Portland Trail Blazers Win 2 In Memphis! Undefeated In March behind Jabari Walker and Dalano Banton

Portland Trail Blazers Win 2 In Memphis! Undefeated In March behind Jabari Walker and Dalano Banton

In today’s show the Blazers are undefeated in March will they ever lose again welcome to lock down Blazers let’s get into it you are locked on Trailblazers your daily Portland Trailblazers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what up world it’s your past first

Point guard and Trailblazers reporter Mike Richmond you’re listening to another of locked on Blazers part of locked on podcast network available wherever you get podcasts and also on YouTube thanks for making this show your first listen coming at you each and every weekday Monday through Friday so

Make it a part of your daily routine make it your first listen and tell your friends to do the same in today’s show we’re talking two games in Memphis the Blazers are undefeated in March after a winless February one of two teams in the NBA to not win a single game in the

Slightly abbreviated February month thanks to the all-star break the Blazers come back in March and they canot lose you can’t lose undefeated take that they go into Memphis and withn both both games of back-to-back Friday and Saturday night at the FedEx Forum at the end of beill Street in beautiful Downtown Memphis

Undefeated we’ll talk about both those games uh Friday night was a Beatdown Blazers dominated but Saturday night was one of the funniest NBA games you will ever watch truly goofy nonsense that the Blazers come back and steal from with a big old fourth quarter rally uh we will talk about that

One Jabari Walker had himself a weekend he was really good in both of these games and Delano Banton after after the best game he’s played as a Blazer on Friday night came back and helped seal a win in overtime we’ll talk about two role players stepping up for a a team

That is just down to having their role players needing to step up a depleted two depleted teams matching up in Memphis let’s do we do though we’re going to go fastest recap in the West for both games before we talk about Jabari and Delano a little bit and and

And everybody who who performed in this game Friday night in Memphis Blazers kick off a little a little mini three gamer uh with with two games in two games on Beal Street and they’re down four after one 17 to 21 but they come back with a big sa quarter and take a

Six-point lead into the into the break 5145 at halftime and then they came out and just believe the game open the third quarter game ends in the third quarter Blazers outscored the Grizzlies 40 to 27 uh to take a six-point lead to a 19-point lead and here’s the trick

Here’s like you know like you talk about halftime adjustments and and great coaching and what it takes is the trick the Blazers their plan in the third quarter of that Friday night game against Memphis make all your shots it’s the best best coaching always always uh

Shout out to my man Roy Williams who said that the best coaching you can do is have the ball go in Blazers shoot 79% 15 of 19 from the floor five of seven from three in the third quarter duop had 12 in the third that’s duop reath blaz

Starting center Delan o banson had seven in that quarter M Chris Murray had nine you get that type of production 28 points from those three dudes um those three guys outscore the Memphis Grizzlies you have you’re going to have some you’re going to have some sustained

Success if you do that uh never closer than 19 in the fourth quarter the Blazers go on to Cruz to a 30-point win 12292 that’s your fastest recap in the west from Friday night in the second half the Blazers shot 63% from the floor and nine including nine of 14 from three

And outscored Memphis 7147 71 points 71 points in in the in the um in the final two quarters 10 105 in the final three quarters um if if if you really want to get into it they scored 17 in that opening quarter it’s like oh this team’s a freaking

Mess it really was like oh no are they really going to have one of these games where they score like 71 against the against the short-handed Grizzlies but a do a dominant 105 points in the final three quarters and they Cruise biggest win under chony bips bl’s biggest win

Margin by margin of victory since uh since for almost three full years uh you have to go back to May of 2021 this is the last time they beat a team by 30 it just they have not blown out teams in the chony Bops era uh in part bad

Coaching and bad results in part terrible rosters that have lost a bunch of games um that perfect storm means this is their biggest their biggest win of the Billups era uh and it’s like a dominant a truly dominant game real quick in the Box we’ll talk about this a

Little bit later but uh you just get big Knights Jabari Walker 19 uh and 10 Off the Bench Delo banson 19 and seven Off the Bench uh 18 from from D I say had 12 in the 12 in that third quarter he was a game changer Chris Murray 14 his best

