Trail Blazers Leaning Towards Shutting Damian Lillard Down For Season

[RealGM Wiretap]

The Portland Trail Blazers have fallen 3.5 games behind in the race for the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. Having fallen that far behind, with only nine games to play, the Blazers are leaning towards shutting down star guard Damian Lillard for the season.

Lillard is dealing with a calf injury. The Blazers star has also recently talked about how sometimes you have to be smart when your team is no longer competitive in a season.

This is looks like it will be the second consecutive one where Portland misses the playoffs. That's after a run of eight consecutive playoff appearances.

Lillard has appeared in 58 of the Trail Blazers 73 games this season. He's averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game, in his 11th NBA season. 

Via Shams Charania/The Athletic

[RipCityKJ]

He’s done. He met the game threshold to be eligible for all NBA for the season, no need for the chance of injury.

[Pickled Prunes]

The NBA... where fans actually root for their team to lose. I get it, but NBA fans are stupid. Even a team with 12 wins should be trying to win every game until the final whistle blows. When lottery balls become more important than wins I lose interest. If Lillard doesn't play out the season I'll use it as a lesson to my kids on how not to approach life!

What happened to having some pride and playing the spoiler?

[Blue_and_Whte]

The NBA... where fans actually root for their team to lose. I get it, but NBA fans are stupid. Even a team with 12 wins should be trying to win every game until the final whistle blows. When lottery balls become more important than wins I lose interest. If Lillard doesn't play out the season I'll use it as a lesson to my kids on how not to approach life!

What happened to having some pride and playing the spoiler?

You get it but all NBA fans are stupid. ok....
There's a difference between what fans think and what teams actually do. While there are rebuilding teams that prioritize development if they aren't competitive, and rightfully so, it doesn't mean the players aren't trying to win games. The way the draft lottery was set up in the past, it incentivized tanking so why wouldnt fans want their teams to have the chance at a potential generational talent? That's not stupid, that's strategy within the system that was in place. Now though I think the new format prioritizes winning while developing talent for teams that are up and coming. Orlando is a prime example of that thus far imo.

I feel bad for Lillard but its saying a lot about his character that he sticks it out. Its just tougher in the WC unfortunately for him.

[Pickled Prunes]

The NBA... where fans actually root for their team to lose. I get it, but NBA fans are stupid. Even a team with 12 wins should be trying to win every game until the final whistle blows. When lottery balls become more important than wins I lose interest. If Lillard doesn't play out the season I'll use it as a lesson to my kids on how not to approach life!

What happened to having some pride and playing the spoiler?

You get it but all NBA fans are stupid. ok....
There's a difference between what fans think and what teams actually do. While there are rebuilding teams that prioritize development if they aren't competitive, and rightfully so, it doesn't mean the players aren't trying to win games. The way the draft lottery was set up in the past, it incentivized tanking so why wouldnt fans want their teams to have the chance at a potential generational talent? That's not stupid, that's strategy within the system that was in place. Now though I think the new format prioritizes winning while developing talent for teams that are up and coming. Orlando is a prime example of that thus far imo.

I feel bad for Lillard but its saying a lot about his character that he sticks it out. Its just tougher in the WC unfortunately for him.

See, stupid. (Chill, I'm not really calling YOU stupid, just fandom in general.)

No, I don't want the 20th best team to "earn" a shot at a player that should rightfully go to the worst team, by not putting their most competitive team on the floor. It's professional sports and teams begin the season trying to be bad. Others transition to trying to be worse when they are accidentally bad. It's where the league is right now... but fans should not be OK with it, let alone openly rooting for it.

LOL rooting for "bites at the apple!"

[ReddOktober]

The NBA... where fans actually root for their team to lose. I get it, but NBA fans are stupid. Even a team with 12 wins should be trying to win every game until the final whistle blows. When lottery balls become more important than wins I lose interest. If Lillard doesn't play out the season I'll use it as a lesson to my kids on how not to approach life!

What happened to having some pride and playing the spoiler?

You should learn how to read. Hes dealing with an injury. Why risk further damaging his calves if they not playing for the playoffs. Blazers invested money in him... Why would they risk it

[DoctorDunc]

Well if the star player does not need to play maybe the fans don't need to pay. The NBA is a consumer fraud.

[Pickled Prunes]

The NBA... where fans actually root for their team to lose. I get it, but NBA fans are stupid. Even a team with 12 wins should be trying to win every game until the final whistle blows. When lottery balls become more important than wins I lose interest. If Lillard doesn't play out the season I'll use it as a lesson to my kids on how not to approach life!

What happened to having some pride and playing the spoiler?

You should learn how to read. Hes dealing with an injury. Why risk further damaging his calves if they not playing for the playoffs. Blazers invested money in him... Why would they risk it

Sorry for the late response, I was on vacation. (Learning how to read.) I still can't read the word "gullible" but I know it when I see it.

Every player in the NBA can point to something that hurts when losses become more beneficial than wins. Maybe you should learn how to read between the lines.