Hassan Whiteside experienced some ups and downs with the Miami Heat. He had turned in a couple of statistically dominant seasons from 2015-17, especially, but the athletic 7’0”, 265-pounder was moved to the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade last summer after both parties needed a change of scenery. He promptly turned back the clock,…
Tagged Hassan Whiteside
NBA G League Primed to Take Next Step
The NBA G League has steadily grown throughout the years and is primed to reach unprecedented levels in 2020-21. The league now boasts 28 team-affiliated franchises and a new elite talent squad featuring premiere young players who decide to bypass the NCAA’s rapidly outdated—and some might say, indentured servitude model—to receive better training and actual…
How Portland Trail Blazers Snag West’s 8-Seed
We’re rounding the corner from the NBA All-Star Break and have less than two months from the playoffs. In the Western Conference, there’s a multi-team race for the final postseason spot that figures to go down to the wire. To prepare you for the final run of the regular season, I’m unveiling a scouting report…
Portland Trail Blazers Might be Cooked Without a Jusuf Nurkic Return
The Portland Trail Blazers’ season changed last year during a double-overtime game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 25. Starting center, Jusuf Nurkic suffered a compound fracture in his left leg with a little over two minutes left in the game. Nurkic watched the rest of the way as Portland made a valiant effort all…
Portland Trail Blazers’ Frontcourt Has Reached Crisis Levels
After making a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals last season, the Portland Trail Blazers may be in danger of missing the playoffs entirely this year. They have their injury-ravaged frontcourt to blame for that. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic suffered compound leg fractures in March, and general manager Neil Olshey told reporters in September…
2019-20 NBA Season Preview: Northwest Division
The 2019-20 NBA season is just around the corner. After an offseason chock-full of player movement, the title race appears as wide-open as it has been in years. Over the past few weeks, we have examined one big question hanging over each team heading into the season. We’ll finish with the Northwest Division, where all…
These NBA Contenders Have Sneaky Good Cap Situations in 2019-20
Coming out of the first heavy-spending summer since 2016, several teams are locked into their current core and will have trouble generating significant spending power over the next two offseasons. Of course, other teams are still riding out their own bad 2016 contracts and will look to get back in the game in 2020 and…
Did Portland Trail Blazers Already Hit Their Ceiling?
The Portland Trail Blazers doubled down on the value of continuity this offseason. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard signed a four-year, $196 million supermax extension that will keep him in Portland through at least the 2023-24 campaign, while fellow guard CJ McCollum signed a three-year, $100 million extension that likewise runs through 2023-24. With center…
Examining Hassan Whiteside’s Portland Trail Blazers Fit
The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off of a surprise Western Conference Finals run. Damian Lillard is at the height of his powers, confidently operating in the superstar plane. CJ McCollum just proved his brand of three-level scoring has immense value in the postseason. There’s a spread-the-wealth system in place that the stars are comfortable…
Week 24 Fantasy Basketball Notebook: Shutdowns, Shutdowns Everywhere!
Upon getting officially eliminated from playoff contention, NBA teams have begun to shut down players with nagging injuries. While that approach makes sense in real life, it’s brutal timing for fantasy basketball owners who were relying on those guys. On Thursday, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced Derrick Rose (elbow), Robert Covington (right knee) and Jeff Teague…