Yang Hansen to Damian Lillard: Where the Portland Trail Blazers Stand After a Summer of Surprises

Yang Hansen to Damian Lillard: Where the Portland Trail Blazers Stand After a Summer of Surprises

In today’s show, Sean Hiken of the Rose Garden Report joins the program and we talk about the Blazers summer of surprises. From Damen Lillard to Young Hansen to Drew Holiday way back when. Welcome to Locked on Blazers. Let’s get into it. You are Locked On Trailblazers, your daily Portland Trailblazers podcast. Part of the Locked On podcast network. your team every day. What’s up world? It’s your past first point guard and trailblazers reporter Mike Richmond. You’re listening to another episode of Locked on Blazers, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, available wherever you get podcast and also on YouTube coming at you three days a week in August and into the first couple weeks of September. And as we do during the off season, we bring back in the folks that cover the team for long conversations. So Sean Hikens here from the Rose Garden Report. Sean, how you doing? I’m good, Mike. It’s been an interesting off season. Pretty much the opposite of last off season in every way. So, you know, it’s as far as as far as this stuff goes. You and I have both been doing this a long time. I would say this is one of the more memorable off seasons and honestly mostly for good reasons as as opposed to some of these uh past ones. Yeah. I mean, I would say that it was just like, hey, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. We’re going to start talking about offseason surprises. Damen Lillard, Yang Hansen, Drew Holiday. Um, like it starts like, oh, Drew Holiday, that’s a pretty big surprise. And then it’s like draft night, like Young Hudson, oh that’s a that’s where did that come from? That’s a surprise. And then all of a sudden, franchise icon Damian Lillard is back in the fold. Um, it it all cames it all came together so quickly um over the course I guess that’s generally how offseasons work. Um, let’s let’s start with Dame though because I think this is the biggest shocker and the sort of you know it’s the headline. Um, what is your now that it’s real, now that it’s like actually he’s back and he’s talked to the media and he’s here and all that, what what is your sort of thoughts on how this all came together and what it means for both Dame and the Trailblazers? Well, obviously going into the off seasonason, this was not on anybody’s radar really because I didn’t think the Bucks would wave a guy that had $113 million even with him even with him not probably going to be playing next year with a torn Achilles. That’s just so much dead money to have on your books. But then, you know, I woke up one day, I saw that because this stuff all happens earlier on the East Coast and so I saw that like they signed Miles Turner. It’s like, how do they sign Miles Turner? And then they was like, “Oh, they’re waving and stretching Damian Lillard.” And immediately, you know, I started getting texts from all my friends and from people in the business, “Hey, is Dame going to come back home?” And I was just like, “I don’t think so.” I because I figured he would probably maybe just not sign with anybody this first year so that he could just rehab and not worry about it. And because, you know, he’s getting all his money for the Bucks anyway. So, it’s not like he’s like leaving money on the table by not uh by not sending. Although, I mean, at least that’s what we thought at the time. Obviously, that ended up not being the case. But, uh, so my my thought was just like, you know, I I’ve always assumed that before the end of his career, he was going to come back and play for the Blazers because he said that in the goodbye letter that he wrote when he got traded. He’s openly been telling people behind the scenes since the day that he got traded that he was going to end his career in Portland. Everybody knew that it was going to happen, but I kind of figured it was going to be in a few years when everybody knew that it was just like a farewell tour and it was going to be like a Scottie Pippen going back to the Bulls in ‘ 04 or Dwayne Wade going back to the Heat in uh 2019. Uh and everybody kind of knew it was that I did not think it was going to be this soon. And then once he gets waved, I my immediate reaction is that’s still probably not the right time. I don’t think I don’t think it’s going to happen. Then over the next couple days, I start hearing from people who have knowledge of, you know, his inner circle and his, you know, thinking that, you know, just don’t completely write off the idea that it could happen this summer. I didn’t think the money would be what it was for a guy coming off a torn Achilles who’s getting all of his money from the Bucks still. thought that given that he was already get still getting his whole, you know, 50 or $60 million a year salary from the Bucks that the Blazers could get him on like a vet min or something at that point. It’s like no harm, no foul. I didn’t think it would be the full midlevel, but yeah, get your money once I mean, yeah, good good job by him and good job by Aaron Goodwin to make that