Damian, I love ya, bro, but you gotta start being an a**hole...

We all know the clock is ticking. It's been getting louder every year. Damian Lillard's prime is being wasted every day that the Blazers are not in contention for a title. His greatness and legacy will be forever diminished if he doesn't at least make an NBA Finals. But, to be honest, I'm not sure the man really cares. He's got a great thing going on here in Portland: he's allowed to play his game with little restriction from the coach or the front office, he's surrounded by players that he likes and enjoys playing with, he's got a team fan base that practically worships him, and endorsement deals up the wazzoo. He's comfortable, apparently happy (despite all the recent tragedies in his life), and not too worried about the future.

Now, if all that is true, all the smoke he talks about wanting to win a title here in Portland, and not wanting to "ring chase" by going to another team, all well and good, I guess. But if the man truly has a fire inside him to win basketball's most coveted crown, then he's got to start kicking some asses on his own team and with his coaches and front office. Games like last night CANNOT HAPPEN if you are serious about going deep in the playoffs. And, to be honest, Dame's (and Stotts') reaction after last night's game was all the more troubling. "Well, those things happen in a long NBA season, ignore that other team's record, all NBA teams are good and can win any night, we just have to focus harder" blah blah blah. I'm sorry Dame, I'm sick of that noise. I've heard it for 8 years. If this team is going to go anywhere, you are going to have to start calling people out. Hurting some feelings. Making it known that those kind of performances are unacceptable. If you do it privately, so be it. But make it known to everyone that you have goals and ambitions that are incompatible with letting an 8-30 Timberwolf team almost go 2-0 against you.

Yeah yeah I know, injuries. Excuse #1 for almost every Blazer team for the last umpteen years. Lemme tell you, the Blazers actually started to put things together this year AFTER CJ and Nurk got injured. They are going to come back rusty and inserted into a lineup that learned to live without them. TBH, I think Kanter is far more suited to the offense that the Blazers run than Nurk. And CJ? Yeah, he's a bucket filler, but he's a sieve on the defensive end.

Lillard is too loyal to the players that he likes (CJ, Nurk, Collins) to demand to the front office that they be traded for players that can actually help Dame win a championship, but that's what he needs to do if he TRULY wants to break himself and his team away from the clutches of mediocrity and bring home that "chip" he keeps rapping about.

 

Dame, I love ya bro.... Keep being your 100% authentic self. It has kept you in Portland during a time where stars are jumping to join super teams all the time. You have led us to our only WCF appearance in 20 years, you have the respect of your teammates and community, and I'm so grateful of what we have, even though it's not perfect.

Don't give into pressure to modify your character. The roster issues are not your problem, we have someone in our organization responsible to take care of those things. Continue to grow, but do not change and your core!

 

He's completely adopted the Stottsisms. Just infuriating. I think Dame's reaction bugged me more than the loss itself.

He looks burnt out mentally. Wouldnt blame him if he took a two week sabbatical to get his mind fresh

 

Sure blame Dame. This franchise isn’t shit without him.

 

Dame NEVER gives Portland or his team fair weather love....I'd hope his fans would return the sentiment. Nobody needs to be an asshole to achieve their goals. We split a back to back on the road...big deal. Go Blazers! Get the next one! Toughest season ever to play the game...practices limited....lots to unpack to just risk a pandemic to entertain us and rather than enjoy it...fans demand more right now.....I don't think that's fair to the franchise of any player out there trying to play in an empty arena for canned fan noise. Dame's admittedly had a really rough year on a personal level but never waivered in his love for Portland....if only the fanbase showed the same grit and didn't kick them when down...I just really don't get it. Basketball has been a saving grace for me in this lockdown year of living in a bubble.....rings are not entertaining me...basketball games are.

 

Well said... toughest part about being a superb leader is instilling team improvement and pushing players and management if needed.

 

Dame, I love you but you're not the GM

 

Was listening to Jackie MacMullan this weekend

https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-...-macmullan-and-2021-oscars-with-wesley-morris

And she mentioned how exhausted these guys are mentally. And all their norms on the road are nonexistent with the constant testing and protocols about shootarounds, etc. I know every team is going through this, but it has to be even more strenuous (shout out @Strenuus , i think i get your moniker now) on Dame with the amount of defensive attention he gets every single game. That GS game a few weeks back was making me tired with how they picked him up from 3/4 court and drove him into double/triple teams. Not to mention he's always in front of the media answering questions daily, and even commented after the Laker game a few weeks ago that he was planning on sitting out. As a big advocate of mental health, I can 100% empathize. He brings it on the court, but that burning desire to always go hard is waning. He needs a breather and I hope he can get one after CJ/Nurk return.

