Trail Blazers season gets off to a slow start

The Portland Trail Blazers have lost two of their first four games this season. Some fans are still worried that star Damian Lillard might be looking to leave the City of Roses. Others remain concerned about the organization’s treatment of a 1997 assault lawsuit against new coach Chauncey Billups. Blazer’s Edge writer Dia Miller joins us to talk about what the upcoming Blazers season could look like. What are you hoping for from the team this season?

The following transcript was created by a computer and edited by a volunteer.

Dave Miller: This is Think Out Loud on OPB. I’m Dave Miller. About a week into the NBA season there are still a lot of big questions surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers. They’ve got a new coach, some new players and the same cornerstone star guards in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. But can they learn to play defense? Can they find their rhythm with a new style of offense? If they make it to the playoffs, can they get past the first round? Joining me now is Dia Miller, a writer for the Blazers Edge website and a co-host [with Dave Deckard] of the Dave and Dia podcast. Dia Miller, welcome.

Dia Miller: Thanks for having me. I’m excited to get to talk about the Blazers.

Dave Miller: Yeah. I’m excited to have you on. How are you feeling overall about the first four roller coastery games of the season?

Dia Miller: Roller coaster is a great way to describe it. There have been a lot of ups and downs real quick. I tend to be a glass half full type person. I am someone who, we win a game like that first one we won, and I’m over here planning a parade. So I, at this point, feel like maybe we’re onto something. We’ve had two games where we’ve shown that we can do this and I’m hoping that we’re gonna get into doing that more consistently.

Dave Miller: We asked folks last couple over the last day for their thoughts about the season and we got a voicemail, I’d like to play for you right now. Let’s have a listen.

Caller: My name is Paris Donald Decker. No, I’m actually pretty excited about this season. Against the [Phoenix] Suns we performed really well. Against the really nice young Memphis Grizzlies we performed really well. I think the first two games that we did lose, I think those might have just been, trying to get the new system in place. As a basketball coach, I see this type of transition all the time. So, I’m not super worried. The only thing I’m worried about is if Chauncey Billups’ past comes back to bite him in the back or really the Blazer organization in the back.

Dave Miller: Dia, we can talk more about Chauncey Billups as we go, but sticking with the coaching side right here. The switch from Terry Stotts to Chauncey Billups seemed like the organization’s message that, whatever was wrong with the team, it was about coaching. How different is the coaching, is the team’s approach, so far, early on in the season?

Dia Miller: Yeah, that was an interesting line that it seems to be playing out with the coaching thing. Because that’s really the big change that they made in the offseason. So someone seemed to think that that would do it. I think so far we’re definitely seeing some differences; we’re seeing different lineups being played. One of the big differences I noticed is, both in the losses and the wins, Chauncey is pulling the starters out at the end. When there’s a big deficit, he’s sitting the starters. We didn’t really see that with Stotts. And I go back and forth on that because there’s a part of me that thinks we’re not losing until the game is over. Because there have been times where we’ve come back and won when no one thought we would, including the fans. So there’s a part of me that likes the whole, “keep them in until it’s over” thing. But I also think it’s important for those guys to get rest and I’ve been happy to see that they’re getting that. We’re getting a lot of playing time for a lot of the guys. Dame is sitting a lot more than we’re used to. So that’s different. I definitely think it’s definitely gonna be a different offense and a different defense that we’re seeing. So there’s a lot of changes happening with the change in coaching staff.

Dave Miller: What do you think is working so far?

Dia Miller: It’s interesting because obviously at times something’s working. I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. I feel like there was a lot of talk from the players when the coaching changed; there was kind of a newfound excitement. At the end of last season, Nurkić did an exit interview after they got booted in the first round to the Nuggets. He basically said, “I’m not sure if this is the right place for me going forward.” And then they hired Chauncey and Nurkić was all about it and was all fired up again. I feel like we’ve seen that, a little bit, and it makes me wonder what’s going on behind the scenes and what’s being said and what the coach is saying -- “hey, we’re gonna try this or we’re gonna try this” -- that’s getting the players excited. I think any time you’ve been in the cycle that we’ve been in, where they’re getting to the playoffs but not going much farther than getting to the playoffs, when there’s a change, like a coaching change, there has to be some sense of; okay, there’s change, maybe we can do something with this. So I think some of that is a testament to the players’ attitudes -- or maybe attitude isn’t the right word, but their excitement for what could be.

