WHAT Lately

Rose and Tara wrap up their thoughts on the 2025-26 season, talk about the new Fire season and announce the winners of the 2025-26 WHAT Awards, the only awards that matter!

The season is wrapping up, the Blazers are in the play in as the 8th seed! We caught up about our early thoughts on the new ownerships, answer listener questions, and threaten to withhold the WHAT Awards if they don't take care of business with Sacramento. (They did, here is the ballot: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOLS994wBT_UuvQooK033nXf818cS2NzKgnYQY1zAEShDF9g/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117146787304348480959)7:00 New ownership first impressions15:00 Did we get kicked out of the group chat?20:00 Matisse Thybulle, house cat25:00 Centers Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III taking (and making) threes31:00 Question from Jason: Would you rather the Blazers make the playoffs or be in the lottery?40:00 Blake Wesley or Caleb Love next season?42:00 San Pedro ‪@linssenp.bsky.social‬ Eventful season47:00 KeanuReevesBook; enough with the Clippers!! 59:00 Rose (does not) define “double dribble” and “traveling” (question via @octdesertlover.bsky.social1:02:00 Keith wish we could have seen more Yang Hansen 

Announcing the 2026 WHAT Award Nominations!First we caught up with Conor Bergin of Blazers Edge then he joined us to announce the nominees for the Most Important Awards of all, the 2026 WHAT Awards! 1:00 Catching up with Conor: Coach is arrested, Deni Avdija is an All Star, Donovan is a beast, Tiago Splitter is holding it down, Vít Krejčí arrives . . . It was great catching up with him to get some behind the scenes stories about this Blazer’s season. 15:30 Sidy (pronounced City) Cissoko profile - how it came about, what didn’t make it into the article41:00 WHAT Award nominations introduction42:00 Most Valuable Blazer:Donovan ClinganTiago SplitterSidy Cissoko & Caleb Love “Two Way Brigade”Deni Avdija52:00 Blazer CutiePat ConnaughtonJusuf NurkicDeandre AytonRodney Hood1:01:00 Fashion MomentBlake Wesley big shortsToumani HeadbandJerami Grant hand made hatsKris Murray’s commitment to team issued sweats1:13:00 Most Improved BlazerDonovan ClinganToumani CamaraRob Williams IIISidy Cissoko1:17:30 MVPDonovan Clingan's dog Ollie Kris Murray's dogs Rosie and Indie Maybe: Vít Krejčí’s dog who we don’t know anything about but Conor is going to find out their name and we’re sure they are a very good girl or good boy. +1:26:00 Celebrator man of the year awardSidy CissokoScoot HendersonBlake WesleyThe Box1:33:00 Takes

We catch up on how we are feeling about the team now vs expectations we had in the beginning of the season. We also ask about what we have been surprised about? Then we do a deep dive into Blake "Hot Wheels" Wesley (a nickname we should all get behind!)00:10 Expectations vs reality6:30 Half time adjustments who knew we'd ever come to love the 3rd quarter? 10:15 Donovan Klingan's growth36:15 Blake "Hot Wheels" Westley: Early life and NBA52:53 Family and Community1:1:18:47 Nicknames: if a player has to give themselves a nickname thats on us 1:24:15 Schedule chaos (and betting Booooooooo)https://x.com/MananaZoo/status/1942742940666786296 Spurs Fans Reddit thread about Blake WesleyAfter ‘depressing’ summer, Blake Wesley in mix for spot in Trail Blazers rotationFrost Spurs Stories | San Antonio Spurs Blake Wesley's Trip Back Home What Blake Wesley brings to the San Antonio Spurs: ‘He got guys easier shots’ - The AthleticEx-Riley hoops coach threatens lawsuit against South Bend schoolsDerrick Wesley, Jr. v. South Bend Community School Corporation et al, No. 3:2019cv00032 - Document 53 (N.D. Ind. 2019) :: Justia

Its All Star Break and we're talking about Portland Trail Blazer's FOUR participants in the festivities: Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen in the Rising Stars, Deni Avdija in the All Star Game and of course, or special guy, the man of the people, storyteller and the heart of RipCity, Damian Lillard, THREE time 3 Point Contest winner!Plus - a few more Blazer tier rankings, takes and a few minutes on Olympics to open it up!

Scoot Henderson and Blake Wesley are back! We're thrilled to be able to talk about these speedy guards and how they are impacting the game already a few games in.Plus! Today we're revealing our definitive (for us) ranking system for former Blazers! Learn more about the tiers we've defined (for ourselves) and see if they work for you! 1:00 Goodbye to Duop Reath and hello Vít Krejčí!9:00 Welcome back Scoot Henderson and Blake Wesley15:00 Blazers who should do winter Olympic sports20:00 Tier List of Blazer Cuties (and not Blazer cuties, they know who they are)Tier 1: I will always love you by Dolly PartonTier 2: I will remember you by Sarah McLachlanTier 3:Thank u, Next, Ariana GrandeTier 4: Somebody that I used to know by Gotye (featuring Kimbra) Tier 5: Bad Blood by Taylor SwiftMake your own tier at https://tiermaker.com/create/we-have-a-take-blazer-cuties-ranked-19143354. Let us know who you added and where you ranked them!Share them with us @wehaveatake on Bluesky, Threads and Instagram!Plus we added the songs to our 2025-26 Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxOnzthpcdt6OjnRUAhtsMqbtNR4A68m6&si=X4Fnsc2NvlbdVwCj

