Damian Lillard meets with owner Paul Allen over team direction

Finally quick starts working. Lot to dissect here in this article with Dame speaking instead of "sources." The Barton thing is like the least important quote in this whole piece.

 

Meh, the rest isn’t really newsworthy unless you didn’t trust Lillards public persona. Never doubted his intentions.

 

Stotts is way below average at defense. A new coach would be better at defense and worse at offense. The same roster would have the same record as now. But...we might go a little further in the playoffs with a balanced system. (Not the same as a balanced roster, which is on Olshey.)

 

No kidding

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i..._damian_lillards_meeting_wit.html#incart_2box

"It's definitely been blown way out of proportion," Lillard told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

"I met with Paul to figure out how we can improve," Lillard said.

But, sources said, Lillard initiated the talk to make sure the two were on the same page, not to create controversy. It was just two weeks ago, after all, that Lillard told The Oregonian/OregonLive he was committed to building on his legacy in Portland.

"I want to be the Best Blazer ever," Lillard said. "That's one of my ultimate goals. There's only a few names you throw out there that make you think, 'Blazers.' You know the names. Clyde Drexler. Bill Walton. Jerome Kersey. I feel like after my six years, I'm on that list. But I feel like there are things that I need to continue to do to outperform them individually. And I've got to win a championship. That's my goal."

 

"Best Blazer ever"

That phrase doesn't have a great track record. Or maybe Dame has a sense of humor and is tweaking LA a bit.

 

So let me sum up the last few days as i'v seen it. Haynes, shockingly, wrote an article that in retrospect that was very much his own opinion with very little accurate information from the meeting, that paints a picture of storm clouds on the horizon in Lillardtown. Clownzono puts it out that it seems like Lillards agent is weaving this as a way to get him out of town in a year or two and reads way more into the meeting then there was. Lillard/Freeman/Quick all come out and say the meeting was blown out of proportion but it was a meeting about how to improve the team.
So basically Lillard wants to know the direction the team is going and if there is a plan or not. I'd be more worried if Lillard was just okay with us being a very hit or miss team that plays down to our opponents level.

 

Then he must be shooting less, because the eye test says he's not dominating the offense as in the past.

3 levels beneath him? Not in a company of any size. It usurps management authority. And you're a selfless public servant? Where...in a town where the mayor is also the garbageman?

That was a very little joke about seeing him coming.

But not always at the same position--guard. And not always against the same team--the Blazers.

 

Or maybe you're vision is blurry?

 

Wait, someone was guarding Murray?

 

Compared to last season: FGA per 36 down because 3FGA per 36 down. TS% down.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lillada01.html

 

Let me guess. Murray is...a center? No? A forward? No?

 

You said he's having his "worst shooting year", not a worse shooting season compared to last...

 

Fans in Portland are so used to Shitty things happening to the Blazers, and so consumed with seeing the negative in everything. I heard that Lillard's long time girlfriend is pregnant. I almost guarantee people will freak out when he names his son after his brother, Houston Lillard. Clutch Fans should be hilarious though, so at least we got that going for us.

 

I stopped reading at:

"According to Haynes, Lillard specifically cited the February 2015 trade of Will Barton as a decision he opposed."

Dame has come out saying he did not oppose that decision at the time.

 

When info is given, always consider the source.

 

I don't remember what I said, but if I said it, it must be right.

Give that kid an ordinary name, like LaMarcus.

 

It's wrong.

Tied for the highest TS% of his career.

 

His TS% went up a few points since I posted that link and now ties last season, so I wasn't wrong when I posted the link. Regardless of your quantifying it with TS%, my original intention, as you see above, was to say that this season, his shooting isn't dominating games as in the past. The offense is more diversified among Napier and the big men.