Dave Miller: You described yourself just now as a glass is half full person. That’s certainly part of your role, sort of the more optimistic member of the Dave and Dia duo on your podcast. But you’re critical sometimes, too. What worries you the most when you look at what you’ve seen so far and you stretch it out for the next 78 games?

Dia Miller: Yeah, I think the up and down and I guess a little bit of a lack of consistency is concerning, the fact that we’re essentially working with the same players. Now I will say that, in the last game specifically, I feel like Cody Zeller and Larry Nance being added is a drastic change to what we had before. But we went into the season with the same first string players, the same starters, and I think that is a little worrisome to me. When we’re having this, we’re getting into the playoffs year after year after year after year, you need to see some sort of change. So that was concerning, although I’m a little bit more encouraged now. But the up and down and the lack of consistency -- if we can’t be consistently winning or consistently playing the same at least, that’s gonna come back and bite us. That consistency is important.

Dave Miller: Can you remind us? You mentioned these two names, Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller. The team’s offseason additions, I think it’s fair to say, they were not flashy. What did change in a significant way with the lineup of the team?

Dia Miller: Yeah, I agree. It was interesting because there was a lot going on in the offseason. Dame is asking for big moves and then everybody’s freaking out and thinking he’s gonna leave if he doesn’t get them. And then the starting lineup stayed the same and they added Larry Nance, they added Ben McLemore, they added Tony Snell, they added Cody Zeller. It didn’t seem like they did anything really big. So we’re all kind of sitting here going, wait, that’s the big move? You hear your star player say, “Hey, we need a big move.” and you think, okay, they’re going after Lebron. [laughs] Obviously not Lebron but somebody big, a big name. So, when you end up with the same starting lineup and then the franchise saying, “Hey, this is the best starting lineup, one of the top starting lineups in the NBA,” you’re thinking, but this is the same starting lineup that we just went out in the first round last season. So, there’s definitely a lot of the same. But I do think that our bench was a big issue last year. Not only were we not maintaining the leads that we had, or whatever, it was getting worse. When our bench would go out there, we would lose leads and that gap would widen. So this season, what we’ve seen with our bench is quite the opposite. Our bench is going out and, not only are they maintaining our leads and maintaining that small gap when it’s there, they’re actually closing the gap. They’re actually scoring and they’re actually playing really well. I think that, as much as that doesn’t seem like a big move, you can’t have your starters playing the entire game. You have to rely some on your bench. If your bench is going out and not playing well, that’s going to make a big difference. So, changing that to a bench that is effective, that actually is a pretty big change.

Dave Miller: What about defense? It’s been a struggle with the Blazers who haven’t struggled to score a lot of points in recent years but have struggled to not have their opponents score a lot of points. What does the defense look like this season?

Dia Miller: The defense seems, again, it’s a roller coaster. So let’s talk about when it’s been good: When it’s been good, our defense has looked good. We held Memphis to under 100 points. And that’s a big deal. That’s a big deal for a team that wasn’t playing seemingly hardly any defense. Game after game after game last year, I would be frustrated because -- and this is not just last year, this is the last few years -- you’d have guys just kind of standing around, leaving wide open shots. They’d be standing there; they wouldn’t even put their hands up. I only played through high school; I didn’t play at a high level. But even in high school the coach is yelling at you to at least get your hands in the air. So, when you’re watching these guys just stand there not doing anything, that’s really frustrating. And I feel like we’ve seen less and less of that this season. We’re seeing them moving, we’re seeing a lot less open shots for the other team. It seems like they’re starting to figure out that they can play defense. Chauncey was quoted saying something to the effect of how defense can be fun. And I think we’re seeing that. I think we’re seeing them coming out and really playing and getting that defense. That alone, if everything else stays the same.. They don’t even have to be the best defensively in the NBA. But, if they can just improve from being like 29th -- I think it was, defensively, out of 30 teams -- to even being the middle of the pack, 15th in defense, and keeping their offense at the top of the league like it was, that’s a scary team to deal with. So defense is huge for this team.

