Some GREAT info from Quick (What Billups investigation took place, where Dame stands with the Team)

[B-Roy]

https://theathletic.com/2681399/202...-big-ask-trust-us/?source=user-shared-article

This deserves it's own thread

The star player is uneasy, all those playoff exits having taken a toll on Damian Lillard. A coaching search, done amid the noise of a guilty-until-proven-innocent mob, took the shine off what could very well be a stellar hire in Chauncey Billups. It didn’t help that the franchise tried to be transparent Tuesday in Billups’ introductory press conference … until the Blazers weren’t.

He has some intriguing traits. By all accounts, Billups is a leader. And judging from stories from his playing days, he is a motivator. Those two traits happen to be among his predecessor’s biggest weaknesses. Also, Billups won an NBA title in 2004 playing the same position as Lillard and CJ McCollum, the Blazers’ two highest-paid players. Billups says he has “a really good relationship” with Lillard that “goes some years back.” And McCollum told The Athletic that he’s known Billups from working alongside him during cameos at ESPN and already the two have struck up a conversation.

“We’ve talked about a lot of stuff, and will continue to,” McCollum said. “From hoop strategy, defending, playoffs, to (Clippers’ coach) Tyronn Lue’s ability to adjust and scheme …”

Sounds promising.

A source says the team commissioned a former FBI investigator to retrace the case. Witnesses were re-interviewed. Tapes of past interviews were watched. Billups, in his interviews with the team, was questioned about the particulars. Olshey, however, told the press conference — which was being broadcast live by a Portland television station — that the details of who did the investigation and what they found was “proprietary” information. “You are just going to have to take us at our word that we hired an experienced firm who ran an investigation that gave us the results that we’ve already discussed.”

They should have said or alluded to this.

After the press conference on Tuesday, there was a meeting of the minds. Allen, Blazers’ director Bert Kolde, Billups, Olshey and his staff. The hope was that Lillard would make it, too, but he had a busy schedule Tuesday. It was viewed as a last chance to get on the same page before Lillard becomes consumed with Team USA and heads to Tokyo for next month’s Olympics.

Whether Lillard made the meeting or not is moot because Olshey already knows where he stands. On June 19, Lillard met with Olshey for three hours at the team’s practice facility. Listening to Olshey answer a question Tuesday about keeping Lillard happy, it sounds like Lillard made it clear to him that he expected Olshey to show some urgency in his offseason moves.

The big constant.

Dame to Neil: Improve the damn team, and show some urgency.

 

[tykendo]

Sounds Good and fair. But a LOT DIFFERENT than what the LA MEDIA WHORES are putting out there.

 

[Strenuus]

Best way to fix the team:

TRADE CJ. Just fucking do it, Neil.

 

[riverman]

The great news here is the CJ asked Chauncey about DEFENSE.......

 

[Natebishop3]

Best way to fix the team:

TRADE CJ. Just fucking do it, Neil.

Counterpoint:

Fire Neil.

 

[illmatic99]

On June 19, Lillard met with Olshey for three hours at the team’s practice facility.

I want to think this is encouraging.

 

[Natebishop3]

On June 19, Lillard met with Olshey for three hours at the team’s practice facility.

I want to think this is encouraging.

Yup.... and then you look at the dates on all of Dame's tweets and the rumors about potentially wanting out coming after that meeting and it's not as encouraging.

 

[Strenuus]

Counterpoint:

Fire Neil.

Solid counterpoint. I sign off on this as well.

 

[illmatic99]

Yup.... and then you look at the dates on all of Dame's tweets and the rumors about potentially wanting out coming after that meeting and it's not as encouraging.

i did just that and all those things came after the nonsense this weekend with the fans

 

[Strenuus]

i did just that and all those things came after the nonsense this weekend with the fans

I thought the same thing.

 

[Natebishop3]

i did just that and all those things came after the nonsense this weekend with the fans

Agreed, however that would seem like Neil's info is outdated and he might want to have another meeting with Dame.

 

[illmatic99]

Agreed, however that would seem like Neil's info is outdated and he might want to have another meeting with Dame.

lol about what? he met with Dame for three hours the week prior.

Just one day, please, give your skepticism and tinfoil-hat posturing a rest. I want to be optimistic about this and there's reason to be. Nearly every legit source has said that Dame isn't yet serious about wanting out. The blowback from idiot fans is waning, and the PC yesterday was a great start.

 

[julius]

As the OP said, I kind of wish the team had said more about the scope of their "investigation". Nothing that Quick said was proprietary or puts anyone in a bad light.

