Ep. 93 - Brandon and Ryan decide to break the seal on a topic they have put off talking about… COACHING! After discussing where the Blazers rank in terms of being a desirable coaching job, the guys ponder why the team seems to be slow-playing filling out their assistant coaching ranks. Is it intentional? What’s the end game? Then they wrap things u…

Ep. 92 - We're joined by friend of the pod and all around awesome human being Brandon Sprague of 1080 The Fan! We talked about how he has shifted his coverage of the Portland Trail Blazers on his radio show now that the team is in the full throughs of a rebuild before he threw cold water on the idea of the media protecting their access to the team.…

Ep. 91 - We are beyond blessed to be joined by the Portland Winterhawks PA Announcer, one Mr. Michael Burles! He loans his golden baritone to help us discuss the sudden and shocking passing of Portland Trail Blazer great Bill Walton, as well as discuss the secret sauce behind hyping up an arena full of rabid hockey fans, the Blazers' upcoming draft…

Ep 90 - The NBA's All-Rookie teams were announced, and Scoot Henderson was left off! We talk about whether he got short shrift, plus an update on the NBA Playoffs, the conundrum of access to NBA games and why it's so hard for fans to just watch the games they want to watch, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers,…

Ep 89 - The Blazers' lottery luck ran a bit dry as three teams jumped them and they fell from 4th to 7th. We talk about that, plus the NBA's coaching carousel - and whether it might impact Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups. That and MORE this week! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” at @LikeTheBlazers, and ALL podcast and streaming app…

Ep. 88 - Ryan and Brandon debate whether the NBA is over-marketing its biggest stars - the LeBron James’ and Kevin Durant’s of the league - in an attempt to appeal to casual fans who might not yet know who the next generation of stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards are. If you want to skip to that discussion, it starts by framing …

Ep. 87 - Brandon is joined by his wife and lifelong baller Dr. Cassie Mullen to briefly talk about the NBA playoffs, how Cassie as a basketball player approaches pickup games, the pressures of "representing your gender" when you're just trying to ball, the impact of women's basketball on recreational fans, whether we want our kids to skip college t…

Ep. 86 - The 2023-24 season is in the books! As the Blazers give their exit interviews, we talk about Coach Billups' comments about him saying he's "light years ahead of where I was" as a coach, the Blazers backing into a tie for 3rd-best lottery odds, whether we're excited for the Playoffs, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on “Twitter” a…

Ep. 85 - First: Please click the link to donate to Mike Lynch and his family in his fight against ALS. https://www.gofundme.com/f/t4yrzf-help-mike-fight-als?qid=f4512a84baa1ed4a7eb4957fb12660ed In this weeks' episode, Ryan and Brandon talk about the Women’s College Basketball Championship, the factors behind why women’s basketball is finally becomi…

Ep. 84 - Keith Feltner-Smith of The Trailcasters joins to talk about what we're looking for from the Blazers late in a tanking season, answering some questions about whether Portland or Charlotte is tanking harder, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on "Twitter" at @LikeTheBlazers, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps! Proudly a par…

Ep. 83 - As the NBA dissolves the G-League Ignite, Ryan is given his flowers and takes a victory lap for essentially breaking news before it happened. After a detour into NBA players (illegally) betting on themselves and the bigger issues of the NBA monetizing gambling on its own product, Brandon and Ryan discuss the recent surge in Scoot Henderson…

Ep. 82 - Ryan has a hot take: NBA rookies are less prepared, less well-adjusted, and less developed if they forgo college for the G-League. Is this true? Is "player empowerment" harming the NBA product? And is a player-centric league more or less watchable than when players are a cog in a machine? We discuss this and MORE in this week's episode! Fi…

Ep. 81 - How do YOU critically watch Blazers games? Do you watch for fun, to analyze what's happening and draw conclusions, as background noise, or something else? Also, a shout out to Dave Deckard of Blazer's Edge, a debate about whether it's more important to tank for the lottery or develop the young players, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers…

Ep. 80 - The Blazers should make it easier for fans to watch games. PERIOD. We talk about that, plus Deandre Ayton showing out, the Blazers going winless in February, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on "Twitter" at @LikeTheBlazers, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!By Brandon Goldner

Ep. 79 - The Blazers cruise into the All-Star break as the NBA's 5th-worst team. We talk about expectations for the rest of the year, their relatively inactive trade deadline, Scoot Henderson improving and showing out at All-Star weekend, Duop Reath's contract, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on "Twitter" at @LikeTheBlazers, and basicall…

Ep. 78 - The name of the game for the Blazers right now is developing the young players. With that in mind, should the Blazers look to keep or trade their veterans? We get into that, plus: are the Blazers worse than you expected? Does Scoot Henderson still project to be a superstar? Does Coach Billups deserve as much credit for the recent spirited …

Ep. 77 - Casey Holdahl of the Portland Trail Blazers talks about how he has changed in his 17 years covering the team from within, having healthy skepticism when choosing what to report, how reporting has shifted with the democratization of media production, how sports journalism has perhaps become less objective as it trends towards "access journa…

Ep. 76 - Damian Lillard is on the Milwaukee Bucks, and we have a LOT of feelings about it! Who in Portland is to blame for us getting here? Did Cronin LIE to Dame or do him dirty? Why couldn't Dame come back to the Blazers after requesting only to go to Miami? How does dame use the media and his agent to get his VOICE out there without using his NA…

Ep. 75 - Erik Peterson of Kenny's G-League Podcast joins to talk about his foray into covering the Rip City Remix, Portland's newest professional basketball team and direct affiliate to the Portland Trail Blazers! We talk about why he started his show, cut through some of Ryan's skepticism of watching another basketball team, players to watch, how …

Ep. 74 - It's been 3/4 of 100 days since Dame requested a trade, and we're FINALLY sharing our thoughts about it: from player vs. team fandom, to the most and least likely outcomes, possible landing spots beyond Miami, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on "Twitter" at @LikeTheBlazers, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!…

Ep. 73 - It's FAKE TRADE season! DeAndre Ayton? Lauri Markkanen? Anthony Davis? Mikal Bridges? Pascal Siakam? All those and MORE in our fake trade extravaganza episode! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll disagree, and you'll (hopefully) get a sense of how hard it is to actually construct a "fair" trade that works for both teams and the salary cap! Fi…

Ep. 72 - Damian Lillard is All-NBA for a franchise-record 7th time, but mostly Ryan and Brandon discuss the Blazers and the NBA lottery: which picks change their playoff hopes, which keep Dame in Portland, which end the Dame era, and which fundamentally alters the Blazers' next 15 years? Find out! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @Lik…

Ep. 70 - What, exactly, is wrong with the Blazers? From the coach to the front office to the players to the owner, there are PLENTY of fingers to point, but the talk on Blazers Twitter has been mostly coach Chauncey Billups-oriented, so we get into that and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, and basically ALL podc…

Ep. 69 - Matisse Thybulle goes OFF in his first game as a Blazer... but does it matter? The underwhelming (and perhaps meaningless) trade deadline from Joe Cronin has left ONE host ABSOLUTELY LIVID!! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!…

Ep. 68 - Damian Lillard gets 60 in historic fashion as the Blazers get a much-needed win! We welcome Keith Feltner-Smith from The Trailcasters to talk about that, honoring Bill Schonely, whether Chauncey Billups deserves blame for the Blazers' inconsistency, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, and basically ALL…

Ep. 67 - Is Damian Lillard the GBOAT (Greatest Blazers Of All Time)? Ryan and Brandon debate that, Gary Payton II's impact, Shaedon Sharpe to the Dunk Contest, trade possibilities, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!…

Ep. 66 - Ryan is away but Dr. Cassie Mullen slides effortlessly into the podcasting chair to help Brandon unpack where the Blazers are as a team, their current win streak, how Dame is looking, what they need to keep winning, whether they can do 4-0 on their next 4-games in their road trip, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @L…

Ep. 65 - Damian Lillard is best leader in the NBA, PERIOD. We talk about that, the Blazers' 9-3 start, whether Shaedon Sharpe is the Blazers' most important player off the bench, more praise for Chauncey Billups' coaching, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and streami…

Ep. 64 - The Blazers are off to their best start in over a decade, and we are HERE for it! Shaedon Sharpe's emergence, Billups' coaching, the defense looking way better, Josh Hart MAYBE being the Blazers' 2nd-most important player, and OTHER OPTIMISTIC TAKES THROUGHOUT!! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube…

Ep. 63 - Ryan and Brandon are BACK to preview the Blazers’ 2022-23 season including regular season predictions, Shaedon Sharpe’s impact, how Dame looks and whether Simons can play next to him, Jerami Grant’s fit, Chauncey Billups’ coaching, listener questions, what (if anything) to take from the preseason, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com,…

Ep. 62 - Ryan's conducting Presumption Junction, and he's bringing 5 (or so) Blazers predictions for you to agree or disagree with! Has Cronin proven he's better than Olshey? Is Dame washed? Do the Blazers need more size? Listen and find out! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast a…

Ep. 61 - Eric Griffith of Willamette Week joins to talk about the moves Joe Cronin has made since he took over, what the Blazers' cap situation is, best-case scenarios for the Blazers getting in part of a Kevin Durant trade, and MORE... plus BREAKING news about Damian Lillard being extended through 2027! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter …

Ep. 60 - Protect abortion access. Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds, donate to Planned Parenthood, or donate to Keep our Clinics... or any number of other organizations. And vote. Ryan and Brandon also honored Caleb Swanigan, and talked about the Blazers trading for Jerami Grant, and drafting Shaedon Sharpe. Find us at WeLikeTheBlaze…

Ep. 59 - Joe Cronin gets a 4-year deal... but what REALLY matters is what happens in Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery, because whether or not Damian Lillard retires in Portland DEPENDS on the Blazers getting a good pick! That and MORE this week! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and…

Ep. 58 - Ryan and Brandon talk about whether Joe Cronin has DESTROYED the Trail Blazers franchise by trading CJ McCollum for a draft pick that won't convey this year (no, he didn't), and they also talk about which players the Blazers might be able to steal from a team that loses in the 2022 NBA Playoffs! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter …

Tank for Chet. Tank for Chet. Tank for Chet. Tank for Chet. Tank for Chet! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!By Brandon Goldner

Ep. 56 - Steve Dewald of Blazer's Edge and the Church of Roy podcast joins Ryan to talk about the 2022 NBA Draft, which the Blazers are doing everything in their organizational power NOT to lose their pick in! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!…

Ep. 55 - Eric Griffith, contributor to Willamette Week and Blazer's Edge, joins Ryan to make sense of the current salary cap landscape the Blazers find themselves in after GM Joe Cronin taded away, like, half the team! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!…

Ep. 54 - Joe Cronin's in the front seat, and he's saying to get in, losers. The Blazers FINALLY make the moves that needed to be made, and Ryan and Brandon talk about what it means and why they're stoked for the future! While it's hard to say goodbye to Norm and RoCo and Nance and especially CJ, the Blazers have now have a real shot at putting toge…

Ep. 53 - Damian Lillard FINALLY has surgery on his ab issue... does it mean the Blazers SHOULD tank? (YES!) Plus Joe Cronin makes a hire, Anfernee Simons is balling out, Blazers fans finally get some short-term clarity on what team we'll see on the floor, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and …

Ep. 52 - Ryan is joined by KJ, one of the co-hosts of the HoopSpaces Blazers postgame Twitter Spaces, to talk about expectations for the season, new NBA coaches trying to demand respect rather than earn it, Dame getting mad at the media, and more! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podc…

Ep. 51 - It's a new era of Blazers basketball as Portland welcomes Interim GM Joe Cronin. What we thought of his presser, PLUS CJ suffers a collapsed lung, Dame might be coming back from injury soon, the Sixers may be willing to shop Ben Simmons, Dame re-re-re stating his loyalty to Portland, and MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at…

Chauncey Billups is failing to be an effective leader of an NBA team. For as much as he and the organization preached accountability, there’s no evidence - not yet, anyway - that he’s willing to hold himself accountable or let others do the same. This feature is available in both a written and audio format, and both include identical narrative cont…

NEIL OLSHEY WAS FIRED. OLSHEY IS GONE. NO MORE OLSHEY. MORE LIKE NEIL NOLSHEY, AMIRITEBy Brandon Goldner

Ep. 49 - The latest on the investigation into Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey, and reporting that he might be on his way out as soon as tomorrow; PLUS the Blazers keep struggling at home, the responsibility of journalists to talk about big stories, Dame is still hurt, reasons to STILL have optimism, and MORE! Find us at WeLik…

Ep. 48 - The Blazers are on a 3-game losing streak, Dame is probably hurt, and the defense has fallen apart... BUT THERE'S STILL HOPE! We break that down (and argue about the impact of Dame's injury) and a TON more! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcast and streaming apps!…

Ep. 47 - The Blazers are 2-2, so we talk about what we're feeling good about, how Chauncey Billups is doing so far as Head Coach, the Blazers finding success with their OLD offense, Anfernee Simons balling out, Dame's slump, Ryan's tell-all stat of the season, and more! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube,…

Ep. 46 - Ryan and Brandon get into the details of predicting the Blazers' regular season wins: what factors will affect their win total? How will coaching, injuries, and young player development play out? Could they lose 50 games? Could they win 60?? Plus some Media Day wrap-up and a little bit of Blazers news! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on T…

Ep. 45 - We did an INSTANT RECAP of the Blazers' 2021 Media Day availability! What did Neil Olshey say? Is Jusuf Nurkic talking out of both sides of his mouth? Is Dame staying after all? Chauncey Billups getting an A+ for his comments? And MORE! Find us at WeLikeTheBlazers.com, on Twitter at @LikeTheBlazers, NOW on YouTube, and basically ALL podcas…

Ep. 44 - The Blazers are bringing in Dennis Smith Jr., Marquese Chriss, and Patrick Patterson to training camp... does it matter? PLUS Dame gets married, finding Blazers games if you're streaming, the RIGHT way to make season predictions, and more! NOTE: We will be doing (at least one) a giveaway before the season starts, so be sure to listen to th…