Podcasts about Portland Trail Blazers

This week we talk about prediction markets, incentives, and gambling addiction.We also discuss insider trading, spot-fixing, and Gatorade.Recommended Book: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim AlbertaTranscriptPrediction markets are hundreds of years old, and have historically been used to determine the likelihood of something happening.In 1503, for instance, there was a market to determine who would become the next pope, and from the earliest days of commercial markets, there were associated prediction markets that were used to gauge how folks thought a given business would do during an upcoming economic quarter.The theory here is that while you can just ask people how well they think a political candidate will fare in an election or who they think will become the next pope, often their guesses, their assumptions, or their analysis will be swayed by things like political affiliation or maybe even what they think they're meant to say—the popular papal candidate, for instance, or the non-obvious, asymmetric position on a big commercial enterprise that might help an analyst reinforce their brand as a contrarian.If you introduce money into the equation, though, forcing people to put down real currency on their suspicions and predictions, and give them the chance to earn money if they get things right, that will sometimes nudge these markets away from those other incentives, making the markets commercial enterprises of their own. It can shift the bias away from posturing and toward monetization, and that in turn, in theory at least, should make prediction markets more accurate because people will try to align themselves with the actual, real-deal outcome, rather than the popular—with their social tribe, at least—or compellingly unpopular view.This is the theory that underpins entities like Polymarket, Kalshi, Manifold Markets, and many other online prediction markets that have arisen over the past handful of years as regulations on these types of businesses have been eased, and as they've begun to establish themselves as credible players in the predicting-everything space.In politics in particular, these markets have semi-regularly shown themselves to be better gauges of who will actually win elections than conventional polls and surveys, and though their records are far from perfect and still heavily biased in some cases, such community-driven predictions from money-motivated markets are gaining credibility because of their capacity to incentivize people to put their money where their mouths are, and to try to profit from accurate preordination.The flip-side of these markets, and some might even say a built-in flaw with no obvious solution, is that they are rife with insider trading: people who are in the position to know things ahead of time making in some cases millions of dollars by placing big bets that, for them, aren't bets at all, because they know what will or what is likely to happen.This seems to have occurred at least a few times with big political events in 2025, and it's anticipated that it could become an even bigger issue in the future, especially for markets that use cryptocurrencies to manage payments, as those are even less likely than their fiat currency peers to keeps solid tabs on who's actually behind these bets, and thus who might be trading on knowledge that they're not supposed to be trading on.That said, it could be argued that such insider trading makes these markets even more accurate, eventually at least. And that points us toward another problem: the possibility that someone on the inside might look at a market and realize they can make a killing if they use their position, their power to sway these markets after placing a bet, giving them the ability to assure a payout by abusing their position—major events being influenced by the possibility of a community-funded payday for those in control.What I'd like to talk about today is the same general principle as it's playing out in the sports world, and why the huge sums of money that are now sloshing around in the sports betting industry in the US are beginning to worry basically everyone, except the sports betting companies themselves.—In October of 2025, the head coach of the NBA basketball team, the Portland Trail Blazers, Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones, and about 30 other people were arrested by the FBI due to their alleged illegal sports gambling activities. Rozier was already under investigation following unusual betting activity that was linked to his performance in a 2023 game—he was later cleared of wrongdoing, but the implication then and in this more recent instance is that he and those other folks who were rounded up by the FBI may have been involved in rigging things so they could get a big payoff on gambling markets.Similar things have been happening across the sports world, including a lifetime ban for Jontay Porter, a former Toronto Raptors player, who apparently gave confidential information to people who were placing bets on NBA games—he later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as a result of that investigation—and in November of 2025 two Major League Baseball players, both of them pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were charged by federal prosecutors for allegedly rigging pitches to benefit people betting on those pitches; they've been charged with wire fraud and money laundering, and each could face up to 65 years in prison.And those are just a few of the many instances of game-rigging that have been alleged in recent years, the specifics of which vary, but the outcome is always to give someone an advantage in these markets, which are only recently broadly legal across the United States, and which thus allow folks with the right connections or some money to invest ahead of time to, for instance, pay a pitcher to throw an inning, or pay a coach to tell them who will be benched and when, so that they can make a big wager with less of a risk, or in some cases, no risk at all.One of the big issues here is that rather than simply being a which-team-will-win sort of thing, many of these bets are highly specific and granular, including what are called proposition or prop bets that allow folks to gamble on the number of strikeouts a pitcher will tally in a given inning and other very specific things.If a pitcher were to then place a bet, perhaps through an intermediary, on their own prop bet-related performance, they would stand a decent chance of tallying the right number of strikes and balls. They could also sell that information to someone else, taking a guaranteed payout in exchange for the foreknowledge they grant that gambler, who could then do what they want with the information, and then if they do well with it, they could pay that pitcher to do the same again in the future.This type of bet is called spot-fixing, and it's seen across prediction markets, not just sports markets. Pitchers can fix an inning of a game, but poker players can also go all-in or fold a given number of times in a tournament, and the folks in charge of dumping Gatorade over the winning coach following a