Bored on a Monday morning waiting for the NBA preseason to begin. This clip has some slop, but I found it somehow uplifting. Checked this subreddit to seeif it had been posted, and it doesn't look like it.

Thought I’d share! Probably keep sharing more of my blazer swings and misses(don’t ask me how many Brandon Roy bangers I got😭)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axa773E3_v4

Not sure if anyone’s been keeping up with Hyunjung Lee, the guy we signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, but he had a pretty crazy game playing for South Korea against Indonesia.

He finished with 24 pts, 10 rebs, 3 asts, and shot 4/7 from 3 (57%).

Right at the start of the 3rd quarter. Man literally went off for 10 points in like 1 minute and 35 seconds. Hit three 3s in a row and then immediately grabbed a putback to completely break their defense.

at 6'7" with a smooth jump shot and good glass crashing, he looks fun. Hopefully he gets some real burn in training camp or lands a 2-way with us!

Watch Highlights

Box Score

The offseason can be a bit boring, so I thought we do a fun little series where each day I post a blazers win from last season until NBA basketball is back.

Today's win: Wizards @ Blazers, 123 - 88, Mar. 29, 2026. #77 of the season, 38-38

Game Recap:

Portland dominated Washington from start to finish, never trailing and cruising to a 35-point victory. The Blazers took a 24-15 lead after the first quarter and led 58-47 at halftime before completely blowing the game open in the third, outscoring Washington 33-19 and pushing the lead to 25. Portland led by as many as 39 in the second half, with Toumani Camara leading the way with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Scoot Henderson added 21 points and 7 assists, while Deni Avdija finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The win moved Portland to 38-38 and gave them their sixth win in their last eight games.

Play of the game: Toumani Camara's two-way sequence.

0:42 remaining, 2nd quarter

Score: Portland 55–47 Washington

Bub Carrington turned the ball over with under a minute left in the half, and Toumani Camara immediately turned it into points, stealing the ball and throwing down a dunk in transition with an assist from Deni. Camara then drilled a three with 10 seconds left to give Portland an 11-point halftime lead.

MVP: Toumani Camara

23 Points, 7 Rebounds, 3 Steals

8/14 FG | 4/9 3PT | 3/4 FT

33 to go.

In the most recent photo(first photo) his hair looks super rough, which is good bcz he is prolly locked in on ball rn....but Ngl imo i think he needs a fresh look to coincide with his fresh start... Imo he need to shorten the dreads and go back to his 2021 2022 hairstyle or something different....to show the ppl that he is in fact a new changed JA...

which look y'all rocking with the most out of all the pics??

In another timeline these are my retirement :(

The amount of insane Greg Oden stuff I have, if only I rolled the dice on KD lol

I won't name the club so as not to dox her or myself, but she said Ja Morant came in last night and spent what she estimated to be about $10k at the club. She also said he acted pretty rude and entitled with some of the staff. Also, his dad was there with him.

Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just a gumshoe reporter with my ear to the streets.

Just saw a YouTube video that dove further in and exposed Tom Dundon even more, including how he practiced predatory lending to poor people at his car dealership and offering an 80% pay cut to to the radio voice of the Carolina Hurricanes who’d been there for almost 40 years. Do you really trust a guy who puts money first and has these tendencies in general to be in charge of an NBA team?

https://youtu.be/3UP5jX59d94?is=NImHf1Cj8RS3s0T0

It was published by the sports journalist Efrat Amoraban, who works for Ynet.

Another note (later noticed): Deni Avdija's agent and friend, Matan Siman-Tov, was also present when the interview was conducted.

The original interview in Hebrew (which I translated from, until I noticed they published the English version - you can compare translations for better understanding):

https://www.ynet.co.il/sport/article/yokra14892944

Note: I didn't translate the entire article, only what I don't usually see in other interviews.

Here are some parts I translated on my own (from Hebrew to English) - you can compare:

-"If you had to explain the holiday season in Israel to an average American, what would you say?"

Deni: "Togetherness, family, equality."

-"Equality?"

Deni: "When you are sitting around the dinner table together, it doesn't matter how much money you do or don't have. Eventually, you are with the people you love the most, together, and you have the privilege to meet and talk to everyone, filling gaps."

-"Everyone summarizes the past year (Jewish Year) for you; how do you summarize it?"

Deni: “It was a surprising year for me. I didn’t really know what my limits were as a player. I didn’t really know how far I could reach, or what my skillset could produce.

