[Haynes]: Lillard Met With LeBron, AD This Off-season; Neil Oshley Refuses to Trade Dame To LAL

[Pharmcat]

Westbrook and tht for dame and salary filler

[BeatDaCavs420]

I hope Oshley sticks to it because I am sick of Lebron getting what he wants.

[JRoy]

How many top 75 players Lebron got to play with over the course of his career for him to think he's had enough help?

LeBron needs more help.

[JRoy]

Westbrook and tht for dame and salary filler

That’s about 5 FRP short

[G R E Y]

Spoiler:

The day before Lillard was to shoot his music video, he made a surprise appearance at a WNBA game, featuring the Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces. Upon arriving, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was already sitting courtside. On the way to his seat, James stood up to acknowledge his “Space Jam: A New Legacy” cast member. The two shook hands and exchanged a laugh. Later that evening, James sent Lillard an invitation to his mansion in Brentwood. “He was like, ‘Pull up. Let’s have lunch to talk shop,’ ” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “So I pulled up.”

Lillard’s future in Portland was in the balance at this point. He bled Rip City, but he was weighing all of his options. Through the years, James hasn’t been shy — publicly and privately — in relaying how thrilling it would be to share the same jersey as the Oakland native. The 6-foot-3 guard caught an Uber from his hotel to James’ house. After security opened the gate for the vehicle to enter the property, Lillard was met at the door by a house staffer who escorted him through the living room and into the elevator. The destination was the rooftop.

When the elevator reached the top floor, James and fellow Lakers star Anthony Davis were sitting on one side of a table waiting for Lillard to join them on the other side. Before they fully dove into lunch of an Italian salad followed by pasta and a fine bottle of rosé wine, James kicked off the conversation, detailing his experience living in Los Angeles. Lillard did not categorize the meeting as a platform for a recruiting presentation, but rather an information-gathering forum among respected peers. “’Bron asked what I was thinking with my situation, and I told him what I’m telling you: that I just want to be in a position to win it all,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “He painted the picture to me that if I were to leave, the situation could look like this. He didn’t tell me to come to L.A., and he didn’t say anything to me that I didn’t already know other than what it could look like. I told him, ‘I know if I were to play with y’all, I know it would work out because of my skill set,’ and who I am and who they are.”

They all addressed their respective first-round losses, and what each team needed to improve its roster. Davis explained his transition to Southern California. Lillard expressed his hesitancy to join any iteration of a super-team. “I was just saying, I don’t know if this is the route I wanted to go,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “And that was pretty much how the conversation went.” The meeting lasted for an hour and a half. Lillard promised to keep them posted on what he decided to do, but the Lakers were already privately evaluating their options on potentially landing Lillard, sources said.

While Lillard waited for his Uber, James showed him the rest of the house and around the backyard. The Uber showed up after 20 or so minutes and whisked Lillard away. This much was clear: There was no way Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey would ever trade Lillard to the Lakers. Though joining the Lakers wasn’t at the top of his list, that Lillard took the meeting with James showed how much he respected the four-time NBA champion and how much he was receptive to the idea of trying something new.

“The whole time I knew I was a Trail Blazer, but obviously coming off that playoff loss, I was like, ‘We got to do something to show we’re actually trying to win it,’ ” Lillard told Yahoo Sports of his conversation with management. “There are so many teams in the league where some want to tank; some teams just want to be a playoff team and see if they can make things interesting; and then there are a few teams with the mindset of winning a championship.

“So for me, I was in that position where I was wondering if we’re actually trying to win a championship. I want to be a part of something where winning a title is everybody’s mission. I was asking my team, ‘Is that what we’re really trying to do? What are we doing to show that’s what we really want?’ Those were my questions, and I presented them that way. Like, ‘What are we doing? How are we honestly saying we want to win it all? What steps are we taking?’ I just had a decision to make.”

