injuries

none

Casey Holdahl

Greetings from North Portland. With only two games this week, there was ample time to record yet another edition of The Brief Case podcast, which you can listen and subscribe to below...

Topics on this, the 68th edition, include...

• The Trail Blazers returning from a 2-2 road trip, which could have very easily been a 4-0 road trip

• Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara posterizing Jazz center Walker Kessler on back-to-back possessions

• Chauncey Billups speaking one of those dunks into existence

• Jerami Grant entering the concussion protocol after taking a shot to the face in Saturday's loss to the Jazz

• The imminent return of Anfernee Simons, who has been sidelined since the first game of the season with a thumb injury

• The Trail Blazers getting a Disable Player Exemption and whether that means much in the short term

• A rundown of the last week for the Rip City Remix

• Portland offensive and defense ratings nearly a quarter of the way into the season

• The Trail Blazers beating the spread in four of their last five games and when they might be favored in a game for the first time this season

And the show ends with a lengthy sit down with second-year forward Jabari Walker, who discusses the road trip, his recent play, Portland's "bench mob," the importance of bringing energy off the bench, the return of Anfernee Simons and what he hopes to see from the team and himself in the next month.

You can subscribe to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM. 

ants-return-and-jabaris-energy-on-the-brief-case

Ant's Return And Jabari's Energy On The Brief Case

Greetings and good to be back in Portland after a week on the road. With the team home for a few days, wanted to get in another edition of The Brief Case podcast, which you can listen and subscribe to below...

• The Trail Blazers returning home from a three-game road trip while on a four-game losing streak (which is now a five-game losing streak)

• Tuesday's loss to the Utah Jazz in the second In-Season Tournament game for both teams

• Injuries starting to take their toll with Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III all sidelined

• A rundown of when injured players might return

• An update on where the Trail Blazers are at after 10 games in terms of offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating

• The Trail Blazers' record versus the spread and the line for Wednesday's game versus the Cavaliers

• The Rip City Remix playing their first home games this weekend versus the South Bay Lakers and the Ontario Clippers

• And the show ends with a conversation with rookie Toumani Camara after his first start in Tuesday's loss to the Jazz

toumani-starts-remix-begins-and-injuries-take-a-toll-on-the-brief-case

Toumani Starts, Remix Begins And Injuries Take A Toll On The Brief Case

One of the youngest backcourts on the NBA youngest team is about to get a whole lot younger, at least for the next four to six weeks.

With Anfernee Simons sidelined for at least the next month with a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb suffered during the Trail Blazers’ first game of the season, a 123-111 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said he would continue to start Shaedon Sharpe, a 20 year old in his second season out of Kentucky, and 19 year old rookie guard Scoot Henderson, as he did in Portland’s home-opening loss to the Magic on Friday at Moda Center.

“I think it’s an unbelievable opportunity for these guys to start growing up and to learn,” said Billups. “So, stay right there where it’s at and if it’s going crazy, you got that common device in Malcolm (Brogdon) that I can throw in at any time. But I like where these guys are, some great, teachable moments. Every single night, they can learn so much.”

With Simons, who started every game he played in last season and in Portland’s opener versus the Clippers, sidelined, the Blazers lose their most tenured player -- he’s the only current player who was on the roster during the 2021-22 season -- one of their top scorers and easily their best shooter. So his absence puts even more pressure on Sharpe and Henderson, the seventh and third picks of the 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts, respectively, to mature quickly or lose minutes to more veteran players.

“Obviously Ant’s the type of player that he’s gained the type of respect that, whether he’s making shots or not, you have to play him a certain way,” said Billups. “You gameplan for him, so we’ll miss that. Obviously his shotmaking and his playmaking, which has taken a step up, we’ll miss those things. And he’s one of our veterans in the backcourt so now you become really young back there. So we’ll miss his presence, miss his leadership, too.”

Sharpe started 15 games at the end of his rookie season and was hopefully about the prospects of starting his second season in the first five. That didn’t happen in Portland’s season opener, with Billups opting to start Simons, who, at 24, already has five season under his belt, and Henderson, who played the last two seasons with the G-League Ignite. But with Simons out, Sharpe will get ample opportunity to make his case.

