Did Damian Lillard, who has played his whole career in Portland, take a subtle shot at the Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant?
The Golden State Warriors have thrived over the last three seasons. Winning two titles, they’ve seen the Damian Lillard-led Portland Trail Blazers knocked out all three times. It seems Lillard may have finally cracked, potentially taking a shot at Kevin Durant.
However, we’ll let you depict what Lillard meant when he said (via ESPN), “I do want to win a championship, but there’s other stuff that means more to me. … It’s almost like I’m not willing to sell myself out for that.”
Damian Lillard says he isn't going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/0frbiqMJCr
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 20, 2019
Kevin Durant, following a trip to the Western Conference Finals with the OKC Thunder, took off and joined a historically great Warriors team. Since then, they’ve won two straight championships while receiving a good amount of hate from the NBA community.
Is that was Lillard was hinting at when he said he’s not selling himself out for that type of success? If so, why wouldn’t he? We’re living in a time where loyalty isn’t as important as accolades. He won’t find the level of success Durant has had for quite some time in Portland.
The Blazers have seen success with Lillard at the helm, just not championship-contending success.
The Trail Blazers have been a top-five team in the Western Conference this season. With CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers have done well with what they’ve been given. That said, they most likely won’t be making noise in the postseason.
Last season is a perfect example of what a Blazers season typically looks like.
Finishing the West’s No. 3 seed, the Blazers were given the New Orleans Pelicans to play in the first round. Without DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans won all four, sweeping the Blazers behind a terrific four-game performance from superstar Anthony Davis.
The Blazers are in the middle ground. They’re good, but they’re not good enough to make good teams concerned. At the same time, they’re too good to get a solid draft pick, and so far, they’ve been unable to really strengthen their roster via trade.
The Balzers will stay slightly above average until they blow it up, and with a committed Damian Lillard, that doesn’t seem like it’ll happen any time soon.