Super Bowl event can leak that color, based on their foreknowledge of the setup, to gamblers—these markets are sprawling and varied, and anyone in any position of power who can make decisions about such things, or who's involved enough to leak information can do so at a profit, either themselves putting down money on spot-fixed prop bets, or selling that information to those who will themselves place a bet.The issue sports organizations in the US are now running into is that while they aligned themselves with sports gambling entities like DraftKings and FanDuel after these platforms were legalized in more states following the striking-down of a federal ban on such things in 2018—as I record this, they're currently legal in 31 states, alongside Washington DC and Puerto Rico—and they've profited a fair bit from that, allowing these businesses to become sponsors, to slap their logos on everything, and to generally become interwoven with the leagues themselves; despite all that, they've also created a sports culture in which betting is ultra-common, and that means fans are no longer just fans, they're putting down money on various possible sports-related outcomes.That means folks who were maybe previously die-hard fans of their local team may no longer just be disappointed when their team loses, they'll be financially impacted, perhaps even devastated. And many athletes who play on these teams, in these leagues, are now suffering all kinds of abuse and threats from people who decided to put a lot of money on their performance, but who failed to win a game, or maybe even throw the exact right number of strikes and balls in a given inning.This points at two big issues with sports betting in the US right now.First is that there's a lot of money splashing around in this space. An estimated $160-170 billion was wagered by US citizens in 2025 alone, generating about $16.4 billion in revenue for sportsbooks—the entities that take these sorts of bets.That's likely a significant undercount, too, as more generalist prediction markets are also getting involved in the sports betting game, blending this type of gambling with other sorts of prediction markets, like those related to politics and international happenings, like war.And second, a lot of people are gambling a lot of money on sports stuff right now, and that's becoming an issue. In October of 2025, a Pew Research poll found that 43% of US adults think legalized sports betting is bad for society, up from 34% in 2022, and 40% says it's bad for sports, up from 33%. A whopping 22% of US adults say they personally bet money on sports in the past year, up from 19% in 2022, and 10%, one in ten American adults, say they have placed a sports bet online in the past year, up from 6% in 2022.There has been a significant increase in calls to the National Problem Gambling Helpline in recent years—a 45% increase from 2017 in states where sports betting hasn't been legalized, and a 148% increase, more than three times as much, in states where sports betting was legalized by August of 2025. Not for nothing, too, it's estimated that professional athletes are about five-times more likely than the average person to become hooked on gambling, which would seem to amplify all these issues, in addition to the obvious problems this can create for people with often high-paying, but also often financially precarious, short-term careers.The implication, then, is that legal sports betting either sparks or reinforces gambling issues, creating more addictive behavior and triggering more financial issues. And bankruptcy numbers seem to back this up: in states where online gambling is allowed, bankruptcy rates increased by 28% and debt collections rose by 8% just two years after sports betting legalization. Data also shows that there's a 20% increase in mass-market alcohol consumption in states with legalized sports betting, and that for every dollar spent on sports betting, 99 cents of investment money disappears from records, which means, basically, people are not using spare money they would spend on random stuff anyway when placing these bets, they're spending money that would otherwise be put into savings, or which is already in their savings on this type of gambling—and much of that money then disappears into the pockets of these gambling platforms.This same general state of affairs has played out in other countries before the US, but things seem to be moving especially fast here in part because this isn't gambling that's limited to a physical location, it's increasingly being conducted on smartphones and other always-on-us devices, and that means it's easier to get hooked, but also that it's more accessible to more people more of the time, and the ever-present deluge of information about these topics, and about these platforms that allow us to casually place bets on said topics, make getting sucked in and sold on the idea of easy money, simpler and more likely than ever before.Show Noteshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/10/23/nba-chauncey-billups-terry-rozier-arrested-betting-probe/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/11/09/emmanuel-clase-luis-ortiz-indicted-bribes/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/12/29/sports-betting-integrity-fans/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/10/29/player-prop-bets-nba-arrests/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/06/14/sports-betting-athlete-abuse-online/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bookmakershttps://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-bettinghttps://nypost.com/betting/best-sports-betting-apps-usa/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_in_the_United_Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_bettinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsbookhttps://www.delasport.com/history-of-sports-betting/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7780080/https://www.espn.com/sports-betting/story/_/id/23561576/chalk-line-how-got-legalized-sports-bettinghttps://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/sport/sports-betting-usa-impact-on-lives-spt-intlhttps://naadgs.org/history-of-sports-betting-the-transition-from-illegal-to-mainstream/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_match-fixing_incidentshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_gambling_in_the_United_Stateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_and_Amateur_Sports_Protection_Act_of_1992https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_in_the_United_Kingdomhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_markethttps://users.wfu.edu/strumpks/papers/Int_Election_Betting_Formatted_FINAL_NoComments.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_bethttps://www.axios.com/2025/12/14/sports-betting-gambling-young-men-crisishttps://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/47337056/scandals-prediction-markets-2025-turning-point-sports-bettinghttps://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/02/americans-increasingly-see-legal-sports-betting-as-a-bad-thing-for-society-and-sports/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

