USA Basketball cut Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and kept Derrick Rose. Tough decisions have to be made. But what I'm most interested in is what happens next. Because if I know Lillard as well as I think I do, I'm thinking USA Basketball just did Portland an interesting favor. Some athletes are motivated by money, marketing and exposure. Some are driven by legacy. But anyone who has followed Lillard's story from Oakland to Weber State to the NBA All-Star team knows that he is a man driven by proving himself. I think Lillard needs to elevate his game, especially on defense. He's a sensational offensive player, with great vision and feel that you just can't teach. He's quick, he has an excellent shot, and he possesses outstanding instinct. But I'm most fascinated by his work ethic, and the fact that he appears most motivated when he's doubted. Let's see. The criticisms of Lillard prior to being picked No. 6 overall in 2012 were that he was not good enough. Not a great finisher, either. Not tested by NBA-caliber talent given that he came from a Big Sky Conference college program, too. Also, that he'd missed time in college with an injury. Also, Lillard wasn't highly recruited out of high school. He showed up at summer pre-draft workouts driven and determined to score on everyone. His college coach, Randy Rahe told me once, "I've never been around anyone as driven to prove himself." The Blazers fell in love with him because of it. Lillard takes on a lot. He's visible, marketable, and almost never says no to an opportunity for good exposure. His NBA All-Star Game week was madness. But that's Lillard. I've never seen a professional athlete attempt so much, and walk through it all with a shrug. Lillard's Game 6 game-winning shot against the Rockets wasn't just about validation for himself, it was about the whole city and Portland's NBA franchise. When he left the court that night, I saw him as he came through the tunnel in the arena, cradling the game ball, and reaching up to hug his mother in the stands. I ran into Lillard's mom a few days later in the airport in Denver, as she was traveling back and forth from the San Antonio series and talked with her about that moment. I'd captured it on my iPhone and she asked if I could email her the short video clip. It wasn't just an important moment for her son, but also, for her. In that, Lillard is in this for a lot of people. There isn't an NBA city that is more connected to its players than Portland. Lillard's small-college experience and the inferiority complex that drives him fits this city especially well. In Portland, we sometimes feel forgotten or dismissed as a small-market franchise. We're in the shadow of Seattle, and even smaller. Portland has the Blazers, and lots of college fans, and also, the Timbers. And so a moment such as that game-winning shot that slayed James Harden and Dwight Howard ended up pretty redeeming. Lillard tweeted after being cut: "Back in my natural habitat! Throw more wood on the fire. Thankful for the opportunity And guys please don't feel sorry. I'm always Good!" I wonder what Lillard will look like at the end of his career. I wonder about the pile of doubts he'll dismiss. I wonder what he'd ever do if nobody doubted him because he feels so fueled by it. Lillard cut by Team USA? I heard the news right around the time I was informed that he'd be on the cover of an NBA-themed video game. I watched as Lillard exited graciously, thanking everyone for the opportunity, head held high. That's Lillard. But also, I wondered how long until he began snarling. The message from USA Basketball --- you're not ready yet. You're not as good as Rose. You have work to do. It's a message that Lillard has been hearing his entire life. It's a message that doesn't end with a game-winning three, or even a couple of All-Star appearances. It will never end. In that, it's Lillard's legacy. Lillard has spent his life proving doubters wrong. Thank you, USA Basketball. I'm thinking you're next. --- @JohnCanzanoBFT http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2014/08/canzano_usa_basketball_did_dam.html
Holycrap a good Canzano article. I'm shocked, almost as shocked as Parsons after Lillards series winner.
One of the annoying things about canzano is he'll write this article, and then at a time when things are slightly down, bash a similar thought process.
Oh my god I loved that night! Yep, I agree totally (just this once) with Canzano. That drive that Lillard has seems a bit stronger and more important to Lillard to 99% of players. It's what takes hime from average to great.
OMG - get over yourself! How is this professional writing? This is written at the level of high-school journalism. Even if what he's writing about isn't schlocky, the way he writes is total amateur-hour. I can't believe someone pays him money to do this.
Journalism is a joke now. It used to be a well-respected profession that took hard work and dedication to succeed. Now anyone can start a blog, and we have leaned more towards tabloid journalism, rather than actually reporting the news. John Canzano is the embodiment of this style of writing. He is constantly trying to create drama and troll the fans. He attempted to get under Dame's skin, but Dame brushed him off and flipped it back on him. Somehow he keeps winning awards with his cheesy method of talking about himself and inserting something that has nothing to do with sports into a sports column in a feeble attempt to make us feel bad for caring about whether the Blazers win or lose. I was pleased when the Oregonian had to move out of their big building. Print journalists are the absolute worst when it comes to their smug attitudes and the way they are clinging to the old way of thinking. Pretty soon there won't be a single newspaper left, everything will be online, and all we'll have left are tabloid drama queens like JC, trying to generate clicks.
I think it was on an NBA.com blog post where the question was asked who would benefit from this experience the most. And I posted down below that I would think Lillard would and why. Out of all those 16 players, he is going to take this the most personal, and the most agressively. No one considered Lillard because he didnt make the final roster, but at the end of this entire experiences for him, it is going to be him doing better then everyone else that made that team. Its just who he is.
I think Dame would bristle at the whole idea that being cut from USA's roster was a favor by any stretch. He's just not built that way. Maybe they did the Blazers a favor but not Dame. Blazer journalism is best written by Casey Holdahl. Hands down the best beat writer we have but just keep him away from the microphone. That's not his strong suit. Woj is the bar for NBA journalism for me. Casey writes very, very well and when writing,. doesn't really sensationalize the issues which I appreciate.
A few months ago, Lillard tweeted, "Who?" when someone mentioned Canzano. Apparently they had never spoken and still haven't, outside of answering questions at a news conference. Canzano means that he knows him from what he has read, the same way the rest of us know Lillard. Canzano's been a quiet little snake recently, but is slithering again after finishing his summer-long digestion of a mouse.
Jeezus, get over your obsessive hate for Canzano fellas. Every time an article of his gets posted on here it becomes all about him. You're contributing to the same thing you're complaining about.
I have to agree with you on your opinion. I think Canzano's spot on with his opinion. Now just be prepared for the 1000 posts explaining how your an idiot for agreeing with Canzano.
No one really disagreed with what he said, they just don't like the way he goes about writing his articles.
Nice try. I don't recall anyone slamming him for the opinions he presented in this article. He's a fucking self centered douche who writes every single article about himself. It's extremely aggravating.
Every other time Canzano has written a "just you wait, it's gonna be awesome" article, I've felt like he has been setting expectations too high in hopes that the inevitable failure will let him write a "life's about more than sports" article. It rubs me the wrong way because I feel like he's stacking the deck in his favor at the expense of the Blazers by pandering cynically. But Lillard is the type of player that makes me feel like this article is pretty much spot on. He's just that good imho.
