3 on 3 Blazers

On this week's episode of KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers podcast, KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley gauge their worry level about Dame's supermax extension, the Blazers' draft position, the surging New Orleans Pelicans, Jusuf Nurkic's injury history, the Dame-Ant vs. Dame-CJ question, the recent play of Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart and the new guys, well, mainly Keon Johnson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Portland Trail Blazers have won four in a row since trading away CJ McCollum and two other starters prior to the NBA trade deadline. The expectation was that the Blazers were positioning themselves to lose as many games as possible to increase their chance of a Top 4 pick in this summer’s NBA draft. But the strong play of Anfernee Simons, Jusuf Nurkic and newcomers Josh Hart and Justise Winslow is turning that plan on its head. The Blazers are suddenly winning again while playing an up-tempo, exciting brand of basketball. The Blazers now have a week off as the NBA heads into its All-Star break. Portland’s remaining schedule is road-heavy (14 of its remaining 23 games are away from the Moda Center) but it's not full of winning teams. The Blazers’ remaining strength of schedule ranks 29th out of 30 teams, according to tankathon.com, which means it may not be as easy for the Blazers to tank (lose games in hopes of increasing their chances of a high lottery draft pick) as many fans would hope. The Blazers' recent stretch of good play and how that impacts the upcoming offseason is the main topic of this week’s 3-on-3 Blazers podcast with KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Portland Trail Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin has a plan to build a winning roster around Damian Lillard. Step 1 of that plan was to trade away CJ McCollum and other high-priced veterans on the team like Norman Powell, Robert Covington and Larry Nance Jr. Now the Blazers have a ton of cap space, some interesting draft picks and a plan to try to recruit high-end talent to join Lillard this summer. Can Cronin execute the next step of his plan? KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley discuss this and more on this episode of KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday after the NBA trade deadline passed, Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin, joined by head coach Chauncey Billups and president of business operations Dewayne Hankins, spoke to the media about the trades the Blazers made the past week and what's next for the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blazers traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers and they're getting Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a second-round pick. KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley do a quick breakdown of the trade and what it means for the Blazers moving forward as the Feb. 10 trade deadline draws near. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 10 and the Portland Trail Blazers have been mentioned in plenty of trade rumors. KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley got together on Thursday to talk about the Blazers and what to expect at this year's trade deadline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Portland Trail Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin made a positive impression on the team's fanbase during a conversation (don't call it a press conference) with media on Thursday. He gave off a warm, positive vibe, answered questions with confidence and provided the impression he'll be given the autonomy to make major moves with the team's roster. This week was also full of drama surrounding Blazers superstar guard Damian Lillard and national media, first with a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick and then with an article by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that many suspected used former Blazers general manager Neil Olshey as a main source. Lillard was critical of both pieces and then spoke out during shootaround this week, saying he wanted to stay in Portland and wasn't demanding a trade. On this week's episode of KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers podcast, Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley share their first impressions of Cronin, discuss the articles that were written about Lillard and the Blazers this week and whether Lillard's reaction to them was justified, and assess the current state of the Blazers on the court. Meet the 3-on-3 Blazers team Orlando Sanchez is the sports anchor and report for KGW News, Sports Sunday and Friday Night Flights. Orlando has covered multiple NBA Finals, NCAA basketball tournaments and World Series. Jared Cowley is the digital executive producer for KGW News. He writes about the Blazers and other topics for kgw.com. Jared has written about the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors as a sports editor at two daily newspaper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez and digital executive producer Jared Cowley talk about Neil Olshey, Larry Nance Jr. and potential lineup changes in this week's episode of KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers podcast. 3:15 — Neil Olshey 41:37 — Impact of Larry Nance Jr. 48:03 — Nurk vs. Nance 54:40 — Nas vs. RoCo 1:01:03 — Home vs. road Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trail Blazers are coming off an 0-3 road trip and Damian Lillard's season-opening slump has reached 8 games. Are the Blazers a bad team or is their poor play mostly a product of Lillard's lack of production? KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley discuss Lillard's slump, the Blazers' road woes, the new four-guard lineup, and then make predictions for the next four games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley discuss their impression of the Blazers after the first four games of the season. How does the defense look? Who has impressed so far (hello, CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons!). Should we be worried about Damian Lillard's slump? They also look ahead to the next four games against the Clippers, Hornets, 76ers and Cavaliers and make a few predictions.

