Notice Where does Damian Lillard fall among All-Time Trail Blazers backcourt greats?

[BoomChakaLaka]

Have to disagree with your logic of Twardzik and Hollins being the best based on a championship. It takes a complete team to win a championship and they weren;t even the best players on that tea, where as Roy and Lillard are clearly the best players on their respective teams. Also, by your logic, Avery Johnson should be considered a better point guard than Stockton or Nash as Johnson has a ring and Stockton and Nash never won one.

Didn’t realize Avery played on the same team as Stockton or Nash. I stand firm when the topic is “best guard in team history.” Basketball indeed is a team sport. And the 1976/77 Blazer team is therefore the Best Blazer team in the history of the Trailblazers. The team that won the ring will always be the best team! Same then holds true for the pieces. Now if Dame wins is a championship, you can then debate which guard ranks as best in team history and which [championship] team was the better team.

 

[BlazerBeav]

I would rank Brandon Roy number 1. Lillard would be above Drexler and Drexler would be tied with Petrie and just slightly ahead of Hollins who was clearly our best defensive guard.

By what possible measure would either Roy or Lillard presently be ranked above Clyde Drexler? Jesus H. Christ. Save for that guy in Chicago, Drexler would have been the most dominant guard of his era. Drexler is a top-50 all-time NBA player - he finished 2nd in League MVP voting in 1992. The guy led us to consistent heights that no one else has come close to matching, and did so for 11.5 years. I love Dame - and he may someday surpass Clyde - but Roy isn't even in that conversation. He never escaped the first round of the playoffs!

 

[BlayZa]

drexler, dame, porter, damon, roy, strickland, hollins, paxon, kenny anderson, andre miller

daylight

meyers leonard

even more daylight

raymond felton

tbh i dunno, i just had to put damon in there somewhere.

 

[blazerkor]

It's Clyde by a wide margin, then Dame and then BRoy

 

[stampedehero]

#1 IMO. He stayed on board while four others left, he stepped up as a team leader and he is LOYAL as he spoke with Allen in an attempt to improve this team. Stats are not everything. Leadership is the premier quality of a great player.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I would rank Brandon Roy number 1. Lillard would be above Drexler and Drexler would be tied with Petrie and just slightly ahead of Hollins who was clearly our best defensive guard.

Just......wow

 

[CupWizier]

Didn’t realize Avery played on the same team as Stockton or Nash. I stand firm when the topic is “best guard in team history.” Basketball indeed is a team sport. And the 1976/77 Blazer team is therefore the Best Blazer team in the history of the Trailblazers. The team that won the ring will always be the best team! Same then holds true for the pieces. Now if Dame wins is a championship, you can then debate which guard ranks as best in team history and which [championship] team was the better team.

My point had nothing to do with players being on the same team. I was merely using your logic to compare point guards. If you don't see the flaw in your thinking then so be it, but living in the fog is difficult.

 

[CupWizier]

#1 IMO. He stayed on board while four others left, he stepped up as a team leader and he is LOYAL as he spoke with Allen in an attempt to improve this team. Stats are not everything. Leadership is the premier quality of a great player. View attachment 18768

Exactly. Stats are only part of a picture and when comparing players of this stature the stats are often very close and it's the intangibles that separate the players.

 

[BoomChakaLaka]

My point had nothing to do with players being on the same team. I was merely using your logic to compare point guards. If you don't see the flaw in your thinking then so be it, but living in the fog is difficult.

Read the thread title....it’s about how Dame ranks with past Blazer guards. At my age it’s all a bit foggy, but I can read. Follow along; compare Dame with Blazer other backcourt players - it’s nothing about players of other teams. And follow along with this thought: only thing that matters is winning! Everyone else gets forgotten for a reason. Impact versus stats any day. And if winning a championship is the goal, you rank Hollins and Twardzik over the others. That said, it makes for an interesting discussion when determining Magic versus Kobe. PS: I’ll take Dame

 

[BigGameDamian]

 

[42N8Bounce]

Read the thread title....it’s about how Dame ranks with past Blazer guards. At my age it’s all a bit foggy, but I can read. Follow along; compare Dame with Blazer other backcourt players - it’s nothing about players of other teams. And follow along with this thought: only thing that matters is winning! Everyone else gets forgotten for a reason. Impact versus stats any day. And if winning a championship is the goal, you rank Hollins and Twardzik over the others. That said, it makes for an interesting discussion when determining Magic versus Kobe. PS: I’ll take Dame

If you only use winning as your only metric, ranking Hollins and Twardzik #1 and #2, then where do you rank Johnny Davis, Herm Gilliam, and Larry Steel? #3, #4, and #5? Johnny Davis actually played more playoff games, and more minutes in the playoffs in 1976-77 than Hollins. Does that make Johnny Davis the #2 guard in Blazer history?

I think you have to take into account their entire body of work. Yes, Winning a championship weighs heavily, but I think Seasons Played, Career Stats, All-Star appearances, and number of Playoff Games also play a role in ranking the players. For example, Petrie played more seasons, scored more points, and had more all-star appearances than Hollins, but I gave Hollins the nod because of his championship. But I didn't rank Hollins above Paxson, who played 9 seasons, and had more than twice as many points, and more total playoff games than Hollins.

