With two words, Damian Lillard might have taken hold of the Trail Blazers' franchise

By Jason Quick | jquick@oregonian.com
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on March 14, 2014 at 9:34 PM, updated March 14, 2014 at 10:16 PM




NEW ORLEANS — By now, we know the excellence of Damian Lillard on the basketball court, a fact that was once again ingrained Friday night when 16 of his 27 points came during a fourth-quarter comeback in the Trail Blazers’ 111-103 victory at New Orleans.

But after this eventful week in the Trail Blazers season, two scenes off the court might give you pause to reconsider how you view the second-year guard.
It started with two words: Hold on.

It was Wednesday night in San Antonio, and the Blazers had just lost their fourth straight game. When Terry Stotts gave his postgame address to the team, it was the same approach the coach had always used: focusing on the positive, looking on the bright side, trying to offer perspective. The silence that signaled the end of his speech hung, only this time, it didn’t linger.
“Hold on,’’ Lillard said.

And from there, a passionate, pointed and spontaneous flow of emotions and leadership came from Lillard. His interjection, and subsequent soliloquy, sparked a team meeting. The players and coaches want the details of the meeting to say in house, but Lillard said the essence of his speech was that it was up to the players, not the coaches, to step up in crunch time, and to not accept the “we competed hard” as a pacifier for losing.

“He took control,’’ said Dorell Wright, who is in his 10th NBA season. “It was a big step for him.’’

Added Wesley Matthews: “It showed he’s grown. He’s one of those guys who has always led by example, and he put it on himself. He was tired of losing so he voiced his opinion. It was good.’’

The next night, Thursday in New Orleans, Lillard and Wright went to dinner together. As they were eating and watching a college basketball game, Wright nearly dropped his fork when he heard what was coming out of the 23-year-old’s mouth.

“He was saying stuff to me that I don’t hear from young guys,’’ Wright said. “He was talkin’ ‘I can’t wait until the summer, because I’m going to be working on this and that.’ And I was like, you already have your head there? Just hearing him saying that, and him looking forward to doing that work, that’s big. When I was that age, I was looking forward to getting back to L.A. to hang out with my friends. That was my main goal. So to hear him say that let’s me know how much passion he has for the game, how much passion he has for winning, and how much of a competitor he is. You just don’t hear guys say that.’’

Then on Friday, all the speeches, all the dinner table talk, was backed up. With the Pelicans holding a 94-89 lead with 6:18 left in the game, Lillard scored seven consecutive points, including a game-tying three-pointer and a go-ahead layup. Then with 1:18 left, he hit a long three pointer from the top, giving the Blazers a 107-100 lead. He ended up scoring the final nine points for the Blazers.
The team that couldn’t finish, suddenly finished.

And it was the kid who had the guts to speak up, the guts to take the big shot, who led them.

As ugly as this week has been for the Blazers, wins that turned into losses, stars who became injured, it could very well turn out to be a defining moment in franchise history. It could very well be the week Lillard took control of this team, and became its driving force, both on and off the court.

It reminds me of that February night in 2007, when a rookie named Brandon Roy came barreling out of the bathroom in the locker room at halftime to confront Zach Randolph, who was berating the Blazers guards for being unable to keep Smush Parker in front of them. In front of everyone, Roy told Randolph he was out of line, that this was a team, and there would be no finger pointing. Randolph waited by the locker room door as the team filed out for the second half and stopped Roy. He apologized, and from there, the team was Roy’s.

Lillard didn’t call anybody out, and he wasn’t looking for attention, but what he did this week — on and off the court — goes a long way in a locker room.

“When he spoke up (in San Antonio), I was like, ‘OK, I like it,’ ” Wright said. “That’s what you want; you want guys like that on your team. For him to take that leadership, for him to step up and say something right then and there? I’m telling you, that was big.’’

It’s not that Lillard has never showed leadership qualities. He has always been a strong presence on this team, but nothing like this week. When I told him I was surprised that it was him who spoke up in San Antonio, he acted offended.

“Why are you surprised?’’ he asked.