Dave Miller: Steve has called in from Gresham. Steve, go ahead.

Caller (Steve): It’s becoming, year after year, increasingly difficult and expensive to watch Blazer games at home on TV, including some bars now no longer can show Blazer games because it’s gotten too expensive. Can we do something?

Dave Miller: [Laughs] Steve, are you paying for streaming? Are you paying for cable to watch it? Are you watching games?

Caller (Steve): I dropped cable years ago. I used to go to a friend’s house. He dropped it a couple years ago. My other friend dropped it last year. The bar around the corner from me is saying they don’t think they’re gonna re-up and spend the money to watch Blazer games, especially the home games. If you get the NBA stuff, you can’t watch your home games.

Dave Miller: Right. Steve, thanks for that call. Dia, you have a special case, right? Because you’re in LA, even though you’re an Oregonian. But, how much have you been hearing about this from Oregon Blazers fans?

Dia Miller: Yeah. I’m in LA, so I’m not experiencing it firsthand. But, there’s been a lot of this conversation. And I’m frustrated for y’all because it’s frustrating to have something like that where you’re excited about a team, it’s a local team, and you can’t even watch it. I know it was kind of a running joke in the offseason that no one even knew, as the season was starting up, no one knew what channel it was gonna be on. No one knew how to get a hold of it. It was like this thing that was just a little bit out of reach. That is super frustrating. And it can’t be good for the franchise either if you start to lose that momentum and that support from fans, that’s not gonna be good.

Dave Miller: Let’s turn to Damian Lillard. You mentioned him a couple times, but it’s hard to talk about the Blazers without talking about maybe the best player who’s ever played as a Blazer, maybe the most beloved one. Now, I don’t know, it’s hard to figure that out with Bill Walton or Clyde Drexler. But, I don’t know, I think you could make the argument easily that he is now the most beloved Blazer of all time. Over the summer, in August on Instagram Live, he said, “I’m not leaving PDX, not right now at least.” which is a scary thing for a lot of Blazers fans to reckon with. How much of a cloud is hanging over the team right now because of the uncertainty about Lillard’s future on the team?

Dia Miller: I think, for the team specifically, they’re unbothered by this. As far as fans go, I think it’s definitely something that took center stage all summer. Even now, even after he’s suited up in a Blazer uniform and has said over and over and over and over, “I’m not going anywhere, I’m here to stay,” it’s still, [in] every single interview, that is coming up; people are bringing it up. I think when you have a player like Damian Lillard who’s drafted by the team and has been with them his entire career, in a small market, when he’s wanted by the NBA -- I mean half the NBA wants the guy and he could go a lot of other places -- and he’s chosen to stay with a team that hasn’t been winning, that hasn’t been making it past the first round, with an exception or two. He’s chosen to stay. So, when you have that and his fans, you feel his loyalty. He’s never made noise about being anywhere else and he’s been very vocal about wanting to win a championship in Portland. I think you have confidence in that and you rest easy knowing that he’s not gonna take off and go somewhere else. So the second that it becomes a conversation and you start to hear any type of doubt, it’s terrifying. Because you think, what kind of basketball is Blazers basketball going to be without Damian Lillard? It’s going to be a totally different thing because this franchise is essentially built around him right now. The fandom is around him right now. He’s huge for this team. And so it’s a scary thought when you think he might be going somewhere. I do think he’s reeled it back in and I think he said, “Hey, I’m here, I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to win a championship. That’s been my plan from the beginning.” So I think he’s kind of trying to come out and do some damage control with that now. But it is a little, it’s like in a relationship, any little seed of doubt that’s planted has an effect. And I think that seed of doubt was planted and I think fans are a little bit on edge because of it.

Dave Miller: Let’s turn Chauncey Billups who was named head coach back in the summer. At that time, there is a lot of focus on the fact that he was accused of sexual assault in 1997. A civil suit led to a settlement. Can you remind us how the Blazers organization handled the situation?

Dia Miller: Yeah, I’ve been real outspoken about this. As someone who was a victim of domestic violence, this is something that’s very close to me. When this all happened, I was very outspoken about the fact that I had issue with how the franchise handled this. That is my primary issue. Even more so than Chauncey Billups himself, my issue has been with how the franchise has handled it. There was a lot of just, it felt like gaslighting in a sense, from the organization where they kept kind of putting these people out there in front of us and dangling them out there. Becky Hammon was put out there. Dawn Staley was put out there. Both would have been huge as women for the coaching position. That’s never happened in the NBA, to have a woman as a head coach. To dangle that out there and act like that was a possibility and then listen to fans as they complained about the fact that the Blazers mentioned Jason Kidd, who has some similar issues, I think fans were outraged by that. And then they put these other names out there and it calmed down a little bit. Then it was like a bait and switch and all of a sudden, now they’re hiring Chauncey Billups. People had questions and they put those questions out there regularly. Reporters were asking the questions. Fans were asking the questions. There was a lot of noise about this over the summer. And instead of being straightforward and answering the questions and allowing Chauncey to answer the questions, it was, “you have to trust us.” It was an organizational line from an organization that hasn’t at this point given us a reason to trust them. So it was very frustrating to watch this. And I feel, for me personally, I can speak to that. Had they let Chauncey come out and speak to this and say, “Look, this was a long time ago; I’m a different man than I was then. I acknowledge the fact that somebody has obviously been hurt. We have two different ways of seeing this..” Whatever it was, whatever his story was. If they had allowed him to give his side of the story and to speak on that and to take responsibility for the situation, I would have felt a lot better going into this. I would have felt like, hey, I can get behind this, I can be a fan of this team while this is happening and I can support. The way that they did it instead has been very difficult and it’s been very frustrating.

Dave Miller: Can I ask you briefly just how much that’s still on your mind now? Obviously we’ve been talking about offense and defense and Damian Lillard and Memphis Grizzlies or whoever, the basketball stuff. But is this still on your mind when you’re watching the team and when you’re seeing Chauncey Billups on the sidelines?

Dia Miller: Yeah, I wish I could say it wasn’t. I wish I could say that I’ve just moved on from it. But, when something like that has been personal, it’s hard to just move on. It’s definitely something that I think about regularly. It’s a topic that regularly comes up, which again is why I wish they’d just addressed it head on. Because, if they’d addressed it head on, we could have moved on. It wouldn’t have had to continue to be a conversation that was having.. it wouldn’t have had to continue to be... we could have just moved on. Chauncey’s a likable guy. And it’s still a gray area because he holds to his innocence. So, this is not a black and white thing. But it’s something that has clouded, for me, his time here. And I think that’s going to be true for him; the franchise didn’t do him any service by not allowing him to talk about it because that’s always going to be a cloud there. I think that for people who this was an issue for in the summer, it’s gonna continue to be an issue until it’s addressed and dealt with. And it just doesn’t feel like they fully addressed and dealt with it. I’m not saying that he doesn’t deserve a job. I’m not saying that he should be fired. I’m not even saying he shouldn’t have been hired in the first place. What I’m saying is the franchise should have handled this differently. They should have been open. They should have been honest. If they trusted and believed in him as much as they say that they did, they should have also allowed us to trust and believe in him to that degree by being transparent.

Dave Miller: Dia Miller, thanks for joining us today. I appreciate your time.

Dia Miller: Yeah. Thanks for having me.

Dave Miller: Dia Miller is a writer for the Blazers Edge website and the co-host of the Dave and Dia podcast.

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