I cant wait til we all hear the deals Joe turned down just to please Dame, a guy that is not honoring his contract. Miami is giving nothing away. Why not insist on Bam? Of course they will say "off limits". Fuck them. I just don't get it. Joe will trade Dame for dimes on the dollar just to please him when that is not even needed. I think Dame knew this time last year he would ask out and only stayed on to get the scoring title at POR to be the all time great blazer. His little "Judas" meme??? He was letting us know it was him that was working the Blazers all along. Just as valid a hypothesis as any out there.
Right, if we measure KD to the Warriors at 1 running from the grind, Dame to Miami is only 0.95 Good job noticing the difference.
They chose, but it's not like they refused his request. I'm convinced they tried everything they could, in good faith, and failed to find a way to make it work to the satisfaction of both sides. And I think both sides agree about that, and neither side is butthurt about the situation. Every hint of vitriol from either side is projected by the media, the fans, and professional rabble-rousing loudmouths like Screamin' A Douchebag.
Yeah... I'm very much pro-Dame, but him trying to join a team, with multiple all-stars, who was in the NBA Finals weeks ago is more like the Durant situation than it isn't. Nothing in the NBA is exactly the same, so that can't be the bar.
Considering they are not going to get anywhere near this much for Dame, I would actually call this a home run.
Now, now, let's be fair to Torey. They aren't EXACTLY the same. I mean, I don't think OKC put Durant's cousin on the roster.
I disagree with this. What is Dame gonna do, sit out next season? If he really wants only Miami, then Its on him and them to find something Portland will accept. Both Dame and the Blazers are to blame for all this. Both said things in the past they are both backpedaling on now.
I'll give you it's like comparing Gravensteins to Fujis lol, yeah & I don't recall KD repeatedly grandstanding against the idea of other players joining super teams. “I would never do that,” he said, according to NBC Sports. “I mean I don’t control — if the team decides to trade me somewhere, I can’t control that, but it ain’t for me.” https://www.deseret.com/2023/3/16/23642002/damian-lillard-nba-ring-chasing Also different... KD was an Unrestricted Free Agent able to sign where ever he wanted, while DL is under contract and forcing his way out of the only city he's ever played one year after signing the biggest contract possible. Both are leaving to pursue their careers on more favorable paths. It's understandable for older players to want to win and be in a good situation. Pretty sure thats the main driver here. Too bad Portland was so badly managed for pretty much his entire career, but publicly screwing the pooch (franchise) on the way out the door isn't going to keep him in the good graces with the Ex (fanbase). You reap what you sow. It would be truly disappointing if it plays out that way. STOMP
I don't know what happened other than Dame requested a trade. I have no ill will toward Dame. I appreciate everything he's done here. And we should definitely trade him to whatever team offers us the best package, regardless of Dame's desires. If multiple teams are offering comparable packages then I'm fine with letting Dame choose between them.
this is just being purposefully obtuse. they've been in two finals in the past four seasons and one conf finals another year. they were also the #1 seed a year ago. this isn't some poverty franchise that Dame wants to bring up from the mud-- they're a readymade championship caliber roster that needs a shot maker to win it all. i get shitting on Cronin. he's been horrible; but dame is not the saint you make him out to be.
The biggest knock on KD was that he left a team that was one game away from the Finals for the stacked team that came back on them. Portland wasn't close to being a Finals team nor is Miami stacked. Nor did Miami beat Portland. Nor has this current iteration of the Heat won a championship. Also, Portland still has say in if he goes there or not, OKC did not. But sure, this is KD to the Warriors all over again.
Im not so sure its about where he or they came from, but more about wanting to go to a team that was just in the finals. I see the similarities.
It does seem to contradict the 'grind' comments and also that he 'didn't want to be part of a team of stars.' That's the part that is tough. He preached that for so long and pushed back on anyone that questioned his very well paid loyalty. I don't get that either. It's not like he turned down more money to be loyal to Portland. He took the absolute most money he could get every time. No problem with that, but don't act like he made these major sacrifices. He just signed a SuperMax extension and now wants to take that money to a team that was just in the Finals. It will likely work out very well for him, but it's quite the departure from much of what he has said.
Well, I have to admit that my favorite team in the east was the Bucks last year, and Giannis getting hurt really sucked for them, the Heat would likely be eliminated in the first round if he was not playing hurt or sitting. I am hoping they have a healthy Giannis next year, and I have my doubts that even adding Dame to the Heat really makes them the slam-dunk favorites over a healthy Bucks team, but we will see.
apropos of nothing, I think that’s why LMA left: he wanted a shot at the scoring title and Dame was going to stay until he got it, so LMA didn’t even bother coming back.
But Portland isn't grinding to win. Portland is grinding to rebuild with youth. That's out of Dame's hands. I don't blame him for wanting to go to a team doing everything it can to win. But that doesn't mean Portland has to send him there. Portland is free to demand that team put together a more compelling option or send Dame someplace else. Or even sit him for a season and get their added value through the draft. They've shown they have no problem with sitting Dame out while they tank.