1. Drexler
2. Porter
3. Lillard
4. Roy
5. Paxson
6. Hollins
7. Petrie
8. Stoudamire
9. Twardzik
10. McCollum
11. Strickland

Tough call with lots of subjectivity. But fun.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I did not read this whole thread, but you guys are wrong about Drexler. He was not lazy. He played hard every game and all game long. (except the last year when he was pissed because Petrie quit when Paul insisted he fire Rick) Up to that point he never made excuses. He was the first Blazer I ever heard constantly talking about making the finals, even before anyone thought they could even make the playoffs. He had one goal and that was to win it all. He was not the greatest 3 point shooter, but he did everything else well. He was unstoppable in the open court and around the rim.

Drexler was the greatest SG we have ever had.
I think Dame will edge out Porter over time at PG.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

As has already been done, I have to think about if I were putting a team together, who would I want as PG & SG.

PG:
1. Lillard
2. Porter (close call)
3. Strickland (great distributor)

SG:
1. Drexler (not even close)
2. Roy (good in his prime but cringe at “iso ball”-need full-on team player)

Others:
Petrie & Paxson both great scorers but less all-around as I recall.

Again, everyone has their criteria, mine is strictly if I were putting a team together of former Blazers in their prime, who would I want.

This is tough also because the quality of the surrounding players impacts the assessment of the guards, Porter & Drexler were the leaders of some great Blazer teams, whereas Hollins & Twardzick were accessories on a team led by Walton & Lucas. I’ll take the leaders to lead my team rather than the accessories.

Gramps...

 

[Mediocre Man]

#1 IMO. He stayed on board while four others left, he stepped up as a team leader and he is LOYAL as he spoke with Allen in an attempt to improve this team. Stats are not everything. Leadership is the premier quality of a great player. View attachment 18768

1 left. The others were traded, or told they wouldn't be re-signed.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I did not read this whole thread, but you guys are wrong about Drexler. He was not lazy. He played hard every game and all game long. (except the last year when he was pissed because Petrie quit when Paul insisted he fire Rick) Up to that point he never made excuses. He was the first Blazer I ever heard constantly talking about making the finals, even before anyone thought they could even make the playoffs. He had one goal and that was to win it all. He was not the greatest 3 point shooter, but he did everything else well. He was unstoppable in the open court and around the rim.

Drexler was the greatest SG we have ever had.
I think Dame will edge out Porter over time at PG.

Nobody said he was lazy in game. They said he was lazy in practice (this is well documented and beyond dispute) and lazy in terms of improving his game (more speculative). He had immense talent and physical gifts, and he gave his all in-game, but many believe he could have reached another level if he'd had more drive to be great, rather than to just play great (if that makes sense).

 

[Nikolokolus]

The Roy jock riding by some people in this thread is amaze-balls. You're all going on my list!

 

[PtldPlatypus]

My list:

1. Drexler
2. Lillard
3. Porter
4. Roy
5. Paxson
6. Petrie
7. CJ

If Petrie had played in the 3-point era, he'd be higher. I expect CJ to move up this list pretty quickly over the next few years. Up to #4 by the end of his current contract, possibly #3 if he stays here beyond 2020. Lillard could surpass Drexler if he retires a Blazer, but in my mind he'll need at least a couple WCF appearances to do so.

 

[illmatic99]

 

[jlprk]

Read the thread title....it’s about how Dame ranks with past Blazer guards.

There should be separate thread for SGs. Combining SGs and PGs, compares dissimilar talents.

I'd rank the top 3 SGs by weight--Roy (great inside & outside), then Drexler (great inside), then Petrie (great outside). Roy could really shove his way inside for miracle game-ending layups. Drexler was last in outside shooting among those 3.

I'd add Paxson for brains, Bates for moxie, and Wells for all-around bullyboy talent.

Edit: I forgot Rider. Batum, Pippen, and Gross were SFs who played a lot of SG. Steele, Ainge, Matthews, Rudy Fernandez, Jamal Crawford, Barnett, Derek Anderson, Petrovic, that guy we're going to trade...

 

[Pinwheel1]

Nobody said he was lazy in game. They said he was lazy in practice (this is well documented and beyond dispute) and lazy in terms of improving his game (more speculative). He had immense talent and physical gifts, and he gave his all in-game, but many believe he could have reached another level if he'd had more drive to be great, rather than to just play great (if that makes sense).

He might not have seen the logic of practicing hard during the season, but my understanding is he worked hard on his game in the off season. He just did not want the extra wear and tear on his body during practice. He saved it for the games. And he played 80+ regular season games 5 times in the first 8 seasons. He played in over 1200 games in 15 seasons.....that is a lot for someone who played above the rim so much......so maybe his strategy worked

 

[Hobbesarable]

I did not read this whole thread, but you guys are wrong about Drexler. He was not lazy. He played hard every game and all game long. (except the last year when he was pissed because Petrie quit when Paul insisted he fire Rick) Up to that point he never made excuses. He was the first Blazer I ever heard constantly talking about making the finals, even before anyone thought they could even make the playoffs. He had one goal and that was to win it all. He was not the greatest 3 point shooter, but he did everything else well. He was unstoppable in the open court and around the rim.

Drexler was the greatest SG we have ever had.
I think Dame will edge out Porter over time at PG.

He was my hero as a kid and I still regard him as the greatest Blazer. He always made time for his fans and he was always respectful of others. He did not disappoint each time I had conversations with him. He was always the gentleman.

 

[Harry's Raincoat]

1. Drexler
2. Lillard
3. Porter (key man to reaching '90 & '92 Finals)
4. Roy
5. Paxson

Drexler was the second best player in the league IMO behind MJ, at his peak ('92).
Lillard has carried this load for a while now, but needs help. CJ is a good piece, but no WCF's in sight yet.