The Brief Case

On this edition of The Brief Case podcast, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers' record with a  month to play in the 2023-24 regular season

• The play of Deandre Ayton and Scoot Henderson since returning from injury

• The last days of the Rip City Remix's inaugural season and how you can see them in person before the end of Year One 

• The debut of the Unofficial Matisse Thybulle Book Club

• Offensive/Defensive/Net ratings remaining unchanged and Portland's record versus the spread last week

And the show ends with an interview with Dewaybe Hankins, Trail Blazers' president of business operations, about how the season has gone from a business perspective, the recently-signed lease deal with the city of Portland, the Rip City Remix, the prospect of the WNBA in Portland after a bit of a setback and TV deals in Portland and the NBA broadly. 

On this edition of The Brief Case, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Chauncey Billups comments after Portland's loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday

• The wins versus the Grizzlies leading to close losses to the Timberwolves and Thunder

• The Trail Blazers recent improvement in offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating

• Portland covering in four-straight games after failing to do so in seven-straight games

And the show finishes up with the second part of a two-part interview with Ian Karmel about his new book, T-Shirt Swim Club, being a "fat" person, his podcast, All Fantasy Everything, what beach he thinks of when drafting "the beach" and his considerable contribution to Beaverton High School. 

On the latest edition of The Brief Case podcast, Trail Blazers beat reporter/insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers breaking an extended losing streak with a pair of wins versus the Grizzlies in Memphis last weekend

• Moses Brown returning to action while the rest of the injured Trail Blazers have remained out of the lineup 

• Portland covering in back-to-back games after losing seven-straight versus the spread

And the show ends with the first of a two-part interview with Comedian/Writer/Podcaster/Trail Blazers Fan Ian Karmel about, amongst other things, the origins of his fandom, being a Trail Blazers fan living in Los Angeles, NBA/Hollywood labor solidarity, Toumani Camara, who wouldn't want to be Jerami Grant and Ian's photo that has become a local meme. 

On the latest edition of The Brief Case podcast, Trail Blazers beat reporter/insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Portland's loss to the Heat on Tuesday to finish off a winless month of February

• Staying motivated during a nine-game losing streak

• Deandre Ayton suffering a right hand sprain and the status of Portland's injured players

• Portland's offernsive, defensive and net ratings with a month and a half to go

• The Trail Blazers failing to cover in seven-straight games and the increasingly unlikely prospect of hitting the over on their season win projection

And the show wraps up with an interview with Trail Blazers guard/forward Dalano Banton regarding his first few weeks in Portland, the difference between playing for his former team and his current team, whether a "perfect situation" exists, how he would describe his style of play, growing up in Toronto, the state of basketball in Canada when he was growing up compared to where it's at today, his journey from Rexdale to New England to Western Kentucky to Nebraska and what his hopes are for himself and the Blazers in the last month and a half of the season.

On this edition of The Brief Case, Trail Blazers Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Where the Trail Blazers stand coming out of the 2024 All-Star Break

• Center Duop Reath having his two-way contract converted to a full NBA contract

• Ashton Hagans reportedly getting the two-way contract vacated by Reath

• Scoot Henderson's thoughts on All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis 

• And an update on Portland's offensive/defensive/net ratings and what they need to do in order to surpass their Las Vegas win projection of 28.5 wins

On this edition of The Brief Case, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Joe Cronin's comments about Portland's relative inactivity at the 2024 trade deadline

• The lack of significant moves league-wide 

• The loss to the Detroit Pistons Thursday night

• Shaedon Sharpe undergoing surgery and his timeline for return

And the show ends with a conversation with Trail Blazers rookie guard Kris Murray about his first season with the Trail Blazers, his time playing with the Rip City Remix, what's been more difficult than he expected, improving defensively and his life off the court. 

On this edition of The Brief Case, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers besting  Damian Lillard and the Bucks in his return to Moda Center

• Portland playing well but losing both games to the Nuggets in Denver on  Friday and Sunday

• The recent play of Scoot Henderson

• Kris Murray getting the first start of his career

 • The upcoming trade deadline, which expires on Thursday

•  The  Trail Blazers covering the spread in their last four games

On this edition of The Brief Case, Trail Blazers beat reporter Casey Holdahl discusses...

