By the end of the night, Lillard had a clearer picture of his future. “I want to win as a Trail Blazer,” Lillard said. “I want to win a championship where I am. I don’t think I would feel the same joy and happiness if I did it elsewhere. I would be happy, no doubt. Like winning a chip, you get that experience. “But I know how I want it.”
Source: Logan Murdock @ The Ringer
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
The Ringer @ringernba
“All I know is to roll with your own. Roll with your people.”
@Logan Murdock on Dame choosing the path that suits him best, staying in Portland: theringer.com/nba/2022/10/12… – 4:12 PM
“All I know is to roll with your own. Roll with your people.”
@Logan Murdock on Dame choosing the path that suits him best, staying in Portland: theringer.com/nba/2022/10/12… – 4:12 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors second/third units crushing the Blazers 103-71 (no Lillard) through three quarters.
*James Wiseman: 18 pts, 7 rebs in 18 mins
*Moses Moody: 20 points, three 3s
*JaMychal Green: 20 points, four 3s
*Donte DiVincenzo: 10 assists, started at PG – 12:02 AM
Warriors second/third units crushing the Blazers 103-71 (no Lillard) through three quarters.
*James Wiseman: 18 pts, 7 rebs in 18 mins
*Moses Moody: 20 points, three 3s
*JaMychal Green: 20 points, four 3s
*Donte DiVincenzo: 10 assists, started at PG – 12:02 AM
Jamie Hudson @JamieHudson_
Blazers Injury Report—
Gary Payton II (core muscle recovery), Damian Lillard (rest), and Justise Winslow (non-Covid Illness) are OUT vs. Warriors – 9:44 PM
Blazers Injury Report—
Gary Payton II (core muscle recovery), Damian Lillard (rest), and Justise Winslow (non-Covid Illness) are OUT vs. Warriors – 9:44 PM
Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
New Mismatch with @Chris Vernon on 10 of the most interesting players this NBA season. Got into Damian Lillard, Jaden Ivey, Ben Simmons, Zion Williamson, and a whole bunch else. Great discussions. open.spotify.com/episode/29jJ0q… – 11:50 AM
New Mismatch with @Chris Vernon on 10 of the most interesting players this NBA season. Got into Damian Lillard, Jaden Ivey, Ben Simmons, Zion Williamson, and a whole bunch else. Great discussions. open.spotify.com/episode/29jJ0q… – 11:50 AM
More on this storyline
But after the Blazers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2021 postseason, even though Lillard averaged over 34 points and 10 assists a game, he became disillusioned with the direction of the franchise. “It just had reached the point where I was like, ‘Is what I want the same as what the organization wants?’” Lillard told me recently. “Do we actually want to win, or is it a situation where, ‘We’re going to be good enough, we know Dame is going to put his best foot forward and it’s going to be entertaining, we’re going to be competitive, we’re going to have a chance in the playoffs.’” -via The Ringer / October 13, 2022
A month prior, Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers had been eliminated in the first round for the second straight season, leaving the guard uncertain about his future with the franchise. James had suffered an early playoff exit himself, and was looking to recruit a star guard to Los Angeles. Ever the salesman, he extended Lillard an invitation to his sprawling Brentwood estate. “He was just like, ‘Pull up to the house,’” Lillard told me recently. “And I’m like, shit, I’m out here. Tomorrow is the only day I ain’t got nothing planned out. I can pull up for a little bit.” Now Lillard was seated across from James and Anthony Davis, who needed help in their quest for another title. That evening, they indulged in expensive wine and Italian cuisine and discussed their plans for the future. “We just chopped it up just about the possibilities,” Lillard said. -via The Ringer / October 13, 2022
“What’s going on with you?” Lillard said James asked him. “And I was like, ‘I really don’t know what we’re doing,’” Lillard said. “It was just a conversation like that.” “I wasn’t even looking at it like a recruiting process,” he added. “The whole time I was like, ‘I play for the Blazers.’ My only point is, let’s give ourselves a chance. I wasn’t sending no shots or sending no threats. I’m just honest. When I get asked a question, I answer the question. Because these questions had never been asked.” -via The Ringer / October 13, 2022