We're bouncing around on today's episode of The Dunker Spot!Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss the surging Boston Celtics, who recently climbed to the East's second seed. They discuss their current standing and the non-Jaylen Brown standouts, as well as appreciate the level of buy-in Joe Mazzulla has gotten from this group.From there, they bounce around. From the Pistons' consistent winning, to the Nuggets finding offense without Nikola Jokic, playoff-level questions for the Rockets and Thunder (what's going on there?), a Rudy Gobert check-in and more.Finally, the guys close the show with reactions to the first day of the Unrivaled season.If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com.(2:08) -- Boston Celtics(9:45)-- A quick Pistons salute(15:19) -- Back to the Celtics(24:13) -- Portland Trail Blazers(31:46) -- Denver Nuggets(41:20) -- Atlanta Hawks(45:36) -- Houston Rockets(51:21) -- Oklahoma City Thunder(56:36) -- Rudy Gobert(01:03:27) -- Unrivaled takeaways Subscribe to the The Dunker Spot on your favorite podcast app:

On this edition of The Blazers Balcony, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Brooke Olzendam and Casey Holdahl discuss...• The Trail Blazers starting a three-game road trip with the loss to the Thunder• Spending New Years in Oklahoma City• Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan leading the way• Bouncing back to defeat the Pelicans in New Orleans• One of the best wins of the season versus the Spurs in San Antonio• Deni's birthday triple-double and Donovan's career-high versus the Spurs• A rare blowout versus the Jazz on Monday to start a home-heavy January • Deni Avdija is doing a bit of everything and is finally being recognized for his efforts• Cornhole competition, Donovan's three-point shooting, Caleb Love keeps shooting, post-game interview adjustments and Brooke sitting out the trip to San Francisco 

We're bouncing around on today's episode of The Dunker Spot!Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss the surging Boston Celtics, who recently climbed to the East's second seed. They discuss their current standing and the non-Jaylen Brown standouts, as well as appreciate the level of buy-in Joe Mazzulla has gotten from this group.From there, they bounce around. From the Pistons' consistent winning, to the Nuggets finding offense without Nikola Jokic, playoff-level questions for the Rockets and Thunder (what's going on there?), a Rudy Gobert check-in and more.Finally, the guys close the show with reactions to the first day of the Unrivaled season.If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com.(2:08) -- Boston Celtics(9:45)-- A quick Pistons salute(15:19) -- Back to the Celtics(24:13) -- Portland Trail Blazers(31:46) -- Denver Nuggets(41:20) -- Atlanta Hawks(45:36) -- Houston Rockets(51:21) -- Oklahoma City Thunder(56:36) -- Rudy Gobert(01:03:27) -- Unrivaled takeaways

The Utah Jazz lost big time to the Portland Trail Blazers in one of the worst blowouts of the season. Follow me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hansenjamesFollow me on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/hoopsnerd.bsky.socialFollow me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hoopsnerdnba/#utahjazz #postgame #nba

Jake Scott recaps the Utah Jazz getting blown out in Portland by the Trail Blazers.

Migros Hemen'in sunduğu Potacast'in yeni bölümünde Kaan Kural ve Orkun Çolakoğlu, iki konferansta da ilk 8 dışında kalan takımlardan Play-In ihtimali olanları ve sezona erken havlu atan takımları değerlendiriyor. Kepenk indiren takımlarla başlayan sohbette Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings ve Utah Jazz mercek altına alınıyor.  Sohbet, Play-In ihtimalini canlı tutan takımlarla devam ediyor. Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers ve Dallas Mavericks'in durumlarının değerlendirilmesiyle bölümün kapanışı yapılıyor. Sakatlıklar, yanlış transferler, koç problemleri ve daha fazlası bu bölümde! İyi dinlemeler.

But was it just a non-update update?

JJ & Alex with Jeremiah Jensen and Alex Kirry on January 5, 2025. Sly Sylvester filling in Kevin McGiven (Utah State) is the new Utah offensive cordinator NFL Blitz: NFL Playoffs are set and which teams' have moved on from their head coach? Utah Jazz at Portland Trailblazers; Utah Mammoth at New York Rangers

Migros Hemen'in sunduğu Potacast'in yeni bölümünde Kaan Kural ve Orkun Çolakoğlu, iki konferansta da ilk 8 dışında kalan takımlardan Play-In ihtimali olanları ve sezona erken havlu atan takımları değerlendiriyor.Kepenk indiren takımlarla başlayan sohbette Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings ve Utah Jazz mercek altına alınıyor. Sohbet, Play-In ihtimalini canlı tutan takımlarla devam ediyor. Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers ve Dallas Mavericks'in durumlarının değerlendirilmesiyle bölümün kapanışı yapılıyor.Sakatlıklar, yanlış transferler, koç problemleri ve daha fazlası bu bölümde! İyi dinlemeler.