• Damian Lillard's return to Portland with the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night

• Portland's recent play in a loss to the Bulls and a win versus the 76ers

• Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson being invited to play in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend (and why Duop Reath SHOULD get an invite if Sharpe can't play)

• An injury update on Shaedon Sharpe, who has missed the last two weeks with an abdominal strain 

• The Trail Blazers being back down to 13 players with Taze Moore's 10-day expiring

• Slight improvements to Portland's offensive and defensive ratings

• The Trail Blazers' 1-2 week versus the spread

And the show ends with an interview with Damian Lillard regarding the response from the community to his return, coming back to not just the city, but his home, his first few months in Milwaukee and what is next for the future Hall of Famer. 

On the latest edition of The Brief Case podcast, recorded from the Trail Blazers' team hotel in San Antonio, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers' overtime victory versus the Rockets in Houston

• Thoughts from Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons and Chauncey Billups regarding Grant's shot to send the game to overtime in Houston

• Having two players in Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons who can close games offensively 

• Wednesday's game being a team win

• Getting the short end in the final moments of Tuesday's loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City

• A five-game winning streak for the Rip City Remix

• The Trail Blazers signing Taze Moore to a 10-day

• Maintaining flexibility and the possibility of a quiet trade deadline for the Trail Blazers

• Drops in both offensive and defensive rating

• The Trail Blazers covering in five of their last six games

On this edition of The Brief Case, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers getting their second win in 10 days versus the Brooklyn Nets

• Anfernee Simons adding another game-winner to his resume

• Deandre Ayton's difficulty getting to the game Wednesday night and the uninformed (and idiotic) analysis of the situation 

• Chauncey Billups switching up the starting lineup (as previewed on the last edition)

• Shaedon Sharpe being sidelined at least two more weeks with a lower abdominal strain

• Portland's recent record versus the spread

And the show wraps up with a brief conversation with rookie Rayan Rupert regarding his recent play, splitting time between the Remix and Trail Blazers, the areas in which he's improved and what kind of player he believes he can become. 

On this edition of The Brief Case,  recorded from the team hotel in New York City, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers' blowout loss to the Knicks on Tuesday after pulling out an overtime win versus the Nets on Sunday

• Anfernee Simons'  comments after the loss to the Knicks on the road trip thus far and whether he's seeing improvement even in losses

• Changes to the starting lineup that Chauncey Billups might be considering in the last two games of the trip

• The team waiving Skylar Mays and Ish Wainright and the reasoning behind the moves

• Injury updates on Deandre Ayton, Jabari Walker and Moses Brown

• Portland offensive and defensive rating this season and their steep dropoff in offense in the first five games of the trip

• The Trail Blazers' record versus the  spread on the current road trip 

On the latest edition of The Brief Case podcast, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers' foul-filled loss to the Mavericks in  Dallas on Wednesday at the rematch on Friday, also in Dallas

• Portland setting off on a seven-game, two-week road trip 

•  Anfernee Simons, Toumani Camara and  Duop Reath returning from injury

• Scoot Henderson getting the start alongside Anfernee Simons on Wednesday despite Shaedon Sharpe returning from injury

• The Blazers sinking in both offensive  and defensive rating

• Portland going 1-3 versus the spread in their last four games and an update on their progress in surpassing their projected win total

And the show ends with an interview with Trail Blazers' forward Matisse Thybulle regarding his thoughts on the season, being a defensive playmaker, his consecutive steals streak, his approach to mentorship and giving advice, not having to follow the same rules as everyone else,  his chances of being named to the All-Defensive team, artificial intelligence and what he'd like to see from the team in 2024. 

On this edition of the Brief Case podcast, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers' 130-113 win versus the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night at Moda Center

• Portland's "Bench Mob." which did something in Tuesday night's win that hasn't been done in Portland in over 30 years

• The recent play of Jabari Walker

• Scoot Henderson posting a career-best with 11 assists, though committing just one turnover might be the more important stat

• Trail Blazers center Duop Reath (and recent guest on The Brief Case) having a career night in the win versus the Kings

• Portland's 2023-ending back-to-back versus the San Antonio Spurs at Moda Center

• The upcoming schedule for the Rip City Remix

• An update on Portland's offensive and defensive rating and their record versus the spread this season

On this edition of The Brief Case, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers slow starts and how they're trying to improve early in games

• Portland's seven-game losing streak ending victory versus the Suns at Moda Center

• The Trail Blazers schedule to finish out 2023

• The Rip City Remix at the G-League Winter Showcase in Orlando

• An update on the Trail Blazers' offensive and defensive rating

• Portland record, both recently and this season, versus the spread

• The Trail Blazers being favored for just the second time this season (though the first time didn't go so well)