 

[sheed30]

Lmao now the Dame tweets are because he is unhappy with the meeting with Neil?

Or maybe it’s because “certain” fans bitched, complained, and pointed the finger at him over the Billups hire.

Some of you guys just don’t make sense but just want to be negative at all costs.

I can’t say too much because I noticed this forum will edit or delete certain posts of yours lol.

 

[riverman]

All this Dame speculation is just speculation...the guy is going to Tokyo in a month...has training camp and is busy with his other sponsorships and marketing schedule....he doesn't have to attend Neil's meetings at this point and I'll bet Chauncey was at his house with other players last night....Chauncey is going to be in contact with Dame throughout this whole transition and people need to stop feeding the NYC, LA, Chicago narrative that he's disgruntled....He isn't...Dame not only lives here but he's moved his whole extended family here....I don't think he's making his mom give up her house in Portland to move to NYC nor do I think he wants to raise his children in urban sprawl.....Dame has a lot more to lose by bailing on Portland than by moving to a large market for a ring...I'll bet the gold medal is more important to him than the ring anyway
and to my joy the Lakers didn't win a ring anyway with their superstar team. Brooklyn either

 

[B-Roy]

I can’t say too much because I noticed this forum will edit or delete certain posts of yours lol.

Only if you attack a poster directly. This forum is actually great because you have fans on a variety of the spectrum. Eternal optimists like KSF, super negative people like ______, and everyone in between. Even if you disagree with certain people it’s always great to hear their perspective.

 

[sheed30]

All this Dame speculation is just speculation...the guy is going to Tokyo in a month...has training camp and is busy with his other sponsorships and marketing schedule....he doesn't have to attend Neil's meetings at this point and I'll bet Chauncey was at his house with other players last night....Chauncey is going to be in contact with Dame throughout this whole transition and people need to stop feeding the NYC, LA, Chicago narrative that he's disgruntled....He isn't...Dame not only lives here but he's moved his whole extended family here....I don't think he's making his mom give up her house in Portland to move to NYC nor do I think he wants to raise his children in urban sprawl.....

Exactly. It “sounds” like Dame told Neil blah blah Jason Quick says.

So now, we are supposed to just assume that wasn’t a positive meeting but a negative one, and believe what Jason fucking Quick is telling us?

or maybe some of us have a brain and know the media driven agenda this Portland media has, and don’t buy into the bs.

 

[illmatic99]

Exactly. It “sounds” like Dame told Neil blah blah Jason Quick says.

So now, we are supposed to just assume that wasn’t a positive meeting but a negative one, and believe what Jason fucking Quick is telling us?

or maybe some of us have a brain and know the media driven agenda this Portland media has, and don’t buy into the bs.

quick suggested NOTHING negative. That's perpetual pessimist and resident skeptic @Natebishop3 's interpretation.

Read it again.

 

[Natebishop3]

lol about what? he met with Dame for three hours the week prior.

Just one day, please, give your skepticism and tinfoil-hat posturing a rest. I want to be optimistic about this and there's reason to be. Nearly every legit source has said that Dame isn't yet serious about wanting out. The blowback from idiot fans is waning, and the PC yesterday was a great start.

How exactly is this tinfoil hat?

6/19 - Neil has long meeting with Dame and Dame is happy.

6/25 - Billups hire is leaked and shit blows up.

Dame posts a bunch of cryptic tweets and rumors come out about him being upset.

All I'm saying is that Dame's feelings and opinions might have changed in the last week since he met with Neil, and Neil really might want to have another sit down with Dame to make sure things are cool. You guys don't need to be so condescending when you disagree.

 

[Natebishop3]

quick suggested NOTHING negative. That's perpetual pessimist and resident skeptic @Natebishop3 's interpretation.

Read it again.

Dude give me a fucking break. I swear to god you guys act like I'm pulling this shit out of thin air.

Who is Quick's source?

The Dame rumor came from Haynes, who is widely known to be Dame's mouthpiece, so quit fucking acting like I'm over here making 9/11 conspiracy videos.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I can’t say too much because I noticed this forum will edit or delete certain posts of yours lol.

We only delete or edit personal insults.

You can always send me a private message if you have a concern about a post that was edited or deleted.

 

[illmatic99]

Dude give me a fucking break. I swear to god you guys act like I'm pulling this shit out of thin air.

Who is Quick's source?