Our final guest of 2025 is good friend Eric Gundersen from Blazer Banter trying to figure out when the Blazers are going to get healthy and will there be enough season left to figure out if they're getting better or not?

Travis Demers and Chad Doing go off the rails a bit to open the podcast, and then talk about what everyone is thinking.  Why haven't the injured players returned yet? Plus the development of Donovan Clingan, and how has Deni Avdija continued to shine?

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers losing the first three games of a five-game homestand• Portland defeating the Celtics in the fourth game of the five-game homestand to get their first win versus Boston in the last three seasons• The Trail Blazers doing a good job of controlling what they can control in the second half versus the Celtics• Portland finishing out their holiday homestand with a harrowing victory versus the Dallas Mavericks Monday night• Deni Avdija's near triple-double • When Caleb Love plays well, the Trail Blazers' chances of winning seem to improve considerably• Deni Avdija coming in seventh in Western Conference All-Star fan voting in the first round of returns released Monday

The Mavericks closed down 2025 with a heartbreaking loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Mark Followill and Brian Dameris breakdown how the Mavs ended up coming short but point out a few players that shined on the court. The guys recap the historic month Cooper Flagg had and reflect back on the monumental moments that happened for the Mavs this past year. The guys wrap up the episode previewing the big decisions that will be coming in 2026 including if Mark has a legit chance to be the Mavericks next GM.

Chris Forsberg and Tom Giles react to a disappointing night for the Celtics in their 114-108 loss the Trail Blazers and debate whether the team's lack of focus and energy in crunch time is a larger concern or a one-off with the team in the midst of a very long road trip (spoiler: it's the latter). 0:00- Forsberg's Headline: “Well, That Sucked”6:05- Jaylen Brown ties Larry Bird's team record with his ninth straight 30-point game9:10- Any second-guessing with some of Joe's decision-making?18:45- What you all came for, let's talk Rob Williams Presented by 24 Auto Group WATCH every episode of the Celtics Talk podcast on YouTubeFollow NBC Sports Boston:NBCSportsBoston.comX @NBCScelticsFacebookInstagramTikTok Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Portland Trail Blazers beat the Boston Celtics 114-108 on Sunday night. The Garden Report Postgame Show on CLNS Media went LIVE with CLNS' Noa Dalzell, and Bobby Manning right after the game to break it all down.  The Garden Report on CLNS Media is Powered by:

Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trailblazers NBA Pick Prediction by Tony T. Mavericks at Trailblazers Injuries Irving is out with Davis and Williams questionable for Dallas. Grant, Henderson, Holiday, Thybulle, Wesley and Williams are out for Portland. Recent Box Score Key Stats Mavericks at Trailblazers 10:30PM ET— Dallas fell to 12-21 following their 113-107 road defeat against Sacramento. Mavs shot 46% with 48% from three. Cooper Flagg led with 23 points and six rebounds. PJ Washington chipped in with 17 points and five rebounds. Dallas allowed 43% shooting with 45% from three. Portland is on a back-to-back after hosting Boston Sunday afternoon and winning 114-108.

Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trailblazers NBA Pick Prediction by Tony T. Celtics vs. Trailblazers Injuries Boucher and Tatum are out for Boston. Grant, Henderson, Holiday, Thybulle, Wesley and Williams are out for Portland. Recent Box Score Key Stats Celtics vs. Trailblazers 6PM ET—Boston improved to 19-11 following their 140-122 road victory against Indiana. Celtics shot 57% with 51% from three. Jaylen Brown led with 30 points and four assists. Payton Pritchard supported with 29 points and nine rebounds. Boston allowed 49% shooting with 41% from three. Portland fell to 12-19 after their 119-103 home defeat against LA Clippers. Trailblazers hit 45% with 41% from three. Deni Avdija scored 29 points with nine assists. Toumani Camara contributed 20 points with three rebounds. Portland allowed 51% shooting with 50% from three.

