It must be asked... is CJ better than Dame?

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I was thinking the same thing.

I think the answer is no, but if dame were to miss more time and we kept winning, then when dame returned if we went on a losing streak , evidence might be there.
 
Finally, one of the naysayers is acknowledging the possibility. :)

I do think CJ has caught up to Dame, but I'm not quite ready to call him better yet. Dame has more of the killer instinct and late game heroics mindset, while CJ still needs to work on sustaining his energy level throughout the game. He tends to come back cold after resting on the bench. But, while Dame's shot has become a bit errant over the past year, CJ has developed into one of the purest mid-range shooters in the game.

Their ball control, passing, and defense are pretty much a wash. CJ is tougher to double, with shakier crossovers and less propensity for getting stripped in traffic. Dame is Ironman Jr. Both are great face of the franchise types.
 
Yes b/c he's a year younger.

No b/c Dame's a better FT shooter.
 
It's a little early to know. And quite frankly I am not looking forward to the inevitable debate. If anything can ruin their relationship it will be the constant debate by fans on who is better and who is more important.

Not saying it shouldn't be asked, just saying I am not looking forward to it. Unless........it is a friendly competition that drives them both to get better....
 
McCollum has gotten better each year and Lillard has gotten worse each year. When I see the "Trade CJ?" thread, I think, we can get a lot more for Lillard than for McCollum.
 
The one biggest difference is shooting percentages. CJ is shooting much better than Dame, however I think that might be attributed to Dame being the focus of pretty much every defense that comes through.
 
CJ is probably my favorite player on the team but no he is not as good overall as Dame (not that there is anything wrong with that). That we are even having this discussion means great things though!
 
McCollum is very Roy like in that he isn't the fastest guy on the court, but he's quick and crafty, has a good first step and a multitude of ways to score. Unlike Roy though he doesn't need to run an ISO heavy offense to be effective.

Lillard is probably still better, because he's more of a playmaker that can also score at will while still setting up his teammates. I hope there's a way to make this combo work long-term because I'm a huge fan of both guys.
 
Natebishop3 said:
The one biggest difference is shooting percentages. CJ is shooting much better than Dame, however I think that might be attributed to Dame being the focus of pretty much every defense that comes through.
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One thing I will say for CJ is that he has pretty good shot selection for a player in the mold of a combo-ish scoring guard. I think that contributes to it.

Dame is definitely better at attacking the rim, and running the offense, but if the defense is tight and I need to get a good jump shot off, I think I would prefer CJ actually. He's got better ball control than Dame and is also better at shooting the mid-range.

CJ in December:

21.6 points 3.9 rebounds 5.2 assists 1.7 steals on 44/40/80.
 
Does CJ have a shot of getting voted in by the coaches?
 
MickZagger said:
Does CJ have a shot of getting voted in by the coaches?
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I was musing over this earlier. I wonder how Dame would react if CJ were on the all star team (this year or next) and Dame isn't?
 
CJ has a better handle and a better midrange than Dame. But Dame is faster, more athletic, and has better vision.

Sick sick combo we have growing here.
 
yuyuza1 said:
CJ has a better handle and a better midrange than Dame. But Dame is faster, more athletic, and has better vision.

Sick sick combo we have growing here.
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There is no way I break up this duo. (Well, maybe for Durant or Davis, but you know what I mean.)
 
Where does he rank among SGs now?

He's 6th in PER. Above him are: Harden, Wade, DeRozan, Butler, and Manu. Below him are Tyreke, Nic, Klay, Middleton, Beal, Wiggins, Gordon, Oladipo, Wes.

I'd prolly do this for rankings:
1. Harden
2. Butler
3. Wade
4. Klay
5. CJ
6. DeRozan
7. Nic

Then the rest. Crazy how I was gonna throw all our efforts in getting a guy like Beal this summer, and we have one who is currently better.
 
It will be interesting to see who they go to for the "last shot".

You need a 3....I go with Dame. He has better range and has proven that he can deliver.

But if you are tied or down 1.........CJ has that stop on a dime mid range moneyball, where as of late in those situations, Dame has been settling for the 3 and/or attacking the basket and not getting any love from the officials. So I would go with CJ in that scenario.

Bottom line it is great we have two options so the defenses can't just focus on one of them.
 
yuyuza1 said:
Where does he rank among SGs now?

He's 6th in PER. Above him are: Harden, Wade, DeRozan, Butler, and Manu. Below him are Tyreke, Nic, Klay, Middleton, Beal, Wiggins, Gordon, Oladipo, Wes.

I'd prolly do this for rankings:
1. Harden
2. Butler
3. Wade
4. Klay
5. CJ
6. DeRozan
7. Nic

Then the rest. Crazy how I was gonna throw all our efforts in getting a guy like Beal this summer, and we have one who is currently better.
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Wade might be better but I wouldn't take him over CJ. Only people better than CJ next year are Harden, Butler, and Klay. Butler is the only one you could make a case for us ever getting (and even that is a long-long-shot).

