Trade Lillard now

[e_blazer]

The time to make decisions about what to do with Dame is this summer, before the talks about a max contract extension. Now is the time to be looking for a big trade before the deadline. Hopefully, we’ll see guys returning from protocols this coming week. Maybe CJ is ready to play. It would be nice to see a few games with a full healthy roster (something we haven’t seen yet this year) before a move is made before the deadline, but either way, if the plan is to keep building around Dame and give him the money he wants and has earned, there has to be a deal that brings in a major player this season. If that doesn’t happen, if CJ is still the Robin to Dame’s Batman by the end of the year, I say it’s time to pack it in, trade Dame, CJ, and whatever else will return building materials, and start over. The absolute last thing I want to see is Dame finishing his career on any Blazers team that resembles the mess we’re looking at lately. I’d rather see him pull a Clyde and get a title with a competently managed franchise.

 

[julius]

Right now, it's a difference without a distinction.

I think the difference is, the Pelicans didn't just get a new GM (well, what a month ago now??) and don't have a ton of tradable assets right now.

The Blazers have CJ, Nurk (ending contract), Roco (same), Simons (ending and youth) and Little. Each one of those could be used in a trade (preferably CJ, Nurk and Roco).

 

[e_blazer]

I am seeing a former All NBA player in Damian Lillard.
Could be his injury, (aka his selfishness) could just be an off-year. Amazing athletes have them.
Or, he is 31, and has ran his body into the ground. Dame is a warrior, tough as nails, but it is ENTIRELY possible he is on the downside.
He is not a large man, and he has had the shit kicked out of him over the years.
That can be our little secret. Trade him while everyone else sees him as a top 75 all time player. (again, apologies to Klay)...

This is complete nonsense. Dame has been playing well lately since he got the injection. Last night’s game the Lakers had the luxury of being able to double him constantly because the team doesn’t have any other consistent major scoring threats other than Norm.

 

[Wade Garrett]

He's still averaging 24 points and 7 assists, for fucks sake.

Not sure why you keep bringing up Klay. His career PER is *below* what Damian is doing right now and he's apparently washed up.

15 = average NBA player. Klay the last 2 seasons? 16.6 and 16. He's a great shooter yes, but the guy is overrated.

IDK....
I guess as long as I'm looking in the mirror and being honest, I believe Klay has accomplished so much more and should have been on that list.
But, that is a different hill, and not one I'm willing to die on.
As for Dame's 24&7, like I said, he is playing at a borderline allstar level this year. Far from AllNBA....
But it's not about the stats.
He aint making the shots this team needs its superstar to make. The rally killers, the quiet the crowd with oooohs and ahhhs....
Not happening.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

1. Lillard is not what's wrong with the Blazers.

2. Just because Olshey couldn't build a contender around Lillard doesn't mean another GM can't.

 

[julius]

IDK....
I guess as long as I'm looking in the mirror and being honest, I believe Klay has accomplished so much more and should have been on that list.
But, that is a different hill, and not one I'm willing to die on.
As for Dame's 24&7, like I said, he is playing at a borderline allstar level this year. Far from AllNBA....
But it's not about the stats.
He aint making the shots this team needs its superstar to make. The rally killers, the quiet the crowd with oooohs and ahhhs....
Not happening.

He's accomplished more because of his teammate.

If you take off Curry and Green, and put the hones on Thompson, I suspect his #'s won't be as good as they are. Strange how better teammates make you appear better.

 

[Wade Garrett]

This is complete nonsense. Dame has been playing well lately since he got the injection. Last night’s game the Lakers had the luxury of being able to double him constantly because the team doesn’t have any other consistent major scoring threats other than Norm.

Dames been doubled his entire career.
(or at least since the Pelican series)
Difference this year is obvious.

 

[SlyPokerCat]

Thanks mixum.

The point was that we don't know that Damian has asked that, since he's not allowed to do ask about an extension or ask for it.

i am not mixum.

Last time I checked, this is a forum. So we can talk about different scenarios without knowing if Damian has asked out or not. Or whatever requests he has made.

 

[julius]

i am not mixum.

Last time I checked, this is a forum. So we can talk about different scenarios without knowing if Damian has asked out or not. Or whatever requests he has made.

