The gaudy production we saw from C.J. McCollum during exhibition play means Portland actually has two players to tempt any fantasy owner.

Before we bless our faithful readers with this comprehensive look, it’s important to recognize what the national media is saying at this point in the process. Spoiler alert: It’s not largely positive.

"Tim Duncan once told me that too many guys in this league try to do everything," Mason said. "I explained to Farouq: 'If you really buckle in and focus on becoming a good defender, you can be one of the premier defensive players in the league. You can really find your mark.'"

As the bartender at the Ratskeller in Government Camp said, they have dish TV and can't get Comcast because the wires don't run up to Mount Hood. When the Blazers are playing and the game isn't on at the Rat, the bar puts the name and phone number of the Blazers general manager on the door and encourages patrons to call and complain about the exclusive contract with Comcast.

So sad.

The two went face-to-face near the end of the Blazers-Clippers preseason game after Jordan -- out of the game and standing on the sideline -- leaned into the court and talked into McCollum's ear. Later in the possession, McCollum swished a three-pointer in front of the Clippers bench, staring at Jordan as he ran back on defense.

For Lillard, this comes after a year that some could describe as "down." Many of his advanced analytics measurements saw upticks in his overall production. And yet, he was highly scrutinized for poor defense, saw a 5.1 percent decrease in 3-point accuracy, and wasn't able to live up to the clutch scoring badge he had earned in his first two seasons.

I'm still not convinced by all these high projections, but this is another one.

16 players unders contract and desperate. My have to waive Jones.

Meyers probably won't be extended. And apparently, Stotts and Olshey haven't always seen eye to eye.