Lillard recalls paying attention to The Greek Freak’s every move when the confetti began pouring from the rafters. It helped reconfirm his initial desire. “Usually when people win championships and start getting all emotional, I’m always wondering if they’re really moved like that,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “Is that real emotions? Does he really feel like that? Because I’ve been in big moments and people would expect me to be emotional and I’m not. So I question the authenticity of how emotional they are in some situations. –

“But when I watched Giannis, he was really looking around like, ‘Damn, what if I really left Milwaukee? This was worth it.’ So for me, I put myself in his shoes. Sometimes it seems like this is impossible and it’s never going to happen, and I’m sure he was there before, too. “If I was to get that championship for Portland, I would cry, bruh. Bruh, on the spot. I would really cry, bro. I want to win a championship here. And because of how strongly I feel about that, I don’t know how rewarding it would feel for me at this point if I won somewhere else. Winning it here would be a lifetime achievement for me“

Source link, please? Thanks!

[NyKnicks1714]

Westbrook and tht for dame and salary filler

I don't think Portland would trade Lillard for AD.

[wade44]

This sounds like a typical Chris Haynes story

[Rockazoids]

I love Lillards game but this bitching about doing what it takes to win a title is just annoying. The blazers are constantly making moves to try and take that next step but they have had injury issues or players just under perform. Last year they made moves for Covington and Powell. Both guys were key additions. Unfortunately Covington didn't live up to expectations but everyone loved the move at the time. Then of course you have his insane salary that is going to put them in a tough position going forward. All these guys bitch about wanting to win but in the end the only guy that ever put his money where his mouth is has been Tom Brady who has always taken less money to allow his team to add or re-sign key players.

This is not true, Julius Randle took less for that reason.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31963913/julius-randle-agrees-4-year-117-million-extension-new-york-knicks
"Randle could've waited for his contract to expire next season and signed a new $200 million deal, but extending now off his current $19.8 million salary for 2021-22 gives the Knicks financial flexibility to shape the roster and allows him to commit through his prime to a franchise and city he has come to adore "

[Cubbies2120]

thread title sounds like lillard wanted to join los angeles lakers and neil olshey refused to trade him and still does lol

just publish the entire interview and not just the "lebron-davis-lakers" part, as people can get the wrong picture

Was obviously his intent to get people to click it by misleading them.

[monopoman]

I love Lillards game but this bitching about doing what it takes to win a title is just annoying. The blazers are constantly making moves to try and take that next step but they have had injury issues or players just under perform. Last year they made moves for Covington and Powell. Both guys were key additions. Unfortunately Covington didn't live up to expectations but everyone loved the move at the time. Then of course you have his insane salary that is going to put them in a tough position going forward. All these guys bitch about wanting to win but in the end the only guy that ever put his money where his mouth is has been Tom Brady who has always taken less money to allow his team to add or re-sign key players.

In the NFL taking less money is far more effective for building a team, the only time it really matters is in the NBA is when trying to sign like 2 or 3 superstars onto the same team.

LBJ+Wade+Bosh all took slightly less money to make the salaries work when they joined the Heat. Lillard actually did take slightly less money in his first contract, but with the soft cap teams willing to spend can spend as much as they want re-signing players with bird rights, they just can't sign new players to the roster.

So long story short in the NFL an extra $5 or so million can be a solid player meanwhile in the NBA that is true but if your team is over the cap either way the extra salary means less.

[Dominator83]

The only way the Blazers can get in the mix is by doing one of those trades where they give 4 1st round picks for a star.

That's why the Nance Jr trade details made no sense for them. Why would they tie up their 1st for 7 years? They need to trade those for a legit star

[G R E Y]

Lol wtf this paints LeBron as the dark side of Lillard's thoughts while Giannis the light.

You know LeBron & AD went after Giannis the off-season prior to this? Lillard worked out with Giannis last summer. So he knows that for sure.

LBJ's a bit of a team-up tart, eh? It was DeMar this past summer (but he didn't oblige the MLE for the privilege) and RW, #2 some time before that (who did his own shameless 'recruiting', once even while playing against the opponent in the playoffs), AD, Dame... guy wines and dines 'em.

Sort of feels like Dame's trying to get ahead of a potential tampering expose, but I'm glad after the Italian salad and rose wine that Dame still doesn't like the taste of superteaming up. Smart of him to come full circle to Giannis in his story...

[Lalouie]

The problem is how do the Blazers surround him with adequate talent.