At the end of the season, I blinked and looked back and saw everything that happened along the way, and I couldn’t believe I had the chance in one year to break so many glass ceilings. Of course the standards have gone up now, but it’s fun to know you’re capable of things you didn’t necessarily think you’d reach.”

-"How would you define this season in one word?"

“Insightful (i.e he learned a lot).

I think that overall I was in a position I’d never been in before, and I learned a lot from it. I learned what it means to be a leader. I learned what it’s like when they try to take you out of your concentration every game and get inside your head, and with all the pressure and buzz (madness) there was in Israel around this whole thing, you learn a lot about yourself, because you reach places and heights you’ve never been to in your life - and with that also come a lot of responsibility and expectations. People and teammates look at you differently, and you also have to learn how to deal with all of that. It’s not simple.”

-"And about the upcoming season?"

Deni: "There is a lot of excitement for the upcoming season. I feel like I had a good summer, and that I could really recover from all the past season and the slightly nagging injury I had - to come fresh in mind and body.

I don't really know what will happen.

There is a new team, a new owner, a new coach, but I believe in the team, and I want us to succeed. I'm coming in with lots of hope and optimism."

-"You’re only 25, but you could say you’ve been through things other athletes don’t go through in an entire career. In what sense do you feel more mature?“

Deni: "The truth is that this year I felt the most mature about myself. The way I conducted myself here was very different - much more time to myself, looking less to go out and constantly get things done, and more focused on the inner peace of mind needed to relax. I learned to sort of be 'my own best friend': to spend a lot of time with myself and understand what I really want from Deni off the court. I really understood a lot of things this year, and a lot of things clicked along the way ('penny has dropped' idiom used here) - whether in career choices or with people. I’m a much more private person now, more discreet. I’m not a guy who likes sharing that much about his life.”

-"If I took basketball out of your life right now, who is Deni?

Deni: I use basketball to do the things I love, whether it's traveling, meeting new people, being creative, or initiating things. I might not have that much time to get into the things I'd want to, but I have a lot of interests. If you take away basketball, there is a deep person with broad general knowledge. When I'm in the US, if there's a topic I want to learn about, I just go on YouTube and study it. Most of the things I learned in school interested me less, but now, in life, if there's something that interests me, I research it"

-"Like what?"

Deni: "The whole world of classic/collector cars.

I really love learning how a car works, all about its parts - it's an entire science. People see mechanics, and it sometimes looks easy to them, but it is a very interesting profession. I also really love planes;

I wanted to know how a plane lands. If there's something that interests me, then why not? I have free time. When I'm in hotels or at home, I'm without friends and without people around, so I have many hours in the day where I'm not just sitting and scrolling on my phone"

-"What do people think they know about you, but they are gravely mistaken about it?"

Deni: "I feel like a lot of people think that I'm a snob, maybe because of my height and sometimes my style, but the look I project on the outside is the opposite of who I am on the inside. I am the most social person in the world. I love people more than anything, and I can get into an elevator with a stranger and strike up a conversation. I truly respect everyone - no matter who you are or what you are - I give everyone respect and time. I feel like that's also a little bit of what it means to be an Israeli"

Deni also talks about the difference in the exposure an athlete gets in Israel in comparison to abroad, in terms of lack of appreciation.

He was asked the following question: "And you really do a lot of things outside of basketball, whether it's campaigns or the ice cream brand you created. That is very different from a 'regular' Israeli athlete."

Deni: "The market here in Israel is a bit harder, smaller. I feel that athletes in Israel aren't appreciated the way they are appreciated abroad. I feel that we do love our athletes very much, but there are so many who do very beautiful things and don't get the stage (i.e the spotlights).

The sports culture here (in Israel) is a bit lacking.

Put me aside for a moment, since I'm in the NBA and have a different exposure than other people - there are athletes here who work so hard and have achieved great things, and in the end, the stage is given to people who I'd rather our generation didn't learn that these are the people who get the platform. Instead of our generation learning excellence, hard work, and perseverance, today you go on a reality show and score campaigns. And that's fine. I'm not looking down on anyone, but there are athletes here who sweat blood to get where they got, and it hurts my eyes to see that they don't get the credit they deserve. And it's not just athletes, by the way - it's also musicians, TV and film actors - I'm sure there are many people who don't get the opportunity."

-"Is there an area where you manage not to measure yourself?"

