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When speaking recently with Jason Quick of The Athletic, new Portland Trail Blazers head coach Micah Nori shut down any suggestion that Jrue Holiday might be traded ... despite the franchise's addition of Ja Morant.
“I know a lot of people think that these are going to be chain-reaction trades – and who knows how it is going to go, but Jrue Holiday is a big part of what we’ve got going,” Nori said. “And I just want to let him know that I’m going to continue putting him in positions to be successful, and that he’s earned the right to talk to me about what he is comfortable doing.”
Holiday clearly took the latter part of Nori's quote to heart, given what he told his new sideline leader via Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
Nori came within a series of reaching the NBA Finals in each of the 2024 and 2025 postseasons, as he and the Minnesota Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back years.
But the Timberwolves were never able to get over the hump ... even though they could've.
According to Holiday, had he been paired with Nori in Minnesota, that wouldn't have been the case.
“Jrue did tell me if he was on one of our Minnesota teams the last three years — any of those teams — we would have won a championship,” Nori said. “So there was that. But he was great.”
That's quite the statement from Holiday ... but, honestly, who can blame him?
The long-time NBA veteran is a two-time champion, and you could make a real case that without his services, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics don't win their titles in 2021 and 2024, respectively, without Holiday.
He's that impactful — hence why Nori emphasized Holiday's importance to what Portland is trying to do moving forward.
The logjam in the backcourt is certainly an issue, don't get me wrong. That's absolutely an aspect of roster construction that will need some sorting out, because I don't envision the fan base being totally sold on a four-guard lineup.
But if the Blazers were to try and compound multiple backcourt members to swing some sort of trade for a complementary piece next to franchise anchor Donovan Clingan ... Holiday won't be a part of that deal.
He's got a home now in Portland, and Nori appears intent on keeping it that way.
Continue reading...
“I know a lot of people think that these are going to be chain-reaction trades – and who knows how it is going to go, but Jrue Holiday is a big part of what we’ve got going,” Nori said. “And I just want to let him know that I’m going to continue putting him in positions to be successful, and that he’s earned the right to talk to me about what he is comfortable doing.”
Holiday clearly took the latter part of Nori's quote to heart, given what he told his new sideline leader via Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
Nori came within a series of reaching the NBA Finals in each of the 2024 and 2025 postseasons, as he and the Minnesota Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back years.
But the Timberwolves were never able to get over the hump ... even though they could've.
According to Holiday, had he been paired with Nori in Minnesota, that wouldn't have been the case.
“Jrue did tell me if he was on one of our Minnesota teams the last three years — any of those teams — we would have won a championship,” Nori said. “So there was that. But he was great.”
That's quite the statement from Holiday ... but, honestly, who can blame him?
The long-time NBA veteran is a two-time champion, and you could make a real case that without his services, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics don't win their titles in 2021 and 2024, respectively, without Holiday.
He's that impactful — hence why Nori emphasized Holiday's importance to what Portland is trying to do moving forward.
The logjam in the backcourt is certainly an issue, don't get me wrong. That's absolutely an aspect of roster construction that will need some sorting out, because I don't envision the fan base being totally sold on a four-guard lineup.
But if the Blazers were to try and compound multiple backcourt members to swing some sort of trade for a complementary piece next to franchise anchor Donovan Clingan ... Holiday won't be a part of that deal.
He's got a home now in Portland, and Nori appears intent on keeping it that way.
Continue reading...
