What Can We Expect From The 2025-2026 Portland Trail Blazers? | Danny & Dusty

What Can We Expect From The 2025-2026 Portland Trail Blazers? | Danny & Dusty

Over under win totals have been released. Go Vegas out there. Trying to build more casinos and make money off y’all. Uh it should be of no surprise the defending world champion Oklahoma City Thunder. They have an over under win total of 62 and a half. Insane number. That is seven better than the Cleveland Cavaliers. 62 and a half is an insane number. Yeah. Especially coming off a title. Typically you go, okay, we did the thing where we won a lot of regulations games. It was great being number one. We need to pace ourselves. Like that’s that’s what every team does. Well, in those instances, especially when the Rockets get Kevin Durant. Yeah. And Clint Capella and the West just and they get Dorian Finny Smith who just signed with the Rockets today. Yeah. They’re getting better. And you’re not going to rely on injuries absolutely depleting the Denver Nuggets again. Well, actually, you might want to you just might want to start banking on that one to happen. Um or that they might lose a backup center. They are the uh far and away leaders with 62 and a half. The Portland Trailblazers, the hometown team, they are 10 better than their preseason overunder win total a year ago. Last year they opened at 22 and a half wins. They finished with 36 wins on the dot. They didn’t get a half win or loss, but uh this year the Blazers win total, they open at 32 and a half, 10 better than last year. That puts them uh sixth worst uh uh win total in the NBA. Uh they’re tied with Toronto, New Orleans, and Chicago all at 32 1/2. The only teams that are worse are the Phoenix Suns 31 a2, Charlotte Hornets 25 a 12, Brooklyn Nets 21 a 12, the Washington Wizards at 19 and a half, and then the Utah Jazz at 18 12. Woof. Yeah, they’re they’re looking at this as they’re there are three no doubt these teams suck align like the Jazz, you know, they made a trade today that sent John Collins out. They sent out Colin Ston. They sent out Jordan Clarkson. They are sending out anybody who has any viable production not named Lowi Markin or Walker Kesler. Yeah. Yeah. They they took their depth that was like they might sneak up and win some. Nope. Not anymore. Not anymore. And if you watched Ace Bailey play this weekend, you’re going sitting there going, “Yeah, they’re going to be bad.” Three of 13. Yeah. And uh how much did that have to do with his non-aggent agents son not being on the bench? We’ll get to that. That’s But looking at this line, um the only ones that I’m I’m really arguing, number one, if you’re asking me and putting a gun to my head, if I’m going to take the over the under, I’m taking the over on the Blazers at 32 and a half. I think they’re probably closer to winning the same amount of games as they won last year. They just won’t be god awful for the first two and a half, three months of the season and they won’t have the same kind of holy crap tear that they went on. I think it’ll just be more balanced over the season. Yeah, scoring still yes concerning. But when you’ve got baseline defense, the Rockets couldn’t score to save their lives. The Magic couldn’t score to save their lives. Like if if you were a team that’s like teams are coming in, especially when you’re playing at home that you come into their house, they’re just like, “Oh god, here we go.” Yeah. like that that usually juices the win totals a little bit. Um I’m surprised the Pelicans are here to be honest. I I definitely would have put them lower. Yeah. And this is this is this was interesting to me is that you know you were talking to Bill Simmons has his GMs. What the hell are they doing in Chicago and uh New Orleans were on that list. And then you mentioned Toronto. They are all in the same win total right on the dot as the Portland Trailblazers are right now. And for the Pelicans, it makes a little bit of sense that where they’re at because they’re in the Western Conference and win totals are going to be depressed. If you’re only winning 32 and a half in that East, I mean, that’s that’s nasty. I mean, if you look at the West, the only teams that the Blazers are better than uh are the Jazz and they’re tied with the the Suns and Pel or the Jazz and the Sun or the Jazz and the Suns then tied with the Pelicans. Yeah, I would put both the um the Pelicans uh and the Kings under the Blazers. Yeah, the Kings have talent, but it’s talent that makes absolutely no sense. Kings are at 30 and a 38 and a half. No way. Is that team coming close to 500? Wow. It’s just the dysfunction and disorganization. Like right now, who’s who’s their point guard? They’re going to run point Demar like he was in San Antonio. Okay. Sure. Like Sabonis has got to be sitting there going, “What the hell is going on here?” Like they’re they’re like the team that’s pushing the hardest for Jonathan Kaminga and when they’re pu quote unquote pushing the hardest um they’re not offering much. Yeah. There’s there’s a lot of stuff that Kaminga’s agency is putting out there of like no people are really interested. All of the folks that I have talked to have said that Dennis Shruder their point guard. Is he starting though? because you’ve got Lavine, you’ve got Demar, Malik Monk. Monk’s a guy that they’re trying to ship out. Well, so yeah, it’s I don’t know. They got guys who can score some points. They got they have talent, but it’s talent doesn’t make any sense together at all. And in the West, it’s like I don’t know, man. If you want to give if you want to put the Blazers in the same line, you want to both say they’re 35 and a half, that’s fine. Yeah. Yeah, but I think that there’s the Blazers are going to be going into the season as it stands right now clearly better than Phoenix, um, Utah, uh, Sacramento, if you want to put them on the same line and New Orleans for sure. Like New Orleans, you want to talk about the Blazers not being able to score. New Orleans can’t defend anyone. It was like, well, they got Trey and they and they’ve got Herb. And I’m just like, they have Zion and Derek Queen and a rookie point guard. Yeah, that is See you, buddy. Zion and Queen, you might as well just put two traffic cones at the top of the free throw line. Oh, lay defense there. Oh my god. Blazers will play be very good defensively, but I I think that that 32 