meyers leonard

Casey Holdahl

Restricted free agency can be a bit tricky for both the players and teams involved. For the player, you sit through pitches laying out your value to another organization before entering into negotiations knowing full well that the whole exercise could end up being largely an act of futility. And for the team with the restricted free agent, they have to watch as one of their players is wooed by another organization whose contract offer they'll have to abide by if they want to retain the player. Things usually turn out fine in the end, but it can get a bit uncomfortable, especially if a player says he's excited to go to another team only to end up returning to his former team should they decide to match contract terms (as they almost always do).

But there's no rule stating restricted free agency has to play out that way. Teams don't typically mind restricted free agents getting offers from other teams, as it keeps them from being in the position of negotiating against themselves. But if there's a mutual desire to get a come to terms on a new contract without going through the dance of having a player get an offer sheet from another team first, teams are free to sign their own restricted free agents. Such was the case with the Trail Blazers and fourth-year power forward Meyers Leonard, who signed with Portland without ever getting an offer sheet.

"Obviously when it comes to free agency, you talk to other teams, you try to gain interest," said Leonard during a press conference at the Trail Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin. "But my main focus was to be back here in Portland. I spent all four years here, Neil (Olshey) has been the guy that’s backed me since the beginning. I truly believe watching him from the outside just as a player, he can understand talent, he can understand the future. I appreciate that he believes in me, I believe the coaching staff has a firm belief that I can really do a lot of good things, that I can continue to develop and become a much better player, which I know I will as well."

It's possible Leonard could have received a larger offer from another team had he expressed a sincere desire to leave Portland, just as it's possible the Trail Blazers could have tried to sign Leonard to a smaller contract with other teams neglecting to force their hand by not offering the 7-1 power forward an offer sheet. But even though the NBA, as the oft-repeated saying goes, is a business, it doesn't mean that decisions are always made with business solely in mind. There are relationships to consider, and if both parties wanted the partnership to continue, there's no reason for either side to engage in hardball tactics just to either save a few million (if you're the team) or make a couple million more (if you're the player). If the Trail Blazers are serious about signing players who want to be in Portland -- and all indications point to that -- they have to reciprocate that desire, which they did by signing Leonard to a four-year deal.

"Player retention is huge for us, it’s a big part of the organization having consistency and stability," said Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey. "Having Meyers, who was our first draft pick sign on long term is a great situation for us. We know he’s got a great future ahead, he’s going to continue to develop, he’s already contributed a lot to the organization. He’s a joy to have around here and for myself, Paul (Allen), Chris (McGowan), we’re all happy he’s going to be a part of the organization for the foreseeable future."

But while the team has shown they are invested in Leonard's future by signing him to a four-year deal, that doesn't mean he has been promised anything. Between the addition of free agent center Festus Ezeli, the likelihood that small forward Al-Farouq Aminu plays considerable minutes this season at the four and the continued development of 20 year-old power forward Noah Vonleh, the competition for playing time among Portland's bigs will be as fierce this season as it has been in years.

"It’s good to have a deep roster and I feel I bring something way different than the average player, the average big brings, obviously the main one being shooting, spacing the floor," said Leonard. "But I continue to develop on the defensive end with my rebounding, being more aggressive, understanding the game much better and just allowing the game to slow down. As you gain in game experience and you continue to develop chemistry within this group. This young group, obviously, we surprised a lot of people. You go from 26.5 games to getting to the playoffs, getting to the second round and as I sat there during the playoffs, it was hard for me. One, because when we were losing, I knew I could be helping. And when we won, I wanted to be a part of it. So there’s a hunger inside of me and I’m excited for what I can bring to this team."

That hunger will have to be satiated off the court for the next few months, as Leonard continues to rehab from a shoulder injury that cut his 2015-16 season short. But in the long term, he'll Leonard has the opportunity to prove the belief Olshey and Terry Stotts have shown in him during his career in Portland has been well placed, just as the team will have the chance to have a player with a unique skillset signed long term to to what could end up being an incredible bargain of a four-year deal.

"I have enjoyed all four years here so far," said Leonard. "It’s been a progression for sure. I come in as a 20 year-old, wide-eyed, not really know what’s going and now, all the sudden, I know that I’ve been a factor and I know I can play and now it’s really time to take that next step. I feel like I’m really getting there, not just with the shoulder — that was a bit of a setback — but throughout parts of last year, I could really feel myself starting to come into my own and really being more consistent... I’ve been here with Dame all four years, Allen (Crabbe), CJ (McCollum), all the young guys. Now that we add more and more pieces, I’m excited and I know I can really be a big piece to this puzzle, because again, this is going to be an exciting time for the Trail Blazers."