Career high 14 and that covered up for uh Jeremy Grant and athrey Simons combining to score 17 points on seven of 19 shooting uh they dominated a game in which their two best offensive players remaining were not uh didn’t have to have dominant games and they they win

This game with without DeAndre Aon who who missed both games in Memphis with with uh his his hand injury he’s wearing a splint on his hand um we we’ll see when when he’s available to come back list is doubtful in both these games but just didn’t did not play uh the

Grizzlies are Al like this is like the pretty depleted Trailblazers versus the very depleted Memphis Grizzlies the the Grizzlies starting lineup on Friday night Jordan Goodwin zier Williams Trey Jimson Santi Alama and Vince Williams Jr they don’t have jiren Jackson Jr they’re already without John Moran Desmond Bane

And Marcus Smart um they’ve you know we out you know Brandon Clark Stephen Adams who they since traded like their core of a team that’s won 55 games or whatever it is back toback years 50 plus games back toback years they’ve been out for a long time and you’re missing trip Triple

J in this one and the Blazers just dominate them but they got to play again these games are never easy to play again um always like Memphis was favored they were two and a half Point favorites when the game started uh according to FanDuel and it’s like it’s just hard to win

Twice on the road the Blazers are extremely depleted uh and you know they’re just like it’s safe bet you’re probably not going to get a career high night again from Chris Murray and 19 Off the Bench for banson like the Vegas odds makers know this type of thing the good

People at FanDuel know this type of thing so the Blazers are you know not favorites coming out and in in game two Saturday night here’s your fastest recap in the west this one was the first game was great this one was objectively hilarious Blazers up five after one but

Grizzlies turn around they take a four-point lead into the break and then the Grizzlies they’re the team that has you know that it’s basically mirror of game one the team that’s trailing after the end of the first quarter takes the lead in the second quarter and then dominates the third to seemingly blow

The game open Grizz out scor the Blazers 2714 in the third quarter Blazers had F shot five of 19 from the field and had turnovers you have more turnovers than made field goals you’re probably in trouble and the Blazers are down 17 after three they’re down 14 with 7 and

Half minutes left they’re they’re down seven Blazer down seven with a under two minutes a minute 52 uh Andrey Simons hits a couple free throws uh and then join me here the final minute of Regulation is so goofy you can’t even imagine so uh Grizz get the ball back

They’re up five with a minute they just they kind of just need to like run some clock and get a shot off if they score the game is probably over but uh as Vince Williams comes across the floor Tani Kamar knocks the ball out of bounds

Off his off his leg or off tries to knock it off his leg but just knocks it out of bounds excuse me uh Grizzlies get it back and on the ensuing inbounds play to Kamar gets up in Vince Williams Grill gets up in his face and kind of just

Like sits down in his stance and Vince Williams to get a little bit of space turns throws his elbow into Kamar Kamar gets hit right in the chin I thought he flopped and then replay it’s like oh he got he got whacked they call a flagrant

Foul the Blazers get the ball back toan Kamar splits the free throws and all of a sudden it’s a four-point game on the ensuing inbounds pass so we’ve had ball knocked out of bounds flagrant foul split free throws now we get an inbounds play Jabari Walker catches it he’s

Standing out of bounds Grizzlies got the ball back they throw it in they fumble it out of bounds so now now we’ve had ball knocked out of bounds flagrant foul split two free throws standing out of bounds drop the ball out of bounds okay

This is going to be a good one it’s a fourpoint game um so Grizzly Grizzlies Miss they kind of run clock and and run a little bit clock and Miss excuse me the Blazers get the ball back after after the second Grizzlies turnover I’m I’m getting ahead

Of myself gz uh so Blazers turned over Grizzlies turn over Blazers get the ball back thir third try on this one Blazers missed two threes with the clock under a minute down four but on the second offensive rebound that they get Jabari Walker gets a quick put back it’s now a

Two-point game with 45 seconds left this is winnable Blazers do just have to play defense the Grizzlies haven’t scored in 5,000 years um it’s like at this point like two minutes but um they have they haven’t been able to get the ball inbounds or across half court like

