact“ players?

Though I still think Sharpe and Scoot definitely are.

[Two for One @TwoForOneTalk]

With Marc Stein reporting today that the Portland Trail Blazers are in heavy pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s encouraging that the primary competition appears to be the Miami Heat.

As Blazers fans know all too well from the Lillard trade saga, Pat Riley and the Heat have a reputation for being quite stingy with their offers. Frankly, I don’t think beating a Miami package would be overly difficult, especially when you compare the assets each team can put on the table.

Overall, it’s a positive report.

Portland has the young talent and Milwaukee’s own future picks to dangle in front of them. That’s a pretty unique position to be in and it’ll be difficult for any team, not just Miami, to top that combination of assets.

The only hope now is that Joe Cronin and the front office don’t go full War Dogs mode and submit an offer that’s significantly more aggressive than the rest of the field.

What do you think? #RipCity