happen, but um once it actually happened, I was still kind of like, is this really the best thing to do? because I just, you know, all the stuff that we’ve, you know, talked about incessantly since the news broke of like what does this mean for Scoo and like they just did the Drew Holiday trade, which I don’t know if they would have done if they had known that Dame was going to be possibly on the market. And then by the time we got to his press conference and he said everything that he said about knowing that this is all about the young guys and he’s just here to try to fit in and try to help them and he was more about coming home for for him than it obviously Dame believes still that he’s going to be, you know, he’s going to come back as something close to what he was. But he said everything he said did not make it sound like he’s coming back expecting to like still have everything based around the franchise reoriented completely around him like it was here for 11 years. And at that point I was like, you know what, why not? Like this is not, you know, it’s a good vibes move. He’s not going to play next year anyway. So whatever the conversation is about what it means for Scoot, you know, you can deal with that in 15 months. So, you know, if anything, I think that him being pretty much he hasn’t officially been ruled out for uh next season, but you know, for all intents and purposes, he’s not going to play next season. I kind of think that’s the best way to ease it back in because it’s not like he’s coming in still, you know, having played at the level that he played at the last couple years in Milwaukee, which was, you know, not peak Dane, but still pretty good. Like, he was an all-star and he was all NBA both of those years. He’s still pretty good. and then he comes in and it’s like he’s expecting to start, he’s expecting to have the kind of role that he had, you know, before. And then like what does that mean for Scoot? With this, it’s like okay, everybody knows the deal. Everybody knows he’s not going to play next year. Everybody knows the team still, you know, has high hopes for Scoot. Everybody knows that like in the short term we you know we’ll see what happens next summer but the but uh in the short term the role of like veteran you know presence you know point guard that can play with Scoot or with Shade and Drew Holiday is here to do that and Dane can just kind of be there get reaclimated kind of see because like so much of the organization has turned over since the last time DNE was here that you know he can get reaclimated to everything. He can do his rehab. he can, you know, help out Scoot and Shaden and some of the young guys behind the scenes and then we’ll just re-evaluate where everything is a year from now. I think if it was going to happen this soon, I think that was probably the best way that it could have shaken out. Yeah, I I think uh the runway of having like a full 15 months does make it a little bit easier. I it’ll be I mean it’s just like so long to know exactly how it’ll work, but if you know Dame said, I expect to make a full uh like I expect to be back to form. Of course he does, right? Like he’s Damian Lillard, right? Like he’s just like he’s wired a certain way. I I I think there’s a world in which it is more complicated because the point guard of the future is suddenly been visited by the point guard of the past who who might want to be the point guard of the present. Like it’s I I think there is a world where that happens, but they don’t have to I mean they’ll probably have to address it a little bit behind the scenes, but they won’t have to actually address it in a meaningful way until at least like this time next year or something like that in terms of like figuring out how it all works. And obviously in NBA time a season is like a cajillion. It’s like there’s a million iterations. So, um yeah, I think we’re I think the roll stuff we’re just far enough away from it that that will be a if it’s a problem, it’s a problem for the future. Um but I do think it is I I think it’s interesting because it’s just he’s Damian Lillard, right? He just he’s he’s a such a big um he’s such a big presence and such a big part of this organization that it’ll be uh curious how it all that all shakes out. But I do think one of the things and you mentioned is like they get a year to see what it works. It what is what is Scoot Henderson? What is Shane Sharp? What how does Drew Holiday fit in the mix? And then they’ll have a lot of chances to kind of analyze that those moving pieces and then figure out how Dame fits into it. And if Dame does fit into like ceremonial starter or big minute starter, then that then they’ll they’ll figure out what what the deal is. But again, that’s like uh many months from now. Um I I guess so just like before we move on because I want to talk about young Hansen here in a second. Um your read is like Dame is kind of I don’t know if on board but understands the the the larger plan at bay here. I mean, I think that he, you know, based on what he said, and you and you and I have both covered Dame long enough to know that he doesn’t really, he’s not one of these guys that’ll just always