:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65817922/usa_today_13729731.0.jpg)
On this week’s Blazer’s Edge podcast, Tara Bowen-Biggs calls to the bench and brings in Bleacher Report’s Sean Highkin to talk all things Carmelo Anthony. Will Melo’s hot start impact how the Trail Blazers approach the deadline? Are the Blazers back on track? All those questions and more in this edition of the Blazer’s Edge podcast.
1:30 - A week ago the Blazers were coming off four losses and now they are coming off three wins. Even better, Carmelo Anthony is Western Conference Player of the Week. What do you make of Anthony claiming the weekly award?
4:45 - Will there be tribute videos this season? Or will Anthony’s commitment to extending his career cause him to refuse?
6:30 - Is Melo the most famous player who ever played on the Trail Blazers?
9:15 - Anthony in Portland makes them much more interesting from a national level.
14:45 - Carmelo is legitimately an upgrade at power forward compared to what the other options were when Zach Collins went down.
16:00 - Why do you think he was out of the league so long? He was not good in Houston, but he wasn’t the reason Houston struggled so much at the beginning of the season.
20:00 - What has the locker room been like since Melo joined the team? Things seem good, of course winning helps, so it is hard to tell if any of that positive energy (or how much of it) comes from having Anthony on the team.
23:00 - Negative perception probably comes from the times he forced trades. Another factor: people believed in Olympic Melo, but couldn’t understand why he didn’t play like that on NBA teams.
26:00 - As far as basketball goes, he has been about as good as we could realistically expect him to be.
27:00 - Who is losing out on possessions because of Anthony’s 16 shots per game.
30:00 - The Blazers always exceed expectations because they lay good foundations and do things right, allowing them to take advantage of every break that they get. That combination is often enough to overcome gaps in talent.
34:15 - With Damian Lillard and Terry Stotts, the floor is very high.
36:15 - Western Conference Player of the Week is not the worst thing to happen
37:45 - The lesson that Tara is taking away is to pay more attention to the players.
38:45 - Will a good run by Melo change the Blazers trade deadline plans? Sean thinks they will probably continue with whatever plans they had all along, but the interesting thing will be how will Melo react? Especially if the bring in someone like LaMarcus Aldridge or Kevin Love, players that occupy the same position.
43:00 - How are Blazers going to hold their own against teams with winning records?
46:00 - Teams have to guard Anthony. That could be enough to give Portland the edge against tougher competition.
48:15 - What are Sean’s thoughts on Hassan Whiteside? What does good Hassan Whiteside look like and how can the Blazers unlock him?
Our friends at Incight.org are unlocking the potential of people and you can help by purchasing a raffle ticket for a chance to win a signed Trail Blazers basketball from the 2019-20 season. Use this link to purchase a ticket before the drawing on December 16 at 4:00 pm https://incight.ejoinme.org/BlazerRaffleTickets
Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, Dan @dannymarang, this week’s guest is Sean Highkin @highkin
Subscribe to the podcast