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Oregon’s big man is off to the draft. Kind of.
I asked for questions. You guys delivered.
Let’s not waste any time here. Here’s a mailbag that covers Nate Bittle’s declaration for the NBA Draft, what the Timbers need out of their next five games, how I’d “magic wand” Oregon football and basketball and who wins an NBA championship next: Portland or Seattle.
With Nate Bittle (rightly) testing his draft stock, how should Dana Altman approach the gaping hole at center? It might be a delicate situation in terms of luring someone from the portal. — Paul
I don’t know if coaches can filter their height preferences when logging in to view the transfer portal, but if they do, I would hope Dana Altman is strictly looking at dudes 6-foot-10 and up.
Bittle announced on Monday that he was going to enter the NBA Draft. The good news for the Ducks is the 7-footer is going to maintain his collegiate eligibility and explicitly stated that, should he return to college, he’s going to do so with Oregon.
Unlike last year, when the Ducks went through this dance with N’Faly Dante, there are no roadblocks with the NCAA in Bittle playing another year. His waiver has already been approved.
And while I’m pretty confident that Bittle needs an extra year of seasoning — and will eventually hear that from the NBA folks, too — I don’t think the Ducks have the luxury of waiting to find out. Bittle wasn’t just the one true center on Oregon’s roster this season, he was the only player on the team taller than 6-foot-9. And the Ducks will lose two of their three other players on the roster — Brandon Angel and Supreme Cook — taller than 6-foot-8 this offseason.
You’re right, though. The challenge will be trying to convince a player who already believed they weren’t being utilized enough in their previous situation to come to an Oregon team that may or may not have an all-conference big man returning to it this summer.
It’s tricky, but it’s necessary. Unlike last year, the Ducks don’t have a Nate Bittle to make up for the loss of Dante.
What can the Ducks realistically expect from Dakorien Moore this season? — Shane Hoffmann
It’s one of the more intriguing questions of the upcoming football season for the Ducks.
Moore is their highest-rated receiver ever, and comes to Oregon with a highlight reel that includes plays such as this one:
They compared him to Ja’Marr Chase in that clip. And it’s not the first time that’s been thrown around, either.
From ESPN’s Tom Luginbill and Craig Haubert last week:
“Moore is a bigger, more physical version of outgoing Ducks receiver Tez Johnson. Even by Oregon’s lofty standards, Moore is a special athlete. He’s reminiscent of Ja’Marr Chase and is one of the most acrobatic, naturally gifted pass-catchers we’ve evaluated over the past 20 years. Moore checks all the boxes physically, but his competitive temperament sets him apart. He truly loves to play the game.”
Tez Johnson and Chase are pretty good company to keep. And that temperament seems to check out with what Oregon coach Dan Lanning has seen thus far.
“One of the things that makes him so special is he came here multiple times on Saturday Night Live and was able to go out there and compete,” Lanning said in December. “And he’s a guy that didn’t have to go out there and run, and he wants to do every single drill and show everybody why he’s so talented. Whether it’s playing wideout or even going out there at DB or running the 40, he’s the guy that wants to be involved in that, and so we’re thrilled to have him in our program.”
Lanning and quarterback Dante Moore have both complimented Dakorien Moore’s maturity this spring, with Dante recently telling the Ducks of a Feather podcast that Dakorien has been an on-field leader already who hasn’t been afraid to call out teammates when needed.
Their coach agreed.
“You don’t have to be a senior to be a leader,” Lanning said. “You don’t have to have experience to be a leader, right? But you have to be willing to put yourself out there, and Dakorien, as well as several other players on our team, are taking that lead, right? They’re stepping up and taking advantage of opportunities to lead.”
At 5-foot-11, the 5-star from Duncanville, Texas is undoubtedly a talented player. And, Oregon saw first-hand last season just how much of an impact a true freshman receiver can make. And while we’re not ready to start comparing Moore to Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, those dudes up there earlier in this story were already doing the Ja’Marr Chase thing.
In short, Moore has a high ceiling. And the Ducks have a need for it.
Johnson caught 169 passes over the last two seasons for the Ducks and is gone. So, too, is Traeshon Holden’s 708 yards and five touchdowns from 2024. Oregon returns just two wide receivers who tallied more than 25 receiving yards last season (Evan Stewart’s 613 and Justius Lowe’s 203).
There are candidates to make up for that production. Oregon brought in Florida State’s Malik Benson through the transfer portal. Gary Bryant Jr. is healthy and back as a sixth-year senior and the Ducks do return a handful of talented, less proven receivers such as Kyler Kasper and Jeremiah McClellan.
So, how much can we expect from Moore?