Happy Holidays from The Dunker Spot!Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones went back to the mailbag for this one.Questions range from the Minnesota Lynx's ideal draft strategy, to the Portland Trail Blazers' late-game offense, to the Houston Rockets' ideal closing five, to zone-beaters for rec league basketball teams. We bounced around quite a bit — thank you to everyone who sent in questions.If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com.(1:29) — What should the Minnesota Lynx do with the #2 overall pick?(4:28) — Examining Marina Mabrey landing spots + the most entertaining Unrivaled team(7:38) — What's the most top-heavy position in the (W)NBA?(10:21) — How do coaches decide when to make an adjustment?(22:53) — What's behind teams being able to erase big leads more easily?(28:55) — What lineup(s) should the Rockets close playoff games with?(33:50) — How sustainable is the Pelicans' offense?(38:28) — Examining the Blazers' late-game offense & Tiago Splitter(43:43) — What can we take away from this Pacers season?(49:28) — The perception around Bam vs Evan Mobley, Jaden McDaniels' switching, and 2nd round pick trade value(57:52) — Memorable role player performances(01:01:49) — How should rec-level teams attack a 2-3 zone?

Happy Holidays from The Dunker Spot!Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones went back to the mailbag for this one.Questions range from the Minnesota Lynx's ideal draft strategy, to the Portland Trail Blazers' late-game offense, to the Houston Rockets' ideal closing five, to zone-beaters for rec league basketball teams. We bounced around quite a bit — thank you to everyone who sent in questions.If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com.(1:29) — What should the Minnesota Lynx do with the #2 overall pick?(4:28) — Examining Marina Mabrey landing spots + the most entertaining Unrivaled team(7:38) — What's the most top-heavy position in the (W)NBA?(10:21) — How do coaches decide when to make an adjustment?(22:53) — What's behind teams being able to erase big leads more easily?(28:55) — What lineup(s) should the Rockets close playoff games with?(33:50) — How sustainable is the Pelicans' offense?(38:28) — Examining the Blazers' late-game offense & Tiago Splitter(43:43) — What can we take away from this Pacers season?(49:28) — The perception around Bam vs Evan Mobley, Jaden McDaniels' switching, and 2nd round pick trade value(57:52) — Memorable role player performances(01:01:49) — How should rec-level teams attack a 2-3 zone?

LA Clippers vs. Portland Trailblazers NBA Pick Prediction by Tony T. Clippers vs. Trailblazers Injuries Jones, Paul and Zubac are out for LA. Grant, Henderson, Holiday, Thybulle and Wesley are out for Portland with Murray and Williams questionable. Recent Box Score Key Stats Clippers at Trailblazers 10PM ET—LA improved to 8-21 following their 128-108 home victory against Houston Rockets. Clippers shot 55% with 54% from three. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 41 points with eight rebounds. James Harden delivered 29 points with six assists.

Today, on Notable Leaders' Radio, I am going to share the wisdom from this year's guests. I noticed a theme in the messages that the guests shared. They each spoke from their perspectives on the importance of failure and being human as key elements of their success. Not the lack of them, but rather embracing them. In today's episode, we discuss: Remember that you succeed because you're human, not despite it. Give yourself permission to feel, learn, and be imperfect, self‑trust and humanity fuel far better leadership than white‑knuckled control ever will Commit fully to the action and loosen your grip on the outcome. When you focus on aligned effort instead of rigid results, "failure" turns into feedback, experimentation feels safer, and it becomes much easier to stay in motion. Let your intuition come to work. The quirks, nonlinear career steps, and hard‑won stories you're tempted to hide are often exactly what make your leadership memorable, trustworthy, and uniquely valuable. Build flexible "blueprints" instead of rigid scripts. Map out where you're headed, but hold the plan lightly so you can adjust to new information, opportunities, or constraints without losing your sense of direction. In seasons of disruption, ask: Who am I becoming? Instead of freezing or bracing for impact, use job changes, industry shifts, or personal upheavals as prompts to align more closely with the kind of leader and human you want to be. Normalize vulnerability as part of your leadership toolkit. Naming your struggles, asking for help, or saying "I don't know yet" builds trust, strengthens teams, and creates room for others to be honest about what they need to thrive. Belinda's Bio:  Belinda is a sought-after Leadership Advisor, Coach, Consultant, and Keynote speaker, and a leading authority in guiding global executives, professionals, and small business owners to become today's highly respected leaders. As the Founder of BelindaPruyne.com, Belinda works with organizations such as IBM, Booz Allen Hamilton, BBDO, The BAM Connection, Hilton, Leidos, Yale School of Medicine, Landis, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Discovery Channel. Most recently, she redesigned two global internal advertising agencies for Cella, a leader in creative staffing and consulting. She is a founding C-suite and executive management coach for Chief, the fastest-growing executive women's network. Since 2020, Belinda has conducted over 120 interviews with top-level executives and business leaders, who share their personal journeys to success, revealing the truth about what it took to achieve their success on her Notable Leaders Radio podcast. She gained a wealth of expertise in the client services industry as Executive Vice President and Global Director of Creative Management at Grey Advertising, managing over 500 people worldwide. With over 20+ years of leadership development experience, she brings industry-wide recognition to the executives and companies she works with. Whether a startup, turnaround, acquisition, or global corporation, executives and companies continue to turn to Pruyne for strategic and impactful solutions in a rapidly shifting economy and marketplace.   Website: Belindapruyne.com Email Address: hello@belindapruyne.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindapruyne  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NotableLeadersNetwork.BelindaPruyne/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/belindapruyne?lang=en  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belindapruyne/  Surround yourself with experienced mentors. From public speaking training to business skills, Jourdan emphasizes that growing into leadership is a journey supported by those who have already walked the path.