Weird, almost as if that's exactly why I said that.

 

[SlyPokerCat]

Weird, almost as if that's exactly why I said that.

But you are Hap.

 

[julius]

But you are Hap.

sure, whatever makes you happy.

 

[wizenheimer]

You can disagree with what Quick said, but Dame accused Quick of something he didn't say, then posted the 'snake' picture.

I'd like to see the proof of that

 

[riverman]

Pippen and Rodman were hardly roleplayers. Both are in the hall of fame.

no they weren't but do you know how much salary cap Pippen ate up? he didn't get CJ money that's for sure...strangely the Jazz Bulls era had Ostertag and Longley as starting centers...not the most talented guys for bigs at their position and Steve Kerr was one of the worst defenders on his team....they had scrubs and won with Jordan dominating games and Pippen shutting down opposing scorers....good combo...I'm not objective about the Jordan Bulls....I hated that team top to bottom including mr never get ejected or in foul trouble MJ

 

[riverman]

I'd like to see the proof of that

@wizenheimer how come my name is on that post..? I didn't post that I replied to it

 

[Phatguysrule]

We have our Pippen (Dame) and Kukoc (CJ). We just need our Jordan and Rodman and we have a chance at a title!

We're not going to get a player better than Dame unless we luck out in the draft.

We need a Pippen for Dame, and a Rodman and Kukoc (can't be CJ).

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

If Lillard is traded later then that later would be now but not the now that OP wants. So there is later now and now now but now now has passed so we can only trade him later now.

Wife, did u get into the Jack Daniel's doggy treats?

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Wife, did u get into the Jack Daniel's doggy treats?

Hahaha! I can't change it now....supposed to be wtf!

 

[e_blazer]

Dames been doubled his entire career.
(or at least since the Pelican series)
Difference this year is obvious.

In the 7 games since his return and prior to last night’s 18 point performance against the Lakers, Dame averaged 32 ppg. I think that’s pretty good.

 

[Minstrel]

As much as rebuilds are fun for those inclined to dive into drafts and rosterbate, and for those who like to dream on draft picks turning into stars, rebuilds where you "tear it down" (trade away all your important players) and start over have a terrible record of producing winners unless your team both plays in LA and is called the Lakers. Cap space isn't going to lure any stars or superstars to Portland. Frustrated superstars aren't going to tell their teams to take what they can get from the Blazers because they'll refuse to re-sign anywhere else. Tearing it all down and starting over generally means being awful for a decade--so you'd better be very committed to following the draft to get your sports fun.

On the other hand, starting from where Portland is--a star in his 30s, overpaid mediocrity filling up the roster and very little in the way of exciting young talent--is also pretty unlikely to yield a title. However, winning a title takes star power so having Lillard gets you closer than not having Lillard but having a bunch of draft picks. So while neither avenue is terribly exciting or has a decent chance to pay off, I'd reluctantly rather see what (Sleepy) Joe Cronin or his successor can cook up in terms of reshaping the roster around Lillard rather than selling off Lillard for scrap and draft picks. Especially considering that Lillard will likely no longer command a massive haul. He doesn't have a ton of prime years left, he's underperforming and he was never a top-five guy like, say, Harden used to be. And even what Harden got traded for wasn't super exciting once you realize that pick swaps aren't particularly valuable.

If Portland was a free agent destination, if players wanted to come to the Blazers, if Lillard was likely to bring in a franchise-changing haul of intriguing young talent and draft picks--I'd say trade Lillard this instant. If Portland were Miami and Lillard was likely to bring in a 2019 Anthony Davis return, go for it. But as the Blazers, with 2022 Lillard--the likeliest path to relevance (likeliest, not likely) probably runs through keeping Lillard and hoping Cronin or someone else turns out to be a savvy GM who can create a stronger, nicely-fitting roster around him.

 

[Phatguysrule]

As much as rebuilds are fun for those inclined to dive into drafts and rosterbate, and for those who like to dream on draft picks turning into stars, rebuilds where you "tear it down" (trade away all your important players) and start over have a terrible record of producing winners unless your team both plays in LA and is called the Lakers. Cap space isn't going to lure any stars or superstars to Portland. Frustrated superstars aren't going to tell their teams to take what they can get from the Blazers because they'll refuse to re-sign anywhere else. Tearing it all down and starting over generally means being awful for a decade--so you'd better be very committed to following the draft to get your sports fun.

