Exclusive Why I'm Excited about the 2025-26 season

It'll be interesting to see if Yang copies Joker in terms of physicality 3 or 4 years from now. He is certainly going to try to copy his 3 point shooting. Right now, Yang is MUCH weaker than Clingan was his rookie season. But, Yang is very humble/realistic, and is a very hard worker.

 

My favorite type of Clingan Block? When he comes from behind one of his teammates who's guarding the ball, and still gets the block well after the ball is out of the opponents hands. I've only seen elite athletes do this in the past. Check out the first 5 seconds of each of the videos below:









FWIW, my second favorite type of block is when he blocks 3 pointers. Who am I kidding, I love them all!

 

I like to call those NOPEs.

 

Logo update

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNG0vpYyMRD/?igsh=ejR1MXZ2ZmNoN3lu

 

One of my favorite Trail Blazers -- all time -- is Nic Batum. I liked him before his draft. I liked how he ran and rebounded in traffic and passed -- even in Summer League. BUT he was maddeningly inconsistent, and his strengths were limited in part by himself and definitely by his coach not using his playmaking abilities and movement and more on O. Those Blazers were a spread the court and a 2-man game or bust. Rudy was also utilized in a limited way.

THE real crux of the thing that applies to THIS team?

Active defense got Nico moving. Aggressive. And then at both ends. If he got to stand around on D, he'd too often park it in the corner and disappear on O. Have him guard Tony Parker? It was a fun game. He should have been making life hell for the 1st or 2nd best opponent on a nightly basis. Nate didn't do that. Horrible. Toumani starts with an aggressive attitude and Billups plays him to his strengths -- and that positively affect the entire team.

Ant's ability to get his own shot at 3 levels has become pretty strong. His "gravity" on the floor opens space for others, but he's best as an end point as a guard, and he's no Dame or Harden or ...
Ayton's midrange shooting was dang good. Not his 3's. Not his D or rim protection. Not his aggression (and the lack thereof). And nowhere near enough O at the rim.
I like both guys. I'm glad they are former Blazers.

A team that plays with intensity and movement and connectedness on O is a team I want to see play that way at the other end. Get a team actually and repetitively playing that way AND then see what's needed in a year. D-up, rebound and run. The best Blazers were near the top on all 3.

It's not that I disregard or discount posters like HCP who well point out the obvious, important, and likely-to-continue-deficiency on 3 pointers due to personnel. And it's not to grant his point (or someone else's) and quickly move on to my views. I say I agree that's the situation. Looking at what they are -- this team -- they have ALREADY put the emphasis on length, size, athleticism and defense in a League that has supposedly been broken by the proliferation of the 3. This team is zagging. I'm bored by the 5-out O and glad whenever a good team chucking 3's gets blown out by 20 or more!

I look forward to the 2025-2026 season.

 

... and after watching every Clingan block up above, the thing I like most about his rim protection is that Clingan isn't a big-time, uber athlete, skyscraper, toss it out of bounds defender. He spikes it from time to time, true.
His focus, effort, footwork, hip flip, verticality and timing -- all of this and more -- means he isn't the Sultan of Swat or Mutombo with the time to finger wag. He blocks shots and gives himself or a teammate the chance to gain possession and go the other way. It's no less impressive to me than Walton's overhead outlet pass or Kevin Love's 2-handed chest pass the length of the court. It's a Bill Russell winning play.

Yes, part of it is he's an enormous human being and cannot soar. What he does is effectively, efficiently makes use of his gifts. I'm pretty optimistic that he can be a starting center on a contending team.

 

mark eaton 2.0

 

Bruh... You had one job.

 

Probably not a bad comp.

 

eaton had 2 things going for him that donavan lacks 1 you can't change in that he was a lefty, the other was he could jump off of 1 leg.

 

I’m willing to bet they are the same height at the shoulders. Mark’s head was definitely two inches taller than Clingan’s.

 

(Also the NBA need to get on my level and measure players to the shoulder because 7’2” is a lot less useful when your neck is six inches long)

 

You can fire the scale if you don't like what it says.

 

Just look at the standing reach. I think Clingan's was pretty much the same as Gobert.

 

Well I agree - But so was Jabari Walker and even hitting 39% from 3 he only got a two way deal.

So glad Ayton is somebody else's problem.

 

I love this thread.

 

You would.

 

Yes, same standing reach as Gobert. Less wingspan, but 1.25" taller.

 

According to the above……. DC is 100% lean muscle and when he takes his shoes off he FUCKING DISAPPEARS!