and a half is wholly fixated on the Blazers don’t have scorers. No, no, 100%. I I I’m there with you, but I I again gunned to my head where last year I didn’t think they were going to reach their win total because I was like, how is this going to work? This year I’m I’m more bullish on the over without their best score and best big. Yeah. As weird as that sounds because I think that what they’re doing is they’re leaning into that. You know what this also shows? They’re not in win now mode. Sure does. Sure does. The third worst overunder opening win total line uh in the Western Conference. Portland Trailblazers tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for third worst. Suns 31 a.5. They think they’ll be one game worse. and the Utah Jazz. Uh 18 and a half. That is very very very low. That is process 76ers though. Yeah. Know it’s it’s not quite that bad. The Utah Jazz um for those that don’t know uh Danny A Ryan Smith have made a sizable donation to the UN to to BYU. Uh AJ Debonsa who is right now considered to be either the second or third overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft is going to BYU. Hey. All right. Just a total coincidence. Well, remember they weren’t tanking. They weren’t tanking. They weren’t tanking. Now they are tanking. Tanking. They’re gonna be bad. Bad. All right. Well, um, what with this said, the Blazers are at 32 and a half. This is probably a year where you don’t want to win now, too, because of of the draft class is pretty deep. It doesn’t have a Cooper flag, right? not that generational talent, but really damn good players in in the 26 draft. Are we looking at this team then maybe staying more idle the rest of the way this off season or are they going to try and get somebody who can score baskets? That remains to be seen. Man, I was talking to uh a few national reporters uh at the four-letter network and I was like, “Hey, you know, things have been pretty quiet out here and the transactions they’ve done have all been pretty quiet. Have you guys heard anything?” And they all said some version of the same thing. Like not a peep. Everything they have done has been in silence. Like not even from the teams that they have worked with, whether it was Boston on Jaru or with DA’s agent Bill Duffy as far as as part of the buyout. Like you know what? I like that they are they are I mean the the young Hansen pick the draft no like any of it has been very quiet and dagger given and Woo have been nails on Portland’s picks for years even before Schmidz then with Mike being there obviously given has a very good relationship with Mike and nothing no one not a soul not a peep no one saw that coming so as far as that kind of stuff like I don’t think the Blazers in a hurry to move Jeremy Grant. I think that they’re they’re looking out at the market right now and assessing what guys are going for and what they’re not going for and they’re not just going to do a deal just to do a deal. Okay. And this is why I’ve been trying to say they are not in win now mode for anything. Yeah. And again, they set their expectations that people glombmed on to at the I think Johnson misspoke just like Joe did when he talked about building around Dame. I think that was that was his thing where like you’re doing the thing where like you know, puff your chest out. I got a new contract. You say all the things that you say when you get a new contract. like we’re doing the right thing and you pull that back a little bit. Pull it back a little bit. Well, as of right now, it doesn’t appear because nobody’s hearing anything. And I like that. I think that that is what smart front offices do is the less people that are in the loop, the better off you are. Yeah. Under Neil, it was out there with this now. You you better capitalize on it soon. Yeah. Right. Yeah. If you’re doing the DA buyout, you’re doing the Drew trade and you’re drafting Young, you you need no make no bones about it, they need somebody who can shoot the damn ball. Like they need they need a shooter on this roster. And I know everyone in their mom who’s a Blazer fan’s like, “What about Cory Kisspert?” Look, if they went and got Cory Kisspert, like let’s say that the two second round picks they got back out of that deal from Jaru and the two second round picks that they got in the other transaction, like you want to give up three second round picks for Cory Kisspert, you Well, with that buyout of DA, you have access to full MLE, you can send those picks, not send a player out, put Kispert right into it. I’d be fine with that. Yeah. And I I think that where the concerning part is if for fans is you don’t have a score now. Mhm. If it’s going to be a down year this this next year, then you’re getting a high draft pick again in a draft that is loaded to the gills. But that guy, we know with rookies, that guy will not be the bearer of a scoring load immediately. So how far away is this thing? Like that’s a legitimate question that I think Blazer fans have and it because you’re going all right how many more years are we gonna have to go through this because this is not a fan base that is is used to losing especially at this clip and at this level and they’ve wanted so desperately to glom on to guys like hey’s going to turn the corner he’s going to do it they’re going to it’s going to pop and then they’re trading him at 26 years old right now it’s Shaden Sharp, he could do it. He might be the guy that that that pops you and they’re going to glom onto that. If it doesn’t happen this year, they’re going to lose their damn patience. And that’s where this is going to be. I mean, this is an interesting part of the rebuild. It’s not make or break, but it’s there’s definitely some make or break to Shaden and Scoot this year. Yes, there absolutely is. There and there’s no well, what about this and what about that? It’s like, no, no, it’s contract time, guys. And I’ll tell you right now, if Shaden Sharp and his agent are smart, they look to get something done ahead of time because the life of a restricted free agent right now is hell. Not good, Bob. Nobody. Not Kaminga, not G. Nobody, not Cam Thomas, no one is getting paid.

With win totals for the 2025-2026 NBA season already published by some sportsbooks, it gives a good picture on what to expect. Where do the Trail Blazers fall on this?

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