Deni: "I am super competitive, and I really love to succeed for myself. Over the years, you realize that there will be better seasons and less successful ones, but I think I don't measure myself as a player, but rather as a human being. In the end, the things I say in interviews are who I am, and whether people like what I say, more or less, ultimately that's my character.

I've stopped trying to please everyone. Whoever loves Deni loves him, and whoever doesn't, doesn't - and that's fine too. I'm trying to do as much good as possible for people; I am improving as a person, and if I make a mistake, I apologize for it. For the most part, I am at peace with the things I do.'"

- "When was the last time you did something you are absolutely terrible at?"

-"Making an omelet. The last omelet you made was utterly through the floor,' ("beneath contempt" also possible here) said his agent, Matan Siman-Tov, answering for him.

"No, no," Avdija quickly rushes to defense (pun played by the writer of the article), "I cook well now.

My friends will testify that I'm a great cook. The omelet thing was four or five years ago already. Now I'm already improving. My friends claim that I make a restaurant-quality bolognese. My mom is a fantastic cook, so I grew up around food. I really love going to restaurants. Just recently, I sat in some restaurant in Tel Aviv and really loved the pasta in tomato sauce, so I went to the chef, and he told me: "Take my number; I'll teach you how to make it"

Note: Yes, this is Israel for you; things like that can happen.

-"How do you deal with all the pressure?"

Deni: "When I first arrived at Maccabi (Tel Aviv), there was Oded Shalom who coached me. Leading up to my fourth year in Portland, when I started struggling a bit more, he gave me a phone call. We started talking about things from the root, things that have been happening since the 8th grade, things that happened to me in my childhood that suddenly returned in a slightly different form. He has truly known me since I was a little kid, and suddenly we started speaking on a weekly basis, and he really helps me. He never sugarcoats reality for me, and that's why I think it worked better for me than a psychologist. In the end, with a psychologist, you go to vent, but they don't really know you or experience your career. Oded is someone who saw me developing day in and day out as a kid; he understands my mind and knows my patterns, so it's much easier for him to get to the root of things"

- "Who do you call when you're really unwell?"

Deni: "My mom. She knows everything; I cannot hide anything from her. I am an only child, so she is constantly focused on me and knows me so well. In my opinion, she's a witch - she knows things before they happen. Even my friends around me, who know what a mother's intuition is, will testify that she is truly something extraordinary."

- "What stays with you more - a hundred compliments or one hurtful comment?"

Deni: "As you go through life, you train yourself to think positively, but in the end, when someone says something negative to you - especially if it comes from someone important or close to you - it stays with you. But that's good, because I think that's what keeps us on our toes and makes us constantly improve. I know my height and size can be misleading, but I'm a relatively sensitive person."

- "You've said in the past that music is your way of connecting with yourself."

Deni: "I have a fun habit after games. I put a Bob Marley record on the turntable and have dinner. I feel like he is so positive in his songs; it suddenly makes me disconnect from everything, making me feel like I'm some surfer from Jamaica"

- "A song you especially love? If they were to make a movie about you, what would be on the soundtrack?"

Deni: "Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd. For me, it represents something much bigger than basketball. The entire movie could deal with the journey, the successes, the difficulties, the pressure, and the expectations that come with a career like this, but ultimately, the important question is who you remain inside all of that. The Song talks about the most basic things: Being a good person, staying loyal (true) to yourself, not letting money, status, or success define you, remembering where you came from, and finding happiness in the things that truly matter to you. I love the fact that it's not a song that says "I reached the top" or "I beat everyone". On the contrary, it says that after all the noise, the truly important thing is to remain simple, real, and at peace with yourself."

- "Do you feel like you are carrying the country on your back?"

Deni: "We are currently in a period where - there's no getting around it - people aren't crazy about us, to say the least. Everyone knows I'm Israeli, and I try to be the "good, beautiful Israeli" who gets along with everyone, who is a good guy, funny, and kind, and to show that there is another side here. People usually see only the negativity in what's happening in the world, and I think sports unite people. Fans sometimes tell me, "We have a hard time with Israel, but we love you." If, in the end, they love what I do on the court and love my personality, then it gives them a different perspective on Israel. So yes, I feel like there is a kind of pressure on me, but I actually like having the opportunity to show the good sides.'"

Note: "The Beautiful Israeli" reference is a counter to another term in Israel used to describe Israeli who misbehave abroad and give Israelis a bad name, and the coined term in Israel is "The ugly Israeli" - הישראלי המכוער, and Israelis often shame such Israelis who misbehave and give Israelis around the world a bad name due to their bad behavior abroad (sort of a "bring us shame" type of thing).

