Lillard talks injury rehab, trying to win title with Blazers: 'The best days for me have yet to come

[SlyPokerDog]

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard spoke to Yahoo Sports in his first interview since it was announced he’d be sidelined for the remainder of the 2021-22 season to continue rehabbing from abdominal surgery he underwent in January.

The six-time All-Star revealed how he feels physically, what he learned during the rehab process, why he believes we haven’t seen the best of him, what Portland needs to do in the critical offseason to contend for a title, his personal and collective goals and the impact family has had in his recovery.

Chris Haynes: Tell me about your rehab process and where you’re at. This is obviously something you’ve never experienced in the NBA, having to sit out an extended period of time due to an injury. How has it been?

Damian Lillard: “It’s been cool, bro. I knew it was going be a hurdle to just get used to not playing and traveling, and being in the mix. And once I kind of came to peace with that, which took like a month, I just threw myself into the rehab process and the, the areas I could grow and the things that I could put my energy into. That helped me a lot to this point. I haven't had a chance in 10 years to take a step back and let my mind relax and to let my body fully recover and relax and have a true opportunity to ramp up and train and start back with my foundation, who I am as a player and spend time with my family, my kids and my wife. So, I feel strong, mentally and physically. I still got six, seven months before next season. I feel great. I love the opportunities that I've had through this injury because there were a lot of positives that came from a negative situation. Now, it's just a matter of balancing these next six or seven months and making sure I'm not burning myself out from training or burning myself out from trying to ramp up. It’s just cruising the rest of the way.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

CH: You've dealt with that pain in your abdominal the last two or three years. Does that pain exist now?

DL: “No. It's the first time that I can say I was pain-free since maybe 2016, 2017. I think that's when I first started having issues. That was the last time I was probably moving freely, easily and just flowing the way I am right now. It’s a good feeling working out the other day and the coaching staff kept asking what I was thinking about because I had a smile on my face. I was just like, ‘Damn, I got so used to playing with that pain that I didn't realize how limited I was and how much I was just catering to playing around it.’ So, I'm definitely excited to be playing at 100 percent right now and playing free.”

CH: You accomplished amazing feats during that period of dealing with that pain. What does that say about you?

DL: “I'm not saying I’m going to be a thousand times better than what I was because I had some great seasons while dealing with it. I just think it just shows if anything, how strong the mind is and the fact that I was able to still be the level of player that I've been over these last three or four years. I've been able to block out the physical part and the issues I was having. And to get the procedure done now, it was going to be a lot less stress going into games wondering how it's going respond and if it's going lock up on me, or if I'm going to feel stiff and slow. Going into games just knowing I'm healthy and I'm not going to have to deal with it, that factor alone is good enough for me. So, I'm excited about that.”

CH: Did you miss the competition of the game? Has it been hard being away?

DL: “I got off social media for a little bit just for my own peace of mind. I wanted to at least give myself a chance to miss the game. I actually was telling one of our coaches last night on the bench at our game that I'm finally starting to get that feeling of, damn, I miss playing and being a part of the action. That excitement to play and wanting to be on the court came back. That feeling has been coming back recently. It’s not that I never wanted to play, but it's that itch to just get back out there and do something.”

CH: Oftentimes, when a star player is absent an extended period, people tend to forget about them. And then there are other emerging stars who are anointed. Is there an eagerness to get back out there and remind those that you’re still one of the best point guards in the league?

DL: “I don't even take that much of it into consideration. I think there’s always going to be a recency bias. This league is always about what have you done for me lately? There are guys that are going to have big games in big stretches and people are going to act like it’s the best thing in the world. I might have been somebody who benefited from that in the past. That's just a part of the game. But I'm not looking at it like, ‘They’re going remember me.’ I just made the 75th Anniversary Team. That's all the validation that I would need. My resume and who I am speaks for itself. I know that the best days for me have yet to come. So, I'm not looking at it like I got to come back and make them remember me. I know who I am. I know what I do. And when I get back on the floor, you know, that's gonna be that. I don't think it has to be some big message that I'm coming back to send. We’re in the NBA, great players come along and people find themselves getting the credit they deserve based on performance. But that really don't have anything to do with me because once I get on the court, I am who I am and I do what I do and people will respect my game when they see me on the court. Right now, I haven't been on the court. So it's out of sight, out of mind. I understand that's how fans and media feel.”

