Bill Simmons Says the Trail Blazers are Going Under Projected Win Total

Bill Simmons is no stranger when it comes to controversial takes on the Portland Trail Blazers. In The Ringer’s ninth annual “over/under” podcast, Simmons and Joe House kick sand on the Blazers once more, debating the likelihood of Damian Lillard and crew finishing over or under the Vegas line.

Saying he “couldn’t remember [the reputation of] a playoff team being more damaged by a playoff ass-kicking”, Simmons laments Portland’s plummet from 49 regular season wins to a projected over-under of 42.

House responds, suggesting odds-makers in Las Vegas are “projecting some kind of undercurrent of instability”, believing that starting guards Lillard and CJ McCollum “can’t play together”. House pans trade suggestions and takes the “over”, though modestly.

Then Simmons throws the obligatory firecracker in the soup by suggesting a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Lonzo Ball for Lillard swap at the 2019 NBA trade deadline. After lobbing the prospective Lakers trade, Simmons takes the under, calling the Blazers overachievers. He drags House with him in the process.

You can find the monster, 2 hours and 11 minutes podcast here or click on this video.

The Trail Blazers material starts at 1:46:56.

42 is right around the range most of our analysts are picking for the Blazers. What about you? Do you have them over or under? And how do you feel about Simmons’ nefarious tweaking?