Sacramento Kings lose to the Portland Trail Blazers 98-93In this episode of The Royal Report I discuss the Kings finally losing with a purpose, the performances of the rookies Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell, and why the current starting lineup doesn't work.

Ray and Nick break down the most recent run of basketball for the Sacramento Kings as 2025 draws to a close, before previewing the games for the Kings in the week ahead. They start out by discussing the ins and outs of an 0-3 week for the Kings, including the encouraging recent overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers that they previewed with Joe Freeman of the Oregonian/OregonLive in the previous episode. Then, they discuss some of the most recent comments from head coach Doug Christie on the state of the rotation for the Kings. Finally, they preview the games in the week ahead, including another showdown with the Portland Trail Blazers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Portland Trailblazers vs. Sacramento Kings NBA Pick Prediction by Tony T. Trailblazers vs. Kings Injuries Henderson, Holiday, Thybulle and Wesley are out for Portland with Grant questionable. Eubanks, LaVine and Sabonis are out for Sacramento with McDermott questionable. Recent Box Score Key Stats Trailblazers at Kings 10PM ET—Portland improved to 11-16 following their 134-133 overtime home victory against Sacramento. Trailblazers shot 48% with 33% from three. Deni Avdija led the team with 35 points with five assists. Shaedon Sharpe contributed 26 points with four assists. Sacramento dropped to 6-21. DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points with four rebounds. Maxime Raynaud chipped in with 29 points with 11 rebounds.

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers beating the Kings in overtime Thursday night at Moda Center• You've got to learn how to win "ugly" games in the NBA• Facing the Kings again Saturday night, this time in Sacramento• The 1999-2000 Trail Blazers roster returning to Moda Center for a reunion at Monday's game versus the Pistons• Celebrating that team that came a quarter short from a trip to the NBA Finals has been a long time coming• The team putting a renewed emphasis on welcoming back former players and coaches• All-Star voting is open and you should stuff the ballot box for Deni Avdija, who is putting up numbers this season that only Luka, Jokic and Giannis are hitting

Blessed by a bad foul call at the end

Sacramento Kings lose to the Portland Trail Blazers 134-133In this episode of The Royal Report I discuss the foul call that lost the Kings the game, the career high 29 points from Maxime Raynaud, and the mixed up rotations from the coaching staff.

The Chicago Bulls just picked up a statement win over the Cavaliers—and it revealed something important

Nate and Danny dig into a Western Conference mailbag for the Grizzlies, Wolves, Pelicans, Thunder, Suns, and Blazers, focusing on young bigs, long-term team-building, and how to survive in an OKC/Wemby/Jokic world.Memphis Grizzlies — 0:15What has Zach Edey's overall impact been so far, and why hasn't his strong play gotten more discussion?Given that most of Memphis' wins with Edey back came against sub-.500 teams, what's actually real and what projects beyond this season?Why are Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. “bad all of a sudden”—how much of it is attitude, effort, health, or role?Minnesota Timberwolves — 12:00If Tim Connelly decides to make a significant move, what sort of framework should he pursue—selling high on Julius Randle, moving Rudy Gobert to lower long-term risk while raising ceiling, or something else entirely?Who is a realistic trade target for Minnesota at point guard who can shoot, defend enough, and still let Anthony Edwards be the primary creator?What is Rob Dillingham's trade value right now—does he bring back even a late first?Why did the Wolves let Nickiel Alexander-Walker go—could they really not find a way to keep him or other options?How good is the offensive chemistry between Gobert and Randle actually—are they meaningfully helping each other?New Orleans Pelicans — 26:23Do Derik Queen's flaws—lack of true center size and questionable mobility—ultimately cap his long-term ceiling, or can his creation ability and defensive hands make those weaknesses not matter as much?If you're the Pelicans, what kind of offers would you need to seriously consider moving each of Jose Alvarado, Zion Williamson, Sadiq Bey, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III?Oklahoma City Thunder — 36:57Is OKC the deepest team of all time when fully healthy, given their bench of Kason Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, AJ Mitchell, Kenrich Williams, J-Will, etc.?Which Western Conference teams, if any, would intentionally punt games against the Clippers late in the season to worsen the pick OKC owns from LA?What is AJ Mitchell doing defensively that makes him so effective?How many All-Stars should the Thunder have this season?If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were to get hurt in the playoffs, how good would OKC's offense remain—could they still realistically win a series or two?Which Western Conference teams have the best chance of beating OKC in a playoff series, and how would you rank the Rockets, Spurs, and Nuggets as threats?Phoenix Suns — 47:45Given the Suns' surprising competence plus the fact they don't control their own firsts, has your view changed on how they should operate over the next 2–3 years?If you were running the Suns and received a strong offer for Devin Booker, would you trade him?With the Suns hovering around the 6-seed race, could they be sneaky buyers at the deadline—and if so, what position or role should they target given their current roster and Jalen Green's fit?Portland Trail Blazers — 53:05Is Portland's rebuild a failure—especially considering taking Scoot over Amen, choosing Klingan over Edey, trading out of the Cedric Coward spot for Hansen, and the current returns on Shaedon Sharpe?With OKC, Wembanyama's Spurs, and Jokic's Nuggets (plus Houston) as massive obstacles, how should the other Western teams approach big-picture strategy, timelines, and the pursuit of relevance?Have any of Sharpe, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan actually improved from last year, or is it fair to say none of them have taken a real step forward? Join Dunc'd On Prime! It's the only place to get every episode with Nate & Danny, plus every pod with John Hollinger & Nate as well!Subscribe on YouTube to get Dunc'd On Clutch Calls, Real Video Scouts, and more.Or, sign up for our FREE mailing list to get Dan Feldman's Daily Duncs with all the major topics around the league twice a week. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do they deserve to be 8.5-pt favorites?