Well, here’s some notable true freshmen seasons from Oregon’s past:
Josh Huff: 19 catches, 303 yards, 3 TD in 2010
De’Anthony Thomas1: 1,200 yards from scrimmage (595 rushing, 605 receiving) 16 touchdowns in 2011
Charles Nelson: 23 catches, 327 yards, 5 touchdowns in 2014
Johnny Johnson III: 21 catches, 299 yards, 1 touchdown in 2017
Mycah Pittman: 18 catches, 227 yards, 2 touchdowns in 2019
Troy Franklin: 18 catches, 209 yards, 2 touchdowns in 2021
I’m not expecting 1,200 scrimmage yards from Moore, but I think the opportunity is there for something between the production/impact of Charles Nelson and De’Anthony Thomas.
What’s a “good” point tally for the Timbers’ next five matches (4 of which are on the road)? Who do you think the best signing of the off season was relative to the person they are replacing? — David Beffert
This part of the schedule can make or break a season — even this early in the year. Take the 2024 Portland Timbers for example. The Timbers were 2-2-1 at the end of March and facing five of their next six matches on the road.
And the wheels fell off.
Portland took three losses and three ties, going six games with just three points in a season where the Timbers ended up three points shy of Colorado and a secured playoff spot.
Having four of five on the road is not a spurt of games any club would want to go through, but this is actually a pretty intriguing slate for the Timbers in 2025. The four road games are against Austin, Kansas City, LA Galaxy and San Jose. The one home game is against LAFC.
Of those five teams, only Austin has a better points total (10 to 9) and goal differential (2 to 1) than Portland — and the Timbers already gave Austin one of its two losses of the season last month at Providence Park.
Two of the teams — LA Galaxy and Kansas City — are winless. One of the teams, San Jose (7 points), allows a lot of quality scoring opportunities and will be facing the Timbers right around the time the club expects Jonathan Rodriguez back.
I’d like to see the Timbers take eight points here. I’d love to see the Timbers take 10 points here.
The higher end of that is a bit lofty considering the club currently has 10 points through six matches and has only played twice on the road. But also, this club is a missed penalty call against LA Galaxy away from likely being on a three-match winning streak and sitting second in the West.
The form is there, and if it continues, I don’t think it’s outlandish to think this club could take wins against Kansas City and the Galaxy, and then find a win and tie against the remaining three.
As far as the best signing of the offseason, the candidates are:
Jimer Fory, Kevin Kelsy, Ariel Lassiter, Joao Ortiz and David Da Costa.
Da Costa has been excellent and the Timbers believe he’s still playing well below his ceiling. But he’s also replacing an MVP candidate, so we’ll call that a wash for now.
Lassiter is a depth piece. Kelsy’s production is very dependent on the creativity of the players around him and I think Ortiz has struggled to find his footing so far in a new league.
That leaves Fory. Yes, Sunday wasn’t his best game. He had a bad yellow card — his fourth in six games — that set up the free kick that led to Houston’s lone goal. He also didn’t pick up Franco Escobar along the back post on the kick.
But he’s so darn athletic, he’s very aggressive in advancing the ball up that left channel and, at 6-foot-2, is a fair bit better in the air than what the Timbers had in the past.
Plus, I think he looks cool with those black cleats on out there.
Following the model of Stanford hiring Andrew Luck as General Manager, which former Oregon Player would be best suited for the job? Alec E.
I somehow missed that Stanford named Luck, its former Heisman runner-up quarterback, its general manager back in November. Even if I had seen it, I probably would have figured it was some figurehead title just to get Luck’s name out in front of the boosters.
That perception would have changed last week when Luck fired Stanford coach Troy Taylor.
That’s no decision to be made by a figurehead.
While the Ducks kind of do have a GM already, Marshall Malchow’s role as Dan Lanning’s chief of staff is one Malchow describes as being a “sidekick” and primarily focuses on taking some responsibilities off his head coach’s shoulders.
It’s not quite on par with the power Luck seems to have at his alma mater.
So, who is a former Duck that could carry that sort of weight?
You want someone who has collegiate and NFL experience. You want someone who isn’t too far removed from the game. You want someone who is a bit of a name.
You can’t wait on Marcus Mariota — could you imagine Marcus having to fire someone?
The cerebral Joey Harrington has been away from football too long and has plenty on his hands already with the Harrington Family Foundation and his investment in the Portland Thorns.
So I’m going with Keanon Lowe. He was a beloved receiver during his time with the Ducks who is from Portland and played in the 2014 national championship game. He spent time as an offensive analyst for Chip Kelly with the Eagles and 49ers, worked on staff with UCLA and Nebraska, and has been the head coach over at Mountainside High School in Beaverton for the last two seasons.
