Portland’s in deep, deep, deep, deep . . . snow. And if that line sounds familiar, you should probably know that my 3-year-old son recently discovered “Frozen” and it’s been playing on loop in my house. And, it suddenly feels, outside of it, too. for seven hours on Wednesday trying to get to Sacramento. The Portland State men couldn’t get out of town for an away game at Montana. Neither could , who were trying to get to BYU. A snow day, or a couple of them, seemed like the right time for an inaugural mailbag. So grab your favorite warm drink and settle in. On to your questions. . . By far the most popular question. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m on the clock here. It’s coffee. A big-time free agent? Next to zero. Without significant shedding, the Blazers’ salary cap situation leaves little room for signing players. But if I read your question to not only be limited to free agents, but also trades, it gets more interesting. I dug into this in the latest episode of the Sports by Northwest podcast with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, but the Blazers are set up to have a healthy trove of tradable assets starting on July 1. Depending on how the next few months go, that could include as many as five first-round picks. That at least gets you to the bargaining table for players who might become available. Problem is, every other team wants great players, too. Do the Blazers have the best package to acquire a Karl-Anthony Towns, Pascal Siakam-level talent if he becomes available? That’s the question. I wish I had a better answer than “I don’t know,” but that’s where things are right now. After some initial noise about groups that would be interested in buying the club from Merritt Paulson, things have largely quieted down. I don’t think that means momentum has stalled, however. The NWSL has said it will work with Paulson to ensure a sale takes place, so it’s really a matter of sorting through some of the significant red tape and finding a buyer with deep enough pockets to invest in the club and who is also committed to keeping the Thorns in Portland. I’ve long said this would all be easier, and for the best anyway, if Paulson had sold both clubs as a package, but it is clear he won’t do it. That creates some real logistical hurdles for operating the Thorns, namely that they will function as sub-tenants of Paulson’s lease of Providence Park. For a club that has long benefited from the infrastructure of the Timbers, it will take some doing to find a path toward autonomy. This question was submitted before the Timbers announced their home opener against Sporting KC had been to accommodate the storm. For this exercise let’s put aside the obvious question about Merritt’s Paulson’s ownership and how the fanbase will view him as time goes on. I think everyone is make his debut and if the Timbers can start this season on better footing than last year’s ended. Where does Eryk Williamson stand with Gio Savarese after being benched in the critical season finale? Before last season, the Timbers had made the MLS playoffs in five consecutive seasons, and in seven of nine. The question has to be whether this new group of executives, namely Ned Grabavoy, has pushed the right buttons to get them back there. What, you’re not moved to watch a sub-. 500 team that you have no emotional attachment to every other night? Most people around the NBA believe it is a matter of when, not if, Seattle gets the SuperSonics back, so I don’t think it’s imperative Seattle hoops fans adopt a new favorite team. But if you’re gonna do it, you have to weigh whether quality of product matters more than geographical proximity and accessibility. People in Seattle will watch the Blazers the same way Portlanders watch the Kraken and Mariners — although there aren’t several decades of rivalry-driven hostility to overcome for NHL and MLB fans in Portland. I can’t tell you the Keith. That’s against the rules. But personally, I am partial to Oceanside. My man Divish, coming in hot from Mariners spring training, also wanted to know my five favorite college football coaches I’ve covered. But this is more fun. Ryan is probably thinking of the flavors available in half gallon cylinders at your local grocery store. But if I have one crusade in life, it is to persuade Tillamook to bring back White Licorice, a creamy, anise-flavored treat that only existed by the scoop at the creamery. They discontinued the flavor years ago, much to my horror. It’s time to change that. But if we are talking flavors available for retail, I go: 1. Udderly Chocolate — Real ones know this as Brown Cow. 2. Vanilla Bean — We could do a sub-ranking of Tillamook’s best vanilla options, but this is by far the best. 3. Marionberry Pie — Nothing beats those little chunks of pie crust. 4. Chocolate Peanut Butter — You think it’s just chocolate but then, bam!, a two-inch slab of frozen peanut butter. 5. Cookies & Cream — So. Much. Cookie. -- | | Twitter:.