Tagged Jusuf Nurkic

The Numbers: Hassan Whiteside Leads NBA in Blocks, Rebounds

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,…

Share

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…

Share

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…

Share

PODCAST: 2019-20 NBA Northwest Division Season Preview

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba), Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Andy Bailey (@andrewdbailey) of the Hardwood Knocks podcast preview the Northwest Division ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season. How much of a difference will Jerami Grant make with the Denver Nuggets? Is there any hope for Andrew Wiggins? How…

Share

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…

Share

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…

Share

How Portland Trail Blazers Take the Next Step

The Golden State Warriors have been the class of the conference for half a decade, but that could change next season. They’re guaranteed to be without Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson for most, if not all of the 2019-20 campaign. Barring a near-miraculous recovery, Durant (torn achilles) probably won’t return until 2020-21. Thompson (torn ACL)…

Share