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Damian Lillard told Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes that he thinks about his future and that of the Portland Trail Blazers differently at this point in his career than before. In an article published today, Haynes asks Lillard about Team USA, his personal career arc and the Blazers.
The interview doesn’t appear to be a direct response to another article posted this morning by TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, citing a source close to Lillard as saying the All-Star custody will demand a swap out of Portland. The Haynes article indicates that Lillard will address the TrueHoop piece during media availability after Team USA practice today.
After a discussion about the national team and criticism of losing two exhibition games, Haynes specifically asked Lillard what he thought of the Blazers.
Lillard first spoke about her own vision and responsibility:
I didn’t come into the league worrying about what other people in the organization were doing. I didn’t come with that kind of mentality. But I’ve been active in probably 95% of the games in my career. I suffered injuries and participated in two reconstructions. I feel like I’ve been through it all with the Trail Blazers, and I wore this jersey as a badge of honor and with great pride and care. I never felt like my job was to criticize what others in the organization were doing. My job was to make sure the team was running and trying to lead it to the best results. I always assumed everyone’s mindset was the same.
Then he spoke about the franchise:
… everyone in this organization has to look at themselves in the mirror because we have consistently failed. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and say I have to be better because whatever we do isn’t working and it doesn’t give us the chance to compete at the level we want to compete at.
When Haynes asked why this was such a pivotal moment in his relationship with the Blazers, Lillard replied:
There are a few reasons: one being that I am not getting any younger. Our environment has always been great. We don’t lose much, but we were knocked out by a shorthanded Denver team that I think we should have beaten. I just came out really disappointed. I was like, ‘Dude, this is not going to work.’ We are not winning the championship, but we have a strong organization. We are not a franchise that loses every year and gets divided. We have positive seasons; we just don’t end up with a championship. So I feel like at this point I’ve basically made the decision that if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been.
The 31-year-old goalie has spent all nine NBA seasons with the Blazers since Portland selected him 6th overall in 2012 NBA Draft. He won 6 All-Star nominations and a half-dozen nominations for the All-NBA team (a first team) averaging 24.7 points, 6.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 682 appearances.
You can read Lillard’s full answers to these questions, along with questions about the national team and the NBA Finals, in Haynes’ article.
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