On the other hand, starting from where Portland is--a star in his 30s, overpaid mediocrity filling up the roster and very little in the way of exciting young talent--is also pretty unlikely to yield a title. However, winning a title takes star power so having Lillard gets you closer than not having Lillard but having a bunch of draft picks. So while neither avenue is terribly exciting or has a decent chance to pay off, I'd reluctantly rather see what (Sleepy) Joe Cronin or his successor can cook up in terms of reshaping the roster around Lillard rather than selling off Lillard for scrap and draft picks. Especially considering that Lillard will likely no longer command a massive haul. He doesn't have a ton of prime years left, he's underperforming and he was never a top-five guy like, say, Harden used to be. And even what Harden got traded for wasn't super exciting once you realize that pick swaps aren't particularly valuable.

If Portland was a free agent destination, if players wanted to come to the Blazers, if Lillard was likely to bring in a franchise-changing haul of intriguing young talent and draft picks--I'd say trade Lillard this instant. If Portland were Miami and Lillard was likely to bring in a 2019 Anthony Davis return, go for it. But as the Blazers, with 2022 Lillard--the likeliest path to relevance (likeliest, not likely) probably runs through keeping Lillard and hoping Cronin or someone else turns out to be a savvy GM who can create a stronger, nicely-fitting roster around him.

Excellent post. Agreed.

 

[wizenheimer]

@wizenheimer how come my name is on that post..? I didn't post that I replied to it

damned if I know

 

[Bingo Bango]

But no, let's trade him because we want to suck for a long time after (see: Minnesota, see: Orlando, see: Sacramento, see: New Orleans)

The Blazers have sucked for years with Lillard. They’re just good enough to qualify for the playoffs, but nowhere good enough to compete for a championship.

 

[Bingo Bango]

As for Dame's 24&7, like I said, he is playing at a borderline allstar level this year. Far from AllNBA....
But it's not about the stats.
He aint making the shots this team needs its superstar to make. The rally killers, the quiet the crowd with oooohs and ahhhs....
Not happening.

And his shooting percentage sucks.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

that's the type guy you're going to get if you blow it up...unproven talent

Of we could get a guy like Luka Doncic or Evan Mobley who instantly transform a franchise.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Great 1 trip passed the 1st round. To be fair, at least he won a game.

They would’ve won it all if Cassell hadn’t got hurt. They were good.

 

[blazerkor]

The Blazers have sucked for years with Lillard. They’re just good enough to qualify for the playoffs, but nowhere good enough to compete for a championship.

The Blazers have sucked for years because of mismanagement by Olshey and in spite of what Dame has done not because of him. So keep pedaling this bullshit because I don't think anyone has the power to trade Dame right now and I can only hope the team tries something drastically different around him before they give up on him like you have.

 

[blazerkor]

And his shooting percentage sucks.

Not over the last nine games since he returned from rest and treatment for his injury and those first two games he was still getting his legs under him. It's cool that you've given up on someone who has given this team everything and never been given a chance by a competent GM.

 

[TBpup]

Dame may not be perfect....but he is not the issue. Far more windmills to tilt than Mr. Lillard.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Dame may not be perfect....but he is not the issue. Far more windmills to tilt than Mr. Lillard.

Dame’s one of the issues. We’ve lost lots of games where he “takes over” and shoots nothing but bricks. He has been bad, no other way around it.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

The Blazers have sucked for years because of mismanagement by Olshey and in spite of what Dame has done not because of him. So keep pedaling this bullshit because I don't think anyone has the power to trade Dame right now and I can only hope the team tries something drastically different around him before they give up on him like you have.

Wait what? We’ve sucked for years? We have three 50 win seasons in the last 7 seasons. The KINGS have sucked for years. We’ve had a couple disappointing seasons that still provided a lot of entertainment. When our starting lineup was on the floor last season, we were very good. The Wolves have sucked for years. The Pistons have sucked for years (haven’t won a series since 2008, I think).