This is not good / How do we fix it / Why does god hate us?

Neil thinks fans are idiots. Direct quote from someone he told that too

 

And I think Neil is an idiot, so we're even!

 

May I direct quote you on that?

 

Based on the way some of them attacked dame this wknd, i agree with him.

I'm no great fan of Olshey and this coaching hire process was a disaster but kissing fans' ass is not part of his job description

 

Yes. Tell Neil I want him to know it was me.

 

Best GOT pic for a basketball response ever…….probably, anyway

 

It is if you’ve had his 2016 off season, or his lack of success in the playoffs

 

Or go away. If we lose Dame because of these assholes I'm afraid I might go postal. For the first time ever, I'd be for seeing some folks get doxed so they can learn what it's like on the other side. Celebrities are always in the cross hairs, with no hope for a shred of privacy while these fuckers hide in their toxic private cocoons. Dox'em.

 

I wonder how many of these upset "Blazer fans" are actually fans from other teams.

 

Telling the fans theyre amazing doesnt undo his mistakes. It's irrelevant

 

What is Chris McGowen’s email?

 

Not many.

Most of my blazers Twitter feed overreacted. Those sentiments get echoed.

This is all on idiot blazer fans.

I'm not even going to engage them, it's a waste of time.

 

Telling someone “these fans are idiots” is bad. Just don’t say anything

 

No, the idiotic fans and assorted tweeters who are going after Damian Lillard.

 

I don't want to jump to conclusions on anything. I'll wait for it to play out. But a couple of observations and critiques:

1. I was against hiring Kidd because he actually had a record of domestic abuse. Billups was accused 24 years ago, not convicted of anything, I've heard nothing in the interim of similar allegations ... and it was out there as soon as Kidd withdrew his name from consideration. It's almost impossible for me to believe he wasn't thoroughly vetted and the accusation addressed considering the backlash to Kidd's involvement in the opening.

2. If the stories about Dame wanting out because of either the heat he's taken on Twitter or because Billups now might now become coach, as B-Roy said, it's a slap in the face to everything he's built as his image. This organization has given him pretty much everything from Day 1, possibly even to the detriment of his own interests. For heaven's sake, we put his cousin on the team this year.

3. PR-wise, obviously, this could have been handled better. Of course, if, as it appears, Dame immediately went to his journalistic contacts to say he was going to ask out if the Twitterverse didn't pipe down, Dame himself is responsible for a lot of that. Taking a deep breath, having his people talk to Jody's people and Billups' people to see how they gauged the situation and letting more reasonable heads prevail would have made it salvageable. TBH, maybe I'm idealistic, but I think it still might be salvageable.

And, if it's not salvageable, it's not. I've been a fan of this team almost since its inception. I was here when Walton left. When we traded Clyde. When we lost to the Lakers with Whitsitt's super team and we broke that up. If Dame is trying to hold an entire fanbase and an organization hostage over this, then, again, he wasn't what I thought he was or what he presented himself to be. In truth, eventually, he'd probably be traded and he definitely would retire someday and the Blazers would have to deal with a future without him. If he's not being overly sensitive about what a bunch of anonymous people on Twitter are posting -- people who may or may not be Blazer fans and who definitely don't know what went on with Billups -- then it shouldn't be an issue and we go on trying to help each other win a chip.

Either way, I'm not losing sleep over it. The process will play out. The sun will rise tomorrow. Dame will be a Blazer or he might find himself playing in a city that makes him the villain every time he shoots 6-17. The fans might owe Dame a lot, but this isn't a one-way street, either. Dame Lillard, the Blazers, and the fanbase have a lot to be thankful for with each other, because it's been a pretty good relationship despite some shortcomings. If they can't recognize that and reconcile their differences, oh well, the game goes on.

 

They brought it up when someone sniffed the fact that Portland was interested in Billups.

We'll simply have to agree to disagree with regards to the problem lying with the organization, not the market. When most other markets are not this way, you will struggle (even more) to get people to come here, or stay here (i.e. Dame). If you're known for your outrage culture, you will struggle to find people who want to come to a place where nothing is ever enough

 

I think we need a poll.

 

This would be like having a poll asking if the sky is above us.

 

Or not even fans.

 

Well, like I said, if these rumors legitimately are originating from Dame and not just someone trying to run proactive interference from him or speculating for cyber-cred, he probably should step back and consider a number of things. The first being that he has absolutely no idea who any of these people are who are criticizing him on Twitter. Blazers fans have made him something beyond an emperor, so it seems unusual that they'd all turn on him suddenly for something that's been out there for weeks.

Second, be careful what you wish for. In Portland, people are thrilled to have him on the team even when he has a bad night or pushes to keep an unpopular coach or teammate or get his cousin who has no business being in the NBA on the team. If he thinks he's going to get that kind of reception in New York, Philly, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, etc., he's sadly mistaken, especially considering what those teams would have to give up to obtain him. Go to any of those cities and be under .500 a month into the season and shooting under 40% and just see what the media perception and social media activity from the fanbase is like. Stuff like we're seeing today happens every time the star player has a bad game. New York sports over the last 50 years is littered with great athletes who were eaten up being triggered by what the columnists were writing or what the fans were saying about them on the call in shows.