'I'm not willing to sell myself out': Damian Lillard isn't going to ask out of Portland for a championship

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/im-not-willing-sell-damian-lillard-isnt-going-ask-portland-championship-191409445.html



'I'm not willing to sell myself out': Damian Lillard isn't going to ask out of Portland for a championship



Yahoo Sports Cassandra Negley,Yahoo Sports
Tue, Feb 19 11:14 AM PST




Damian Lillard was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the sixth pick in the 2012 draft and Portland is where he’s stayed for the past six years. It’s where he will continue to stay.

The four-time All-Star point guard is one of the league’s best, averaging 23.5 points per game over his career along with 6.3 assists. The Trail Blazers have made the playoffs five of his six years, but haven’t made it past the second round in an era of superteams.

Yet the 28-year-old hasn’t asked to get out of Portland to make one, and he shared why that is with Yahoo’s Chris Haynes on the Posted Up podcast.

“I do want to win a championship but it’s other stuff that means more to me. It’s almost like I’m not willing to sell myself out for that.”


Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard won’t be asking out of Portland. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)


Lillard told Haynes he’s in a position with Portland where he’s valued and can achieve individual success. He’s also started to appreciate those around him, from coaches to trainers to teammates, and what one ripple can do throughout an organization.

“Obviously we all play to win a championship. I want to win a championship. I compete to win a championship. But I’ve learned that it’s about so many other things, the relationships, the impact that you have on other people and their lives, and the impact that you can have on their careers. So, for me, I enjoy that.”

Lillard gave the scenario where if he were to ask out, it would “ruin stuff for other people,” such as moving players to other teams — gutting the roster to rebuild, for example — or waiving players, thereby potentially ending a career. That all doesn’t only impact a player, but an entire family, he pointed out.

“And it could affect too many people for one. Two, you can go somewhere else and you’re not guaranteed to win a championship. So, I mean for reasons like that, I’m just like man, I’m more into where I am as a person, you know, the relationships and the impact that it could have on people … When my career is over I’m going to know the relationships that I’m going to have, I’m going to know the people who knew I was solid with them regardless if it was at the top or if i controlled all this stuff that I did it the right way, that I took people’s situations and their families and what could be into consideration before I just made a decision based off all right this is what would be best for me. This is what people want to see me do.”

The Trail Blazers (34-23) are fourth in the Western Conference, again en route to a playoff spot. Lillard is averaging 26.3 points, 6.4 assists and 4.5 rebound a game.



bob
MY NOTE: Well whaddya know? A real alpha dog besides LeBron actually exists in the NBA.


.

A real alpha dog who considers people other than himself in his decisions. That would make him the anti-LeBron.

I likes that!

Shame on those players that jump ship via free agency or demand a trade - we're lucky that the Celts don't have that type of player on it's roster.

swish

swish wrote:Shame on those players that jump ship via free agency or demand a trade - we're lucky that the Celts don't have that type of player on it's roster.

 swish

Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

WOW! REFRESHING CHANGE TO SEE FROM THE ME FIRST GENERATION!

112288

jrleftfoot wrote:

swish wrote:Shame on those players that jump ship via free agency or demand a trade - we're lucky that the Celts don't have that type of player on it's roster.

 swish

      Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

LOL...I thought immediately of Horford and Hayward when I read that. one could also go back to KG telling Minnesota he wnated out back in the day.

seems some feel its only BAD when its player that doesn't come here or something and that those that do are somehow different than the other FA's who move from one team to another.

Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

jrleftfoot wrote:

swish wrote:Shame on those players that jump ship via free agency or demand a trade - we're lucky that the Celts don't have that type of player on it's roster.

 swish

      Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

note - no
symphony - yes

swish

tjmakz wrote: Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

The guy has been in Portland for 7 years - even if he leaves in the summer, his point has already been proven.

kdp59 wrote:

jrleftfoot wrote:

swish wrote:Shame on those players that jump ship via free agency or demand a trade - we're lucky that the Celts don't have that type of player on it's roster.

 swish

      Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

LOL...I thought immediately of Horford and Hayward when I read that. one could also go back to KG telling Minnesota he wnated out back in the day.

seems some feel its only BAD when its player that doesn't come here or something and that those that do are somehow different than the other FA's who move from one team to another.

  Don't forget Irving.

