Jacked Ramsays: A Portland Trail Blazers Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Join Danny Marang for the first Jacked Ramsays of the 2024-25 season! Together we'll dive into all things Media Day and run through listener questions ahead of Blazers training camp opening tomorrow morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Danny Marang and Casey Holdahl to talk about the Trail Blazers new TV deal with KATU and BlazerVision! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Danny Marang and Brandon Sprague as they take a look at news around the Trail Blazers and the players they've brought in so far for NBA Draft 2024 workouts as well as who's coming in soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join hosts Danny Marang and Brandon Sprague as they dive into the last 2 games for the Portland Trail Blazers against the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers that saw the Blazers step in and close out both teams in exciting fashion. After that - it’s a Mail Bag edition where the fellas answer as many of your questions as possible! The Anfernee Simons Block: Should there be a concern about Anfernee Simons’ slow start or is this similar to Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum having a slow start the the season? If not, is there a game marker when it could/should become a problem? We’re y’all surprised when Chauncey subbed Ant back into the game for Justise late in the 4th qtr? I was. All’s well that ends well or should we still be concerned with these rotations? The Shaedon Sharpe Block: Is/Should Shaedon Sharpe be looked at as the Blazers 6th man? I know it’s super early, but with what we’ve seen from Sharpe so far, what do the Blazers have here? Do they legit have a dude who you could see becoming an all-star within the next few seasons? Nassir and Shaedon seem like a tandem that should share 100% of their minutes on court together. Ummm.. analysis? The You Can’t Trade Josh Hart Block: This is way too early, but: can they even afford to trade Josh Hart? He simultaneously seems like their best trade chip but also the emotional/grit heart of the team. What’s the move this year, apart from obvious roster balance issues? The Odds & Ends Block: With the Blazers having another game with high turnovers, how do they fix the issue? What do think is the biggest improvement made by Chauncey from his 1st year into his 2nd year? Is this start for real?! I mean, how far into this season do we need to go before we recalibrate what we think this team is capable of? SUBSCRIBE: YouTube, Twitch, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google and Anywhere You Get Podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join hosts Danny Marang and Brand Sprague on this live show of Jacked Ramsays where they’ll hit on: Blazers get 1st win against the Sacramento Kings! The Blazers find a way to win without Damian Lillard at his best and Anfernee Simons having a very “normal” night.  Jerami Grant debuts and shows exactly what the Blazers have been missing at the wing position since the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge while Josh Hart fills the gaps left by Wes Matthews and his bull dog mentality Jusut Nurkic continues to disappoint, providing very little vallue on either end of the floor. Coach Chauncey Billups makes his first big move as a head coach, opting to sit Nurkic and deploying the small ball closing lineup featuring Lillard, Simons, Har, Grant and Justise Winslow Shaedon Sharpe makes his NBA debut and looks like he belongs in the rotation immediately. Calm and collected, Billups went back to the rookie for a 2nd shift in the 2nd half. Danny and Brandon go back to Monday and revisit highlights from Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin’s interview- and dissect what was and what wasn’t said. Then it’s looking ahead to Blazers-Suns as the Blazers open up Moda Center to the Suns fresh off a 20-point come from behind victory over Luka Doncic and the Mavs, perhaps staving up at least some of the putrid tast of what lingers following last years Game 7 humiliation. SUBSCRIBE: YouTube, Twitch, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google and Anywhere You Get Podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a special episode on the eve of Opening Night in the NBA, hosts Danny Marang and Brandon Sprague are joined by Portland Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin for an exclusive interview. With breaking news of an unexpected extension for 4th year forward Nassir Little, Cronin is asked how the deal came together- his relationship with Little and what it means for the organization going forward. From there it’s time to dig into the product on the floor- Cronin was asked about where the team is now, setting the tone and what the evaluation process looks like on this team through the first 20 games and here’s a snippet of what he had to say: “Our perspective is just, we’re building here. We have a goal that we’re trying to achieve - we’re trying to, play Chauncey’s brand of ball which for us you know, will involve some patience for us and some rewiring for some players and just stylistically these guys figuring out how to play together.I think it’s easy for some guys to be able to say this but I do think we mean this... We’re not fixated on outcomes right now - I mean, we want to win and we’re very competitive - just as people and our roster is as well, but we want to see growth and we want to see us winning ball games the right way. So our goal is to be patient. I’ve said a lot publicly that we have a ways to go still and we all know that - but at the same time we like where we are. I’m just probably a more of positive than a negative person by nature and I’m looking at the positives that we’ve seen and there’s a lot of them.” From there it’s time to dig into the product on the floor- particularly how the Blazers have looked during the preseason so far the reactions around the fanbase. Cronin was asked about how he gauges the preseason, how much he takes into account practice & development behind the scenes vs what happens on the floor. “Generally speaking I try not to put too much weight into preseason, specifically around wins and losses because teams might clear their bench at given times and all of that, but I’d be lying to you if I said that I wasn’t paying attention to the quality of play during those preseason games there were certain things I wanted to see.”“I wanted to see us defend at a higher level. See us be productive offensively and play with some pace and there were some certain games where that didn’t happen. And I definitely discount it to an extent that yes, it was a preseason game and yes this group hasn’t played together a lot and it’s going to take some time to figure their stuff out. But - I think it’s just natural when you’re watching and you see things that aren’t necessarily clicking, can be alarming and you wonder, is it this game or is this how we are? How far away are we from where we want to be?” Questions about how and what choices were made to run and build a team around Damian Lillard at the same time as developing around “the rails of Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and other younger players,” the development of Shaedon Sharpe, and knowing where players abilities and coaching desires might not always line up and how to manage that. Be sure to subscribe to the show to make sure you don’t miss any episodes this season! SUBSCRIBE: YouTube, Twitch, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google and Anywhere You Get Podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join hosts Danny Marang and Brandon Sprauge with special guest Sean Highkin as they take a look at where the Blazers sit before heading into Game 1 of the regular season. What's broken? What works? What were the biggest issues coming out of preseason and why are they so glaring? There's plenty to point to, the offense never got going, the defense is a mess while turnovers and fouling are prevalent. Where do you even start? The defense is getting the early cleansing and it starts with Jusuf Nurkic. Brought back and paid, Nurkic has yet to put together a single stretch of effectiveness on the defensive end. Outplayed in every match up, racking up fouls while reverting the less than glamourous flip shots - the Blazers haven't been able to get much out of Bosnian, let alone the Beast. With porous defense above the free throw line, why does it matter if Nurkic isn't playing his part? Together the guys dive into the WHY it matters so much that Nurkic be a problem solver. From there they'll take on listener questions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Richman of Locked On Blazers joins hosts Danny Marang and Brandon Sprague to dig into what they’ve seen from the Portland Trail Blazers through 4 Preseason games. How much of it really matters? What they’ve been watching for and seeing or not seeing and whether that spells trouble for the Blazers. Josh Hart is named the starter, should he stay there - and if yes for how long? What would/will it take for Justise Winslow or Nassir Little to unseat Hart? Is anyone worried about Damian Lillard - or is this just working through the kinks of not playing for nearly 10 months? Is playing with and/or off of Anfernee Simons going to be a problem for either Lillard or Simons in the long term? Jusuf Nurkic doesn’t appear ready to play more than 20+ minutes per night physically. Can the Blazers get him ramped up and in condition to do what they need him to - and if so, how long until he’s up to speed? Can the Blazers get more out of their bench unit, or is this a team that’s going to go as far as the starting group will take them? That and more on the latest Jacked Ramsays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Deuce Mason of "Deuce & Mo" dropped by to talk state of the Sacramento Kings. Where are they? What are they doing? WHY are they? Deuce has you covered from front to back with the additions of Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter, Mike Brown inserted as the new head coach, an evolution for De'Aaron Fox and optimizing Domantas Sabonis. The Kings are riding a 16 year streak of futility, now the longest in North American professional sports since the Seattle Mariners broke through just weeks ago. In a year where Victor Wembenyama and Scoot Henderson sit as franchise changers to the winner of the NBA Draft Lottery, the Kings have decided they want to pursue the playoffs at all costs and reward and entire generation of Kings fans the opportunity they've missed out on for so long. Regardless of the actual ceiling of this version of the roster. Grab the family and sit around the cell phone, tablet, or whatever electronic device it is you're on and watch and/or listen to Danny and Deuce get down on the projections for two teams that seemingly no one out of their markets know what to make of them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join hosts Danny Marang and Brandon Sprague on the first official Jacked Ramsays of the 2022-23 season! Together they’ll take a look at the first 2 games of the preseason that saw the new look Portland Trail Blazers take on Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena Monday night followed by a road-home back-to-back against the stripped down Utah Jazz at Moda Center Tuesday night. What, if anything did we learn about this Blazers team? What should you take from early preseason action? Does hitting your shots and looking in midseason form matter in the exhibition season? Questions, questions, questions - which are exactly the things that the guys will be asking each other to see where they gauge the Blazers right now. On the list...How does Damian Lillard look overall and healthwise - are there any lingering concerns there? The addition of Jerami Grant - how does he hit and will the Blazers be able to optimize him? How do the offensive and defensive philosophies designed/employed by Coach Chauncey Billups look early on? Pushing pace, forcing turnovers, aggressive switching, etc. How Have Anfernee Simons and Damian Lillard looked as backcourt running-mates? Who has the inside track on the small forward starting spot? Can Jusuf Nurkic get in the kind of shape the Blazers need him to be in to be effective and efficient on both ends of the floor? That and a whole lot more on the latest Jacked Ramsays - tap in! SUBSCRIBE: YouTube, Twitch, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google and Anywhere You Get Podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices