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Trail Blazers will resume 2019-20 NBA season with game vs Grizzlies July 31

The Portland Trail Blazers will resume the 2019-20 season with a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on July 31, it was announced recently by the NBA.

The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association have finalized a comprehensive plan for a July 30 restart to the 2019-20 season, which includes stringent health and safety protocols, a single-site campus at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the goal of taking collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice.

Under the competitive format for the restart, the 22 participating teams will be the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference.

The restart will begin with each participating team playing eight “seeding games,” as selected from its remaining regular-season matchups. The schedule for the Trail Blazers eight seeding games is as follows:

Date Opponent Time (PT)

July 31 vs. Memphis 1:00 PM

Aug. 2 at Boston 12:30 PM

Aug. 4 vs. Houston 6:00 PM

Aug. 6 at Denver 5:00 PM

Aug. 8 vs. LA Clippers 10:00 AM

Aug. 9 vs. Philadelphia 3:30 PM

Aug. 11 at Dallas 2:00 PM

Aug. 13 vs. Brooklyn TBD

All eight seeding games will be televised by NBC Sports Northwest (NBCSNW) or national carriers and aired on flagship station NBCSNW Rip City Radio AM-620 and the Deschutes Brewery Trail Blazers Radio Network.

At the conclusion of the seeding games, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the NBA Playoffs for that conference. If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage (regular-season games and seeding games) in a conference is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then the team with the eighth-best winning percentage would be the eighth playoff seed in that conference.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference (Team 8) is four games or fewer ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference (Team 9), then those two teams would compete in a play-in tournament to determine the eighth playoff seed in the conference. The play-in tournament will be double elimination for Team 8 and single elimination for Team 9.

The NBA’s standard playoff tiebreaker procedures will be used to break any ties on the basis of winning percentage. Once the 16-team playoff field is set, the NBA Playoffs will proceed in a traditional conference-based format with four rounds and best-of-seven series in each round. The 2020 NBA Finals will end no later than Oct. 13.

Trail Blazers founder and president emeritus Harry Glickman has died

Portland Trail Blazers founder and president emeritus Harry Glickman died yesterday, June 10, 2020. He was 96 years old.

Glickman has long been considered the father of professional sports in Oregon, having brought a wide variety of sporting and entertainment events to the region over the course of his long and illustrious career. He was well known for his most famous mantra, “My word is my handshake.”

Glickman’s crowning achievement came in 1970 when the National Basketball Association granted Portland an expansion franchise. Glickman brought together the original ownership group of Herman Sarkowsky, Larry Weinberg and Robert Schmertz, who paid the NBA’s $3.7 million expansion fee. Glickman was one of the shareholders who sold the club to Paul Allen in 1988.

Glickman served as the leader of the franchise, including as general manager, from its inception until his retirement in 1994, when he became president emeritus. Under his leadership, the Trail Blazers won the NBA Championship in 1977 and Western Conference championships in 1990 and 1992. Also, during his tenure, the Trail Blazers set an American professional sports record by selling out 814 consecutive home games.

“The Trail Blazers have long been the beneficiary of Harry’s vision, generosity, and inspiration,” said Jody Allen, Chair of the Trail Blazers. “As the team’s founder and first General Manager, his leadership was instrumental in igniting our city’s pride and passion for sports. I am grateful for Harry’s many contributions to the franchise over the years. He will be missed by many.”

Glickman was born and raised in south Portland, graduated from Lincoln High School and in 1948 graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. While at Oregon, Glickman worked as a stringer for the Oregon Journal. Following college, Glickman served three years in the U.S. Army, where he saw action in the European theater with the 12th Armored Division, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star.

Through the 1950’s, Glickman’s Oregon Sports Attractions promoted a wide range of events, including an annual NFL exhibition game at Multnomah Stadium (now Providence Park), the Shrine Football Game, the Harlem Globetrotters, and world championship boxing via closed-circuit television. Glickman also served as general manager of Multnomah Stadium in 1958 and 1959.