  "Jul 24, 2017 ... Kyrie Irving -- one part of Cleveland's Big Three that has reached three ... "Now, Irving's trade demand has thrown Cleveland for yet another loop .."

   swish

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:  Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

The guy has been in Portland for 7 years - even if he leaves in the summer, his point has already been proven.

I don't understand your point.
Lillard and Davis have been in the league the same amount of time.
Lebron stayed for 7 years with Cleveland when he started his career.

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:  Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

The guy has been in Portland for 7 years - even if he leaves in the summer, his point has already been proven.

I don't understand your point.
Lillard and Davis have been in the league the same amount of time.
Lebron stayed for 7 years with Cleveland when he started his career.

Player A - is a guy who has been a loyal soldier for 7 years

Player B - is a hired gun who could not win on his own, so went on national TV and had an hour long show to embarrass his hometown team and form a super team.

Player C - has an agent who is planting false stories to force his team to move his client to the team he wants to play for (even though he has 2 years left on his contract)

And you think these are all the same?

Damian said FOR HIM - he wants to win on his terms, and to him - it is as much about teamwork and teammates and winning with his team. His legacy is about more than chasing a championship for the sake of winning. He wants to win in a place he likes and feels connected to.

He is not talking about free agency or even trades - he is talking about players colluding to build super teams, and him not being wired that way.

Damian Lillard has the attitude most if not all players should have coming into the NBA. You better just love playing basketball. You best love the game because that's all 95% of the players coming through are going to do...play basketball. No championship. Maybe a couple of rounds in the playoffs. Only 1 team per year raises the trophy. 15 players out of 450, about 3%.

He is making a great, obvious point. It's not all about chasing the illusive championship. It is a living and a lifestyle. It's where you get up and go to work every day and the people you are around. It's where your kids play and go to school. He's not going to hung up on the fact that he may never get a championship. He's just being realistic. At 3%, the odds are not really in his favor (or anyone's favor coming into the league) given all the hoops one must jump through to get there and all the stars that have to align to win a championship.

It's refreshing that this gets reported.

db

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:  Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

The guy has been in Portland for 7 years - even if he leaves in the summer, his point has already been proven.

I don't understand your point.
Lillard and Davis have been in the league the same amount of time.
Lebron stayed for 7 years with Cleveland when he started his career.

Player A - is a guy who has been a loyal soldier for 7 years

Player B - is a hired gun who could not win on his own, so went on national TV and had an hour long show to embarrass his hometown team and form a super team.

Player C - has an agent who is planting false stories to force his team to move his client to the team he wants to play for (even though he has 2 years left on his contract)

And you think these are all the same?

Damian said FOR HIM - he wants to win on his terms, and to him - it is as much about teamwork and teammates and winning with his team.  His legacy is about more than chasing a championship for the sake of winning.  He wants to win in a place he likes and feels connected to.  

He is not talking about free agency or even trades - he is talking about players colluding to build super teams, and him not being wired that way.  

Why wouldn't players want to form a super team if they are free agents?
The term superteam is talked about like it's a dirty word.
All 30 owners, GM's and coaches would have a championship caliber superteam if they could.

Who was the 2nd best player Lebron played with in his first 7 years in Cleveland?
I'm having a hard time coming up with many even decent players Cleveland surrounded him with.
Michael Jordan won nothing until he had future hall of famers play with him. (Worthy and Pippen).
Lebron made a smart decision to go to Miami and as Lebron well knows, he handled the "decision" poorly.
Life is short and a players time in the league is much shorter.
Most players are driven to win championships and earn the most money they can in doing so.
Maybe Lillard is happy with his current status as an NBA player collecting his max contract and not driven for championships.
He is no where near free agency so he would be foolish to say anything other than what he did in this story.
Will Lillard feel the same in the summer of 2020?
Will he feel the same toward Portland when he is a free agent on 7/1/21?

tjmakz wrote:

Why wouldn't players want to form a super team if they are free agents?
The term superteam is talked about like it's a dirty word.
All 30 owners, GM's and coaches would have a championship caliber superteam if they could.