Let's just enjoy what we have ok people? At worst a top 5 SG in the NBA!
 
Wow, a guy is gone six games and see what happens. Forgotten. Thrown aside for some new squeeze. I've been on the CJ train since his rookie year, unlike most who decided to jump on this year. He's obviously the MIP and he's playing like an all-star the last two weeks. Love him. But come on. Lillard is Portland.

Lillard has had better stats over the course of an entire season, on multiple 50+ win playoff teams than McCollum currently has this season. Actually his career averages are better than CJ's this year.
Lillard is a better distributor.
Lillard is more athletic.
Lillard is a better leader.
Lillard is an all-star (2x)
Lillard is the WC player of the week (2x)
Lillard has been all NBA (3rd team)
Lillard set an NBA record for most 3-pointers in his 1st three seasons.
Lillard had a game where he had 18 rebounds, he scored 40 twice in a four day span, he's had at least seven 3-pointers in 5 games.
Lillard scored at least twenty 9 games in a row earlier this year. He's also had two separate stretched of 8 games in a row, one was his rookie year.
Lillard has scored at least 30+ points in a game 34 times (CJ has 3)
Lillard has scored at least 40+ points in a game 3 times (CJ has 0)
Lillard has had double-digit assists 28 times (CJ has 1)
Lillard has had 27 double-doubles (CJ has 2)

And people can argue about the merits of 'Lillard Time' these days but the below (and more) happened and you can't take it away from him:



*drops mic*
 
Until CJ can also be a credible threat to notch 8 assists in a game in addition to 25 points, he's not better than Dame. He is, however, a great complimentary player next to Dame in a three guard rotation, because he can run any play Dame can, and forces defenses to respect him. If we could get enough good players around them that defenses couldn't just double them off the pick, we'd be golden.
 
KeepOnRollin said:
Wade might be better but I wouldn't take him over CJ. Only people better than CJ next year are Harden, Butler, and Klay. Butler is the only one you could make a case for us ever getting (and even that is a long-long-shot).

Let's just enjoy what we have ok people? At worst a top 5 SG in the NBA!
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A Top 5 SG and a Top 5 PG. Look at that in a vacuum. Why would we want to break that up? Especially when the two have great chemistry on and off the floor.

Getting multiple players at the top of their positions is the blueprint for success in the NBA. We just need another guy who is similarly talented up front. Then fill the roster with role players, defenders, vets, a strong coaching scheme, and some luck, and you've got a contender.

Think we're closer to this than people think. A year or two away.
 
I've said many times, Dame's problem is jacking up bad shots. He has gotten better: he's now one of the best finishers in the league, one of the best guards at getting to the rim. He's a very good shooter as well, he just throws up wild shots that drive his average down.

CJ doesn't do that, and CJ is much better at the mid range game. He's not quite on Damian's level yet.
 
Also...about the Rocket's shot. Move on. Dame has been TERRIBLE in the 4th quarter this year, trying to play hero ball. He's one of the main reason's we've blown so many games. But that doesn't have to do with ability, it has to do with bad habits.
 
Pinwheel1 said:
It will be interesting to see who they go to for the "last shot".

You need a 3....I go with Dame. He has better range and has proven that he can deliver.

But if you are tied or down 1.........CJ has that stop on a dime mid range moneyball, where as of late in those situations, Dame has been settling for the 3 and/or attacking the basket and not getting any love from the officials. So I would go with CJ in that scenario.

Bottom line it is great we have two options so the defenses can't just focus on one of them.
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Good point on taking the last shot. Reading some Sixer fan comments yesterday, they counted CJ not drawing enough fouls as a negative. As long as he's scoring efficiently (pts/shot) I don't care how he gets them. More to the point, neither Dame or CJ are going to get a call going to the basket on the last play of the game. So...I'm very happy with CJ's mid-range, change of pace game, at any time but certainly at the end of games. Every team needs a player or players who can create his own shot in that situtation, or when the play breaks down. CJ is that guy. He's here to stay.
 
Dame (24.6 ppg) and CJ (20.7 ppg) are combined averaging 45.3 ppg this year.

Here's a comparison of some of the top 'dynamic duos' in Blazer history:
- 1972-73, Petrie and Wicks, 48.7 ppg.
- 1986-87, Vandeweghe and Drexler, 48.6 ppg.
- 1988-89, Drexler and Duckworth, 45.3 ppg.
- 2014-15, Aldridge and Lillard, 44.4 ppg.
- 1994-95, Drexler and Robinson, 43.3 ppg.
- 1970-71, Petrie and Barnett, 43.3 ppg.
- 1991-92, Drexler and Porter, 43.1 ppg.
- 1982-83, Paxon and Natt, 42.1 ppg.
- 1984-85, Vandeweghe and Thompson, 40.8 ppg.
- 2008-09, Roy and Aldridge, 40.7 ppg.
- 2006-07, Randolph and Roy, 40.4 ppg.
- 1976-77, Lucas and Walton, 38.8 ppg.

Dame and CJ are in pretty good company there.
 
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