DAME TIME SHOULD BE OVER IN PORTLAND

Damian Lillard is widely regarded as one of the best players in the league. One of the best point guards in the league as well, undoubtedly at least top three by majority. Being one of the best leaders in the game too. Dame is one of my favorite players in the league, but not just Dame the basketball player, Dame the human. He practices what he preaches. He did not forget where he came from. Dame is as solid as they come. In today's league, people like him are very very rare. Especially in today's era, loyalty rarely exists. Player movement is at an all time high. Now albeit some of it for good reason. If a player has done everything he can and some for a bad organization, he should have a right to want to go elsewhere and win. And I think we all can say that is the case with Portland and Damian Lillard.

 

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IT WAS OVER BEFORE IT EVEN STARTED

The ultimate goal for every team in the league, well at least the majority, is as we all know to win a NBA championship. To one day hold up that Larry O'Bryan trophy in front of your home fans and make the city proud. In todays space and pace, three point shooting, and position-less league a back court with your tallest player being 6'2 is very rare to win a championship. This isn't like the 80s and 90s where you can have a backcourt like the Pistons with Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars. Whom at least where both elite defenders and had a great defensive foundation and organization behind them. Dame especially with the offensive load he has always had he was never known to be a good defender. Cj McCollum is a good team defender and always gives his best effort on that end, but there's only so much you can do when the average shooting guard is at least four to five inches taller than him and CJ having an offensive load as well. With Dame and CJ being great players, they made it work to the best of their ability and through the regular season at least it was always good. But come playoff time in an half court setting where teams can really key into the two it became predictable and was never going to get them above the edge to be a real contender. Yes the backcourt was a success in the regular season, even them ending up with the 3 seed in the western conference once, it was never enough to get them above the edge. This small backcourt had a ceiling on it to begin with, with them only reaching the western conference finals. 

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LACK OF URGENCY FROM THE FRONT OFFICE

Damian Lillard has been aggressively and publicly adamant about the current trailblazer team. In a Team USA press conference Dame was asked about his current state regarding all trade rumors and drama this offseason and he kept it real as he always has. The Blazers lost in six games to an injured Denver Nuggets team last years playoffs. The Nuggets were without their star guard in Jamal Murray. Dame even dropped 42 points in game 2 which ended up in a loss. Yes, 42 points and still lost. In game 5, Lillard dropped 55 points in an 2-OT game which ended up in another loss. Then following the loss Trailblazers GM Neil Oshey has the audacity to say the roster was not the problem and that hiring Chauncey Billups and "fixing the defense"can get the team closer to contention. Damian Lillard is 31 years old folks. The championship window is now as it should be. The front office and their franchise guard should be on the same page and they are not. The Trailblazers went out his offseason and resigned Norman Powell and signed Ben McLemore, Tony Snell, and Cody Zeller and drafted Greg Brown. No disrespect to those players but that does not really make the Blazers any better.  These moves do not push the needle any further. If anything, it is a major slap in the face to Damian Lillard who has done his all for the organization and all he has asked for is help. All he has asked for is for them to have some urgency. Neil Oshey has not done enough on his end to get the Blazers above the edge. 

“Neil Olshey mucked this coaching search up from the get-go. Better believe his reputation has taken a hit among league circles as a result. Players around the league will also take note. Dame is as respected as they come – he deserves so much better and Olshey poisoned the well,” ESPN’s Jordan Schultz noted recently. “Olshey is a joke. Not well-regarded with anyone I’ve spoken with.”- Via Yardbarker.

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THE "SMALL MARKET SYNDROME"

The Portland Trailblazers are a small market. They have never really been a highly desired free agent destination. Despite having a very marketable guy in Damian Lillard and always have a great culture and chemistry established. You never really hear any bad things chemistry wise or team wise within this Blazers team. As most small markets are, your main way of building a great team is via the NBA Draft. A big trade every now and then as well will get you where you want. But similar to the Indiana Pacers, the Blazers may have developed "small market syndrome". By that phrase I mean being content with not being quite a championship contender and not being a terrible lottery team. Just middle of the pack and mediocre. And I think most casual fans don't really have a problem with that. Your team is still good night in and night out in the regular season and it puts sits in the arena. Yes there is a lot of value in just being a good team every year. But in the players perspective, being as good as Dame is, you want to do all you can to win it all. Not just one playoff series. You mentally and physically get tired of losing in the first and second round of the playoffs every year. Especially in today's age of so much player movement and player control. Players control their destiny in the league. The players have bigger aspirations and goals compared to the organization and market. But as we've seen very recently with Milwaukee and Toronto  it is possible to win a championship with a small market. Do not let the Lakers and Warriors of the world clog thinking. While just being good every year has its pros, not being great could have their franchise guy being frustrated. 

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TRADING GARY TRENT JR WAS A MISTAKE

Gary Trent Jr, just 22 years old, was one of the best role players Dame ever played with. Though he is just listed at 6'5 he fit perfectly next to Dame and CJ. He was the perfect 3&D guy. He did not necessarily take touches away from Dame or CJ while also being able to get his and be effective. Now I understand if the Blazers did not want to pay him the money he was deserved but if you're going to trade him, it should not have been for Norman Powell. Powell is a good scorer as well, but at 6'3 being a small forward and a score first guy he really doesn’t fit with Dame and CJ. Trent Jr just at age 22 is just about at the same level really as Norman while he is 28 years old. Trent is a dog. He is selfless, not minding to just be a catch and shoot guy and guarding the best perimeter player sometimes.  Dame, CJ, and Gary Trent worked really well together. Trading Gary Trent for Norman really did not make them any better and was a pretty meh trade. They also had to pay Norman as well. Paying Norman a 5yr/$90M deal. Gary Trent resigned with the Raptors for $54M over 3 years. Both got $18Million annually. It makes no sense to me the Blazers would rather pay Norman the same money when there is not a big difference between the two players but Gary Trent is much younger and was a better fit. 

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DAME IS TOO LOYAL

Damian Lillard as we all know is as loyal as loyal gets. He loves the city of Portland almost as much as his hometown in Oakland. He has said multiple times he wants to retire a Blazer and wants to be one his entire career. But those aspirations and goals have never lined up with his goal to win an NBA Championship so far. One player can only do so much for an organization. Dame has waited, waited, and waited for the Blazers to get him some help. But there comes a time when a player must do what is best for him and his career. Dame is not solely to blame for the Blazers not being good enough. He has done all he can do. LeBron James left his hometown team after seven seasons. His hometown team. As legendary of a player LeBron James is, he did all he could for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just like Portland, Cleveland failed time and time again to support and get LeBron James enough help to ultimately win it all. He had to leave and you can't blame him for that. Dame has spent nine seasons with the Blazers already. That is two more than Lebron when he left the first time. Kevin Durant spent nine seasons with OKC as well before he decided to leave. No player deserves to waste their career with a terrible organization. Dame doesn’t have the luxury of being drafted to a great front office behind him like Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetekounmpo. If Dame wants to ultimately wants really to win a championship, it most likely will not be with the Portland Trailblazers at this point. At the same time as I said Dame is a very loyal person and I would not be surprised if he wanted to stick it out in Portland. Dame is one of the most liked players in the league. I think whatever he decides everyone will be happy and rooting for him. But I really hope he is put in a position to actually contend and win a championship one day.