Who was the 2nd best player Lebron played with in his first 7 years in Cleveland?
I'm having a hard time coming up with many even decent players Cleveland surrounded him with.
Michael Jordan won nothing until he had future hall of famers play with him. (Worthy and Pippen).
Lebron made a smart decision to go to Miami and as Lebron well knows, he handled the "decision" poorly.
Life is short and a players time in the league is much shorter.
Most players are driven to win championships and earn the most money they can in doing so.
Maybe Lillard is happy with his current status as an NBA player collecting his max contract and not driven for championships.
He is no where near free agency so he would be foolish to say anything other than what he did in this story.
Will Lillard feel the same in the summer of 2020?
Will he feel the same toward Portland when he is a free agent on 7/1/21?

So sounds like you like the current state of affairs where players only care about the name on the back of the jersey - not the front.

Many of us in this thread disagree - and think you can win AND retain some sense of dignity.

Kevin Durant and Lebron James may not care - but their inability to elevate their teams to win and then need to jump ship to "buy rings" will tarnish their legacy with many long term basketball fans and historians.

To each his own.

I think that a 7 year run with the same team and little success will eventually push a player to want a change or it may push a team to want a change.

It is great that Lillard understands how he may impact so many people if he asked out.  You really do not hear players speak about that often so he is mindful of the situation outside of his own needs.

Portland however like any other team could decide that they want to trade him regardless of his loyalty.  That is the reality of professional sports.

Free Agency in sports is as American as apple pie.

Players that demand a change in the middle of a season however display an unacceptable degree of selfishness.

When KD hit free agency and Boston was a potential landing spot I do not recall any Celtics fans concerned with OKC.  

When Kyrie asked out in late summer of 2017 I do not recall any Celtics fans concerned with Cleveland.

I think that fans expect and demand loyalty from the players that they support and are less forgiving.  But when their team decides to trade a player fans always seem to find a way to support the team over the player.

As we are discussing this, the prospect that Boston may significantly make changes to this roster is right around the corner.

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:  

Why wouldn't players want to form a super team if they are free agents?
The term superteam is talked about like it's a dirty word.
All 30 owners, GM's and coaches would have a championship caliber superteam if they could.

Who was the 2nd best player Lebron played with in his first 7 years in Cleveland?
I'm having a hard time coming up with many even decent players Cleveland surrounded him with.
Michael Jordan won nothing until he had future hall of famers play with him. (Worthy and Pippen).
Lebron made a smart decision to go to Miami and as Lebron well knows, he handled the "decision" poorly.
Life is short and a players time in the league is much shorter.
Most players are driven to win championships and earn the most money they can in doing so.
Maybe Lillard is happy with his current status as an NBA player collecting his max contract and not driven for championships.
He is no where near free agency so he would be foolish to say anything other than what he did in this story.
Will Lillard feel the same in the summer of 2020?
Will he feel the same toward Portland when he is a free agent on 7/1/21?

So sounds like you like the current state of affairs where players only care about the name on the back of the jersey - not the front.

Many of us in this thread disagree - and think you can win AND retain some sense of dignity.

Kevin Durant and Lebron James may not care - but their inability to elevate their teams to win and then need to jump ship to "buy rings" will tarnish their legacy with many long term basketball fans and historians.

To each his own.

How many players were traded at the trade deadline? Dozens.
Few of them asked for or demanded to be traded? None that I know of.
Teams can change players lives with a phone call.
Players too can choose their own path at free agency.

Do you think Lillard will win a championship by being a positive guy in Portland?
Maybe Lillard is different. Maybe all he cares about is making the most money and not championships.
What about Bradley Beal? What about Kemba Walker?
If you were Kemba would you want to re-sign with Charlotte or sign with LA, Boston or a NY team if they sign a superstar this summer?
Them maybe wanting to go to a better situation is not wrong.
Boston has been the recipient of players who wanted to play with other stars. (Hayward and Horford)
Boston tried like hell to get Durant to leave small market OKC to play for them.

I do not like what AD did when his agent tried to strong arm NO to trade him to the Lakers.
I think he should have notified them after this season is over that he will not be signing their upcoming supermax offer in July.

Some of you need to go back and watch the interview again, as your agenda and most of your points have nothing to do with what Lillard said.

He is not anti free agency.  He is not anti players who want to be traded.  

All he said was:
“I do want to win a championship but it’s other stuff that means more to me. It’s almost like I’m not willing to sell myself out for that.”

Thats it.  But continue trying to prove your counter narrative to a point that was never made.  All Damian said was, he is not a glory hound.