“Because you are so young,’’ I replied.

“I just felt like it needed to be said,’’ Lillard said. “It turned out everybody was feeling the same way. As a point guard, you should be able to speak up and get your team to respond. I spoke like I felt about what had been going on, and people started to spit stuff into it. Guys spoke up — Earl (Watson), Mo (Williams), that’s what we needed. Keep it all the way 100, I guess.’’

For Stotts, who seems to be overly careful about challenging this team, or being critical, it was a welcome gesture when Lillard spoke up after he was done talking.

“I’m glad someone did,’’ Stotts said. “The fact that it was Damian ... hey, he cares about winning. I thought the passion with what he said was absolutely as important as what he said. He wanted us to win games, and what we had to do to win games, and that we were better than that. But the fact that he spoke up, like I said, I wasn’t necessarily surprised, but when it comes from one of your All-Stars, that’s a big step in leadership.’’

It’s always important to have a leader inside the locker room. But when that guy’s play also speaks as loudly on the court? It’s priceless. It’s what you build around. It’s what you cherish, and appreciate that it’s here, not in Los Angeles or Miami or Chicago.

So facing a five-point deficit on the road with six minutes left, and facing a demoralizing 0-5 road trip? This is what I want to hear from the Blazers leader:

“The game was on the line,’’ Lillard said. “So I needed to step up.’’

So he did. And in the process, he might have taken hold of a franchise.

--Jason Quick

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2014/03/quick_damian_lillard_caps_what_could_be_a_defining.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

Re: With two words, Damian Lillard might have taken hold of the Trail Blazers' franch

Jason Quick ‏@jwquick With two words this week, Damian Lillard might have taken hold of the Trail Blazers franchise http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2014/03/quick_damian_lillard_caps_what_could_be_a_defining.html#incart_river …


Sly Blazer ‏@SlyPokerDog
@jwquick Nice article but I think you meant to say "stay in house" not "say in house."



Jason Quick ‏@jwquick
@SlyPokerDog got it. Thanks for having my back.

 

Re: With two words, Damian Lillard might have taken hold of the Trail Blazers' franch

I know a lot of you don't care for Quick but this was a fascinating article. I'd rather have the ball in Lillard's hands then LMA's at the end of games. Aldridge will always be Robin, nice to Lillard become the Batman we need.

 

Re: With two words, Damian Lillard might have taken hold of the Trail Blazers' franch

Calling him Robin isn't an insult. Pippen road that role all the way to the HOF. An insult would be comparing Aldridge to Aquaman. Aqua is a superhero but honestly what the fuck is he good for?

 

Re: With two words, Damian Lillard might have taken hold of the Trail Blazers' franch

You're in the wrong forum.

 

Re: With two words, Damian Lillard might have taken hold of the Trail Blazers' franch

Great article. I did like the dig on Stotts there... because it's so true. These guys are professionals, they don't need to be coddled.

I always knew Dame had it in him... so there it is.

I've been pretty critical of this team this week (It's hard watching 2 leads evaporate with nary an effort)... but, I think with this win tonight on the heels of that locker room talk... this is Dame's team.

I've said, also, this week, that I've warmed up to the idea of a trade for LMA, because, like NB3 has said... He had a GREAT stretch there in the early part of the year... and 24/11 is great... but he's so inconsistent with his jumper and when he decides he wants to go to the paint. Now, honest time, I think that goes on Stotts riding him too hard (That could also be attributed to all those close games we were winning, as well).. and even on that note... in those close games, I want Dame with the ball EVERY TIME. Not just some of the time, EVERY TIME. LMA is NOT a #1 option IF he is not going to the rack in crunch time. If he's taking the jump shot, I want Dame taking it, not LMA. PEriod. That, in a nutshell, is where I'm coming from. I'd rather defer to LMA only if Dame is hounded... and it's shown that Dame can adjust, so I think he can do what he wants when he wants (Sans that god awful LAL game). But, I don't want LA taking the jump shot. I want him going to the rack.. if he misses while doing that, I can live with it. Not with his jump shot.