Joe Freeman of the Oregonian/OregonLive joins Ray and Nick to preview the upcoming two games between the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers. They start out by discussing Portland's season so far, including overwhleming injuries and the early returns on new head coach Tiago Splitter. Finally, they wrap up by talking about some of the key matchups for the upcoming games, including the head-to-head matchup of two of the NBA's best young defensive forwards in Keegan Murray and Toumani Camara. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plus, Donovan Clingan is an offensive rebounding monster

Color Analyst for Rip City TV, Lamar Hurd joins the guys to discuss the optimism surrounding this Blazers team and what they can accomplish this year?

In Hour 1, Willard and Dibs discuss how the Golden State Warriors' loss against the Portland Trail Blazers was arguably a bigger story than the 49ers' tenth win.

On the latest episode of The Blazers Balcony, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Brooke Olzendam and Casey Holdahl discuss...• The Trail Blazers defeating the Warriors for the third time this season at Moda Center on Sunday • Winning the season series versus the Warriors for the first time since the 2020-21 season• Jerami Grant, Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija all having impressive performances versus Golden State• Finally overcoming a great shooting night from Steph Curry after not doing so for a decade• A great crowd Sunday at Moda Center• The team's new "box" award for defense that they're giving out after every game• A supportive locker room• Good vibes in the gym even after losses• Hoping that Jrue Holiday and Matisse Thybulle are able to return some time soon• Decorating for the holidays after returning from a road trip, trying to keep it fair when no one really cares, Steph Curry as Nicole Kidman, "LEBRON" Blazers license plates, Cheri O'Terri is not Rachel Dratch

First we talk about how we're feeling after a rough stretch of games for the Portland Trail Blazers. Injuries suck, waiting sucks, but watching a team lean into its identity, and watching young players make the most of their unexpected opportunities always warms our hearts. We talk about how Deni Avdija, Jeremi Grant, Duop Reath and Toumani Camara are keeping the team afloat while carefully falling down and quickly getting back up.  Then, We Have A Talk about Sidy Cissoko and what a surprisingly hard time getting pretty basic information about his journey to the NBA. From France to Spain to the G League to San Antonio, Sidy made a lot of stops but we still don't know how many brothers he has or what he wore on draft night! Local media has a great opportunity here to give us a profile about Sidy (hint hint hint)0:00 Vibe Check 5:00 Smart Falls10:00 Missing games18:50 Injury slide22:00 That team ugh27:00 Article about Communication by Joe Freeman The silence is deafening: A look at 1 of the Trail Blazers' quietest problems30:00 We have a talk about Sidy Cissoko37:30 Relative ages of Blazer players 40:00 Early life and family45:00 Languages in the locker room52:30 Basketball connections1:01:00 Time with the Ignite1:15:00 Can't wait to see Scoot and Sidy play together on the BlazersPlea for media to do an English language profile of Sidi Cissoko1:25:00 TakesSourcesFilm Sesh with the G-League Ignite's Sidy Cissoko | The Draftdaq Sidy Cissoko 2023 NBA Draft Scouting Report | Prospect Profile | 2023 NBA Mock DraftSidy Cissoko | Meet The Rookies Interview with Michelle BeadleHow Sidy Cissoko turned depression into productivity | Pounding The RockSidy Cissoko Was Destined to Land With the Trail Blazers: 'It's a Small World'

Why are NBA stars getting injured at such a high rate? What is the reason for the increase in soft tissue injuries? What should the NBA do? Listen to our latest podcast as we sit down with Tom Haberstroh, writer for Yahoo Sports and analytics insider for the Portland Trailblazers.