In the end, they are all rich young men who can do what they want.  The days of growing old with one team are likely fading.  And if someone like KD doesnt care about his legacy as a player and being considered as a second fiddle, who could not be the alpha dog - thats his decision.

Mr kleen09

If you read between the lines of his statement “I do want to win a championship but it’s other stuff that means more to me. It’s almost like I’m not willing to sell myself out for that.” he is actually throwing shade on a lot of NBA players.

I completely disagree that players would be selling themselves out if they leave to join another team where their prospect for winning a title is enhanced.

What he is suggesting is that players who decide to leave are selling themselves out.  

Player B made a mockery of things when he announced his move to Miami.  It was the right decision to make.  He won two championships.  The way he went about his free agency left much to be desired.  By you mentioning player B the process of free agency becomes part of the discussion directly or indirectly.

Player B is Lebron James I am assuming, redeemed  himself by going back to Cleveland and helping them win the first NBA title ever.  He is not and never has been a hired gun as you describe him.  He is one of the greatest players ever to play and his legacy will be intact.

If people have different thoughts and ideas it is not an agenda as you describe it.  You can have differing opinions without having an agenda.

As far as Lillard is concerned I think his thoughtfulness is admirable.  I also think he is very naive.  It will be interesting to see what he does when he hits free agency.  TBD

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:  Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

The guy has been in Portland for 7 years - even if he leaves in the summer, his point has already been proven.

I don't understand your point.
Lillard and Davis have been in the league the same amount of time.
Lebron stayed for 7 years with Cleveland when he started his career.

Player A - is a guy who has been a loyal soldier for 7 years

Player B - is a hired gun who could not win on his own, so went on national TV and had an hour long show to embarrass his hometown team and form a super team.

Player C - has an agent who is planting false stories to force his team to move his client to the team he wants to play for (even though he has 2 years left on his contract)

And you think these are all the same?

Damian said FOR HIM - he wants to win on his terms, and to him - it is as much about teamwork and teammates and winning with his team.  His legacy is about more than chasing a championship for the sake of winning.  He wants to win in a place he likes and feels connected to.  

He is not talking about free agency or even trades - he is talking about players colluding to build super teams, and him not being wired that way.  

Why wouldn't players want to form a super team if they are free agents?
The term superteam is talked about like it's a dirty word.
All 30 owners, GM's and coaches would have a championship caliber superteam if they could.

Who was the 2nd best player Lebron played with in his first 7 years in Cleveland?
I'm having a hard time coming up with many even decent players Cleveland surrounded him with.
Michael Jordan won nothing until he had future hall of famers play with him. (Worthy and Pippen).
Lebron made a smart decision to go to Miami and as Lebron well knows, he handled the "decision" poorly.
Life is short and a players time in the league is much shorter.
Most players are driven to win championships and earn the most money they can in doing so.
Maybe Lillard is happy with his current status as an NBA player collecting his max contract and not driven for championships.
He is no where near free agency so he would be foolish to say anything other than what he did in this story.
Will Lillard feel the same in the summer of 2020?
Will he feel the same toward Portland when he is a free agent on 7/1/21?

First off Michael Jordan never had Worthy play with him. Now answer me something about Lebron. After the Celtics beat him up his last game in Cleveland before he ran off to Miami to get to 8 straight finals that everyone in the media drool about. The Celtics were starting their decline so forget them, name me one HOF type player that Lebron had to go thru to get to the finals in the East. Don't name people like the freak because they weren't stars at the time. The best players he had to beat was Garnett , Pierce, and Ray. There was no one in the east so the streak of 8 straight is way over rated in my opinion. Lebron is a ring chaser but will never be a Jordan.

Its pretty easy for you to say super teams are alright being a Laker fan. That is supposedly a destination because of the glimmer and weather. They will eventually get the stars but I am not so sure it will be with Lebron. I don't think that many stars want to play with him. He gets the credit when they win and it is always the other guys fault when they lose. Go figure. The bandaged wrist by Lebron when the Cavs where eliminated last year was something I will never forget. "I basically played with a broken wrist the last 3-4 games" As Stephen A would say that is the weakest move I have ever seen by a superstar.

tardust wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:  Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

The guy has been in Portland for 7 years - even if he leaves in the summer, his point has already been proven.

I don't understand your point.
Lillard and Davis have been in the league the same amount of time.
Lebron stayed for 7 years with Cleveland when he started his career.

