Dame recently made some comments concerning his situation with the Blazers that now has me sorta advocating the idea of him bouncing. Those statements were very ambiguous - one may even say a bit confusing. But reading in between the lines and based on what has been going on between him and Portland for the past couple of years, I take it that what he's saying is that the Blazers aren't really interested in winning a championship anytime soon, while he, as an aging superstar, is. And while before I made fun of a person whining about not winning a championship while making $40mil a year - you know, being paid like a champion but then complaining because you aren't officially one - I can now appreciate how such may bother Lillard, as he's already accomplished just about everything else in his profession.
The Blazers more or less made it clear they're not chasing a championship by drafting Scoot "Shadamn" Henderson. I was recently peeping a documentary with Scoot in it and instantly took a liking to him. He's literally like a boy in a man's body. But I also believe that he may be a tad overrated. And for the most part I don't particularly believe in banking on a player's athleticism, since it can be the most fickle of all their attributes.
But anyway, Scoot came into this year's draft more popular than a lot of players already in the NBA and as one of those types of prospects that many people believe really will be great, maybe even greater than Dame. That means that the Blazers could have traded him for a quality veteran or two, one that's more prepared to help Lillard chase a championship this season. But instead, drafting Henderson feels more like they are already looking to the future, post-Lillard, even though, you know what I'm saying? Who knows what a backcourt of a Hall of Fame vet alongside a young stud may look like.
Portland's braintrust is pretty good, perhaps you can even say above-average, but they're not like uber-smart. For instance, I still can't figure out why exactly they traded CJ McCollum. I also have yet to surmise why the Blazers are so doggedly loyal to Jusuf Nurkić. Nurkic is an above-average center, but he never particularly messed well with Dame (or Dame + McCollum). So I was thinking if anything, he would have been the one who Portland traded, like a long, long time ago.
I started writing this post a couple of days ago, and since then Nurkic's name has come up in trade talks. But as a further illustration of the notion that the Blazers don't really know WTF they're doing, as theorized they're looking to get rid of Jusuf after Lillard leaves. Why not before? If they're thinking about trading him for DeAndre Ayton, then why not make the trade now, whereas then at least the world, including Lillard, can entertain the prospect of a Dame + Scoot + Ayton lineup? If Henderson really is all he's cracked up to be, then with the right type of role players, that looks like a contender right there or at least a viable attempt on the part of Portland to contend without beating a dead horse. I'm now starting to think that Lillard himself has probably told the Blazers that he wouldn't want to play for them without Jusuf also being on the roster, which is why they have kept the latter around for this long.
The thing I'm really upset about though is that if Dame leaves and Shadamn doesn't prove to be the phenom many people are predicting him as, then why even watch the Blazers this coming season? The NBA shouldn't devolve into a league where the only compelling teams are a handful of contenders. You have, say, 10-20 players in the NBA who are must see, and then you have them all concentrated on like 5-6 teams. That's what will likely happen if Lillard goes to the Heat. Miami will even more interesting than they were last season, while Portland will be relying on an unproven rookie to sell tickets. And you know, in all due respect, it ain't like dude is a Shaq and shit.
CONCLUSION
Dame's recent comments makes it sound like the Blazers have betrayed his trust, his feelings are hurt, and there won't be any kiss-and-makeup anytime soon. Now that Bradley Beal has bounced on the Wizards, Lillard is the longest-tenured superstar in terms of being stuck on what is apparently a non-contending team. I personally do not believe he's really that upset with the Blazers but just don't want to hear that BS like he ain't loyal. And all things considered, he has earned the right to demand to go wherever he wants. Oh well. If Dame does get his wish and the Blazers don't make any powermoves ASAP in the name of trying to convince him to stay, then there probably won't be much reason to watch them play next season. The one good thing about keeping Nurkic around is that now, European centers have perhaps a higher trade value than ever.
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