CH: What stood out to me is you said your best is yet to come. Looking at your situation in Portland, do you feel like your best is yet to come personally, or collectively with the Trail Blazers?

DL: “I think personally my best is yet to come 100 percent. Like I said, this is my first time being able to take a step back and just fully address my development. Over the course of my career, there have always been things that I've wanted to correct or get better at, but maybe I had a long season and went into the playoffs and then we had a quick turnaround. Whatever the case may be, I never had this much time to fully break down my game and really challenge myself development-wise. Working on things that I'm not comfortable with all the time, things that other guys at my position do really well. I’ve had a window of time and opportunity to add to my game and to watch film with my coaches and trainers to really address those things that a lot of times might be uncomfortable. Since I had my surgery in January, I’ll have around 10 months before the start of next season. So me having that amount of time to look in the mirror to address these things and get my body right, we'll get the most out of it and I'll be the best version of myself individually. And I also think we've taken some steps back as an organization, obviously with the moves that we've made [at the trade deadline]. But we've also positioned ourselves to do something that we haven't been able to do since I've been here, which is we’ve opened up money, we got picks, we got a $22 million trade exception, we got a $6 million trade exception, we got the full mid-level, we got the biannual. We have an opportunity, and we got flexibility. There are guys we can bring in that can make us a team that can compete for a championship, but we have to execute that.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

CH: Are you confident that this iteration of what many would deem a “rebuild” will not extend into next season?

DL: “I don't see any way that, where we are right now is even possible to be in this place next season. I just don't see that happening. There’s no way.”

CH: A championship in Portland is still your desire?

DL: “That's the only thing I care about, honestly. It seems like after I announced that I was having surgery, people were like, ‘Oh, he's 31 and having this done.’ Man, 31 is not old. They act like you’re old when we have guys around the league older than me that are still playing at a high level. Also, my game is not based on me playing above the rim. I'm a sniper. I shoot. I got a good step. I can think the game. I can manipulate the game, and I know how to play. My game will age well, and I don't have a history of injuries. And the one that I just had is not a bad injury to have. I'm going to come back and be fine. Like I said, my best is yet to come. And the only things that I play for at this point is I want to be the MVP of the league and I want to win the championship. And once I do those things, I feel great about the investment that I made to this game over my whole life. If I accomplish those two things, I'm walking away feeling like I literally got the most out of myself as an athlete.”

CH: How critical is the offseason for the franchise?

DL: “Most definitely. I don't think we’re in a situation where it's like, we have to win the championship next year, or it’s a failure, but we just need to position ourselves to compete for the championship and also to where we can continue to build in that direction. I think this is definitely critical, [a] critical summer where we have to capitalize.”

CH: What did you learn about yourself as a man, not a player, during this time away from the game?

DL: “I think it’s documented how much of a family person I am, but I think when this is what you do when you’re traveling and you hoop and you get immune to spending that time away from your family. But having the time to sit still and waking up every day and seeing my kids in the morning before I leave. Just going to rehab and getting on the court and being able to go on dinner dates with my wife. Attending a Raiders game with my wife, going to the Super Bowl. I went to Cabo with all my kids and my wife and stayed on the resort for a week. I've been able to just be a family man. I’ve been able to go out to dinner with my mom and go to dinner with my sister and go to high school basketball games. I’ve been able to realize just how much I've missed. Those precious moments with my wife. I’ve been able to date her. You get so used to being just partners. When I would I come home off the road, she would be like, ‘Let's go watch a movie. Let's get dinner to kind of catch [up].’ But this is my wife. So we’ve been doing random things together and it’s been fun. My family is the No. 1 thing to me. That fills me up, and I have better days going to rehab. And then I come back home before my kids go to sleep. My son is laying in the bed with me and my wife. We’re watching TV, he’s on his iPad. I wake up the next day and I feel better. So, I realized this is really good for me. This makes me happy. This makes me feel stronger. I’m more full. My wife and kids contributed a lot to how strong I did in rehab. I would attack rehab happy. I just had a positive attitude. I used this time to connect with my family, and it has been one of the best experiences.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

https://sports.yahoo.com/damian-lil...t-days-for-me-have-yet-to-come-161033594.html