Player A - is a guy who has been a loyal soldier for 7 years

Player B - is a hired gun who could not win on his own, so went on national TV and had an hour long show to embarrass his hometown team and form a super team.

Player C - has an agent who is planting false stories to force his team to move his client to the team he wants to play for (even though he has 2 years left on his contract)

And you think these are all the same?

Damian said FOR HIM - he wants to win on his terms, and to him - it is as much about teamwork and teammates and winning with his team.  His legacy is about more than chasing a championship for the sake of winning.  He wants to win in a place he likes and feels connected to.  

He is not talking about free agency or even trades - he is talking about players colluding to build super teams, and him not being wired that way.  

Why wouldn't players want to form a super team if they are free agents?
The term superteam is talked about like it's a dirty word.
All 30 owners, GM's and coaches would have a championship caliber superteam if they could.

Who was the 2nd best player Lebron played with in his first 7 years in Cleveland?
I'm having a hard time coming up with many even decent players Cleveland surrounded him with.
Michael Jordan won nothing until he had future hall of famers play with him. (Worthy and Pippen).
Lebron made a smart decision to go to Miami and as Lebron well knows, he handled the "decision" poorly.
Life is short and a players time in the league is much shorter.
Most players are driven to win championships and earn the most money they can in doing so.
Maybe Lillard is happy with his current status as an NBA player collecting his max contract and not driven for championships.
He is no where near free agency so he would be foolish to say anything other than what he did in this story.
Will Lillard feel the same in the summer of 2020?
Will he feel the same toward Portland when he is a free agent on 7/1/21?

First off Michael Jordan never had Worthy play with him.  Now answer me something about Lebron.  After the Celtics beat him up his last game in Cleveland before he ran off to Miami to get to 8 straight finals that everyone in the media drool about.   The Celtics were starting their decline so forget them,  name me one HOF type player that Lebron had to go thru to get to the finals in the East.  Don't name people like the freak because they weren't stars at the time.  The best players he had to beat was Garnett , Pierce, and Ray. There was no one in the east so the streak of 8 straight is way over rated in my opinion.  Lebron is a ring chaser but will never be a Jordan.

Its pretty easy for you to say super teams are alright being a Laker fan.  That is supposedly a destination because of the glimmer and weather.  They will eventually get the stars but I am not so sure it will be with Lebron.  I don't think that many stars want to play with him.   He gets the credit when they win and it is always the other guys fault when they lose. Go figure.  The bandaged wrist by Lebron when the Cavs where eliminated last year was something I will never forget.  "I basically played with a broken wrist the last 3-4 games"  As Stephen A would say that is the weakest move I have ever seen by a superstar.

Jordan won a championship with Worthy in 1982 when Jordan was a freshman and Worthy was a junior at North Carolina.
Then Worthy went to the NBA and Jordan didn’t win another championship until his 7th year, with Pippem by his side.
I agree that Lebron is not Jordan. Being the 2nd best player of all time behind Jordan is an incredible accomplishment.
Why is chasing rings a bad thing? Isn’t that why they play?
There’s a big difference between Lebron teaming up with Wade and Bosh and building a championship team compared to Durant going to a 73 win Warriors team or Cousins signing with GS in July.
Lebron is a leader, Durant and Cousins are followers.
Do you think Lebron cared about his 8 straight Finals appearance streak when he signed with the Lakers?
Lebron carried the Cavs team on his back last year to the Finals. He then put up a 51/8/8 line in game 1, only to be wasted by JR Smith. He almost averaged a triple double while shooting well over 50% against a much better Warriors team.
There was nothing else Lebron could do to get past a MUCH better Warriors team last season.
As for superteams, if Boston didn’t have $30m committed to Horford and Hayward next season, I’m sure Celtics fans would be excited about the possibility of signing a free agent or two like Durant, Kawhi etc and building their own superteam.

tjmakz wrote:

tardust wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:  Let's see what happens with Lilliard in the summer of 2020 when he has one year left on his contract and has never made it to the conference championship round.
After the mess that AD made of his situation, it's easy for Lilliard to make these comments and come across as a good guy for making them.
Lilliard knows that he can make these comments and make it seem like he will stay in Portland for many years, then he could get traded 4 1/2 months from now.
To me, this was an easy win in the PR category for Lilliard on the heels of what AD did.
Does he believe his own words? I am not so sure.