7:00 Deni Avdija All Star Votes11:00 Impressions and feelings about two recent articles about Deni https://www.nba.com/news/the-athletic-deni-avdijas-unexpected-rise-to-nbas-new-breakout-star-and-israels-greatest-player-everhttps://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2026/01/the-cost-of-deni-avdijas-new-stardom-he-can-no-longer-avoid-questions-about-israel-and-gaza-bill-oram.html36:00 Rip City United Season ticket holder event56:00 Question from Jason 1:03:00 Taker Take about weddings (congrats!)1:07:00 Our takes

Not gonna lie, the vibes are high! Thanks for the skeets @linssenp.bsky.social‬⁠, @jamesgameboy.bsky.social‬⁠, @madoccassia.bsky.social‬⁠, @hecubus01.bsky.social !!:30 Post laker win glow3:15 Atlanta game and Jrue Holiday’s return6:45 What is the “end of the bench” anymore anyway? 8:30 We think about Scoot Henderson’s return at least once a day15:00 Shaedon is consistent even under increased pressure20:50 Shaedon is also starting offense with defense26:00 Caleb Love love31:00 Blazer parent feel good Instagram accounts34:00 Shot Attempts38:00 How far the team has come as measured by Jrue’s return42:00 Is Jerami Grant taking a fiber arts class? 45:00 ‪@linssenp.bsky.social‬ Injured players return to the lineup48:00 ‪Keanu_reevebooks‬ ‪uptempo ballhandlers! 57:30  ‪madoccassia ❌ 👑‬ ‪How the vets and the young bloods reintegrate1:04:00 ‪Jason‬ Turnovers. 1:11:11 What is behind Jerami Grant’s frowny face?1:14:00 Takes

Friend of the pod, Rip City Remix correspondent and anchor of the group chat, catrenzer joined us today to talk about if what we are seeing from the Blazers is real, then she talks to us about what she is watching about the Remix this season. :30 WHAT about the friends we made along the way5:00 The blazers are on a winning streak(s!)11:00 Is this real? Donovan Clingan, Deni Avdija, defense, (and rebounds and communication)24:00 Rob Williams/Yang Hansen minutes28:00 RipCity Remix - Yang Hansen observations40:00 What changes might occur when/if Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love get full contracts47:00 Experimenting in the G League 51:00 People and player watching at a G League game 1:10:00 Takes!Cat: Correct spelling of Sidy CissokoTara: Enjoy this now, we don’t know what new ownership might changeRose: Popcorn makes games even better

2:03 Recapping the night honoring the 1999-2000 team.19:00 Dunk updateThen, We had a talk about YOUR takes. What's on your mind, Takers? 28:25 Dave’s not here man‬ ‪@pacnwce.bsky.social‬ Take:  finding out Deni can produce like a star is the most important thing to happen to the Trail Blazers future since Cronin took over.  It’s Deni’s world, we’re just living in it32:35 Octdesertlover‬ ‪@octdesertlover.bsky.social‬ You've probably seen this one from me before but......they should sell peppermint bark year round.  I know there are other peppermint chocolate stuff the rest of the year but peppermint bark > York peppermint patties.35:30 Jason‬ ‪@hecubus01.bsky.social‬ Ok, I’ve thought of one. Robert Williams won’t be traded & will be signed to a team friendly deal in the off season.38:00  Jason ‪@hecubus01.bsky.social‬ Also the Golden Globes need to figure out some of their categories like what constitutes a comedy/musical nominee. Cinematic & Box office Achievement?! C’mon! You have the new Avatar nominated in that category & it hasn’t even come out yet!41:30  ‪Pedro‬ ‪@linssenp.bsky.social‬ I wish the Blazers (and other sports teams) would be more forthcoming with information on players injuries and their progress/rehab. What’s your take?Catherine‬ ‪@catrenzer.bsky.social‬ Sneak-attack cheering is not cool. What is that? When GS & Lakers fans flood Moda and don’t cheer for their team until they gain a good lead in the 3rd or 4th Q, and come to life only when they are winning. If you are going to cheer for your team, do it (respectfully), winning or losing.‪53:29 Keanu_reevebooks‬ ‪@jamesgameboy.bsky.social‬ Here's a crazy one: I don't care if the Blazers ever win another championship. We currently have a roster full of guys that I like watching/hearing about. As long as they're competitive/progressing, that's what I want. (Obviously I don't want the players or front office to feel that way haha)58:00 ‪Mr. 503 Gavi HaCohen‬ ‪@gavihacohen.bsky.social‬ My take is that whatever Meredith Marks did on the airplane can’t be that bad because the air marshals didn’t get involved and im tired of hearing Heather talk about it like she's Jen Shah1:06 Rose’s friend Chelsea: I feel like many people have this take, but it’s honestly just refreshing to watch these guys play. Win or lose. The entire team seems to have a fight in them and I don’t think that’s something we’ve really seen in a long time. Even when Dame was on the team way back when it often felt like he was the only one holding us up. It feels like we have a team who plays together and not just a whole bunch of guys supporting one or two others.1:10:00 Die Mad (@playest.bsky.social ) Deni is our best player but the secret MVP is actually Sidy!Our best lineup for the season was when Sidy started.Deni is 6.1 points per 100 possessions better with Sidy on the floor than withoutSharpe is 7.1 points betterToumani is 6.3 points betterJerami is 14.6 points betterGood things happen when he is on the floor.1:13: 30 Rose’s daughter:  Ollie is going to win MVP season 1:16 Rose’s husband: my year-end take in honor of the late Rob Reiner: The Princess Bride is the greatest movie of all time and 2nd place isn't close1:20 Tara and Rose’s takes