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Welcome to Portland Trail Blazers Media Day, 2017 edition!
The Blazers bring back the majority of their team from last season, minus Allen Crabbe, plus rookies Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan. Today, they meet with the media and discuss their hopes for the season. Tomorrow, training camp begins.
Media Day is a full-day event, but the publicly viewable portion begins at 11:30 am. The Blazers will stream coverage (link provided when available), and CSN NW will be airing Media Day from Noon until 3:00 pm. Also, NBA TV is expected to offer some coverage, as they check in with every team today.
OregonLive has an ongoing live thread from Media Day with exclusive pictures. Check it out.
This is your open thread, where you can discuss the ongoing events of Media Day, as well as anything else happening in Blazer-land.
[We’ll provide updates in this post as they arrive through the day]
Comments from Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey:
On keeping competitive...
"Clearly the West got incredibly competitive [...] we tried to keep up in the arms race as best we could." -- Neil Olshey
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"Things aren't over yet. We've got the biggest trade exception in the league." -- Neil Olshey
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"We all want to win as quickly as possible. There are just certain realities about building a roster that we have to face." -- Neil Olshey
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On his players...
Neil will not discuss Jusuf Nurkic's contract situation, but calls him "A key to the future of this team."
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"We signed Evan (Turner) last year because he is a Swiss army knife." -- Neil Olshey
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"From a basketball perspective, there is no reason in the world Damian Lillard didn't make the All-Star team the last two years." -- Olshey
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On internal development...
Olshey: "We’re still young. It’s a roster that still has some upside to it, because of it’s age. We’re expecting a lot of internal growth."
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
"They're all capable of playing higher level defense." -- Neil Olshey
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
Olshey tempering expectations for the rookies. They'll have to compete for minutes and a lot of development will take place at practice.
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"We may have had a front-loaded roster in terms of minutes played, but behind the scenes, we were developing our young players." -- Olshey
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"It's about production, Meyers knows that." - Neil Olshey regarding Leonard's role
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
Comments from Head Coach Terry Stotts:
On Aminu’s position...
Stotts says @farouq1 will probably play more at SF this year due to depth at PF
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
On how the Blazers will play...
"We'll go through the post a little bit more than we did the last couple years, now that we got Nurk here." -- Terry Stotts
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On Vonleh’s injury...
"I don't think it necessarily changes how we go about our preparation." -- Terry Stotts on Noah Vonleh's injury
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On the Blazer’s roster...
Stotts on roster: "We have a lot of guys at or close to their prime, a lot of versatility...we have a roster that can compete in the West."
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
Outside of Dame, CJ and Nurkic, Stotts said he's "keeping an open mind" about his starting lineup.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
"Zach and Caleb have shown that they're going to be very good players. [pause] Again, I don't know about the opportunity." -- Terry Stotts
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"I'm not going to talk about playing time, but I think they are both mature young players." -- Terry Stotts on Collins and Swanigan
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On activism from NBA players...
"I've been pleased with the message that NBA players, in particular, have voiced." -- Stotts on athlete activism
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
Comments from Chris McGowan, Trail Blazers President & CEO.
On the jerseys...
Chris McGowan says the team was "very close" to signing a jersey sponsor before the deal fell through. Says nothing is imminent.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
Regarding advertising patch: McGowan said team is still searching for partner. Expects team to add patch midseason or at start of next year.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
"What I try to do is just stay off Twitter because typically it's 90 percent negative." -- Chris McGowan on "Statement" jersey response.
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
McGowan says that we can expect to see the Blazers' fourth jersey "right around the Holidays."
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On hosting an All-Star game...
Chris McGowan says the Blazers/Portland won't be a finalist for All Star games in 2020 or 2021.
— Mike Richman (@mikegrich) September 25, 2017
McGowan said he will continue to pursue the All-Star Game for Portland and will likely submit bid during the next cycle.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
On the health of the franchise...
"The business of basketball in Portland is thriving." -- Chris McGowan
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
"The business of basketball in Portland is thriving." -- Chris McGowan
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
Comments Trail Blazers Center from Jusuf Nurkic:
On his physical shape...
Nurkic said he's lost 34-35 pounds since last season.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
"I am in the best shape of my life." -- Jusuf Nurkic
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"It's sounds crazy, 34 pounds, but I'm still 270. I'm still a strong dude." -- Jusuf Nurkic #BlazersMediaDay pic.twitter.com/2aJRxkonPe
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On his contract situation...
Jusuf Nurkic on his potential contract extension: "I want to be here. It's not secret."
— Mike Richman (@mikegrich) September 25, 2017
On his game...
Nurkić says he will "definitely" take the occasional three-pointer this season
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
On the team’s defense...
"Our defense was trash, to be honest." -- @bosnianbeast27
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
Nurkic said he wants the Blazers to be "Bad Boys" this season. Asked to elaborate, he compared them to the Billups-Wallace Detroit teams.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
Comments from point guard Damian Lillard:
On the team’s potential...
"After those top-3 teams, it can fall anywhere. That's where we want to be. We want to be right in there." -- Damian Lillard pic.twitter.com/gH6Fakwo5L
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
On eating Vegan...
Dame said he feels lighter, stronger since going Vegan. Already feels a difference. His target playing weight is 190. (He's 193 now)
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
Dame's favorite vegan dish: "Fake sloppy Joe’s."
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) September 25, 2017
Also, on diet, he says: "I’ve gotten to know mushrooms pretty well."
On his impression of teammates...
"You can definitely tell he came back to Portland trying to prove something." -- @Dame_Lillard re: @MeyersLeonard11
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
Damian Lillard says rookie Caleb Swanigan has been "very impressive" and thinks he could play right away.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) September 25, 2017
Lillard says he likes Swanigan's confidence and how physical he is and adds that he "has a knack for the ball."
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) September 25, 2017
On the controversy with athletes and President Trump...
"I think it's sad that with all that is going on in the United States, our president is concerned with football and basketball." -- Lillard
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"Colin Kaepernick doesn't have a job because he's taking a knee." -- @Dame_Lillard
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 25, 2017
Comments from shooting guard CJ McCollum and Other Players
"I've only actively recruited two players [pause] that have been documented." -- CJ McCollum
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"Evan (Turner) is one of the funniest people I've met in my life." -- CJ McCollum
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"I want to start. That 4 position is open." -- Ed Davis
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017
"I don't want to be one-dimensional. I can offer so much more." -- Meyers Leonard
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) September 25, 2017