In 1960, Glickman founded the Portland Buckaroos hockey team that played in the newly built Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. In the 12 seasons with Glickman at the helm as the club’s co-owner and president, the Bucks advanced to the Lester Patrick Cup championship seven times, winning three, including the inaugural 1960-61 season, and set numerous attendance records.

In 1964, Glickman had the assurance of an NFL expansion franchise from friend Pete Rozelle, who had become Commissioner, but Portland voters rejected the proposed 40,000-seat Delta Dome by a mere 10,000 votes.

“Harry was the definition of a true Trail Blazer,” said Chris McGowan, President & CEO of the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter. “Through his dedication and persistence, Harry not only created a successful sports franchise in a small western market, but has united hundreds of thousands of people around the world through a shared love of basketball. Rip City will forever be thankful to Harry and his forgotten raincoat.”

Glickman was the recipient of numerous honors and awards including:

2019 Honored by the Mighty Endeavor (Veterans’ Legacies)

2019 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

2016 University of Oregon Pioneer Award

2012 Oregon History Maker, Oregon Historical Society

1999 University of Oregon Hall of Achievement

1995 International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

1992 Portland First Citizen Award

1986 Oregon Sports Hall of Fame

1970 Slats Gill Man of the Year (Oregon Sports Awards)

1965 Hockey News Executive of the Year

In 1977, Glickman published his autobiography, Promoter Ain’t A Dirty Word, which is a candid look inside the workings of the professional sports business in Portland.

“Harry Glickman laid the foundation and established the benchmark for small market success in the NBA,” said Neil Olshey, President of Basketball Operations. “He was the driving force that set the stage for the 1977 NBA Championship, a seminal moment that elevated Portland and allowed it to join the elite of professional sports franchises. His contributions to the city of Portland and the Trail Blazers are immense and for that we all owe him a great debt of gratitude.”

Due to the postponement of the NBA season, the Trail Blazers will announce how they plan to honor Glickman at a later date.

In Harry’s memory, please consider making a donation to the Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education, Congregation Beth Israel, or the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

Glickman is survived by his wife, Joanne, son Marshall, daughters Jennifer and Lynn, grandsons Joel and Laz, and granddaughter Sydney.

There will be a private burial service for Glickman. A public memorial service will be held at Congregation Beth Israel at a later date

Blazers team chemistry in the early 90’s was special

Here’s NBC Sports Northwest touching upon a fun time in Portland Trail Blazers history:

Rip City has so many fond memories and moments that come to mind when looking back at the 1989-92 Trail Blazers seasons.

The early 90s teams were special on the court, no doubt, but their bond off the court may have been even more special.

“Those were fun times,” Terry Porter reminisced on NBA TV’s Trail Blazers documentary, ‘Rip City Revival.’ “There’s nothing like playing professional sports. You build a bond, a brotherhood, a willingness to protect each other, and you always have that.” …

During Portland’s 1989–90 campaign, the team posted a 59–23 record. They defeated the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference playoffs, before ultimately losing to the defending-champion Detroit Pistons.

Blazers guard Damian Lillard staying in shape with home gym

Here’s an update on Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, via NBC Sports Northwest:

“I haven’t been able to get into the training facility,” Lillard said. “At the moment, they don’t want us in the practice facility. They don’t want us training with any of our coaches or anything like that. They also don’t want us training at a third-party gym or with a third-party trainer, so it’s basically like if you don’t have a gym at home, you can’t train. So fortunately for me, I have a gym at home, so I’ve been able to kind of continue and get work done.”

The only players allowed to enter the Trail Blazers practice facility at the moment are the players who are still rehabbing from injuries, including Zach Collins, Jusuf Nurkic and Rodney Hood…

Lillard has thought about the players around the league who aren’t able to continue to train and workout in a home gym.

“People who don’t have that and at some point are going to be expected to come back as a professional athlete and perform on call, that makes it tough,” Lillard added.

It’s no surprise, of course, that Lillard has a gym at home. Most NBA players do. And for the near future, home is where they’ll be staying safe and healthy while waiting this whole thing out as the world deals with the coronavirus saga.

Dame D.O.L.L.A. still expected to perform at 2020 NBA All-Star

Damian Lillard won’t be playing in the 2020 NBA All-Star game or firing threes in the three-point contest, due to injury. Suns guard Devin Booker has replaced him in both events.

