Player News - Trail Blazers

Date: Team: Pos:

Greg Oden remains on the Celtics' radar, but he "doesn't seem to be a high priority," according to the Boston Herald.

Why should he be? Oden is nothing but a lottery ticket for any team that signs him given his injury issues, and the Celtics need someone they can count on behind Kevin Garnett if KG returns. "We'll look into Greg still," Danny Ainge said. "He wasn't ready to play when he saw him last. He wasn't ready to work out."
May 20 - 8:25 AM

The Cavaliers are "still considering" signing Greg Oden, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

The Cavs are "looking for a defensive center," Pluto concludes, and therefore may trade up to draft Kentucky C Nerlens Noel if they miss out on the No. 1 pick in the lottery. For what it's worth, Oden's agent said in February that the Cavs, Heat and Celtics were in contention, but no decision was expected until July.
May 19 - 9:33 AM

Ohio State's Deshaun Thomas said Greg Oden "looks unbelievable" as he continues his rehab and attempt to return to the NBA.

We heard a lot of positive reports on Oden this year only to see him never sign with a team, but it's possible he'll look to ink a deal during the offseason. "He's running, lifting weights," Thomas said. "You might be seeing a comeback. He looks like he's ready to go. He's running, getting in shape." It doesn't sound like Oden is all the way back yet, but his story will be an intriguing one as teams search in the discount bin for size this summer.
May 17 - 9:11 AM

Kostas Papanikolaou will decide between playing for Olympiacos in Europe or going to the NBA next season.

No other European team is in consideration for Papanikolaou, who won the Rising Star trophy in Europe this season. His rights were acquired by Portland in the Raymond Felton sign-and-trade deal.
Source: Sportando
May 16 - 9:16 AM

Damien Lillard was the All-Rookie team's lone unanimous selection.

Lillard led all rookies in points (19.0), assists (6.5), 3-pointer made (2.3) and minutes (38.6). He's joined on the All-Rookie team by Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Dion Waiters and Harrison Barnes. The second team consisted of Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kyle Singler and Tyler Zeller. Note that the All-Rookie teams are voted on by the league's coaches, so they carry more weight than the awards voted on by the media.

Damian Lillard said he wants to use the offseason to "bring my percentages up as a shooter, tighten up my handle, be a better ball-handler" and watch film to learn from his mistakes.

Fresh off of winning the Rookie of the Year Award, Lillard is not satisfied. Lillard averaged three turnovers and shot 42.9 percent from the field, so he could improve in both of those areas. The Weber State product shot 36.8 percent from behind the 3-point line and 84.4 percent from the charity stripe, so any improvement in those two areas would only make him more dangerous. Lillard also said he's well aware of his defensive critics and will spend time with Gary Payton during the offseason to improve that area of his game. This kid has a very bright future.
May 2 - 8:12 AM

Damian Lillard was announced as the unanimous selection for the Rookie of the Year on Wednesday.

Lillard received all 121 first-place votes to become the fourth Blazer in team history to win the award and only fourth unanimous selection in NBA history. Lillard entered the season far behind presumed favorite and No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, but Lillard's stunning rookie campaign made him impossible to ignore. Lillard led the league in total minutes while averaging 19 points, 6.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game to go along with a rookie record 185 made 3-pointers. Yeah, the kid is good.
May 1 - 7:05 PM

Damian Lillard will be named Rookie of the Year during a press conference on Wednesday.

The Trail Blazers have scheduled a "major announcement," but the team has made it clear that it will be Lillard winning his award. It will be interesting to see a breakdown of the voting, and Lillard will become the fourth player in Blazers team history to win the award. He finished the season with averages of 19 points, 6.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds and made 185 3-pointers, the most by a rookie in NBA history. He also led the league in total minutes with 3,167. The kid is going to be special.
May 1 - 7:57 AM

Nolan Smith, an unrestricted free agent, will not return to the Blazers next season.

"They have a path they want to go down, and it’s pretty obvious I’m not on it right now," Smith said during his exit interview. Smith added the team made it "pretty clear" that they don't want him to return, and now Smith will be playing with a chip on his shoulder wherever he lands. Right now, he's best known as the guy drafted ahead of Kenneth Faried in 2011.
Source: Hoopsworld
Apr 30 - 8:35 AM

Meyers Leonard, Victor Claver and Joel Freeland will be part of the Trail Blazers' summer league team.

Will Barton already said he'll be part of the team and Elliot Williams is willing if the Blazers retrain him. Leonard, Claver and Freeland were part of a massive youth movement in Portland this season and the Blazers need them to develop into at least solid rotational players, if not starters in Freeland and Leonard's cases.
Apr 29 - 3:40 PM

Wesley Matthews has been told to stay off his ankle for about a month.

Matthews sustained a pretty severe sprain on April 7 and missed the final five games of the season. It's not a long-term concern. He'll return next season as the clear-cut starting shooting guard once again. Matthews ranked fifth in the league in 3-pointers made per game in 2012-13 at 2.4 a night. Only Steph Curry, Ryan Anderson, Klay Thompson and Kyle Korver averaged more.
Apr 23 - 2:19 PM

Nicolas Batum (shoulder, wrist) said he plans on joining the French National Team in July.

Batum's injuries were bad enough that he sat out the final eight games of the season. However, it looks like he'll avoid surgery and should enter next year at 100 percent. Batum and Kevin Durant were the only players to average at least one block, one steal and one 3-pointer this season. He's a second-round fantasy pick at worst in 2013-14.
Apr 23 - 2:14 PM

Will Barton is planning to play on the Blazers' summer league team this year.

Barton struggled to find minutes for most of the season but did take advantage when given a starting role, averaging 15.2 points 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in five starts this season. Those averages are encouraging, but most of the production came with Portland's lineup decimated by injuries. Barton will have to work on his shooting this summer if he wants to earn consistent minutes (and fantasy consideration) next season. The second-round pick shot just 38.2 percent from the field and 13.8 percent from 3-point range.
Apr 22 - 4:25 PM

Blazers GM Neil Olshey expects his team to be active in free agency.

They'd better be. The Blazers have significant cap space in the offseason, and just about everyone is expecting some type of splash this summer. "We're going to be aggressive to construct a deal to make the team better on draft night," he said. The team will attempt to use draft picks to acquire a true, starting center, which is the priority in free agency if one isn't landed via trade. The Oregonian suggets Marcin Gortat could be a potential trade target.
Apr 19 - 10:24 AM

Trail Blazers waive Jared Jeffries.

Jeffries hasn't played in a game since March 10, making this move completely expected. Jeffries' lack of offensive upside makes it a long shot he'll have any fantasy value going forward regardless of where he lands in free agency.
Apr 18 - 4:59 PM


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