The guy has been in Portland for 7 years - even if he leaves in the summer, his point has already been proven.

I don't understand your point.
Lillard and Davis have been in the league the same amount of time.
Lebron stayed for 7 years with Cleveland when he started his career.

Player A - is a guy who has been a loyal soldier for 7 years

Player B - is a hired gun who could not win on his own, so went on national TV and had an hour long show to embarrass his hometown team and form a super team.

Player C - has an agent who is planting false stories to force his team to move his client to the team he wants to play for (even though he has 2 years left on his contract)

And you think these are all the same?

Damian said FOR HIM - he wants to win on his terms, and to him - it is as much about teamwork and teammates and winning with his team.  His legacy is about more than chasing a championship for the sake of winning.  He wants to win in a place he likes and feels connected to.  

He is not talking about free agency or even trades - he is talking about players colluding to build super teams, and him not being wired that way.  

Why wouldn't players want to form a super team if they are free agents?
The term superteam is talked about like it's a dirty word.
All 30 owners, GM's and coaches would have a championship caliber superteam if they could.

Who was the 2nd best player Lebron played with in his first 7 years in Cleveland?
I'm having a hard time coming up with many even decent players Cleveland surrounded him with.
Michael Jordan won nothing until he had future hall of famers play with him. (Worthy and Pippen).
Lebron made a smart decision to go to Miami and as Lebron well knows, he handled the "decision" poorly.
Life is short and a players time in the league is much shorter.
Most players are driven to win championships and earn the most money they can in doing so.
Maybe Lillard is happy with his current status as an NBA player collecting his max contract and not driven for championships.
He is no where near free agency so he would be foolish to say anything other than what he did in this story.
Will Lillard feel the same in the summer of 2020?
Will he feel the same toward Portland when he is a free agent on 7/1/21?

First off Michael Jordan never had Worthy play with him.  Now answer me something about Lebron.  After the Celtics beat him up his last game in Cleveland before he ran off to Miami to get to 8 straight finals that everyone in the media drool about.   The Celtics were starting their decline so forget them,  name me one HOF type player that Lebron had to go thru to get to the finals in the East.  Don't name people like the freak because they weren't stars at the time.  The best players he had to beat was Garnett , Pierce, and Ray. There was no one in the east so the streak of 8 straight is way over rated in my opinion.  Lebron is a ring chaser but will never be a Jordan.

Its pretty easy for you to say super teams are alright being a Laker fan.  That is supposedly a destination because of the glimmer and weather.  They will eventually get the stars but I am not so sure it will be with Lebron.  I don't think that many stars want to play with him.   He gets the credit when they win and it is always the other guys fault when they lose. Go figure.  The bandaged wrist by Lebron when the Cavs where eliminated last year was something I will never forget.  "I basically played with a broken wrist the last 3-4 games"  As Stephen A would say that is the weakest move I have ever seen by a superstar.

Jordan won a championship with Worthy in 1982 when Jordan was a freshman and Worthy was a junior at North Carolina.
Then Worthy went to the NBA and Jordan didn’t win another championship until his 7th year, with Pippem by his side.
I agree that Lebron is not Jordan. Being the 2nd best player of all time behind Jordan is an incredible accomplishment.
Why is chasing rings a bad thing? Isn’t that why they play?
There’s a big difference between Lebron teaming up with Wade and Bosh and building a championship team compared to Durant going to a 73 win Warriors team or Cousins signing with GS in July.
Lebron is a leader, Durant and Cousins are followers.
Do you think Lebron cared about his 8 straight Finals appearance streak when he signed with the Lakers?
Lebron carried the Cavs team on his back last year to the Finals. He then put up a 51/8/8 line in game 1, only to be wasted by JR Smith. He almost averaged a triple double while shooting well over 50% against a much better Warriors team.
There was nothing else Lebron could do to get past a MUCH better Warriors team last season.
As for superteams, if Boston didn’t have $30m committed to Horford and Hayward next season, I’m sure Celtics fans would be excited about the possibility of signing a free agent or two like Durant, Kawhi etc and building their own superteam.

Nice points tjmakz - but I think that they both are so close in talent (stats) to at least make it a tie.

swish

6 for 6 > 2 for 6

Now I've always thought of that as a team award.

swish