They’re struggling um here in the final two minutes of crunch time and so Memphis just says okay we’re going to run down clock we’re going to try to make one jumper and we’re going to win this game because they’re going to you know they’re going to need two buckets

In the final 15 seconds so we’re going to win they do run down clock they get a terribly difficult three from Jordan Goodwin it comes off Blazers don’t call timeout um if you’re a long time listening to the program you know I’m in favor of if you get a rebound and you’re

Going especially when you’ve struggled to score in the half court just go uh the Blazers just go Ashton Hagen gets himself they try to get the ball to athre Simons they’ve been really really top blocking Simons and he’s until the fourth quarter was kind of awful um but

They can’t get it to him so Ashen Higgin just has to go he finds Jabari Walker under the rim they foul him he hits two free throws to tie the game with 1.3 seconds left 95 all but the Grizzlies and Blazers still both have timeouts

Left so we might not be done in this one Grizzlies they run a play with a throw try to throw Bob pass to GG Jackson Chris Murray may have grabbed him ball sails out of bounds on a potential foul but nobody touches it Blazers got the

Ball back they try to throw a lob pass the Grizzlies commit a foul on probably on Tani Kamar going to the rim uh the ball goes out of you know ball bounces out of bounds and we’re an OT so to finish overtime to to to head to

Overtime we have back to back airball alleyoop attempts just nobody touches it type of alleyoop attemps pretty incredibly hilarious game um both teams ALU turnovers to end to end OT is just a beautiful way for 9595 heading into overtime in 2024 first two minutes of overtime as you may have guessed are

Scoreless they’re scoreless in OT finally the Blazers um they take a timeout during a or they make a make a substitution while Luke Canard is shoo free throws and put Delano banson into the game for Ashton haens and that totally changes the complexion of the final three minutes uh banson drives and

Gets layup Banton drives and gets fouled he gets you know gets a good move and kind of gets past past the Memphis defense and they have to just like try to grab his wrist as he’s going up because he’s going to get another layup that puts the Grizz the Blazers up four

The Blazers get up six on a Jabari Walker layup on a nice little pick and rle play with him and anrey Simons then Vince Williams hits a three this is the uh Grizzlies have first bucket in six game minutes for the Grizzlies Vince Williams hits a three to cut the lead to

Three the Grizzlies don’t score for the final for six straight minutes basically the final two minutes of Regulation and the first four minutes of of OT and it’s like and yet One Stop away from having a chance to force double overtime but uh the Blazers they again put the ball in

Bon’s hands because they’re denying uh amrey Simons and they’ve kind of um you know they they have done a good job of of of sending two to Ant and they go ahead and send they they send two to him and and Banton kind of gets it drives um

He he tries to leave it off to Jabari Walker Jabari Walker gets his first shot blocked he grabs it at the free throw line shoots a fade away that barely kiss is the front rim but just does and Delano Bon’s there for the rebound put

Back and the Blazers go up by four with 11 seconds left and they hold on to win and one of the silliest games you will ever watch truly one of the silliest games you’ll ever watch 1071 100 Delo Benson dunk the ball in at the

Uh he dunp the ball in as his time expired but nobody fought about it and the Blazers win 1071 100 um heck heck of a heck of a heck of a comeback win uh down by you know down by 17 entering the the third quarter down by as many as 18

In that entering the fourth quarter down by as many as 18 in the third quarter you come back and win that game with the with the late charge um out you know out scoring the Grizzlies by seven to close the close regulation it was ugly it was

Stupid but it was fun um anrey Simons was awful to begin this game four of 13 and 12 points through the first three quarters and just like not good turning the ball over couldn’t handle memphis’s physical pressure defense fourth quarter Comes Alive saves the team five of seven

In the fourth quarter 16 points finally got going um I thought they handled the uh the top locking which is like preventing athre Simons coming to the top staying on his high side and forcing him towards the Baseline thought they handled a little better in the fourth quarter thought a handled a little

Better in the fourth quarter and then he started making he made two really tough shots and sometimes you got to get yourself going uh he finished with 30 points he had two in overtime after 12 through three quarters helped bring him home but Jabari Walker and Delano banson