give the politically correct answer and just, uh, you know, say what needs to be said in order to win the press conference. Dame is as good as anybody in a in a press conference, but everything he says, you know, I’ve always gotten the sense that he’s, you know, coming at it from a genuine place. And also just the reality of you know yes Dame does feel believe fully that he’s going to come back from this Achilles injury good as new and I fully believe him that he believes that but I think he’s also smart enough and self-aware enough to know that that’s not a guarantee that he’s going to come back in and be able to be what he was because the track record of he’s going to be 36 by that time. you know, he’s about the same age Kobe was when he tore his Achilles. And we know that Kobe was like one of the most maniacal competitors of all time. He was never the same guy when he came back from the Achilles. So, I think everybody kind of knows what. And you know what? Honestly, man, these are like these are good problems to have of like what are we going to do if we have to figure that out? Because if if everybody’s good, it’s if everybody’s good, that’s great. Well, right. Like like the two ways that this could go is like if Scoot absolutely balls out this year and has this, you know, you know, breakthrough year of becoming an all-star and it is so obvious that he has to be the long-term starting point guard and Dame’s just going to have to deal with it, then the Blazers, you know, the the guy that the Blazers drafted uh third overall that got Dame to request a trade ended up panning out. And that’s great. If Dame comes back as like 80% of what he was before the torn Achilles and is still like an allstar allNBA caliber player and then you drop that in there with whichever one of the young guys they do decide to build around. That’s also great. You know, it could be there could be a world where both of those things end up happening and then you have to make some decisions or could also be a world where none of those things end up happening and then you’re gonna you’re you know, not in a great place. But if that was going to happen, you weren’t going to be in a great place anyway. Right. Agreed. I agree on both sides. If it if it’s if it is if everybody’s hooping, it’s a it’s an easy problem to have to solve. And if everybody struggles, it’s not that much different than where you would have been if you hadn’t made this decision. Obviously, there are ends up not if Scoot ends up not making the leap that they want him to make, then they would have to figure something out long term at point guard anyway, whether Dane was waiting in the wings or not. And if he is, then if and if Scoot does make that leap, then Scoot made that leap and now you you’ve got your you know, you’ve got that guy for the future. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, there’s some sliding door stuff along the way, but I I think I tend to agree with that. Reed, um, you were in Vegas. You saw Young Hansen up close. He’s a giant person. He seems like a whole lot of fun. Let’s talk about him in the second segment. Join us there, won’t you? But first, I want to tell you that today’s show is brought to you by 5Hour Energy Transfusion. It’s time to fuel up and turn it up with 5Hour Energy Transfusion. It brings the bold grape, ginger, and lime flavor of your favorite golf drink. That’s right, Golf’s mightiest cocktail minus the alcohol because 5-hour Energy’s got a quick energizing shot. Whether you’re sinking birdies or just making memories with friends, this one’s a holeinone for your energy game. If you are a poor golfer like me, the fun thing to do out on the golf course is uh make sure you’re focused and not going to really screw up and embarrass yourself. And if you’re a wonderful golfer, you’re still going to want to have that energy for the back nine. golf is all about good times with good people and good flavors. Of course, the grape ginger lime flavor gives you the best parts of your clubhouse go-to without chasing down the beverage cart. And if you go to 5 hour energy.com today, that is the number fivehourenery.com. You can use the promo code locked ongolf to receive 20% off your order. This offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions. The code is not good on subscription orders. So whether you’re meeting up with your friends or trying to turn 18 holes into 36. Get the energizing boost you need to power through. Order transfusionflavored 5h hour energy shots today. [Music] All right. Still Janer with Sean Hiken of the Rose Garden Report. We’re talking about Trailblazers offseason surprises and draft night was one heck of a surprise. The Blazers were at 11. They traded back to 16 and then it was like, you know, in the in this pick spoiling era that we’ve been in for now 15 years, it’s like, wait, who? Um, and at the time everyone’s like, Hansen Yang, who is Yeah, exactly. Cuz that’s how we thought it was. So, let me let me tell you a story about like this is just so like how you guys know just how off the radar this was. So, as as many of you know, if you follow me on the various social media platforms, in addition to running