 

[BlazerBeav]

Keep up the tank fellas so we can get this man the help he needs! Certified killer coming back next season!

 

[blazerkor]

This is something really great as we trudge though what we should never have to in "must lose games" and the uncertainty of the Pelicans pick situation but this will all pay off if management can do what they said they're going to and do everything we can right now to put the best team around Dame, for Dame that he's had in his career... because he's going to be back and be better than ever. Dame may have over promised on what his team around him could do and they under delivered but to my recollection he's never done that about himself individually, in fact I feel like he's always under promised and over delivered on how he's talked about his game. Dame will be back next season and on a mission. Go Blazers!!!

 

[handiman]

DL: “I think personally my best is yet to come 100 percent. Like I said, this is my first time being able to take a step back and just fully address my development. Over the course of my career, there have always been things that I've wanted to correct or get better at, but maybe I had a long season and went into the playoffs and then we had a quick turnaround. Whatever the case may be, I never had this much time to fully break down my game and really challenge myself development-wise. Working on things that I'm not comfortable with all the time, things that other guys at my position do really well. I’ve had a window of time and opportunity to add to my game and to watch film with my coaches and trainers to really address those things that a lot of times might be uncomfortable. Since I had my surgery in January, I’ll have around 10 months before the start of next season. So me having that amount of time to look in the mirror to address these things and get my body right, we'll get the most out of it and I'll be the best version of myself individually.

I really, really hope he's referring to his own defense and attacking the double teams. If Dame can shore up those deficiencies, there's a major revenge tour coming next year! He didn't have much time to work with the new coaching staff before the season started, so this extended layoff might be the first chance for them to really address those things.

 

[Hoopguru]

He talks about opening up money and being in a position we have not been in for some time, big offseason ahead for sure!

 

[Strenuus]

And people wanted to trade dame.

I'll never understand it.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Love Dame, but still not sure why he played on the Olympic team if he was hurt.

 

[e_blazer]

Great article. It has me even more excited for next season.

Notice that it's not by Jason Quick? I wonder why that is?

 

[blazerkor]

Love Dame, but still not sure why he played on the Olympic team if he was hurt.

Dude played for four or five years hurt, why wouldn't he think he could just continue to play through it like he always had. The Olympics is where it really started to show in his performance and that carried through into this season. If he would have taken that time to rest he may have just been able to keep playing at the limited capacity that he says he's been playing at for years. It was also at the Olympics where Jrue Holiday and I think at least one other guy told him what it was that he had and that they'd got the surgery early on in the off season after they first felt it and never really missed a beat.

 

[tlongII]

Love Dame, but still not sure why he played on the Olympic team if he was hurt.

He wanted to represent his country and win a gold medal. And he accomplished it. That's a pretty big deal in my opinion.

 

[BlazerBeav]

Love Dame, but still not sure why he played on the Olympic team if he was hurt.

Pretty sure he took it as a slight when he wasn't picked the previous time so no way was he missing it again.

 

[Strenuus]

Love Dame, but still not sure why he played on the Olympic team if he was hurt.

He said it in the article. He played with it for so long he just learned to play with the "new normal".

Like someone else said, a couple other players talked with him and that's when he realized.

It's not that hard to understand.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Look I am not criticizing Dame. I love Dame and I respect him wanting to represent his country and grab the gold.

But he did say: "I haven't had a chance in 10 years to take a step back and let my mind relax and to let my body fully recover and relax and have a true opportunity to ramp up and train and start back with my foundation...........

