Damian Lillard FIRES WARNING to Trail Blazers and drops hint about future in Portland
Damian Lillard talks about his vision and expectations out of the team after a disappointing 2022-23 NBA season
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Damian Lillard (Image via Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t have the most exciting NBA season this year. Damian Lillard was facing injury issues, and the roster underperformed almost every game. The team managed to win only 33 games while losing 49 in the regular. Their disappointing record has put them in 13th place in the Western Conference. As expected, they haven’t qualified to proceed to this year’s postseason.
Portland has been a strong competitor in recent seasons. The Trail Blazers haven’t been a consistently disappointing team with Lillard as their star. Unfortunately, the Portland-based club has fallen out of sync in recent seasons. While roster changes are a proven reason for a team’s performance to alter, they have consistently failed to turn themselves into one of the NBA’s top teams. Unsurprisingly, their star guard appears agitated.
In an end-of-season media availability, Lillard spoke to the press about how this season went for the Portland Trailblazers. “Honestly, underwhelming. Just frustrating. A lot of things. Never being fully healthy, never being able to put a consistent stretch together. A season full of ups and downs. Not a lot of consistency,” he said.
Dame was also asked whether he was looking forward to building a new core with a bunch of young players, to which he replied, “I don’t have much of an appetite for building with guys 2 and 3 years away and not really go after it.”
Lillard also spoke about how he sees the road ahead for the team. He vehemently expressed his feeling about the necessity to start playing better basketball. “I feel how I feel about Chauncey, I feel how I feel about Joe. The optimism is there but it’s time to get the work done.”
Is Damian Lillard likely to ask for a trade behind the scenes?
Although Damian Lillard has been pretty transparent about his views on being traded, media speculations have never stopped. The guard has been in denial consistently and has been playing for Portland since his entry into the NBA. However, he has been rumoured to be pursued by teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and quite recently, the Miami Heat as well.
Lillard, prior to his shutdown, spoke to the press addressing these rumours. He called a trade a ‘weak move’ and spoke about how he wasn’t going to leave because of a few bad seasons. While the Portland Trail Blazers haven’t been playing their best basketball, one could argue that their wins have dried up due to an unfortunate series of injuries.
Dame went through abdominal surgery last year and had an untimely calf injury earlier this season. However, he still managed to show up to quite a few games, including one against the Houston Rockets, where he played a staggering 71-point game. Lillard was also a part of the All-Star game this season and shot down the game-winner.
Based on how the Portland guard has addressed these rumours, he is likely looking to regroup and look forward to a comeback season. Although, it is no surprise that the NBA always brings the most unexpected surprises.
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Ritvik Malhotra
(1085 Articles Published)