the Rose Garden Report website, which you should all subscribe to, I am also the Trailblazers insider for uh Rip City Radio 620, which is the station that carries the team’s games. And I was on draft night. I was at the practice facility in the film room with uh my co-orker at 620, Chris Birkhart, who you know, he sometimes he fills in as the as a host of on the drive. He uh you know does a lot of the produ production stuff behind the scenes and he also runs the uh station’s social media accounts and because Chris is a professional and is very prepared for all contingencies he had on his computer mocked up like social graphics of like Blazers select Kasparus Yakionis Blazers select you know whoever for like 20 or 30 different players just as soon as they called the pick and he could just tweet it out from their social media account. Guess who? He did not have a social graphic ready to go for. Yeah, my man Hansen. Exactly. So, we had to just like scramble to find the like that. And And it’s like it’s so it we were all just like stunned by it. And you know, my first reaction was like, “Oh, okay.” Like cuz I knew they they brought him in for a workout. He was part of that first group of uh projected lottery picks that they brought in for a workout, but I just thought that he was, you know, one of the, you know, they he was projected as like a second round pick or maybe a late first round pick. I thought maybe they just like uh, you know, they brought him in because they needed another body. Little did I know they actually put that workout together because they wanted to see him against, you know, equivalent level, you know, prospects in in their minds. And re really the thing that should have tipped it off is you know how when they put up the like video like the YouTube compilation of like highlights from you know every draft workout they do that like the the Blazers content team puts out on the different on YouTube and like the different social channels. They did not put any of Hansen’s uh footage in the thing they did from that workout after that workout which at the time if you were going to notice something like that which I didn’t because again he was just so off everybody’s radar. He was not somebody I even thought they would think about taking. I would have been like, “Oh, yeah. Why would they put his stuff in the workout?” Because he’s, you know, one of the, you know, fringe guys that was in that workout. Why would he, you know, he he like they wouldn’t even bother putting that in because like they’re not going to draft him. Turns out the reason they didn’t put him in that stuff was because they didn’t want anybody to be on to the idea that they wanted him. So yeah, they kept like, “Listen, we’re after Asa Newell. We’re after. Yeah. Yeah. Rasheir Fleming. Yeah. this is our guy. Uh I’ll put I’ll tell you this after this I’m actually kind of glad that it worked out this way because after this happened I am and I would hope that people your listeners my readers everybody kind of understands mock drafts are for entertainment purposes only. They do not tell you anything about what teams actually are going to do. Teams have every reason to you know put out fa you know disinformation out there to keep teams off of the scent of what they actually want to do. And I know, you know, you have talked about this many times before and I’ve written about it many times before of like how well, you know, ESPN’s mock drafts in the past have predicted what the um Blazers are going to do and how these things usually have, you know, good intel. But I nobody had this. Literally not one there was there was not one, you know, draft analyst who said, “Hey, you know, don’t sleep on Yan Hansen being in the, you know, a guy for the Blazers.” It was literally no literally nobody had it until they called the pick in. Yeah. Shout out to my guy Raphael Barla who had him at 27. The bravest the bravest of the brave 27. Um what was your early impressions of of Hansen in Vegas, you know, I think um so much with the question marks with like how’s he going to translate? Obviously summer league isn’t the NBA, but it is a step forward. What what do you think about the first uh four games of we we’ve seen we’ve seen him play I don’t know about a hundred minutes so far. Yeah. Well, summer league isn’t the NBA, but the thing about summer league is that it’s really hard for bigs to look good at summer league. So, if he my my going into it, my thought was I just want to see physically and athletically if he can hang, if he doesn’t get played off the floor and he isn’t just, you know, so far behind these guys as far as being in shape. I just want to see him be able to stay on the floor. That was really all I was looking for. And he had the first couple of games that he had and I was like, “Oh, okay. This is uh this this might actually they might have actually seen something here like you know first possession of the first game he you know he wins the tip and then he finds city sissoko cutting to the basket for a dunk. He has a couple of those you know hate to use the Jokic comparison because it’s a cliche at this point but like he you know throwing a really tight pass through traffic to find a guy uh rim protection I think looked better than anticipated. The thing that really impressed me though, Mike, uh, sitting courtside because you know, you haven’t been to summer league in a few years, but you know where we sit in those games at time baseline. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Baseline, like right by the court. The thing that really impressed me about it was that he was out there, you know, we were close enough that we could hear what was being said on the court. He was pretty vocal out there. He was directing traffic even though he does not speak English. Like he doesn’t speak any English in his like daytoday uh, you know, life. like he has a translator with him pretty much all the time, but when he’s out on the court, he knows enough terminology that he can yell like cut or get back and like it’s enough that like his teammates generally know what he’s saying. And now there now there are sometimes where the language barrier is kind of uh you know very obvious because there was one game I think it was the it was the third game it was the game against the Pelicans that because that was at Cox. I remember that one cuz I was sitting with Hollinger and he was like cracking up over this. But Hansen was in the paint on defense for like 10 seconds. Obviously they don’t have three in the key and like FIA rules or some of these international stuff. So he’s that’s a thing that he’s still learning. And so you know he’s in the pain for like 10 seconds and the ref yells at him get out, get out, get like trying to give him a chance to get out and then he doesn’t he doesn’t hear it or he doesn’t understand it and then they call the three in the key on him. So yeah, that was right early in the game. Yeah, it was pretty. Yeah. So, that’s all like language barrier stuff and rookie stuff that he’s going to figure out. But, I was really impressed by how vocal he was being on the court for somebody that doesn’t speak the same language as all his teammates. And it seems like everybody really enjoys playing with him because he’s a guy that, you know, he looks to pass. He, you know, knows how to make plays. He he isn’t, you know, I just I don’t know the vi the vibes around it. After that first summer league game, I was uh I was like thinking, did they actually just draft Chinese? is that like did that actually happen? Now, who’s to say if he ever ends up being that like it’s it’s pretty tough to ever like project that anybody’s going to be a three-time MVP who wasn’t taken in the lottery. But, I mean, I’ll tell you what, a lot of other people, you know, who cover other teams or who are with other teams that I talked to in Vegas. A lot less people were questioning why they picked him where they picked him after those first couple summer league games. Yeah, I think he looks like he belongs. Like it’s hard to know what he’ll be like, but I think he looked he didn’t look it wasn’t like I think I’ve said on the show it’s like kind of the um if there was no name on the back scouting you’d be like who is 16, right? You’d be like you’d know right away. You’d be like who is 16? Like oh that was their first round pick. You’d be like oh yeah that makes sense. He looks like it. Right. Like if you didn’t if you didn’t know what to look for I think he would still look like their best player in summer league. I I think he’s going to play pretty early on this season too, right? Yeah. Like I think he’s um obviously there’s a big question mark on what Rob does, but like I think Hansen plays early like he’ll get he’ll get minutes in the first couple games as like a natural backup center, right? I would tend to agree especially after they bought out DeAndre Aton. So he’s out of the so I mean you just look at their center rotation because after they drafted him which was which came a year after they drafted a center in the top 10 last year and Donovan Klingan it’s like wait they have way too many centers. How are any of these guys going to get playing time? Then it’s like, okay, they buy out DA. He’s out of the picture now. Rob, I mean, as far as I know, Rob’s fine right now, but my default assumption is always going to be that Rob is not going to be healthy and that Yeah. And even even last year, they were really conservative with his minutes. He played 20 games last year. Yeah. Like like even before before he got hurt, they were very conservative with his Right. And he’s not going to play back to back like Yeah. It’ll be similar again. Yeah. And then and then is kind of a situational big like they put him in there when they want a different look with like when they want like more of a pick and pop threat, but he’s not going to play in every matchup. Just defensively that’s he’s his deficiencies on that end make it so that he can’t be a guy that plays every night. So now you’re really just talking about Hansen and Klingan. And I would imagine Klingan’s going to start because I think he’s clearly more NBA ready than Hansen is. Hansen is going to play and I I remember on so at his introductory press conference after the draft, Chanty said that they’re comfort they would be comfortable putting