It's not only the talent around him, it's also his value, he's not a top tier PG and that hurts because he act like one and his contract weight like one. If Lillard was the third of a trio with two other superstars I would be cool with him, but with him as "the man" you will NEVER win a championship,
His contract isn't out of line compared to other PGs in the league man. About right where he should be. As far as him "acting" like one, what is he supposed to do?
I wish Damian would play more like Stockton or Nash. Those guys averaged 9-13 FGA per game, but they were super efficient and created for their teammates. Damian takes 20 shots per game, and is shooting a poor percentage. This is the exact same problem that LaMarcus had.
The problem i have with this statement is it seems to be overlooking a number of very good teams. Early nineties they were pretty darn close to a championship. 2000 they were definitely in the conversation for a championship. 2006 they were going that way again. Then in 2011 the Mavs barely got by the Blazers and won. The Blazers were also in the conversation before Mathews got hurt in 2015. The thing is you can say they were not going to beat Lebron or Curry or Jordan but that is plain fantasy. They were there and any team that is close can win. We watched that with GW's first championship in 40 years also. They pretty much played team after team that had lost players to injuries. They won. Blazers are rising. How high they go will be determined by trades and developing the players they have. But in the end it always takes luck to win a championship. ALWAYS!
Yup those inefficient shots LMA use to take is similar to what’s going on with Lillard this year I warned a lot of my friends in the past about Lillard and his chucking. Glad folks are realizing it now
I was on LA's case for that long before it became popular around here to shit on him. Now I"m seeing the same thing with Damian and getting a similar reaction.
Thank you for adding pat con in there. We needed a superstar to stay competitive in the tough western conference.
Really? You wish Lillard played more like the two greatest point guards of all time? Who doesn't agree with that. I wish CJ played more like MJ. I wish Harkless played more like Pippen. I wish any power forward on the Blazers played more like Tim Duncan. I wish Nurkic played more like Bill Walton. If all of our players played like some of the greatest players in NBA history we would be so fucking great!
Every year he has shooting slumps, more than one, he's just not consistent. If JR Smith shot would fall every month he would be Klay Thompson, reality he's not.
Come on Sly, I think he trying to make a valid point about not shooting so much and being more selective/efficient. If you can't see or agree with that fine, but I certainly can and do. Your comments about CJ/MJ etc were pretty worthless IMO and off point.
Give Lillard a Karl Malone level player on the team and he could be more selective/efficient. Give Lillard a Amare Stoudemire level player on the team and he could be more selective/efficient. It's a hell of a lot easier to be more selective/efficient when you have a HOF level player on the team.
a good bit of BS there IMO. I like Dame a lot, but that does not mean he can't get better and we cannot or should not criticize areas we think he can improve - are you saying he has no faults or weak area of his game that cannot be improved? Or is it your policy to NEVER offer any criticism even if constructive? My god every NBA players has faults/weaknesses, is it wrong to identify that in a non hammering way and hope it can be improved?
People can criticize. Go back and read through some of these threads, I've been supportive in saying that this forum would be boring without threads like these. People can bash Lillard all they want. And yes, I'm not against or not saying that Lillard can't be better. I've never said Lillard has no faults or weaknesses in his game. But to say that Lillard needs to be more like Stockton and Nash... two of the greatest PG's in NBA history? IMO Lillard's best NBA season also coincides with the best team he played on, 2013-14. You surround Lillard with better players and his numbers will get better.
Also, there's a difference between being critical of his game and wanting him to improve, and acting like he's a bum and anyone who doesn't agree with you is one too.
In regards to them being more selective in their shots and Lillard shooting modestly less I agree that Lillard should move that way. Please note I said "that way", he is not cut from that same cloth and will likely always be much more of a scorer than they were,but that does not mean an adjustment can't be made that could make him a better PG overall and for his team. IMO he shoots too many forced or low percentage shots, that's really it, just cut down "modestly" and IMO he and the team will benefit
many here who criticize Dame IMO do want him to improve. Yes there are a few who are overboard and that will unfortunately always be the case. I love the guy as a player and just as a fine young man to represent Portland as a sports figure. I think his game has a few flaws that can be improved frankly rather easily at least as I see it, that's all I am trying to point out as I think others are as well. I want Dame and the team to be the best they can be! Sometimes it seems to me that those of us who try to criticize reasonably get a rather strong response just because we "dared" to criticize.
If Dame played for a different team, I GUARANTEE portland2014 would be on here saying we should trade for that clutch assassin who always finds a way to make his team win Damian lillard
FWIW, Dame has made all the players on the team better. We were supposed to be tanking and a lineup of scrubs, yet we made playoffs and guys like Mo and Aminu are effectively starting for a team that's going to make playoffs for the 3rd straight season. CJ flourished next to him. His FG% from 2 doesn't mean much. He's getting fouled on the easy shots, shooting 7 FTA/game. He makes clutch 3pt shots, shots with the game on the line, shots that put the game out of reach. Regardless of any "shooting slump" he's supposedly in, he's making 39% of his 3's. I'll take that every day of the week.