Players his age need that break. He was worn down and because of it he really did not play that well in the Olympics. Again I respect him for playing, but there is a reason so many other players backed out.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Love Dame, but still not sure why he played on the Olympic team if he was hurt.

So he could stay in Portland but if he never wins a ring here he would still have a Gold Medal.

 

[e_blazer]

Look I am not criticizing Dame. I love Dame and I respect him wanting to represent his country and grab the gold.

But he did say: "I haven't had a chance in 10 years to take a step back and let my mind relax and to let my body fully recover and relax and have a true opportunity to ramp up and train and start back with my foundation...........

Players his age need that break. He was worn down and because of it he really did not play that well in the Olympics. Again I respect him for playing, but there is a reason so many other players backed out.

As I understand the story, Dame aggravated the injury at the Olympics. Pop wanted him to keep playing pretty much as a decoy. Should he have taken the summer off and had surgery to fix the injury? Hindsight says yes, but this was likely his only shot at playing for the US team in the Olympics. He’s earned the right to make that call.

 

[Strenuus]

Look I am not criticizing Dame. I love Dame and I respect him wanting to represent his country and grab the gold.

But he did say: "I haven't had a chance in 10 years to take a step back and let my mind relax and to let my body fully recover and relax and have a true opportunity to ramp up and train and start back with my foundation...........

Players his age need that break. He was worn down and because of it he really did not play that well in the Olympics. Again I respect him for playing, but there is a reason so many other players backed out.

I'll never fault a person for having too much pride. We have all been there.

 

[crandc]

He doesn't have to worry about being forgotten.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Man this guy really loves Portland. He’s going to be that forever Blazer ambassador after he retires and probably run for mayor and win

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Man this guy really loves Portland. He’s going to be that forever Blazer ambassador after he retires and probably run for mayor and win

He lives in West Linn.

He'll run for Governor.

 

[HailBlazers]

https://sports.yahoo.com/damian-lil...t-days-for-me-have-yet-to-come-161033594.html

Love these guys

 

[KSF-ERIC]

And people wanted to trade dame.

I'll never understand it.

This interview reminded me how awesome Dame is. I say trade Simons. Having both doesn’t make sense. We could get something good for Simons. I’m riding with Dame.

 

[Hoopguru]

This interview reminded me how awesome Dame is. I say trade Simons. Having both doesn’t make sense. We could get something good for Simons. I’m riding with Dame.

I do believe we could attach Ant to a pick and some to acquire solid vet front line player.

 

[Strenuus]

This interview reminded me how awesome Dame is. I say trade Simons. Having both doesn’t make sense. We could get something good for Simons. I’m riding with Dame.

This would be a heightened Jermaine o Neal and people get skiddish. This team we would know what we have. It's a weird spot to be in.

 

[Shaboid]

He lives in West Linn.

He'll run for Governor.

My girlfriend's brother in law's construction company is apparently working on a mansion somewhere in Portland with a built-in recording studio. Rumor is that it's Dame's new pad. Not sure how to prove that at all, but it'd still be cool to say you helped build his crib.

 

[illmatic99]

My girlfriend's brother in law's construction company is apparently working on a mansion somewhere in Portland with a built-in recording studio. Rumor is that it's Dame's new pad. Not sure how to prove that at all, but it'd still be cool to say you helped build his crib.

Casey has hinted at and Dame himself has said somewhere that he's building a compound of sorts in the area.

 

[BlazerBeav]

My girlfriend's brother in law's construction company is apparently working on a mansion somewhere in Portland with a built-in recording studio. Rumor is that it's Dame's new pad. Not sure how to prove that at all, but it'd still be cool to say you helped build his crib.

Work in the design field, it's absolutely a thing.

 

[e_blazer]

Work in the design field, it's absolutely a thing.

True. Through a surveyor that I work with, I helped give some advice to LaMarcus Aldridge when he was looking for property to build on. I helped Channing Frye get approval for a boat dock through a contractor that I work with.