 

theres only a couple of current players in the nba, whose legacy wouldve been diminished if they didnt win a chip and dame isnt one of them

hes a great player, but not that good, so no-one expects dame to lead a team to a championship and no-one will hold it against him if he doesnt win a chip, in fact, his legacy is his loyalty to the portland trail blazers and no championship (unless he wins with the blazers) can top that... john stockton and reggie miller never won a chip (although they did play in the nba finals) and no-one holds it against them, cause they were like dame, great players, but not one of "the best" players in the league, that kind of players of whom you expect to lead a team to a championship... their legacies are as big cause they were loyal to the teams that drafted and dame follows their path

 

I agree, it's hard. At the same time, you know, if you compare his job to almost any other job in the world, your argument is comical.

And to OP. I don't know what is in Dame's head, but he seems to be smart guy. That's why he's not ring chaser and thats why he is happy here, I think. And if I was him and got dream live, with my friends around I would surely put my friends before some job achievement. Sure, still want to win it and win it with friends would actually mean something.
I don't know if thats whats going on, but surely, this team is not most professional team in the world.

 

Guys Dame doesn't have to start being anything but himself as @Tince said. If he did it wouldn't come off as genuine and he wouldn't be happy. The problem is a GM who doesn't disregard Dame's never ending loyalty by putting players around him that make sense and hiring a head coach that makes up for Dame's deficits. It doesn't have to be doom and gloom Thibbs because that burns players out but it has to be less rainbows and sunshine than Stotts.

That's all there is to it. Dame isn't the GM and he's not the coach. He has made it his brand that he will be in Portland until we trade him or he retires, he's made it his brand that he is coachable and he's also made it his brand to support everyone around him unequivocally which is a leadership style that is great if have it is balanced out by those above you. There does have to be far more accountability and far less blind loyalty in this franchise but it doesn't need to start with Dame and actually never needs to touch Dame for Dame to be MVP and win multiple championships as a number one option and team captain.

 

no shit. he's obviously not under the same pressure as other professions, but just because he makes a lot of money doesn't mean he's not entitled to a mental break. And God knows, he's earned it.

 

TLDR version

Dame, stop being yourself and pretend to be someone else.

I completely disagree with OP.

 

He supports everyone round him very true. And I believe he thinks Stotts is a very good coach. Dame being from Oakland and the no non sense guy he is would let it be known if he had issues with either Terry or Neil, he's not going to put his head in the sand.

 

You shouldn't. He's right. Dame is amazing, but his lack of pressure on the organization has built a culture of complacency.

Do you think Jordan would have just sat there while his team wasted his prime? Nope.

Do you think Kobe would have just sat there while his team wasted his prime? Nope.

Do you think LeBron would have just sat there while his team wasted his prime? Nope.

By Dame coming out and saying that he wants to retire here. That he's happy here. That he would be content not winning a title, there's zero pressure on Neil and the ownership.

 

Well, then I guess us Blazer fans need to put the goal of "winning a championship" away from a Dame-led Blazers team, because it's not going to happen with this mentality. You think Jordan, Kobe, Magic/Bird, even LeBron would say "well, I got a bunch of guys I'm playing with that I like and are fun to play with, I like my coach and my GM, they pretty much cater to me, everything's okay. Yeah of course I'd love to win a title, but that takes a level of sacrifice and mental fortitude that I really don't wanna do, so as long as we keep making the playoffs and trying our hardest, it'll be okay." That's pretty much what you are saying Dame's mindset is.

If that's the way it is, that's the way it is. Just be honest about it.

 

Maybe he should bring another cousin on the bench? Seriously, are we gonna go this way? Mental breakdown? So now we have 3 starters injured and one MVP caliber player, but with mental breakdown.

 

You mean the same guy who quit his team to suck at minor league baseball and then retire with his knees bagged in ice on the Wizards bench? I like the Tim Duncan story better

 

Who's even this Jordan guy?