“I put the work in so I’m not really phased by anything,” said Sharpe. “I trust my teammates, I like the group of guys we got here. Just got to regroup and get ready for the next game.”

The 6-5 guard post 24 points on 9-of-23 shooting from the field and 4-of-11 shooting from three, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in Friday’s loss to the Magic and at times looked like Portland’s best player, though such distinctions don’t amount to much a week into an 82-game season.

“Shae just needs to go out there and play as hard as he can, be aggressive,” said Billups. “We want him aggressive on both sides of the ball, whether he’s come off the bench or he’s starting. His development, he came a long ways last year, this is Year Two, so obviously we expect more out of him.”

As for Henderson, his role might not change, but losing a veteran presence in the backcourt, especially one who has played significant minutes during his career at point guard, might allow opposing teams to key in on the rookie more than they have already.

“I’m the point guard so I got to get everybody involved and do what I have to do on both ends of the floor,” said Henderson. “I think for this team, losing Ant is one thing but I think, for Shae and us, we’ve just got to step it up, simple as that.”

shaedon-scoot-try-to-step-it-up-with-ant-out-4-6-weeks

Shaedon, Scoot Try To 'Step It Up' With Ant Out 4-6 Weeks

The rematch between Scoot Henderson and Victor Wembanyama will have to wait for another day.

The Trail Blazers announced Saturday that Henderson, who left Portland’s 100-99 loss to the Houston Rockets in the third quarter with a right shoulder injury, will not play in Sunday’s matchup versus the San Antonio Spurs.

Henderson looked as good as advertised in his summer league debut before exiting Friday’s loss after a collision with Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr.

“Went up for a dunk and Jabari kind of came down on the shoulder pretty hard,” said Henderson, who underwent an MRI on his shoulder, after Saturday’s practice at UNLV. “We’re still looking to see what’s going on.”

Despite missing most of the second half, Henderson finished with 15 points, six assists, five rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes.

“I think I played pretty smooth,” said Henderson. “I know there’s areas I definitely need to improve on, just little things in my game where I think I could really perfect and master. But first game, got a lot to do, got a lot of work.”

Though Henderson will miss Sunday’s game versus Wembanyama, he is listed as day-to-day, which at least keeps open the possibility that the third overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft will play in one of the Trail Blazers’ remaining games in Las Vegas.

Portland will also be without guard Keon Johnson for Sunday’s game after he suffered a dislocated finger after just playing one minute versus the Rockets. His status for the rest of summer league will also be reevaluated.

Sunday’s game between the Trail Blazers and Spurs at Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

henderson-johnson-out-for-sundays-game-versus-spurs

Henderson, Johnson Out For Sunday's Game Versus Spurs

PORTLAND, Ore. (April 13, 2023) – Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little underwent successful surgery today to repair a right-side core muscle injury.

The surgery was performed by Dr. William C. Meyers at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia. The procedure was similar to his left side repair performed May 10th of last year.

nassir-little-undergoes-abdominal-surgery

Nassir Little Undergoes Abdominal Surgery

Greetings to those of you sticking out the last days of the Trail Blazers' 2022-23 season. With it being that time of the year again in which every NBA podcast devotes a segment to what Damian Lillard should do, I figured it was time to hear from the man himself, so I sat down with point guard for the latest edition of The Brief Case, which you can listen and subscribe to below...

Over the course of 15 minutes, Dame discusses his main takeaways from the 2022-23 season, returning from injury while reminding people how great he is, what he was heartened and disappointed by this season, how he views his individual performance, his thoughts on why he should be first-team All-NBA, why watching the playoffs puts him in a bad mood, his comments on JJ Redick's podcast about what constitutes success and the reaction to those comments, his issues with the NBA media landscape and what he hopes the team can get accomplished in the offseason.&nbsp;Dame has never been shy about letting it fly, both on and off the court.

And prior to the interview with Dame, topics on this, the 33rd edition, include...

• The Trail Blazers having just seven players available in their loss to the Kings on Wednesday

• Shaedon Sharpe doing something that only Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and LeBron James had done before

• The remaining schedules of Trail Blazers, Magic, Pacers and Wizards

• Rooting for the Knicks to make the playoffs and avoid the play-in

• Justise Winslow's comments on undergoing season-ending surgery on his left ankle

• Keon Johnson breaking his finger and the Trail Blazers responding by signing Skylar Mays out of the G-League to a 10-day contract

Please consider subscribing to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM. Talk again next week!

dame-discusses-season-all-nba-and-his-hopes-for-the-future-on-the-brief-case

Dame Discusses Season, All-NBA And His Hopes For The Future On The Brief Case

A happy 2023 to all the listeners out there. Before the Trail Blazers play their first game of the new year, after which they'll head out for a three-game trip, wanted to get the 15th edition of The Brief Case up and available where ever you get your podcasts...

Topics on this edition of the Brief Case include...

• The impending debut of Gary Payton II, who is expected to play in Monday night's game versus the Pistons.

• Where the Trail Blazers are at in the standings and in offensive/defensive rating at the start of the new year.

• Heading out on one more road trip before the team spends most of January at home.

• Josh Hart's thoughts on Portland's first 35 games and why he's not satisfied with being in eighth-place.

You can subscribe to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer and PlayerFM. I'll have another road edition up some time later this week, so consider subscribing before then!

podcast-gp2-debuts-hart-surveys-the-season-thus-far-on-the-brief-case

PODCAST » GP2 Debuts, Hart Surveys The Season Thus Far On The Brief Case

It took a little longer than expected, but Gary Payton II is close to making his debut as a Trail Blazer as the calendar turns over to 2023.

After missing the first 35 games of the season as he rehabilitated from offseason surgery, Payton II is not listed on the injury report for Monday’s game versus the Pistons at Moda Center, the first contest of 2023 for the Trail Blazers. This is the first time this season that his status has been listed as anything other than “out,” which presumably means he'll play his first minutes of the season Monday night.

Payton II signed with the Trail Blazers as a free agent during the 2022 offseason reportedly worth $26 million over the course of three seasons after he played a key role in the Warriors’ 2022 NBA Championship run.

“We re excited to have Gary join us in Portland,” said Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin after the signing. “Gary brings an elite defensive acumen and championship pedigree that will be essential to how we play basketball. His competitiveness and toughness will accent Coach Billups’ style of play.”

But Payton II has been sidelined ever since undergoing a procedure at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia to “address a core muscle injury.” He was expected to miss training camp -- which he did -- but the expectation was that the 30-year old in his fifth season out of Oregon State would be available by the start of the regular season.

On October 13, the team announced that Payton II would miss the start of the regular season, though they also noted at that time that “his rehab continues to progress well.” Two weeks after that, the team announced that Payton II was re-evaluated by Dr. William C. Meyers, who performed the procedure back in July, and that he had been “cleared to increase conditioning and on court activity in preparation to return to play.” Two weeks later on November 18, the team announced that “throughout progressive levels of rehab in preparation to return to gamer play, Payton has experienced intermittent soreness” and that he would again be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Since then, Payton has participated in some on-court activity with the team. However, as recently as Wednesday, head coach Chauncey Billups noted that the 6-3 guard had participated in some, but not all of the team’s most recent practice and implied that his status going forward would depend on how he felt after consecutive days of increased workload.

Billups also noted prior to Friday’s loss to the Warriors -- Payton II received his championship ring from his former team in a short ceremony prior to tipoff -- that there were non-physical issues at play regarding Payton’s return.

“He’s working his behind off to get back, he’s close, very close,” said Billups. “Medically, we’ve and he’s done everything that he can do. I always tell people, a lot of times, like, nobody really understands. Like, when you have an injury, you have surgery, there’s not just a physical component that you have to get over, there’s a mental component as well. You don’t want to get hurt again, you don’t want to re-injure yourself, and I think that’s kind of where it is with (Payton) is like, he’s just trying to get over that.”

Apparently Payton II’s body and mind are in the same place, as indicated by his change in status for Monday’s game. The Trail Blazers could certainly use the boost Payton is expected to provide as they’ve lost four of their last five and had just eight players (10 if you count the two-way players) in uniform in Saturday night’s loss in San Francisco.

gary-payton-ii-available-for-mondays-game-versus-pistons

Gary Payton II Available For Monday's Game Versus Pistons

Presented By

Moda Health

<a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/weather" target="_blank">Important Weather Update for Tonight's Game vs. the Phoenix Suns</a>