But his alter ego, Dame D.O.L.L.A., is still likely snatching the mic and spitting lyrics. Here’s NBC Sports Northwest reporting:

For the past three summers, Dame D.O.L.L.A. has released an album each offseason: The Letter O, Confirmed, and BIG D.O.L.L.A. He has also released three singles: “Bigger than Us,” “Run It Up” feat. Lil Wayne and “Shot Clock.”

It won’t be his first time performing live since Dame D.O.L.L.A. put on a concert in 2016 for Rip City.   

It’ll be fun to see what Dame can do live on a big stage with a mic instead of a basketball.

Blazers’ Skal Labissiere out with knee injury

Trail Blazers forward/center Skal Labissiere has a left knee articular cartilage lesion, the results from a second MRI have confirmed.

The injury occurred at the 10:20 mark of the first quarter of Portland’s game vs. the L.A. Lakers on December 28.

Labissiere will continue his rehabilitation protocol and be re-evaluated in four weeks.

In 33 games (one start) this season, Labissiere is averaging 5.8 points (55.1% FG, 23.1% 3-PT, 75.8% FT), 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.94 blocks. He has scored in double figures eight times and recorded one double-double.

Another huge game by Hassan Whiteside

Trail Blazers big-man Hassan Whiteside is doing big things lately. Here’s NBC Sports Northwest:

He had another monster game Saturday night, helping the Trail Blazers push past the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-106. And all Whiteside did was grab 22 rebounds, block seven shots and score 16 points. He is averaging 16 rebounds and four blocks over his last seven games and is coming off rebound games of 14, 23 and 17 prior to his 22 against the T-Wolves.

The Timberwolves were without star center Karl-Anthony Towns, which certainly made things easier for Whiteside – but still, a big performance is a big performance.

 

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Melo out for Blazers vs Timberwolves game

The Trail Blazers won’t have veteran forward Carmelo Anthony in action vs the Timberwolves. Here’s NBC Sports Northwest:

More bad news on the injury front for the Trail Blazers. Starting power forward Carmelo Anthony will not play tonight against the Timberwolves due to a left knee contusion…

Anthony suffered the injury in the first half of Friday’s win over the Magic. He took a jump shot with 8:12 left in the second quarter and subbed out at the 7:59 mark. He did not return.

The game is in Portland and starts at 10 p.m. ET.

Trail Blazers to keep Carmelo Anthony for remainder of 2019-20 NBA season

The Portland Trail Blazers have amended the contract of forward Carmelo Anthony to be fully guaranteed for the 2019-20 season.

In eight games (all starts) since signing with the Trail Blazers on Nov. 19, Anthony, 35, has averaged 16.9 points (44.8% FG, 38.7% 3-PT, 86.4% FT), 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Anthony (6-8, 240) was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week ending Dec. 1 after averaging 22.3 points (57.4% FG, 45.5% 3-PT, 88.9% FT), 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists while helping Portland to a 3-0 record.

Good game by Richaun Holmes in Kings loss to Blazers

 

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The Kings fell to the Trail Blazers 127-116 in Portland yesterday, but a bright spot for Sacramento was the play of big-man Richaun Holmes.

Here’s the Sacramento Bee:

The Kings (8-12) were playing without guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, who joined point guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Marvin Bagley III on the injured list. Bogdanovic was held out with a right knee contusion, but his left hamstring injury was improving, the team said. He is listed as day-to-day.

C.J. McCollum scored 33 points, Hassan Whiteside turned in a monster performance and Carmelo Anthony had another big game for the Blazers (9-13). Damian Lillard had 24 points and 10 assists. Whiteside put up 22 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots. Anthony finished with 20 points.

Richaun Holmes had a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who have lost 12 in a row in Portland since posting their last win there on Dec. 8, 2012. Buddy Hield scored 23 points. Nemanja Bjelica had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Holmes shot 11 of 14 as the starting center in this game.

The Kings are now 8-12 for the season. They’ve only had Marvin Bagley in action for one game, and De’Aaron Fox for nine. Neither player is ready to return just yet.