him in a game right now and that it they don’t view it as a project or like he’s going to have to spend a bunch of time in the G-League uh or anything like that. And then you, you know, you saw him at summer league and obviously summer league talent isn’t NBA talent, but like I said before, he looked like he could hang with NBA caliber, you know, athleticism and physicality, at least be able to stay on the floor. So, I think pretty early on I I would imagine on opening night he plays, you know, actual rotation minutes. Yeah, that’s my guess, too. I I I think there’ll be a I think there’ll be a learning curve for him. I think this strength totally. Yeah. um is is is going to be a challenge and maybe just but he’s not going to it’s not they’re going to play him 28 minutes. So it’s like they’re going to play him 8 minute shifts or whatever and be like go off like play as hard as you can, you know? It’ll be like what they did with Klingan early on. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Where they’re trying to ease him into it. I I think he I I think he’ll I do I think he I think he’s going to walk into minutes as a 20-year-old rookie, which is pretty uh that’s pretty fun. Uh pretty fun. Let’s Okay, we’re talking surprises. Remember way back when the Blazers traded for freaking Drew Holiday? That was a great big surprise. That was a great big surprise at the time. Let’s talk about that to close the show. Join us there, won’t you? [Music] Still a pass versus point guard. Still Mike Richmond. Still listen to Lockdown Blaze. Still chatting here with Sean Hiken of the Rose Garden Report. You can subscribe to it uh at the roseguardreport.com. That’s where you’re going to find it to get all of Sean’s work. Um, drop the the It’s cleaner as some people have said. Have you dropped the the Are you just I never had the the I never had the the in the in the URL. Oh, excuse me. roseguardreport.com. Yeah, thank you. Uh, so way back when, before the shocker of franchise icon Damen Lillard rejoining the team, before the shocker of 19-year-old Chinese uh, seven foot center joining the team out of the literally out of the stands at Barclays, the Blazers made a pretty stunning trade when they decide to send Afrey Simons to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Drew Holiday. What are your initial what were your initial reactions to the Drew trade and and kind of how do you view him fitting into the mix? Oh, I thought it was a good trade right away because Simons was going into the last year of his contract. You’re either going to let him walk or you’re going to resign him for, you know, something similar probably to what they were paying him already. And I think we’ve already kind of seen over the last couple of years since they traded Dame, what the ceiling of a team where Anthony Simons is your, you know, $30 million a year lead guard is. And so, yeah, if it were me making the decision, that would not have been the way that I would have gone. I also didn’t really have, you know, that much of an issue with with Drew’s money because the Blazers books out really outside of the Jeremy Grant contract, which they might just have to live with for the next three years. I just don’t know if they’re going to be able to move that contract. But outside of that contract, they had so much money coming off the books and they had so many like you look at like Denny Odia is still on that really cheap contract for three more years. Tumani Kamar, they still have two years at basically the minimum and those are their two best players at this point. And you know, you’ve still got Scoot for two more years on a rookie deal. You’ve still got Shaden for one more year on a rookie deal. You’ve still got Klingan on a rookie deal. Like I didn’t feel like even though it was a lot of money for a 30 whatever 35year-old guard to take on, I didn’t think it was going to them and it was a player that actually is going to help them because I felt like, you know, you and it’s also like it it helped kind of clarify the direction because Joe said at the end of the season that the Blazers want to not be in the lottery again next year and that they want to try to compete for the playin. Drew Holiday is a player that you trade for when your goal is to win more games than you won last season. That’s just that’s what teams do when they trade for him. Now, do I think that they’re going to win a title next year like Milwaukee did or did? No, I do not. But it’s but you know, I was like, okay, that I think I think it makes sense. And I think also crucially, he can play with Shaden at the one. He can play with Scoot at the two. especially like as he’s gotten older, he’s turned into more of like a 3 and D guy who plays more off ball. Like that’s he’s like you can have him in either spot. Obviously, defensively, he’s a huge upgrade from Simons. And I I don’t know. I just thought especially and and again this they made this trade and we were having our, you know, main analysis of this trade before the DNE thing became a possibility. But ever since they traded Dame, as good of guys as like Anthony Simons and Jeremy Grant and Robert Williams and some of these other vets