He’s smart. He was known for his grit. He’s a hero.
You can sell that.
Or, I’m just waiting until Justin Herbert hits retirement and the former Sheldon star wants to start investing some of that big-time QB money.
What is the one “magic wand” change Tyson (as a journalist) and Justin (as a fan) would make for U of Oregon football and/or basketball? Anything from better press box food to a surefire one-and-done all-American shooting guard. You can make one change each, what is it?
Love the Corridor and the Traffic Report! – Adam R. in MN
I’ll let Justin answer his portion on this week’s podcast. As for me, I’m going to wave my wand to create 10 wishes.
1. I’d have an Amtrak train that leaves Eugene for Portland at midnight after 7:30 p.m. kickoffs. The Corridor is not in a place yet where I’m able to put $400 down to stay the night in Eugene on game days, and that late-night drive back home from Autzen is probably my least favorite thing about this job.
2. I’d hang some damn banners inside of Matthew Knight Arena.
3. Speaking of Matthew Knight Arena, I’d waste a wish on getting better working WiFi in there.
4. I’d put Don Pellum and Gary Campbell in charge of dressing the football coaching staff each week.
5. I’d have Phil Knight do a State of the Program press conference at the start of every football season.
6. I’d renovate McArthur Court into a hockey rink.
7. I’d make the seats of the chairs in the Hatfield-Downlin Complex media room lay flat instead of sloping downward.
8. I’d make the Oregon/Oregon State football game continue every year and have it be played in Week 0, in Portland, at Providence Park.
9. I’d make Ty Burrell choose a school.
10. I’d allow the reporters in the press box to vote on whether or not to close the windows on particularly cold days.
Heard Bulk Hogan potted two goals and had an assist in the third game of the round robin, which also covered the spread. He finished the tournament with five points in four games on the way to a Cuties championship in Palm Springs.
Feels completely under-reported here in Oregon. — Kevin
Congratulations, Kevin, to you and the Little Cuties for representing our fair city well at the Palm Springs Cup. I hope that you’ll be able to wash all of that bleach out. I’m looking forward to your Masters coverage this year.
Rank characters most likely to die in the White Lotus Finale — Jeff
I don’t have Duke losing until Monday, so I’m going to pull a wildcard here and say Tim and the Ratfliff family make it off the island in one piece.
Goggins smiled at the end of last episode, so maybe he’s found his peace. But if they kill off Chelsea, we riot.
My money is on Gaitok.
Is Jerry Dipoto at risk if the Ms miss the playoffs yet again? — Alec and Beatrix Stais
I’m really not a Jerry fan. He’s slick. He doesn’t seem to have a lot of respect for the baseball intelligence of the Mariners’ fan base and there isn’t a GM out there who wants more of an atta-boy for making 100 different moves just to make the club marginally better.
I do think he’s constrained by a Mariners ownership group that only wants to spend enough money to make things interesting in September, not October.
Jerry walks the company line, has built a decent roster with a hand tied behind his back and has willingly absorbed criticism over the last 10 years that would be better directed at John Stanton.
But when they needed someone to blame last year, they axed Scott Servais. And while there is a lot of value for ownership in having a GM who can wear pie on his face and occasionally pull a rabbit out of his hat, Dipoto may be next on the chopping block if ownership refuses to take the steps necessary to field an actual winner.
All signs point to an NBA franchise landing in Seattle, which is well-deserved. Which franchise would you foresee winning an NBA Championship in this generation of basketball, the Seattle Sonics or the Portland Trail Blazers? — Larry Miller.
That was one of my biggest takeaways from the two days spent at the NCAA Tournament up in Seattle — that arena and city is primed for an NBA team. Climate Pledge Arena is one of the coolest venues I’ve been to, the area around the arena is loaded with things to do and places to eat and drink. And, it’s a basketball fanbase that is ready to cheer again 16 years after being spurned by the Sonics.
It’s too good of a situation, in too big of a market, for the league to pass up.
“I would just say again to our many fans in Seattle, and I hear from them often, and the legacy of the Sonics is still very strong, and it’s a fantastic basketball market, is that we are very focused on it,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week. “The fact I think that I’m not being more sort of forthcoming publicly doesn’t mean we’re not studying it very intensively. We don’t take those fans for granted.”
Seattle would come into the league as an expansion franchise. On average, it takes an NBA expansion franchise five seasons before it first makes the playoffs.
Do I see Portland making the playoffs in the next five years? Yes.
Do I see Portland becoming a legitimate NBA championship contender in the next five years? No.
This is a toss-up. Portland has a head start, but Seattle could become an interesting free-agent destination and will likely have a hungrier ownership group than the one running the Blazers.
— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor
As a WR and RB.
