Understanding Damian Lillard's Loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers
When Allen Iverson’s tenure in Philadelphia ended, I learned that I was an Allen Iverson fan not a Sixer fan. Since I didn’t want to follow him to Denver I needed a new squad - this was before the whole following a player movement took over. The Portland Trail Blazers drafted LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy that previous June and I loved them.
New team found. Even after injuries consumed B. Roy’s career and LaMarcus left I was still there. Sure by the time Aldridge left, the Blazers had drafted heir apparent Damian Lillard. But this was my team, if Damian Lillard does leave or retire as a lifelong Blazer, I’ll still be there. I’m a Blazer fan. Now, that’s an easy call for me, I’m simply a fan.
This isn’t my job, my career, or my legacy. While I was saddened to see LaMarcus leave my small market team, I understood it. I wanted LaMarcus to go get his ring, as long as he didn’t have to face us in the process. And for the record, I feel the same about Dame. If at any point he wants to leave Portland, I’ll understand. But Dame has gone out of his way to express a sense of loyalty to the team that drafted him out of Weber State University and on a personal level, I really understand that. I’d like to explain for those that struggle with Dame’s ethos.
Gary Payton, another NBA great hailing from Oakland, explains in short what Dame has continued to say, ‘he’s loyal’. But in the clip, Gary brings it back to Dame’s recruitment out of high school. Weber State was the first to commit to Dame and when bigger programs came calling, Dame stayed true opting to stick with Weber. Obviously, it all worked out, with him being selected very high in the lottery when he declared for the NBA Draft back in 2012.
I would imagine Dame feels the same to be true for his NBA career, with a longer timeline. If he stays true to Portland - as long as they do their part, more on this later - then the “Dirk Nowitzki ring” feels all the better after grueling through for an entire career to bring a championship to that team.
But on a surface level, it’s really Dame’s personality that has to be considered the most. With stardom comes pressure and a “fishbowl” that many may not be accustomed to or wired to want.
But none of this is to say Dame can’t leave Portland before his career is done. While he’s rejected the notion of joining a ‘superteam’, he’s not simply along for the ride no matter what. Portland could always trade the 6-time All-Star or he could feel the team isn’t doing enough to try to improve towards a championship.
Trust me, us Blazers fans are aware of this possibility. Part of that has been my 180 with CJ McCollum. I love CJ. Once a Blazer, always a Blazer; but I’d be lying if I said the team didn’t need wholesale changes this off-season.
Unfortunately one of those was the dismissal of head coach Terry Stotts, and the second - to immediately improve the Blazers - would be to see what can be had for their second-best trade asset. I don’t know if Philly bites on trading Ben Simmons away but the team has to try something, Dame’s loyalty isn’t something to take for granted. But the path many have paved for Dame in a bigger market isn’t as clear-cut as these people like to imagine it is.
Many have left the small markets they were drafted by seemingly for greener pastures. Paul George endured a different level of criticism being in Oklahoma City before settling with the Clippers. Kevin Durant did win two Larry O’Brien Trophies with the Golden State Warriors but ended up switching teams once again, in signing with the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Love left Minnesota to join LeBron and Kyrie in Cleveland only to be left there desperately trying to get out.
Paul George, with Kawhi out with a knee sprain, has the world on his shoulders trying to guide the Los Angeles Clippers to an NBA Finals appearance. He ran into one too many LeBron teams during his time in the East but appeared on his way to stardom nevertheless. A playoff exit at the hands of Lillard and the Blazers didn’t help his OKC run with Russell Westbrook.
Then Kawhi ended up leaving the Raptors, after winning the championship, for San Diego - sorry, the LA Clippers - and recruited Paul George to talk the Thunder into a trade to land him there as well. Outside of this playoff run, there’s been many questions about that pairing with Kawhi set to become a free agent after next season.
Kevin Durant received plenty of hell for his move to Golden State. Particularly due to coming off having a 3-1 lead in the postseason on the Bay Area squad prior to this move. Despite winning two titles, almost three, with the Warriors the rift between Durant and Draymond Green seemed to escalate talk of KD looking elsewhere in free agency. The real issue probably lied with Steph Curry, and the notion that the rings won in Oakland primarily boosted Curry’s legacy more so than Durant’s.
Neverthless, the 4-time scoring champion would end up leaving despite having to sit the next year due to injury - partnering with Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets. Injuries have also plagued this year’s Nets team as the trio - having nabbed James Harden from Houston this season - saw Kyrie and Harden either out or hobbled throughout this season’s playoff run. But in retrospect, even KD’s rings didn’t appear to be as fulfilling as he thought or expected them to be. What has seemed to happen instead has been the boosting of Steph Curry’s profile, being lauded as one of the best point guards of all-time with three championships to his name.
It’d be an interesting conversation to ask Kevin Love about his move to Cleveland. Sure, it netted him a championship alongside LeBron and Kyrie in 2015-16 but he hasn’t necessarily been the happiest camper being the last of the trio still in the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Even LeBron’s journey doesn’t particularly seem easy. After winning two titles in Miami with fellow 2003 draftees, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, he came back to Cleveland to deliver the franchise that drafted him their first championship. However, we can’t look past the short-term deals he took in Cleveland and how quickly he left his hometown team. Yes, most of that can be put on Mt. Rushless All-Star Dan Gilbert; but that’s kind of the point.
Players get labeled as desperately wanting out of small markets often but really crave competency and an actual attempt at chasing a title. Besides Dame, I’m sure many fans are clamoring for Donovan Mitchell to leave Salt Lake City but most NBA franchises are located in ‘B or C’ markets. Players know this coming in.
An off-season can be spent in South Beach or LA, that doesn’t necessarily correlate to the Heat, Lakers or Clippers being a first-class organization with their shit together and a legitimate chance at a Larry O’Brien Trophy. I think players want stability, and as a star I would rather have brass that I know and trust - and clue me in on moves - than to be second or third fiddle with someone else driving the ship.
As a Blazer fan, it feels like many want Dame to join the Lakers only to pad get LeBron’s legacy. Would a Lakers title with Dame really be credited to him or would ‘First Take’ use this as fodder to bring up the LBJ vs MJ debates? If Dame took his talents to the Mecca, is it really a sure thing that the Knicks would make it to an NBA Finals?
What if they don’t? What becomes of Dame’s legacy then? The promise of a bigger market bringing more eyes somewhat makes sense but relies on all the pieces coming together perfectly. What no one brings up is the consequences and scrutiny that comes if that doesn’t happen. Honestly, most of the ‘BIG 3’ teams we’ve seen have been top-loaded only to end up relying on a somewhat faulty bench to help seal the deal.
At the end of the day, Dame’s stance - whether he stays in Portland or not - should be respected. Jordan’s Bulls’ teams seem to have created an atmosphere where fans and media alike underestimate the grit it takes to even win one championship, let alone multiple.
This has become the standard that players feel held up to in order to cement their status as an all-time great - with no attention paid to the other accomplishments or accolades a player/team can gain along the way. Damian Lillard is arguably the best player to ever put on a Portland Trail Blazers uniform and that alone probably earns him a first-ballot spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Whether his cake has whipped cream on top or not shouldn’t matter, but wanting him to adorn that cake with a topping as a third option versus the unquestioned leader of the team that drafted him seems to be a bit backwards in logic.