Were the stories of the weekend for me let’s uh let’s talk about both of those gentlemen in the in the second segment well first we’ll talk about Jabor ER cuz he was really really good in this game and he had an interesting uh postgame interview on Saturday after back-to-back

Double doubles in Memphis that’s what we’ll do in the second segment first let me tell you about FanDuel go get Buckets right now with your first bet on FanDuel America’s number one sports book CU right now if you are a new customer you can get $150 in bonus Bets with any

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Not friend of the program bman Jones he’s probably unaware of the program bman Jones famously would say that beat him down you know like that blowouts are more fun because like who needs stress in their lives right and I think that’s right like I think Friday’s game was

Like heck yeah look what this team could be when Chris Murray makes shots um then he doesn’t make shots again on Saturday which has mostly been his career so far good defensive player who doesn’t who can’t hit any open shots and the Blazers kind of struggle and you get um but like

You know on on Friday night you had a really nice game from duath you had a really nice game from Delano banson you had a really nice game from Jabari Walker you had Chris Murray making shots and you just dominated team coming into this weekend the Blazers over the last

Two weeks of this of the Season were the 29th rated offense in the league the only offense worse than them over the last two weeks was the Memphis Grizzlies you knew this these games were going to be ugly right um Memphis did not score 96 point in regulation in either of the

Games um they’ve been averaging under a 100 for a little for for a stretch here they’re just they don’t have enough offensive players they’re incredibly beat up Blazers incredibly beat up and I didn’t even mention this but in the second game uh Jeremy Grant starts the game and then doesn’t play he doesn’t

Come out in the third quarter he has what they’re calling right quad soreness um I don’t know what that means usually they call that a contusion but maybe there wasn’t it meant that his leg had been bothering him prior to this and it just like he couldn’t he couldn’t keep

Keep rolling with it as opposed to contusion which is like an he got hit in the quad um unclear they they don’t really provide details on injuries like that so who knows but so the Blazers don’t even have Jeremy Grant in the second half of Saturday’s game so

They’re probably now equally beat up maybe maybe a little bit less because they still have Anthony Simons but like these teams it’s just like two short-handed teams and I think Friday’s game is like legitimately fun and then uh Saturday’s game is legitimately funny but the Blazers win so it’s like hey why

Not and why not enjoy it but they don’t win these games without Jabari Walker he was he was he was like just leg legitimately good on on Friday night he comes off the bench and has 19 points seven boards and three assists um he played he played 22 minutes he was seven

Of n from the floor made his only three-point attempts he’s super active he’s playing almost exclusively backup center because uh of the Blazers situation he played a little bit um with Moses Brown in that first half but Moses didn’t really play um didn’t really you

Know MOS only played 9 minutes so he his his second shift wasn’t uh wasn’t super duper long um but or excuse me his first shift wasn’t super duper long um and he played a little more in the third quarter and uh you know and du is is playing 23 minutes like but jabari’s

Playing a bunch of backup center like he’s playing a bunch of just like true Center minutes and I think you know over the weekends so that he gets he gets has that you know really really solid game on on on Friday evening um you know 19

1910 and three is like um excuse me 1910 and2 is like just a good basketball game like you don’t need to any other way and then he comes back again coming off the bench again uh like he playing bigger minutes because of Jabari Walker or or

Because Jeremy Grant gets hurt 18 and 12 eight of 16 from the floor misses only three he takes 31 field goals over the weekend two of them are three-pointers and I mentioned that because pretty much the knock on every single Blazers like young Wing young developmental part is if they could

Shoot blah blah blah blah blah if they could shoot Chris Murray Chris Murray pretty good defensive player if he could shoot Delano Bon pretty good slasher more on him later if he could shoot Jabari Walker great rebounder really competitive great hustle player if he could shoot like it’s it’s uh matis thel

Incredibly disruptive Defender if he could shoot Tamar Kamara great you know great one-on like great you know point of attack Defender such a great energy guy if he could shoot uh they probably lead lead the league in intriguing players that that fit that that last caveat but Jabari

Walker I think some of his struggles on offense recently have been passing up shots like n I’m not going to shoot I’ve been shooting bricks like I’m shooting 25% from three over the last month I’m not going to shoot this passing up shots in the modern NBA is bad like it it it