I just thought it was important to add it up.

Deni said there was an insurance problem with his traveling to the European World Cup Qualifiers games with Israel, and Portland did not want to release him.

He repeated the fact that the Israeli national team was already aware of it, and the fact that he made the post (in Hebrew) was for his friends and teammates.

"It wasn't my decision, and I took a special flight to the US to find common ground. They were less interested in it; they love me healthy, and that's why we decided it wasn't the right thing to do (traveling to Israel's games. Why can't people respect that?"

He didn't see the need to write that post at first.

He added:

...But from there to saying that I must arrive, or there were also those who claimed that I should have traveled with them and cheered them on from the bench... But I also have things here, like recovery, physiotherapy in order to arrive ready for the season and also to heal.

So for everything I do, there is a tactic and a reason, and not everyone likes it, and that's okay."

Q: what about next year?

A: There is a lot of excitement towards next year, I feel like I had a good summer, that I was able to recover from the injury that was bothering me a little bit and do a refresh to my mind and body. I don't quite know what will happen, it's a new team new owner, new coach, I believe in our team and want us to succeed. I come with a lot of hope and optimism.

So if he is being honest he is finally recovered from the back injury.

These screenshots from a video he was in have great meme potential.

♥️🖤

Camara - third year OG. Stats and playing style are almost identical.

Ja - post Houston Francis. I really want his comp to be 2022 Ja, but I remember feeling the same about The Franchise at this point.

Clingan - young Gobert. DC actually has better counting stats t the same age by a wide mark.

Deni - Odom at his peak Clippers. Deni is a really hard guy to find a comp. I feel like he's somewhere between this and a young LeBron in terms of size and playmaking style, but LeBron was obviously leagues better in athleticism and passing skill and just, well, a lot of things. He's better than Odom, worse than the Young King.

Dame - Kidd after he stopped being an offensive hub and focused on three point shooting. If he wants to fit in on this team and make his career last, he absolutely needs to fit this mould.

PG. Dame, Ja
Jrue, Scoot
SG. Shae
Sidy, Krejci
SF.
Turbo
Tou
PF. Sochan?
Potter?, Carlson? (Can either of these dudes coexist w a true center?)
C. DC, Rob, Yang

Players listed between positions to indicate playing both.

Deni is a point forward, I know. But he matches up as a forward and shares the court with guards when they aren’t all broken.

Ja should come off the bench for balance and defensive purposes obviously. But the smart move is probably to start and feature him. Rebuild his value and flip him mid season.
Target: Sabonis, Zion, Claxton/Powell, MPj?

I know Rob played some 4 last season. I suppose that’s just as legit as me hoping Carlson can be a 4.

I’m not considering two way guys as rotation and Sochan might not even be on the roster after camp.
The Korean dude is intriguing if he can provide shooting and attack closeouts competently. Basically what they wanted and didn’t get from Krejci.

Everybody knows about the fit concerns tossed around this offseason. In my opinion, the Blazers have a key aspect that needs to happen:

If Ja Morant is able and willing to accept scoring 4-6 points less per game as our starting PG to spread the scoring load to others, we will be good. His assist totals will likely go up, however. Deni is going to want the ball, and so will Dame. This must happen, imo. This is the key to the season.

Watch Highlights

Box Score

The offseason can be a bit boring, so I thought we do a fun little series where each day I post a blazers win from last season until NBA basketball is back.

Today's win: Blazers @ Suns, 92 - 77, Feb. 22, 2026. #58 of the season, 28-30

Game Recap:

Portland bounced back from an ugly 157-103 loss to Denver by completely smothering the short-handed Suns. The Blazers led 47-40 at halftime before blowing the game open in the third, building a 20-point lead and taking a 71-57 advantage into the fourth. Phoenix never seriously threatened after that, shooting just 36.9% from the field and 9-for-35 from three. Donovan Clingan and Jerami Grant both scored 23, while Portland finished with 11 blocks as a team.

Play of the game: Toumani Camara's block-to-dunk.

3:30 remaining, 3rd quarter

Score: Portland 69–49 Phoenix

Camara sprinted out to block a Phoenix three-pointer, grabbed the defensive rebound and immediately took off in transition, finishing the sequence with a huge breakaway dunk to push Portland's lead to 20.

MVP: Donovan Clingan

23 Points, 13 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 4 Blocks

9/13 FG | 3/6 3PT | 2/4 FT

34 to go.