The Dame rumor came from Haynes, who is widely known to be Dame's mouthpiece, so quit fucking acting like I'm over here making 9/11 conspiracy videos.

it's just amazing how you can spin anything into a negative light.

 

[Natebishop3]

I never said that Dame's meeting with Neil wasn't positive.

I said that a lot has happened since that meeting and feelings change, so if we're only going off what was said in that meeting over a week ago, that's not as encouraging as if the meeting happened on Monday after the trade rumors came out.

 

[Strenuus]

Lmao now the Dame tweets are because he is unhappy with the meeting with Neil?

Or maybe it’s because “certain” fans bitched, complained, and pointed the finger at him over the Billups hire.

Some of you guys just don’t make sense but just want to be negative at all costs.

I can’t say too much because I noticed this forum will edit or delete certain posts of yours lol.

If it gets edited or deleted it's because you personally insulted someone.

Or you responded to one that did and we took out all the replies to it.

 

[Natebishop3]

it's just amazing how you can spin anything into a negative light.

How is it negative? I didn't say that Dame is definitely unhappy. I said that Neil's meeting happened BEFORE shit popped off. Dame has been unavailable it appears to meet with the team since he returned to Portland (based on Quick's article) so we don't know where things fall.

If you posted a review of a fridge online that you absolutely love this fridge, and then a week later that fridge breaks, can I still go off that original review? Or maybe your opinion has changed on the Fridge? Or the company? I don't know because you haven't posted a followup review.

 

[illmatic99]

And for those who are skeptical of Dame's schedule yesterday, from what I can tell from his and his circle's IG, he started his day working out with his guy in Tigard, then hit Moda for a promo with Biofreeze, then a gym in Portland somewhere to film an ad with Spalding. He's leaving for Tokyo this week. I'm guessing he wants to get all of these ads/spots out before he's out of the country. Not making the PC or the meeting is not a big deal, especially if he met for three hours just a week prior (do people realize how LONG that is??? someone not invested in the franchise or is on shaky grounds about his future here isn't doing that).

It looks like Chauncey was only in town for a few hours (his daughter posted their entire day on her IG). They flew private in the morning and were back in LA by afternoon.

 

[e_blazer]

Counterpoint:

Fire Neil.

All the tea leaves point to one nearly certain conclusion on that front: Not happening...at least this season. If Jody Allen and the Vulcans were going to push Olshey out the door soon, they would have done it before the coaching hire, before the meeting between Olshey and Dame, before the planning for the draft, and with enough time for a new GM to plan for free agency and summer roster decisions. I do think that Olshey is now very much on the hot seat that Stotts was recently ejected from. If he screws up the roster moves that need to come, if the Billups hire and the rape allegations that came with it remain a constant thorn in the team's side this season, and (most importantly) if Dame is unhappy and wanting to move on by the end of next season, I think we'll see the rocket thrusters under that hot seat fire up again and eject Olshey out of town.

 

[Natebishop3]

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be Mr. Hunky Dory until the team makes changes. They fired Stotts. That's fantastic. There hasn't been much to be happy about though with all the backlash about Billups and the rumors about Dame. I'm not sure how anyone could be super psyched right now. But I'm hopeful that we move CJ and balance out the roster. I'll be positive when there's something to be positive about.

 

[Natebishop3]

If it gets edited or deleted it's because you personally insulted someone.

Or you responded to one that did and we took out all the replies to it.

Yeah, it's funny because it seems like whenever I unhide content from people that I have on ignore, SHOCKER, they're making personal attacks against me.

So guess what? I'm done with it. I'm going to report any of these guys who have consistently called me names over the last year. Call me a negative nancy? Reported? Call me a drama queen? Reported. I don't care. I'm done with it. It's no longer open season on me.

 

[Strenuus]

And for those who are skeptical of Dame's schedule yesterday, from what I can tell from his and his circle's IG, he started his day working out with his guy in Tigard, then hit Moda for a promo with Biofreeze, then a gym in Portland somewhere to film an ad with Spalding. He's leaving for Tokyo this week. I'm guessing he wants to get all of these ads/spots out before he's out of the country. Not making the PC or the meeting is not a big deal, especially if he met for three hours just a week prior (do people realize how LONG that is??? someone not invested in the franchise or is on shaky grounds about his future here isn't doing that).

It looks like Chauncey was only in town for a few hours (his daughter posted their entire day on her IG). They flew private in the morning and were back in LA by afternoon.

He also did an interview with Brooke. Dunno when that took place but thats a hell of a day right after a game the night before.