Oregon Senator Ron Wyden took some time before tipoff of Blazers-Nuggets Game 3 at the Moda Center to discuss the political situation surrounding Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter and his relationship - or lack thereof - with his home country of Turkey.

Can you give us an update on the situation with Enes Kanter?

Ron Wyden: “It’s pretty clear that [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is pulling out all the stops now to send a message and to threaten Enes. He’s a bully and he can get away with it if people don’t push back. And if you look at fact that [Erdogan] has harassed his parents, and that basketball fans can’t get [Trail Blazers] games in Turkey and that sort of thing ... It’s pretty clear is that what this is about for Oregon and what this is about for me is that this is a courageous young guy that wants to speak out about his passion and has the right to do it without being threatened without being pushed around by a dictator.

What’s the next step for you [in terms of how you might help Enes Kanter]?

Ron Wyden: “Let me tell you what I’m looking into, and of course this involves a lot of ‘ifs’ ... the first radio show I did for KPAM.. their first question was, ‘maybe when the Blazers get to the title, they’re gonna play Toronto, so what are you gonna do about making sure that Mr. Kanter will play,’ and I said, ‘I’ve already been thinking about it, and that’s pretty far down the road with a lot of ‘ifs’ but I want Rip City to know that if we get our dream and we’re playing in the NBA Finals against Toronto, I’m going to be pulling out all the stops as the Oregon guy on the Senate Intelligence Committee, to make sure that this courageous young man, Enes Kanter, can play.’”

So is there a decent chance he will play if all those ‘ifs’ come true?

Ron Wyden: “I’m not going to talk about all the things that we’re looking at, but you know this has always been about is taking on Erdogan. He’s trying to use Interpol, he’s trying to put Enes in a situation where he could be arrested and we understand exactly what kind of trauma and pain dictators can inflict. We’ve already seen the harassment Enes Kanter’s family is going through. All he wants to do is stand up for freedom and express his point of view and that’s what Oregon is all about.”

How many [Trail Blazers] games have you been to this year?

Ron Wyden: “I try to watch all of them on TV... this is my third. I’m always in and out [of Oregon]. No, actually this is my second one.”

What does this playoff run mean for the state of Oregon and for the city of Portland?

Ron Wyden: “I gotta tell you, when I got off the plane last night in the middle of the night, people started asking me about the Blazers. There’s a lot going on right now, but this is a story about our city coming together, it’s a story about unity, about sports at it’s best. The kind of teamwork we’ve seen through the kind of adversity. Under normal circumstances, when one of your bigs takes a hit, like Nurk went through, everyone says that was a good season, but you know... that’s the way it goes. And I just think right now, this is a real shot of enthusiasm for our community. A group we can believe in. Young people who work as a team. After Dame hit that shot, that 37-footer, we know this was a special year."

More background on Ron Wyden and his advocacy on behalf of Enes Kanter:

Kanter is a Turkish national and has made international headlines over the past couple years for being a prominent and outspoken critic of Erdogan and his government. As a follower of a U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government accuses of masterminding a failed military coup in 2016, Kanter has become a political target. While Gulen has denied the allegations, thousands of people suspected of ties to his network have been arrested, fired or become targets in Turkey, including Kanter.

In 2017, the Turkish government revoked Kanter’s passport and he was detained in a Bucharest airport while traveling in Romania. In January, Turkish prosecutors also issued an international arrest warrant or “red notice” for Kanter saying the center belongs to a terrorist organization and requested his extradition to Turkey to stand trial. Kanter believes this was done as retaliation for his political views and no longer travels internationally. As a result, Kanter recently missed a Trail Blazers game in Toronto, Canada, due to the immigration issues stemming from the red notice.

- Nick Daschel and Sean Meagher of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report