PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin made a positive impression on the team's fanbase during a conversation (don't call it a press conference) with media on Thursday. He gave off a warm, positive vibe, answered questions with confidence and provided the impression he'll be given the autonomy to make major moves with the team's roster.
This week was also full of drama surrounding Blazers superstar guard Damian Lillard and national media, first with a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick and then with an article by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that many suspected used former Blazers general manager Neil Olshey as a main source. Lillard was critical of both pieces and then spoke out during shootaround this week, saying he wanted to stay in Portland and wasn't demanding a trade.
On this week's episode of KGW's 3-on-3 Blazers podcast, Orlando Sanchez and Jared Cowley share their first impressions of Cronin, discuss the articles that were written about Lillard and the Blazers this week and whether Lillard's reaction to them was justified, and assess the current state of the Blazers on the court.
LISTEN: 3-on-3 Blazers podcast
Meet the 3-on-3 Blazers team
Orlando Sanchez is the sports anchor and report for KGW News, Sports Sunday and Friday Night Flights. Orlando has covered multiple NBA Finals, NCAA basketball tournaments and World Series. Jared Cowley is the digital executive producer for KGW News. He writes about the Blazers and other topics for kgw.com. Jared has written about the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors as a sports editor at two daily newspaper.
