Yes, he's great, clutch, etc. But watching Giannis re-sign in Milwaukee today and I say that Dame's loyalty to Portland seems to have set a precedent, a new NBA context. Similarly, why does Melo like it here so much? Why does the team always have such great chemistry the past few years? Why is the Blazer culture the one discussed, a la San Antonio? The Dame factor. His leadership, friendship, attitude, giving, and being a role model have changed not just this franchise, but the league. So impressive beyond his mad hoops skills.
This is why I put him above guys like Durant. Despite all his talent, Durant couldn't win shit until he got to Golden State.
I think we shouldn't count titles when allstars join forces or jump to a new team. So Mavs, Spurs x5, Warriors (pre Durant), Raptors, Lakers (Kobe), get credit for titles. Durant and LeBron get credit for 0 as they never won on a team that had to build a contender from scratch.
Also look at how mich better players look with Dame than elsewhere. Ed Davis, Aminu, Harkless, and Crabbe.
oh i thought he was here the first couple years. well then There you have it. If he would have played with Dame, the numbers wouldn't look so good because he woulda looked like an all star next to Dame.
I give LeBron credit for all his titles, because he never joined a good team. Every time he switched teams, he added himself to a bad team, and helped orchestrate the moves necessary to make them contenders.
I think Dame, CJ, Terry, and yes, Olshey deserve major props for the culture they have created here. People love playing here. We resurrect forgotten players, foster rookies, teach values. They have fun. It's not a easy thing to do, to completely turn around a culture like the friggin' Jailblazer one.
Miami he joined MVP candidate Wade and Bosh. Would you gave Jordan credit if he joined Magic and Isiah Thomas in 1990 and won a title? It similar to Durant joining the Warriors. Cleveland had a ton of assets because he left, so he leaves a franchise lets them acquire 3 #1 picks then comes back so he can form an elite team... this is the only title I give him some credit for, but its not as meaningful as say Dirk getting a title with Dallas. The Lakers he got them to force a small market to send him an MVP candidate. They traded away their future too (similar to Cleveland) and he will jump ship when the lack of future picks hurts the on court talent. It's a tainted title as LeBron couldn't even make the playoffs leading the team a year prior. Dame has done more, or last season Chris Paul who got OKC to the playoffs with a decent seed. Imagine Anthony Davis on OKC last year they probably win the whole thing.
Roy and Pritchard turned around the Jail Blazers. The franchise was respectable after that. The bar was pretty freaking low though so I think many people could have done this. Still it is their accomplishment. Dame and the other trio (CJ Terry Neil) deserve credit taking the team from respectable to the next level, which is much harder. Beyond wins there is a positivity and enjoyment players all have here. In terms of wins a playoff series was impossible before Dame, now there's a good chance it happens as well as possibly making noise in later rounds. This is despite a ton of talent issues on the rosters (Neil's fault). Neil finally did good this year.
Good luck with that. I think any team that makes it to and through the playoffs should get the same credit. Forget some weird ass qualifications. Players can sign wherever the fuck they want and GMs can trade whoever, wherever. Oh and the Mavs had Jason Kidd unless you don't care where the all-star jumped from just if it was back to the team that drafted him, the Raptors acquired Kawhi for just one year as a mercenary to join four time all star (at the time) Kyle Lowry, four of Kobe's championships were aided by the acquisitions of Glen Rice and later Pau and all of the Warriors championships are tainted by Iggy. So by your ridiculous rule only the Spurs (except the 2003 championship aided by ring chaser and all-star Steve Smith and 2005 aided by another ring chasing all-star Glenn Robinson unless your convoluted rule doesn't count ring chasing) and by some technicality the fisrt Kobe/Shaq Lakers championship in which Shaq jumped to LA to team up with soon to be all-stars Eddie Jones and Kobe belong on that very reasonable list of yours.
I'd add Rolo, Batum, ET, Mathews, Vonleh and even Aldridge to the list of guys who looked better with Dame than without him.
The Dame Factor is very real. I honestly think he's made every player he's played with better with one exception and I don't have any proof to back that exception up. I think he hurts CJ's game... that's not me ripping on either one of them, it's just what seems to make sense from what I've seen through the years. That's pretty damn impressive though, out of all of the players Dame has played with there's only one guy that he can't get his game to click with and I'm sure Dame, CJ, Neil and Stotts would disagree with me which would mean he has complemented the game of every player he's played with... oh maybe not Arron Afflalo... I'm only kidding about that because that was obviously Afflalo's/Neil's fault.
Agree 200% with the Dame factor comments. We are lucky to have him. But,, two opinions that differ. Melo may have been happy here, and returned, because he was allowed to play his style of iso ball. Maybe other teams did not allow him that freedom? Also, we had a player that was the NBA 6th man of the year both the year before, and the year after his year with the Blazers. But played like shit with Dame. Jamaal Crawford. In fairness, there may have been other lockerroom issues going on with other players. Something was way off that season.
Had to check, you are correct, I was wrong. Crawford played with fatty Felton. No wonder things were a mess that season. Sorry for my error