Giannis a legit MVP caliber player with a freakish body and he's arguably the best defensive player in the league. Dame in my opinion is a top 10 player but he isn't necessarily MVP caliber.

I just don't see the Blazers with a chance of making it past the 2nd round unless they somehow trade for another legit top 10 NBA player.

It's tough, I respect his loyalty.

i don't think that was the point. i infered that dame realized the ring is a cr@p shoot and i believe as he said,,,,moving guarantees nothing. if por got two top players it still guarantees nothing. as in look at what lebron had to do and yet it took a lucky shot, playing a really young team, coming from behind 0-3 against a 73win team, and a covid year for lebron to get his rings.

it took all those confluences coming together....dame is HAPPY where he is. he could have made the easy choice and joined the lakers but he didn't,,,(three top10 player) and therein lies his truth

[NWGunner]

Spoiler:

The day before Lillard was to shoot his music video, he made a surprise appearance at a WNBA game, featuring the Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces. Upon arriving, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was already sitting courtside. On the way to his seat, James stood up to acknowledge his “Space Jam: A New Legacy” cast member. The two shook hands and exchanged a laugh. Later that evening, James sent Lillard an invitation to his mansion in Brentwood. “He was like, ‘Pull up. Let’s have lunch to talk shop,’ ” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “So I pulled up.”

Lillard’s future in Portland was in the balance at this point. He bled Rip City, but he was weighing all of his options. Through the years, James hasn’t been shy — publicly and privately — in relaying how thrilling it would be to share the same jersey as the Oakland native. The 6-foot-3 guard caught an Uber from his hotel to James’ house. After security opened the gate for the vehicle to enter the property, Lillard was met at the door by a house staffer who escorted him through the living room and into the elevator. The destination was the rooftop.

When the elevator reached the top floor, James and fellow Lakers star Anthony Davis were sitting on one side of a table waiting for Lillard to join them on the other side. Before they fully dove into lunch of an Italian salad followed by pasta and a fine bottle of rosé wine, James kicked off the conversation, detailing his experience living in Los Angeles. Lillard did not categorize the meeting as a platform for a recruiting presentation, but rather an information-gathering forum among respected peers. “’Bron asked what I was thinking with my situation, and I told him what I’m telling you: that I just want to be in a position to win it all,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “He painted the picture to me that if I were to leave, the situation could look like this. He didn’t tell me to come to L.A., and he didn’t say anything to me that I didn’t already know other than what it could look like. I told him, ‘I know if I were to play with y’all, I know it would work out because of my skill set,’ and who I am and who they are.”

They all addressed their respective first-round losses, and what each team needed to improve its roster. Davis explained his transition to Southern California. Lillard expressed his hesitancy to join any iteration of a super-team. “I was just saying, I don’t know if this is the route I wanted to go,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “And that was pretty much how the conversation went.” The meeting lasted for an hour and a half. Lillard promised to keep them posted on what he decided to do, but the Lakers were already privately evaluating their options on potentially landing Lillard, sources said.

While Lillard waited for his Uber, James showed him the rest of the house and around the backyard. The Uber showed up after 20 or so minutes and whisked Lillard away. This much was clear: There was no way Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey would ever trade Lillard to the Lakers. Though joining the Lakers wasn’t at the top of his list, that Lillard took the meeting with James showed how much he respected the four-time NBA champion and how much he was receptive to the idea of trying something new.

“The whole time I knew I was a Trail Blazer, but obviously coming off that playoff loss, I was like, ‘We got to do something to show we’re actually trying to win it,’ ” Lillard told Yahoo Sports of his conversation with management. “There are so many teams in the league where some want to tank; some teams just want to be a playoff team and see if they can make things interesting; and then there are a few teams with the mindset of winning a championship.

“So for me, I was in that position where I was wondering if we’re actually trying to win a championship. I want to be a part of something where winning a title is everybody’s mission. I was asking my team, ‘Is that what we’re really trying to do? What are we doing to show that’s what we really want?’ Those were my questions, and I presented them that way. Like, ‘What are we doing? How are we honestly saying we want to win it all? What steps are we taking?’ I just had a decision to make.”