It’s that time of year again! The Portland Trail Blazers play their first regular season game in less than a week, so KGW’s Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley got together to make a bunch of predictions for KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers annual season preview. They predict the Blazers win total, Portland’s playoff seed, which players will exceed expectations and which ones will fall short of expectations. They also make NBA picks for order of finish in the Western Conference, NBA champion, MVP, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KGW’s Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley discuss the report by Shams Charania of The Athletic about trade discussions between the Blazers and 76ers, centered around Ben Simmons, presumably CJ McCollum and a whole heap of Blazers draft picks. Then they discuss the challenge for Blazers fans trying to find Blazers games on ROOT Sports if they don’t have cable or DirecTV. And finally, they play "Buy or Sell?" for the big training camp storylines for the Blazers: Anfernee Simons the point guard, Nassir Little ready to break out, Jusuf Nurkic’s happiness and a new defensive scheme. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode, KGW's Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley talk about a potential trade that would bring Ben Simmons to Portland. They also discuss the Larry Nance Jr. trade and LaMarcus Aldridge's return to the NBA. SUBSCRIBE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-on-3-blazers/id1290344201 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blazers bring back Norman Powell on a five-year, $90 million deal and sign Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore and Tony Snell to shore up the bench, while saying goodbye to Carmelo Anthony, Enes Kanter and Zach Collins. Now, all of Blazers nation waits to see if Neil Olshey will make a big move to improve the team in a way that appeals to Damian Lillard. Plus, the 76ers hire someone really, really close to Dame. What's the concern level for the Blazers with a move like that? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After another first-round exit, Damian Lillard is questioning his future with the Portland Trail Blazers. He wants a championship roster built around him this offseason. How likely is Lillard to leave if the roster can't be improved to that level? Would it be in the Blazers' best interest to trade Lillard now? What kind of moves can Neil Olshey make this offseason, in the draft, during free agency and with trades? Is Olshey capable of making the big move or moves needed to keep Lillard happy? We talk about all this and more on the latest episode of KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers podcast with KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez, senior digital producer Jared Cowley and special guest Nate Hanson, in his triumphant return to the podcast! We also say goodbye to good friend, co-host and Rip It! creator Max Barr, who is pursuing an exciting new career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers podcast, KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez and digital producers Jared Cowley and Max Barr talk about the hiring of Chauncey Billups as the Blazers' new head coach. The hire angered a portion of the Blazers' fan base because of allegations of sexual assault in Billups' past. In 1997, Billups was accused of rape. He denies the accusation, wasn't charged and the case was settled out of court in 2000. Orlando, Jared and Max also talk about the controversial way the Blazers conducted this week's press conference introducing Billups as the team's new head coach. Next, they discuss reports that Damian Lillard is considering leaving Portland because of frustration over the backlash over the hiring process and concerns over whether a championship contender can be built in Portland. Finally, they talk about another setback for Blazers big man Zach Collins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s only been a week since the Portland Trail Blazers' season ended with another first-round exit. In a very busy seven days since, Terry Stotts was fired, the Blazers started their search for a new coach, Neil Olshey went a couple rounds with the media and questions arose about the future of CJ McCollum and the rest of the roster in Rip City. Orlando, Jared and Max break it all down, looking back on a very strange 2020-21 season and ahead to what promises to be an interesting offseason in Portland. Plus, it's the final chapter of this season’s Playoff Rip It! Who will be crowned champion? Hosts: KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez, KGW digital producers Jared Cowley and Max Barr Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-on-3-blazers/id1290344201 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Damian Lillard scored a franchise playoff record 55 points, hit an NBA record 12 3-pointers and the Portland Trail Blazers still lost Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets. Now they head back to Portland for a must-win Game 6 on Thursday. Orlando, Jared and Max discuss Dame's transcendent performance, debate whether Dame's teammates let him down and ask the question: Can Portland bounce back? After that, it's Week 2 of Playoff Rip It! Hosts: KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez, KGW digital producers Jared Cowley and Max Barr Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-on-3-blazers/id1290344201 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Nuggets bounced back in Game 2, beating the Blazers by 19 to even the series. Orlando, Jared and Max talk about their biggest concerns after Game 2. next, they discuss adjustments the Blazers need to make to win Game 3 back in Portland. And finally, Orlando and Jared face off in Week 1 of Playoff Rip It! Hosts: KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez, KGW digital producers Jared Cowley and Max Barr Subscribe: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-on-3-blazers/id1290344201 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Portland Trail Blazers struck first, beating the Denver Nuggets 123-109 to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-7 first-round series. Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic led the way for the Blazers on offense and defense. KGW’s Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley break down everything that went right for the Blazers in Game 1 and look ahead to Game 2. Hosts: KGW sports anchor Orlando Sanchez, KGW digital producers Jared Cowley and Max Barr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices