Category: Portland Trail Blazers Blog

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Pacers win in Portland for first time in 14 years

Finally.

Via the Indianapolis Star:

A long streak ended as the Indiana Pacers won in Portland for the first time in 14 years on Thursday.

They led by 25 in the first half and withstood a 3-point assault from the Trail Blazers (7-5) to improve 2-1 on this trip at Moda Center, 111-87.

Malcolm Brogdon (25 points, 7 assists, 3 steals) opened strong and never wilted. Myles Turner (11 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks), Domantas Sabonis (23 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists), Justin Holiday (11 points) and Edmond Sumner (7 points, 2 steals) did their part as starters, too.

Records like this are interesting in a few ways. For one, the main people who would notice such a thing are pretty much only the fans of the two teams. Another is, since teams have mostly different players on them every few seasons or so, there’s no particular grudge being built up if the two teams don’t have a traditional rivalry on top of it. But something like this does make for great bulletin board material, especially for the team that has historically been on the losing side.

Congrats to the Pacers here.

Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic suffers broken wrist

“As if falling 111-87 to the Indiana Pacers in the second game of a back-to-back wasn’t bad enough, the Trail Blazers also lost Jusuf Nurkic to a broken right wrist suffered in the third quarter of Thursday night’s contest at the Moda Center.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing for (Nurkic) and for us,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “He had a long road back from his other injury, he had a rough start of the season, looked like he was getting back on track. Obviously this is a big setback both for him and for us.” …

Nurkic suffering another serious injury roughly six months after returning from a compound fracture in his left leg, an injury sustained in March of 2019, feels especially cruel. Factor in losing his grandmother to COVID-19 while the Trail Blazers were in the Orlando bubble and other unspecified personal issues he’s been dealing with this season and one comes away feeling especially disappointed for the fun-loving Bosnian.”

– NBA.com/blazers

Blazers center Zach Collins undergoes ankle surgery

Portland Trail Blazers forward/center Zach Collins underwent revision ankle surgery today to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture, it was announced by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

Collins previously underwent ankle surgery on September 1.

Injuries limited Collins to just 11 games played last season. That was due to a shoulder injury.

Collins is out indefinitely and his status will be updated accordingly.

Trail Blazers temporarily close practice facility after three positive COVID tests

Neil Olshey, President of Basketball Operations for the Portland Trail Blazers, issued the following statement today: “Over the past four days, we have had three positive COVID test results within our organization. Out of an abundance of caution, having completed contact tracing, we are closing our practice facility today for deep cleaning while we run confirmatory tests.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean players or coaches have it. It could be anyone in the organization who is presumably around the team or the practice facility. But the team is clearly doing the right thing and focusing on safety.

Trail Blazers re-sign Carmelo Anthony

The Portland Trail Blazers have re-signed forward Carmelo Anthony, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

Anthony, 36, averaged 15.4 points (43.0 FG, 38.5% 3-PT, 84.5% FT), 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 32.8 minutes in 58 games (all starts) with the Trail Blazers during the 2019-20 season. After signing with Portland last November, Anthony was named the Western Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 2 and at the season’s end was honored by the Trail Blazers with the Maurice Lucas Award, recognizing his contributions on the court and in the community.

Per the Oregonian, “this upcoming season, however, Anthony will find a much more crowded situation at both forward positions. Portland has traded for small forward Robert Covington, re-signed small forward Rodney Hood, who missed most of last season with an Achilles injury, and brought in small forward/guard Derrick Jones Jr. from Miami.”

Among all-time NBA leaders, Anthony ranks 15th in points (26,446), 19th in field goals (9,473), 35th in minutes (40,030) and 40th in three-pointers (1,449). He is one of 12 players in NBA history with at least 26,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 3,200 assists.

A 17-year NBA veteran, Anthony holds career NBA averages of 23.6 points (44.8% FG, 34.9% 3-PT, 81.2% FT), 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.01 steals in 1,122 games (1,114 starts) with Denver, New York, Oklahoma City, Houston and Portland. Anthony is a 10-time NBA All-Star, a six-time All-NBA honoree and a four-time Olympic medal winner (three gold, one bronze). Originally selected by the Denver Nuggets with the third overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony attended Syracuse University where he won the 2003 NCAA Championship as a freshman.

Trail Blazers sign Harry Giles

The Portland Trail Blazers signed free agent forward/center Harry Giles today.

It is reportedly a one-year deal.

The 6-foot-11, 240 pound 22-year-old played for the Sacramento Kings in the 2019-20 season, and averaged 6.9 points (55.4% FG, 77.6% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 14.5 minutes in 46 games (17 starts). He scored in double figures 15 times during the season, including a game in August against the Orlando Magic where he produced 23 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes.

In two NBA seasons, both with the Kings, Giles has a career average of 7.0 points (52.4% FG, 68.6% FT), 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 14.3 minutes in 104 games (17 starts).

Originally drafted out of Duke by the Trail Blazers with the 20th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, Giles’ draft rights were included in a draft-night trade to the Kings for the draft rights to Zach Collins.

He will wear No. 10 for the Trail Blazers.

Trail Blazers sign second round draft pick CJ Elleby

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed rookie guard/forward CJ Elleby.

The Trail Blazers selected Elleby (6-6, 200) with the 46th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Elleby, 20, joins the Trail Blazers after spending two years at Washington State, where he averaged 16.6 points (41.3% FG, 36.7% 3-PT, 74.9% FT), 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.39 steals and 32.1 minutes in 64 games (60 starts). Elleby was the third-fastest player in Washington State history to score 1,000 career points and is the first player to be drafted from the school since 2011.

An All-Pac-12 First Team selection as a sophomore in 2019-20, Elleby averaged 18.4 points (39.6% FG, 33.9% 3-PT, 82.3% FT), 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.75 steals and 0.81 blocks during his second collegiate campaign. He ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring, seventh in rebounding and first in steals while becoming the first player in Washington State history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks in a single season.

Elleby will wear No. 16 for the Trail Blazers.

Trail Blazers sign Derrick Jones Jr., who played for Heat last season

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed free agent forward Derrick Jones Jr.

“Derrick’s elite athleticism, defensive versatility and ability to rebound on both ends of the floor enable him to make an immediate impact in multiple areas of need,” said Olshey.

Per multiple reports, Jones’ contract is for two years, $19 million.

According to the Oregonian, “the deal likely was made by using the Blazers’ mid-level exception, which starts at $9.258 million in the first year.”

Jones, 23, averaged 8.5 points (52.7% FG, 28.0% 3-PT, 77.2% FT), 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.98 steals and 23.3 minutes in 59 games (16 starts) for the Miami Heat during the 2019-20 season. He averaged career highs in points, assists, steals and minutes last season and ranked third on the Heat in deflections. Jones shot 67.7% on two-point field goal attempts in 2019-20, good for the ninth-highest in the NBA among players with at least 100 attempts.

For his career, Jones (6-6, 210) owns averages of 6.7 points (51.1% FG, 28.2% 3-PT, 69.0% FT), 3.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists 0.71 steals and 19.4 minutes in 171 games (46 starts) with Phoenix and Miami.

A four-year NBA veteran, Jones signed with Phoenix in 2016 after going undrafted out of UNLV in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Jones will wear No. 55 for the Trail Blazers.

Trail Blazers re-sign Rodney Hood

The Portland Trail Blazers have re-signed guard/forward Rodney Hood.

Per multiple reports, it’s a two-year, partially-guaranteed deal for $21 million.

“Rodney played a critical role in our run to the Western Conference Finals in 2018-19 and was off to a great start last year prior to his season being cut short due to injury,” said Olshey. “Now fully healthy we expect him to make an immediate impact and are pleased he chose to stay in Portland.”

Per the Oregonian, “Hood earlier this week reportedly declined the $6 million option on the final year of his contract. Given that he is coming off of an Achilles injury that ended his season last December, many speculated that Hood had an agreement in place with Portland to return on a more lucrative deal.”

Hood, 28, averaged 11.0 points (50.6% FG, 49.3% 3-PT, 77.8% FT), 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 29.5 minutes in 21 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers last season before suffering a torn left Achilles tendon on Dec. 6, 2019. At the time of his injury, Hood ranked third in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage and was shooting career-best marks from the field and from the three-point line.

Originally acquired by the Trail Blazers in a trade with Cleveland on Feb. 4, 2019, Hood was a key figure in Portland’s run to the 2019 Western Conference Finals. He was Portland’s third-leading scorer against Denver in the Western Conference Semifinals, averaging 14.7 points per game while shooting 57.6% from the field and 50.0% from the three-point line during the seven-game series.

In six NBA seasons with Utah, Cleveland and Portland, Hood holds career averages of 12.5 points (42.6% FG, 37.2% 3-PT, 83.9%FT), 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 27.3 minutes.

Hood was originally selected by Utah with the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft out of Duke.

Blazers trade Trevor Ariza to Rockets for Robert Covington

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired forward Robert Covington from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Trevor Ariza, the draft rights to Isaiah Stewart and a conditional future first round pick, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

“Robert is an elite defender and consummate professional that will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor,” said Olshey. “His versatility enables him to play multiple positions and his character and professionalism will allow him to transition seamlessly into our culture.”

In 70 games (68 starts) with Houston and Minnesota during the 2019-20 season, Covington (6-7, 209) averaged 12.4 points (42.2% FG, 33.5% 3-PT, 79.8% FT), 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.64 steals and 1.33 blocks in 30.5 minutes per game. He finished the season ranked third in the NBA in total steals (115) and tied for 10th in total blocks (93), making him one of two players in the league to finish in the top-10 in both categories.

Covington, 29, holds career averages of 12.7 points (40.6% FG, 35.6% 3-PT, 81.1% FT), 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.66 steals and 0.89 blocks in 396 games (348 starts) with Houston, Minnesota and Philadelphia. In 2017-18, he earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors with the 76ers. A seven-year NBA veteran, Covington signed with Houston in 2013 after going undrafted out of Tennessee State in the 2013 NBA Draft. He is the only player in the NBA to average at least 12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.00 steal and 1.00 block over the last three seasons while making at least two three-pointers per game.

Ariza played in 21 games (all starts) for the Trail Blazers during the 2019-20 season, posting averages of 11.0 points (49.1% FG, 40.0% 3-PT, 87.2% FT), 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.62 steals. He was acquired by Portland from Sacramento on Jan. 21, 2020.

Stewart was selected out of Washington with the 16th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.