Lillard recalls paying attention to The Greek Freak’s every move when the confetti began pouring from the rafters. It helped reconfirm his initial desire. “Usually when people win championships and start getting all emotional, I’m always wondering if they’re really moved like that,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “Is that real emotions? Does he really feel like that? Because I’ve been in big moments and people would expect me to be emotional and I’m not. So I question the authenticity of how emotional they are in some situations. –

“But when I watched Giannis, he was really looking around like, ‘Damn, what if I really left Milwaukee? This was worth it.’ So for me, I put myself in his shoes. Sometimes it seems like this is impossible and it’s never going to happen, and I’m sure he was there before, too. “If I was to get that championship for Portland, I would cry, bruh. Bruh, on the spot. I would really cry, bro. I want to win a championship here. And because of how strongly I feel about that, I don’t know how rewarding it would feel for me at this point if I won somewhere else. Winning it here would be a lifetime achievement for me“

Source link, please? Thanks!

https://sports.yahoo.com/amid-chaotic-offseason-damian-lillard-meeting-lebron-james-decision-loomed-sealed-recommitment-trail-blazers-200041277.html

[art_tatum]

King James is emperor Palpatine confirmed. Old but never dies, powerful, politician.

Giannis Luke, came from a land far away, unknown, no hype, now lives in the secluded land of Milwaukee where no one know where it is.

Lillard is ray lol.

[thebigbird]

Lillard has it made. People are so desperate for a ‘loyal’ superstar that he gets to underwhelm in the playoffs year after year and get praised for it because he stays on a team paying him $40+ million a year.

[Roy The Natural]

Lillard has it made. People are so desperate for a ‘loyal’ superstar that he gets to underwhelm in the playoffs year after year and get praised for it because he stays on a team paying him $40+ million a year.

In the last 3 years Lillard has been 28.2/4.5/7.1 on a TS% of .598 in the playoffs. Not sure that's really all that underwhelming.

[thebigbird]

Lillard has it made. People are so desperate for a ‘loyal’ superstar that he gets to underwhelm in the playoffs year after year and get praised for it because he stays on a team paying him $40+ million a year.

In the last 3 years Lillard has been 28.2/4.5/7.1 on a TS% of .598 in the playoffs. Not sure that's really all that underwhelming.

He’s lost in the first round four of the past five years. The year he didn’t lose in the first round, he got swept by a Durant-less Warriors team while averaging 22 ppg on 54.6% TS. In 2018 he got swept as a #3 seed. Most players would get hated on for postseason results like that.

[levon]

lebron and davis were recruiting dame and dame told them to **** off

you love to see it

this is like lauding your girlfriend for being loyal when she went over to a guy's house, got offered, and didn't go through with it

[Roy The Natural]

Lillard has it made. People are so desperate for a ‘loyal’ superstar that he gets to underwhelm in the playoffs year after year and get praised for it because he stays on a team paying him $40+ million a year.

In the last 3 years Lillard has been 28.2/4.5/7.1 on a TS% of .598 in the playoffs. Not sure that's really all that underwhelming.

He’s lost in the first round four of the past five years. The year he didn’t lose in the first round, he got swept by a Durant-less Warriors team while averaging 22 ppg on 54.6% TS. In 2018 he got swept as a #3 seed. Most players would get hated on for postseason results like that.

We can all choose whatever cutoff we'd like. Lillard has been fine in the playoffs after the 2017-18 season. It's just objectively true. He's had some bad series, some good series, and some mediocre series like most stars/superstars. No one's arguing that Dame is a top 20 player all-time... Every player has ups and downs in the playoffs and plenty of players in Lillard's range as a player have a lot of ups and downs in the POs.

Lillard has been fine over the past 3 years.
There's no shame in losing to the #1 Lakers who won the Championship as the #8 seed.
There's no shame in being beaten by the Nuggets while posting 34.3/4.3/10.2 with 2.2 TO's a game on a TS% of .660.

Blazers were outclassed by the Warriors even without Durant (Blazers had to start Kanter), and Lillard didn't have a good series. It's a bit of a misnomer to truly call them the #3 seed. There clear 2nd best player that year (Nurk) went down with a long-term injury. They aren't a #3 seed starting Kanter all year. It's not like he was Kyrie against the Bucks though in that series.