NBA/Blazers 2026-27 Thread

[pezsez1]

Thank goodness Lillard was playing or we would have lost by even more! He and Ja can't be expected to do everything.

[Phalanx]

So they waived Sochan and are keeping Vit? I mean, I know it's the end of the bench, but I don't get that at all unless they have their eye on a replacement. I looked at Sochan as Thybulle's replacement at a position of greater need. The Blazers are ridiculously thin at forward.

[Boom]

The Blazers are ridiculously thin at forward.

That's what happens when you spend the majority of your payroll on guards.

[Boom]

Predictably the Blazers failed to extend Scoot Henderson. He will be a restricted free agent next summer.

[Phalanx]

Predictably the Blazers failed to extend Scoot Henderson. He will be a restricted free agent next summer.

Yeah,they signaled this would be the case weeks ago. Restricted free agency doesn't mean what it used to. Poison pill offer sheets are much rarer now.

[Phalanx]

Interesting tidbit from the presser. Coach Nori is talking about a 10-11 man rotation. Without Sharpe, I count about 8 players not on vet min deals, excluding Hansen, and the guy I thought would be next in line just got cut. So I am curious who the extra 2-3 rotation guys are going to be. Sidy is entertaining, but he is really not a good player despite all the effort. Potter was good in one preseason game and then he kinda disappeared. Are they really going to be giving regular minutes to Hansen? That seems nuts to me. They did play Vit quite a bit down the stretch, but he is really awful. I can't seem to get to 10, much less 11. We'll find out soon, I guess. It's probably Sidy and Vit just based on positions of need and pre-season usage.

[pezsez1]

From BlazersEdge:

Jrue Holiday on a 10-Man Rotation
Nori reiterated on Monday that he plans to run a 10-man regular rotation this season. Holiday told reporters he appreciates that game plan.

“I think the minutes are split up and you can have maybe shorter bursts where you have a lot more energy and you don’t get as tired,” Holiday said. “As well as just, I think it builds trust throughout the team knowing that you have 10 or 11 guys who are gonna play. We have depth. And I think that’s something that we should use if we have it.”

[pezsez1]

Ja is looking GREAT.

[pezsez1]

Man EVERYONE looks great tonight. Dame hitting 3s, Ja slicing in, Deni and Clingan playing big in the paint, Scoot doing Scoot things, RWIII getting boards, I sure hope this is a sign of things to come!

[Phalanx]

Heh, what a great opening night for all the fans who have had to put up with so much garbage in the news about the new owner and fears of relocation, etc. The Suns look terrible, but tonight who cares? Fans get to see the new team canning shots all over the place. Everything worked tonight - three guard lineup, Lillard iso plays, Ja Morant dealing dimes, Sidy playing defense...it looked like even Hansen was going to score there, but they called a travel. I didn't think traveling was a thing in the NBA anymore, but apparently it still is for the Blazers. Anyway, enjoy this game. Everyone was in their best case scenario tonight.

[Phalanx]

Hansen banks a three in, this is getting very silly.

[Boom]

Interesting tidbit from the presser. Coach Nori is talking about a 10-11 man rotation. Without Sharpe, I count about 8 players not on vet min deals, excluding Hansen, and the guy I thought would be next in line just got cut. So I am curious who the extra 2-3 rotation guys are going to be. Sidy is entertaining, but he is really not a good player despite all the effort. Potter was good in one preseason game and then he kinda disappeared. Are they really going to be giving regular minutes to Hansen? That seems nuts to me. They did play Vit quite a bit down the stretch, but he is really awful. I can't seem to get to 10, much less 11. We'll find out soon, I guess. It's probably Sidy and Vit just based on positions of need and pre-season usage.

Dame and Jrue really need to be in the low-mid 20 minute range and the deep rotation achieves that. It's going to be rough when Deni or Tuamani miss a game though. It's really a shame that Cronin wasted the Yang pick instead of picking up one of the available wings.