It breaks the offense a little bit so playing Five he just doesn’t have to space as much like he’s just a roller I think Jabari Walker as um as a screener and a decision maker when they double the ball with Hony Simons as a fouron three decision maker he’s not like this

Elite highle passer but he definitely understands how to pass he can read defenses like um I think he reads it better than he makes the physical pass like he sees it and then he processes it and then he throws it and they’re not always really on time but like you he

You can see him he’s a cerebral player you can see him like he gets how to play and I think he’s a um you know the Blazers don’t have a ton of good decision makers in fouron three and Jabari Walker is as good as they have

But just like a guy who can if it’s if if jabari’s task is like be big mix it up and you don’t have to go against plus size and The Grizzlies don’t have a ton of plus- size with this team you know they’re they’re they tried uh going a

Little bit bigger on Friday um with with Trey Json but he didn’t play on Saturday and so then you you know it’s Lamar Stevens and Sandy Alama up front um they’re just not that big they don’t have big guys that can bring Off the Bench like Jake laravia and Matt hurt

Matt hert is like he weighs like 185 pounds um Jake laravia is like a a 34 hybrid playing a little bit bigger um GG Jackson’s big but he’s like a guard skill set type but he’s like big um uh this just is not a team with plus sides

And I think when Jabari has struggled in in games recently it’s because you know he’s not a shooter so he’s going to do his his damage on the inside and he’s going to do his damage on hustle playing and he’s going to do his damage as a

Rebounder but it’s hard for him to just like like he is the size that he is he is like 68 um and he’s a really good rebounder for 6’8 but he’s also 6’8 uh and then in this matchup against this team he was able to do all the things he

Does and then he has this great postgame interview with with Brook hols and him of um the Blazers broadcasting I’m reminded again when the Blazers didn’t want to send their broadcasters on the road um then you don’t get this fun stuff you don’t get in really interesting interview with your players

Um think about it it helps the fans enjoy the games uh but Jabari tells Brook ol Dam after the game is like that one uh when they were down 18 coming out of a timeout Malcolm Brogden was like if you play smart and don’t turn the ball

Over you can win like just play hard play smart and you can win and Jabari said like that gave him the confidence and that he said we don’t win this game without Malcolm Brogden um you talk about some sort of Veteran help I mean like the game’s so gross down the

Stretch they easily could have lost um but like yeah I I think the Soft Stuff of leadership matters and then you kind of got to get a little a little bit lucky with a couple uh both teams stepping out of bounds on inbounds plays both teams airballing Ali Hoops to the

Game uh like it’s it’s all it’s a little bit relative but I think you can see the value of why the Blazers um want Malcolm Brogden around or have wanted BR around and jart Walker specifically cites him and then the thing that I I think really

Struck me was that was not the sort of like assigning memphis’s lack of offense to Malcolm brogen’s leadership um but uh jab Walker said he plays his best when he smiles and and I love that idea is that the easiest way to play your best basketball is when you’re enjoying it

When you’re Jabar Walker gets mad right he got into a little got into a little Kur fuffle with Vince Williams and grabbed him around the neck and got a free got a flagrant foul out of it and Williams was assessed a technical foul on the play and like Jabari Walker gets

Into it he claps in people’s faces he’s physical he yells and all that stuff but he says he plays his best basketball when he smiles on Friday night he was smiling because they were dominating and the fourth quarter in overtime when they were winning he was cracking a

Smile the ability to enjoy it while at work is the thing that fuels him and I think there is something truly um I don’t know inspiring but truly heartwarming about a young kid saying like a young guy saying like hey the Bas basketball is fun and when remember and

Can play with that Joy I’m my best self steps to the free throw line with a second left down two and AC’s two free throws to send it to overtime he said it was a moment that he dreams about as a kid lying awake in your bed at nights

Game on the line and you get a chance to send it to OT this was a big big big weekend for him was this like proof of concept no this was a game against a really short-handed team but they were fun basketball games and Jabari Walker winning and play like playing winning

Basketball winning moments and having fun basketball games that’s what you want at this time of year hold on to your joy Jabari Walker is a is a poster child for it he says when he holds on to his joy and plays with joy he plays his best basketball how about that it’s