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Leonard, Trail Blazers Both Get What They Want With Four-Year Deal

With Portland's foray into free agency now complete, Joe Freeman, he of The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, and I, Casey Holdahl of ForwardCenter.net/TrailBlazers.com, hit the Moda Center studio to record another edition of the Rip City Report podcast, which you can listen to below...

In this almost all Twitter-submitted questions edition, we discuss the signings of Evan Turner, Festus Ezeli and Meyers Leonard, the decision to match the offer the Brooklyn Nets extended to Allen Crabbe, how the additions and returns could change lineups going forward and the notion that the Trail Blazers need to make a trade. There's also some hot Pokemon Go and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" talk to start the show, so you might want prepare yourself to fast-forward through the first few minutes.

You can find the Rip City Report on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. And a reminder that the offseason is a great time to leave a review on iTunes!

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Podcast: Rip City Report, Post Free Agency Edition

UPDATE: The team has officially announce that they have signed Meyers Leonard to a new contract. From the press release...

The Trail Blazers and Meyers Leonard sat down at the negotiating table prior to the start of the 2015-16 season in an effort to hammer out a new contract in an effort to keep the 7-1 power forward from hitting the (restricted) free agent market. Despite mutual interest, the two sides were unable to strike a deal, though considering the Trail Blazers had the right to match any offer Leonard received as a free agent, it always seemed likely he'd be back even if terms on an extension couldn't be reached.

As it turns out, an offer sheet from another team wasn't needed for both sides to ultimately come to an agreement.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Leonard and the Trail Blazers have agreed on a new four-year deal worth $41 million...

The reported four-year deal is roughly the same as the offer the Trail Blazers reportedly extended to Leonard prior to the start of the 2015-16 season. At the time, it was reasonable to assume Leonard might receive a larger offer from another team, as his combination of size, athleticism and shooting are highly sought after in today's NBA. But missing the final 20 games of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder, not to mention the widely-held assumption that the Blazers would match any reasonable offer for Leonard, likely cooled interest from other teams. And though he didn't say it explicitly, it always seemed as though Leonard's preference was to continue his career in Portland after being selected by the Trail Blazers with the 11th overall pick of the 2012 Draft.

"I was drafted here, I’ve been with Terry (Stotts) the entire time, Neil (Olshey) obviously drafted me, being here with now our franchise player Damian (Lillard)," said Leonard back in March. "So the future is bright here and I truly hope that I can be a big part of it."

Leonard returns to a big man rotation that features Mason Plumlee, Ed Davis, Noah Vonleh and Festus Ezeli, who signed with Portland as a free agent on Friday.

While Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey said the team is done chasing new free agents for the year, whether restricted free agents Maurice Harkless and Allen Crabbe, who received an offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets worth reportedly $75 million over four years on Thursday, return to Portland next season is still to be determined. The team has until 9 pm Sunday night to decide whether or not to match the offer made to Crabbe.

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Trail Blazers Sign Meyers Leonard To Four-Year Deal

Greetings fans of NBA offseason news. With the 2106 Draft now completed and the free agent moratorium less than 48 away, Joe Freeman, he of The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, and I, Casey Holdahl of ForwardCenter.net/TrailBlazers.com, hit the Moda Center studio to record yet another edition of the Rip City Report podcast, which you can listen to below...

This week, Trail Blazers power forward Meyers Leonard joins the show to discuss his travels around Oregon this offseason, rehabbing from the shoulder surgery that prematurely ended his 2015-16 season, "sprint mechanics" and his upcoming restricted free agency. As for the rest of the show, we briefly recap Portland's draft night, which netted the team Maryland forward Jake Layman, discuss what we know about the negotiations regarding the team's television rights and discuss the unpredictability that is free agency.

You can find the Rip City Report on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. And consider ending the month by throwing a review on the iTunes.

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Podcast: Leonard Talks Offseason, Free Agency On The Rip City Report

Greetings podcast enthusiasts. As the Trail Blazers enter their final seven games of the regular season, a stretch that will decide if they make the post-season and what seed they'll end up with if they do, Joe Freeman, he of The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, and I, Casey Holdahl of ForwardCenter.net/TrailBlazers.com, hit the Moda Center studio to record the 64th edition (though there is some debate over how many of these we've actually done) of the Rip City Report podcast, which you can listen to below...