• And a conversation with 27 year old rookie center Duop Reath about his season and path to the NBA

On this edition of the Brief Case, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers losing four-straight despite performing well

• Portland playing eight of their next nine games at Moda Center

• Monday's loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles

• The recent play of Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson

• Injury updates on Malcolm Brogdon, Deandre Ayton and Jerami Grant

• The Rip City Remix facing the G-League Ignite in Las Vegas 

• The Trail Blazers getting out of last place in terms of offensive rating while being in the middle of the pack in defensive rating

• Upcoming games versus the Jazz, Mavericks (in a rare 6 pm start) and the Warriors

And the show wraps up with an extended interview with Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe about his second season, sharing a backcourt with Ant Simons, his improved defense, being the only starter who has played every game this season, getting called for technicals, crossing up Daniel Theis, what he's like to see from himself and the team going forward and the origin of his love for mac and cheese.

On this edition of The Brief Case, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers coming up just short versus the Warriors in San Francisco Wednesday night

• Chauncey Billups' comments regarding the free throw disparity in Wednesday's loss

• Anfernee Simons' thoughts on his first game back in the lineup after missing all but the first game of the season due to injury

• The performances of Shaedon Sharpe, Kris Murray, Duop Reath and Jabari Walker versus the Warriors

• Friday's game versus the Mavericks at Moda Center

• Whether the Trail Blazers are being disrespected by oddsmakers

On this edition of The Brief Case, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers returning from a 2-2 road trip, which could have very easily been a 4-0 road trip

• Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara posterizing Jazz center Walker Kessler on back-to-back possessions

• Chauncey Billups speaking one of those dunks into existence

• Jerami Grant entering the concussion protocol after taking a shot to the face in Saturday's loss to the Jazz

• The imminent return of Anfernee Simons, who has been sidelined since the first game of the season with a thumb injury

• The Trail Blazers getting a Disable Player Exemption and whether that means much in the short term

• A rundown of the last week for the Rip City Remix

• Portland offensive and defense ratings nearly a quarter of the way into the season

• The Trail Blazers beating the spread in four of their last five games and when they might be favored in a game for the first time this season

And the show ends with a lengthy sit down with second-year forward Jabari Walker, who discusses the road trip, his recent play, Portland's "bench mob," the importance of bringing energy off the bench, the return of Anfernee Simons and what he hopes to see from the team and himself in the next month.

On this edition of The Brief Case, Trail Blazers insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers securing their first road win in nearly a month versus the Pacers in Indianapolis

• Overcoming a tough call in Indianapolis after not being able to do the same thing then night before in Milwaukee

• The Blazers going 2-1 since the return of Malcolm Brogdon and Scoot Henderson

• Injury timelines for Anfernee Simons and Ish Wainwright

• Portland's offensive and defensive ratings

• The Blazers going 3-0 versus the spread in their last three games and an update on where the team stands in terms of hitting their season over of 28.5 wins

• The Remix acquiring the rights to Moe Harkless, Ibou Badji's return and Duop Reath eating up backup center minutes

On this edition of The Brief Case, Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers returning home from a three-game road trip while on a four-game losing streak

• Tuesday's loss to the Utah Jazz in the second In-Season Tournament game for both teams

• Injuries starting to take their toll with Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson, Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III all sidelined

• A rundown of when injured players might return

• An update on where the Trail Blazers are at after 10 games in terms of offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating

• The Trail Blazers' record versus the spread and the line for Wednesday's game versus the Cavaliers

• The Rip City Remix playing their first home games this weekend versus the South Bay Lakers and the Ontario Clippers

• And the show ends with a conversation with rookie Toumani Camara after his first start in Tuesday's loss to the Jazz

On this edition of The Brief Case podcast, Casey Holdahl discusses...

•  Portland's  121-118 overtime loss to the Kings in Sacramento on Wednesday

• The Trail Blazers being down to one  guard  in that  game with Malcolm Brogdon being injured and Shaedon Sharpe fouling out

• The play of  Jerami  Grant and his interesting scoring  streak

• The report that Robert Williams III will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the 2023-24 season 

• Kris  Murray and Rayan Rupert being assigned to the Rip City Remix, when they might  return and  whether Duop Reath will be joining them

• The Rip City Remix beginning their inaugural  season this weekend in Souther California 

• Portland's upcoming schedule, which includes another In-Season Tournament group  stage game