Pretty fun I love it you know who else was really good this week in Delano Banton a monster game on Friday night and then the game ceiling putback on Saturday let’s talk about Delano and uh another guy that if he could shoot often comes up uh that’s what we’ll do to

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Like he’s probably better as like a screening small ball five although I think your defense and your rebounding suffers with it the big question for him is can he shoot I think in situations where he doesn’t have to shoot like the games against Memphis where he takes 29

Field goal attempts that are twos that’s the best version of him and so so much of kind of figuring out your spot and your future in the NBA is like what do what do you do and what can you do and how can you then maximize what you do

And what you’re able to do and can you play next to co-workers that complement your skills Delano banson is a perfect example of that he’s like a 68 skinny point guard he’s like a guard I don’t know if he’s a point guard because his handle isn’t super tight and he’s like

He’s more slasher than passer but he had some he had a really nice pass on Friday nights he had a great game on Friday capital G like he was he was awesome in in in in Friday’s dominant win he comes off the bench 19 points seven boards

Three assists gets a steal blocks a couple shots he’s plus 26 in 20 minutes um 19 points in 20 minutes 19 and seven boards in 20 minutes like he’s just he was everywhere um here’s the thing remember that caveat from the second segment if he could shoot Delano

Banson is just the Classic if he could shoot and on Friday night he could shoot baby he hit three of five threes but two of those three-pointers were off the dribble a pull-up and a step back and like here’s the thing about Delano Banton I like him a lot if you’re if

You’re an everyday or you know that I’m kind of like I’m just a I’m a fan of this game I like his weird I like his weird funky game I like weird players and Dono Banton is a is a strange player and I’m just I’m a fan I’m just a

Legitimate fan of his game but if he makes threes he’s he’s he he completely changes the calculation he can get to where he wants to off the dribble he’s a good slasher he can get to the paint he’s not a great he’s not an elite level finisher but he’s a

Decent enough passer off the move not great but a decent enough passer off the move he can get himself into get to the rim with his length he’s an okay finisher around around the rim like he has that and and he can play in transition and he can rebound and run

And I think that’s a big part of the his success in this game is like I’m 68 I can go grab a board and then I can just push and you can actually play in transition or semi-translucent they just don’t have enough dudes who can run and they don’t

I don’t think they emphasize it and I don’t think athrey Simons is comfortable with it I don’t think Jeremy Grant plays his best at full speed he plays his best at jab jab jab jab jab jab jab jab jab Fade Away um so like Banton changes the calculation a little bit but the

Calculation for him changes even another level if he can shoot if he can shoot here’s the thing he’s never been a shooter at any level of basketball he played I I remember when he um when he signed with the team I said he couldn’t shoot and he couldn’t shoot and college

And his two two stops in college uh Nebraska and Western Kentucky and he could he hasn’t been able to shoot in the NBA and I said I’m not going to look it up but I bet he hasn’t he didn’t shoot well in the G League either he

Didn’t he didn’t uh like he’s never at any level been a guy who shoots from the outside he’s a slasher he’s like some dudes aren’t going to be able to shoot so you watch that Friday night game and you say to yourself and I said the same

Thing watching it like if Delano banson could do that he’s a different type of player but he probably can’t he probably can’t he probably can’t so I think for younger guys Chris Murray who’s really struggled to shoot tamani kamaro who’s in year one in the league

Jabari Walker who’s you know guy who um you know he’s young and a year two you know one and a half in the league one and three quarters I guess in the league like there’s hope that those guys can kind of grow into it dlon Benton is is

Is in his third season in the league he’s in his fourth stop he it’s not like he’s been able to shoot in other spots he’s played in the G league and hasn’t been able to shoot he was a non-shooter in college he’s a slasher but he’s an interesting player

Because you get him into the overtime and his slashing was more valuable than the his shooting to Wi um I thought Ashton Higgins played okay on uh on Saturday uh he’s just not they don’t guard him on offense they go way under on screens he made two threes one was

Like unguarded catch and shoot one was his man was all the way over on the paint and when he was on the wing and and they kicked it to him and it was like a late close out and he got a three but like they don’t guard him they go