On this week's show we discuss the remaining games on Portland's schedule and ponder whether they'll make manage to overtake the Memphis Grizzlies for the 5th-seed, Meyers Leonard's season-ending shoulder injury and his future with the Trail Blazers, the play of Maurice Harkless as a starter and answer many of your Twitter-submitted questions on topics from the All-Star Game, off-season hobbies, cures for the Cocktail Flu, our favorite breakfasts and who would win in a fight between the various media members who cover the team. So, the important, stretch-run issues.

You can find the Rip City Report on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. And leave that iTunes review before the FBI hacks to your phone.

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Podcast: Rip City Report, Episode 64

SAN ANTONIO -- Between luck and a quality health and performance staff, the Portland Trail Blazers have managed to stay relatively injury-free this season. In fact, according to the website Man-Games Lost, the Trail Blazers have missed the second-fewest number of games due to injury during the 2015-16 campaign.

But Portland will unfortunately add to that number, as the team announced Wednesday afternoon after their practice at Trinity University in San Antonio that Meyers Leonard would miss at least Thursday's game versus San Antonio after dislocating his left shoulder. Leonard suffered the injury while playing five-on-five during Portland's practice Wednesday afternoon.

This is the second time this season that Leonard has dislocated his left shoulder, as he missed seven games after suffering the same injury in Portand's 113-101 loss to the Spurs back on Nov. 11. Leonard starting the first nine games of the season but has served as a reserve, with Noah Vonleh starting at power forward, since the injury.

Now in his fourth season, Leonard is averaging 8.4 points on 45 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from three, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.9 minutes per game this season.

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Leonard (Dislocated Left Shoulder) OUT For Thursday's Game Versus Spurs

NEW YORK -- Prior to Tuesday night's game between the Trail Blazers and Knicks in New York City, Portland starting point guard Damian Lillard noted his affinity for playing at what many have dubbed the "mecca" of basketball.

"It’s a huge stage, big city, it’s New York, it’s Madison Square Garden," said the fourth-year guard out of Weber State. "The energy’s just different. The crowd is there during warmups, they’re standing up, the music is playing, it’s a big time environment. And that’s the reason it’s my favorite place in the world to play."

The way that Tuesday's game played out for the Trail Blazers, he might not be the only player on the roster to feel that way.

Lillard scored 30 points for the eighth time in nine games while CJ McCollum added 25 points, with most of those coming in the second half, as the Trail Blazers defeated the Knicks 104-85 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,812 at Madison Square Garden.

“It is always good to get a win at the Garden," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, who was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for February prior to Tuesday's game. "I liked the way we played. Dame got it going in the first half, CJ heated up in the second half.... It was a good one to get."

The Trail Blazers are now 33-28 overall, 14-16 on the road and have won their last three games. What's more, Portland has now won eight of their last nine road games, nine of their last 10 games overall and 16 of their last 20.

"From top to bottom in the league, to go on the road, it's tough to go on somebody else's floor and win a game," said Lillard. "They got the crowd into it, they might hit some shots and confidence level goes up. Anything can go wrong on the road and we've just grown so much. Over the past month or so we've just really committed ourselves to every little thing that's going to allow us to win games. We've kind of just been at it and we've been overly dedicated to those things it's why we're winning games.

The Trail Blazers remain in a tie for sixth place with the Dallas Mavericks, a team that also won Tuesday night, in the Western Conference standings and now trail the fifth-place Memphis Grizzlies by three games.

Damian Lillard, as has often been the case during his incredible scoring run since the All-Star break, got off to a quick start versus the Knicks, scoring 24 of his 30 points in the first half. During one stretch late in the second quarter, the 6-3 point guard hit a jumper, back-to-back three-pointers, three free throws and another three to finish a less than three minute span with 14 points, which helped the Blazers take a 58-50 lead into the intermission.

"Just setting the tone," said Lillard of his first-half performance. "In the first half I think we got a little bit caught up into exchanging baskets. We were seeing the ball go in and we were not as locked in as we needed to be on the defensive end. The baskets were why we was able to go into the half with the lead. But like I said, I just wanted to be aggressive and assert myself early and set the tone for the team."