Travis Demers and Chad Doing revisit something they had talked about - where would be Blazers be after the NBA Cup added games? Did it align with their hopes?  They also talk about the team's health, and the big picture implications.  

Mike, Deuce, and Charlie discussed the LHSAA State Championship action. The guys celebrated the Pelicans breaking their extended losing streak in the Smoothie King Center against the Portland Trail Blazers. Jeff Hundley, the CEO of the Sugar Bowl, joined Fans and the Pro. Hundley broke down the preparations for the big game in New Orleans on January 1st. He explained the future of the Sugar Bowl in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and semifinals. Deuce also spoke to a WWL listener about Lane Kiffin's departure for LSU.

Mike, Deuce, and Charlie discussed the LHSAA State Championship action. The guys celebrated the Pelicans breaking their extended losing streak in the Smoothie King Center against the Portland Trail Blazers. Jeff Hundley, the CEO of the Sugar Bowl, joined Fans and the Pro. Live from the Superdome, WWL's Ian Auzenne shared an update on the LHSAA State Championship games. Mike and Deuce interviewed Jake Delhomme, an analyst for the Panthers radio network. The guys shared their keys to a Saints victory over the Panthers on Sunday in the Superdome.

Send us a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers losing to the Pelicans in New Orleans Thursday night in a "NBA Cup Consolation Bracket" game• The Trail Blazers having just 10 players -- eight on NBA contracts and three on two-way contracts -- in uniform on Thursday, with none of those players being taller than 6-9• Hosting the Warriors on Sunday -- it's Damian Lillard collectable glass night! -- and then having three days off before a home-and-road series versus the Kings• There's no point in trying to predict when players will return from injury, though hopefully that will be the case with so many off days coming up• Deni Avdija being named to ESPN's "Top 25 Players Under The Age of 25" list

Ben Kenyon is a veteran NBA Performance Coach who has spent the last 11 seasons working in the league with the world's best athletes and coaches. He most recently was the Director of Performance for the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to that, Ben was the Performance Coach for the Portland Trail Blazers for seven years. Throughout his 20-year career, Ben has learned how to focus, navigate, perform and grow personally and professionally in high-stress environments. These are the same principles he used to complete three Half Ironman races, two Olympic-distance triathlons, one marathon and multiple half marathons. As the ultimate hype man, he values boldness and outrageous optimism. @ben_kenyon_www.greatdaytoclimb.com#benjaminkenyon #directorofperformance #nba #author #climb #optimism #grateful #tsc #gogetit Chip Baker Social Mediahttps://www.wroteby.me/chipbaker

Portugal. The Man singer & songwriter John Gourley chats with Trey Elling, during the bands US tour in support of their new album, Shish. Topics include:Making Shish (0:00)Falsetto (8:34)More on Shish (16:36)Living in the Alaskan woods (18:47)Dogsledding (24:05)Fatherhood (29:48)"Feel It Still" (31:58)"Sleep Forever" (41:28)Appreciating what we have (45:05)The Portland Trailblazers (53:28)

Send us a textWith Zion likely out all of December, the Pelicans are getting a preview of the future. On this episode we breakdown if Zion Williamson & Derik Queen can co-exist, the problem with the Pelicans defense, Fears & Queen chances at ROTY, and what to look forward to in the game vs the Portland Trailblazers. #Pelicans #ZionWilliamson #DerikQueen #JeremiahFears #NewOrleansPelicans #NBABasketball #SaddiqBey #TreyMurphy #JamesBorrego #JordanPoole #NOLA #PelicansNation

Embattled Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has sold his house in Portland. Does this officially mean he's never coming back?

In Hour 2, Isaac and Suke debate where Giannis Antetokounmpo would end up if he was traded by the Milwaukee Bucks, try to guess who Penn State's next football coach will be, and more.

Does Giannis Antetokounmpo really want out of Milwaukee? Where do you think he would end up if he's traded?

On this edition of The Blazers Balcony, presented by Spirit Moutain Casino, Brooke Olzendam and Casey Holdahl discuss...• The Trail Blazers starting a four-game trip with a close loss to the Raptors in Toronto• Portland rallying in the fourth quarter in Toronto but unable to overcome missed free throws (and at least one missed call)• The Blazers bouncing back by winning in Cleveland on the second night of a back-to-back• The pre-game film session in Cleveland that helped Portland get the win• Portland players refusing to give up even in losses• Free throws, free throws and more free throws• Finishing the trip on Friday versus the Pistons and Sunday versus the Grizzlies• RoboCop statues, telling someone they're tall in an elevator might be part of our evolution, sit down Matisse and how long can you keep Lil' Caesars pizza 

Ken Carman and Anthony Lima react to the Cleveland Cavaliers' Thursday night loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, and address producer Owen Lademann's frustrations with being told to attend a game for the struggling Cavs.