are, none of them are like the vocal, you know, guy in the locker room that everybody gravitates towards and that’s very unquestionably the guy and like the leader on the team. Drew is like one of a handful of guys in the NBA who’s on Dame’s level in that regard. Yep. So, it just made a lot of sense to bring it in. Now, obviously, there were some reports, you know, at the time about is Drew happy about this? Is Drew willing to, you know, do this? Is D obviously it it seems like a lot of that stuff is not really, you know, the case. As we’re recording this, uh, the Blazers are going to have a press conference with Drew tomorrow morning. So, by the time Wait, hold on. As you’re listening to this, Drew Holiday is is conducting a press conference right now. You’re listening to Tuesday, July 29th show. Welcome. Yeah. Yeah. We could just like we’ll just like AI in like quotes later from the from the press conference just to for whatever whatever and but yeah uh but you know it seems like he’s at least in the short term on board with it now. We’ll see what happens a year from now just like with everything else. I think and I also think like it makes sense to have that you know veteran point guard who can actually play this coming year because Dame’s not going to play this year. Yeah. So you have it’s so much easier to be it’s so much easier to do leadership stuff when you’re on the court. Right. Um Dame will be able to do what he does, but it’s just so much easier to have like really have a guy’s ear if you’re out there playing. Chanty’s talked about that a bunch and I think there’s real value in that for sure. And Drew is still pretty good, too. Like he’s not the same he’s not the guy he was two years ago when, you know, he helped the Celtics win a title. He had kind of a down year last year, but he’s not washed by any means. Like he’s still a productive player that can help teams when he’s on the court, which is why they traded for him. Yeah. I I I think the question about his contract is mostly the out years. Like I think this year it’s fine. It’s like it’s the it’s the final year of that deal at 37. Um and by that point you will have had to pay a couple guys. So like the question like in the near term it doesn’t interfere with you resigning uh to money. It doesn’t interfere with an extension for Shaden Sharp. Uh it’s very unlikely to interfere with an extension for Scoot Henderson should that be something that they choose to do. But like uh if it all if everything goes well, there’s a chance that paying Drew Holiday 37 million when he’s 37 and like not maybe not a starting qual caliber player at that time. That that’s like the concern about the money. But I I I I do agree with you. Um basketball-wise in terms of like fit and the the ma making the roster make sense and functionality. I think he’s you couldn’t draw it’s hard to draw up a better idea of a player. uh whether Drew Holiday is exactly that player or he is somewhat similar to it as he gets older cuz like age is hard to to predict. But um yeah, I like the offball stuff, the defense, the the being able to be effective without needing to dribble a bunch like um it does seem to open the door for the best version of Scoot and the best version of Shade and Sharp. And that’s kind of still to me the math. If if those dudes pop, this this version of the Blazers are going to be really good. If those dudes don’t pop, this version of the Blazers is going to be reset to some extent. um to varying degrees based on some some other stuff. Um I I think yeah, I think those are the biggest surprises. Um Sean, what we do this time of year is have you stick around for another episode. Would you be interested in sticking around for another episode? We can talk Denny and Shane Sharp and Tumani and all of that good stuff. Yeah, of course. All right, let’s do it. Come join us uh on well, let’s call it Wednesday’s program where Sean and I days subject to change. Yeah. Could it might publish Thursday? I don’t know. We’re recording this on Monday evening. But sometime after you listen to this one, another one with Sean Hiken will will appear and we’ll talk Denny and Tumani. Uh check your feeds for that one. For now, tell your friends about the program. I appreciate you listening. I’ll talk to you soon.

Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report joins the show to talk about the Trail Blazers run of moves in a surprising offseason.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBlazers?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Watch the show and subscribe on YouTube
📺 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeE7WdPaNWwA-IZGfHek90Q?sub_confirmation=1

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
5-Hour ENERGY
Time to fuel up and turn it up with 5-hour ENERGY®️ Transfusion! Go to https://5hourenergy.com today and use my promo code LOCKEDONGOLF to receive 20% off your order. This offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions. The code is not good on subscription orders.

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnba for 50% off your first year

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#TrailBlazers #NBA