The Knicks would key in defensively on Lillard in the second half, which opened things up for McCollum, who scored seven-straight points in 59 seconds in the third quarter. With Lillard deferring to McCollum, the 6-4 guard in his third season out of Lehigh would end up with 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter while helping Portland take a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter.

"I think Dame is one of the more selfless players in the NBA," said McCollum of his backcourt partner. "He told me 'I'm going to look for you in this quarter early. I'm going to get you going going, get you some pass-aheads and just create and go make something happen.' So I just got aggressive and tried to make plays happen. A lot of star players wouldn't defer and that just shows you that he's all about winning, all about making sure that we're all engaged and all active."

Between both McCollum and Lillard clicking and the Knicks shooting worse than 15 percent from the the field in the fourth, the Trail Blazers were able to coast to a 19-point victory while giving their deep bench a chance to get some late-game minutes as the Madison Square Garden crowd either booed the home team or simply left early.

Though Lillard and McCollum combined to score over half of Portland's points Tuesday night, the bench unit held up their end of the bargain to help get the victory. Meyers Leonard continued his a hot shooting streak on the current road trip, going 4-of-8 from the field and 3-0f-5 from three to finish with a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds in 26 minutes.

"I think the confidence is maybe a little higher," said Leonard of his recently sharpshooting. "I know I can shoot the ball, that's just the part of my game that, hopefully for my sake, will always be there. I get a lot of reps up, I understand that I space the court and that's what I can really help our team with... Definitely in a bit of rhythm right now."

Ed Davis added nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting and nine rebounds in 24 minutes and both Allen Crabbe and Gerald Henderson scored six points in the winning effort.

Next up, the Trail Blazers head to Boston to play the second of a back-to-back and their fourth game in five nights versus the Celtics. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 pm.

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Dame Does It Again As Trail Blazers Get Another Road Win

PORTLAND -- Three months into the season, the Portland Trail Blazers got their first four-game winning streak of 2015-16 by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 96-93 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,393 at the Moda Center Sunday night.

"Coming in we knew we had some winnable games and it was just a matter of us taking care of business," said Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. Over the last couple of games, we've defended better, we've shared the ball better and we've played more cpmplete games, so that's led to us being able to win four in a row."

The win moves the Trail Blazers to 23-26 overall, 14-10 at home this season and 8-2 in their last 10 games while improving Portland's ever-so-slight lead over the Jazz for eighth place in the Western Conference by a half game.

What's more, the win is Portland's eighth-straight at home versus Minnesota and improves their record versus on of their fellow Northwest Division teams to 12-3 since the start of the 2012-13 season. The Trail Blazers have clinched the season series versus the Timberwolves and will have a get the season series sweep when they play in Portland's penultimate game of the regular season.

"It was a good grind-it-out game for us," said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. "The offense never really got on track for most of the night but our defense was pretty solid for the most part. We did a good job with tendencies. We didn't rebound the ball particularly well the first half but I thought we took care of that better the second half... I wish we could have kind of extended the lead a little but they came back and we did what we needed to do."

After finishing the first quarter tied at 21-21, the Trail Blazers outscored the Timberwolves 27-18 to take a 48-39 lead into the halftime intermission. But Minnesota would turn the tables in the third, outscoring Portland 33-28 to cut the lead to three going into the fourth. The Trail Blazers would use a 12-2 run to take their largest lead of the night at 12 and looked as though they might win going away, but the Timberwolves rallied late to cut the lead to just two with 13 seconds to play. Fortunately for the Rip City faithful, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum managed to make their free throws late to escape with three-point victory.

"The last couple games we hadn't been able to pull away from teams and stometimes out starters would sit the last couple minutes but tonight they had a last minute push," said Lillard. "We had to get a few stops to close out the game, make a few free throws and we did that."

Lillard and McCollum both finished with 21 points, with the former adding eight rebounds and the latter grabbing two steals. Meyers Leonard went 5-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from three to finish with 13 points and Gerald Henderson added 11. Allen Crabbe and Ed Davis scored eight points each to round out Portland's bench scoring.

Rookie Karl Anthony-Towns led the Timberwolves with 21 points on 50 percent shooting, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 38 minutes.

"Usually with rookies, you expect them to have more ups and downs than he's having, but he's a special player," said Lillard of Towns. "I think the way he played tonight is what the league is starting to expect from him."

After ending January with a 9-5 record, the Trail Blazers begin February by hosting the Bucks Tuesday at the Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

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Trail Blazers Hold Off Timberwolves To Extend Win Streak To Four

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