Way under even in the pass he made to Jabari Walker to force overtime he they’re trying to get the ball back to ant they can’t uh because of the top blocking really aggressive defense and they don’t and the blazes just like aren’t creative enough on offense to to

Make the most of it that’s a that’s a complaint for another day uh but like uh Ashton gets a step inside the foul line gets to like eight feet um and he has to pass it because he’s not looking at the rim and it works and they

Get fouled and they make two free throws and it’s a nice play but like if you’re not going to look at The Rim a step inside the you know step and a half inside the foul line it’s like you know his buckets were at the rim and and

Unguarded threes I thought he played fine he’s really competitive defensive player he’s just not a good offens he’s not an NBA level offensive player right now uh and the offense had they they had to get him out of there because the offense was stalling and they needed a

Little more Dynamic play to because of the way that Memphis was guarding and denying anrey Simons and chony bips did something that you don’t see coaches do very often he should get credit for it I if you’re a long time listening You’ heard me say this before NBA coaches

Don’t really Sub in overtime pretty it’s pretty uncommon that they sub chony bips 2 minutes OT scoreless from his team says hey Ashton get out of there Delano we need you and Delano Bon immediately drives to the rim and gets a bucket drives to the rim uh and gets fouled uh

You know then they were able to get the ball to anre Simons and just like run a straight up pick and roll because now they’re a little bit worried about the sort of dynamic of the other go of the other guard and then late in the game on

The the putback he had he again drives himself into the paint finds Jabari Walker Walker gets blocked blocked and then misses a jumper like neither of them were particularly good shots but Zano Bon’s ability to get into the paint matters um I don’t you know I don’t

Think he’s a I don’t think he’s like a high level NBA player I think he is going to be a fringe backup e third point guard type but I think undeniably he has been the Blazer just took a flyer on him they basically traded a fake

Second round pick and he has shown that he has enough interesting stuff to stick around um the shooting might never come about come around but like if a team that needs more guys who can dribble more guys who can make plays off the bounce both for themselves and that’s

Mostly what Banton does and for others he again he had a great pass to Jabari on Friday night just awesome drive and and a little leave uh when the defense came like that Dynamic makes me think that he could be a backup point guard of the future I wouldn’t put all your eggs

In saying yeah he’s fine like he’s the tra trade aony Simons because you have Delano banson I am certainly not advocating for that just yet but like when you’re look at this time of year when you take a flyer on someone like Banton you’re hoping that they can show

You enough to be like that’s intriguing that could be a player we invest in the future because in specific nights you need that type of thing this specific night in Memphis you needed that type of thing and he absolutely delivered after a monster game on Friday

Night it’s pretty fun this time of year you’re looking for fun um I think they’ll probably lose in March famously defeated in March it probably comes back to him a little bit um I don’t think they beat any team any other team in the NBA on Friday night

Other than Memphis I I really don’t I don’t I don’t think any other team in the NBA uh the Blazers come back and win that game against but like you don’t have to give it back instead I say the opposite enjoy the hell out of this one

This was as fun as it gets what a funny goofy stupid game that ends with Jabari Walker telling you that when he smiles he plays his best basketball so I’ll say this go out and smile hold on to your joy enjoy it enjoy it these games were a

Ton of fun guess what we do this each and every weekday that means we’re coming at you with more shows here in the future um you listening to Monday March 4th show and on Monday evening the Blazers wrap up a road trip against the Memphis excuse me against the Minnesota

Timberwolves in Minnesota then they’re back they play Wednesday and Friday this week so um look for more shows in your feed Tuesday show recap the uh the Grizzlies game I’m I’m trying to nail down an interview for this week but I have not confirmed it yet but what we do 5 days a

Week R get Podcast also on YouTube tell your friends about the program I appreciate you listening I’ll talk to you Soon

A winning streak! The Trail Blazers have won two (2) straight games after a dominate showing on Friday night in Memphis and a hilarious comeback in on Saturday to sweep a set of matchups against the Grizzlies. Jabari Walker was really good and Dalano Banton was a hero of sorts. It was a fun weekend in a season desparate for enjoyment. Hold on to it.

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