Damian Lillard won’t remain loyal to the Trail Blazers forever

Damian Lillard wants to be the best Trail Blazer ever. But how long will he sacrifice winning to be loyal to mediocrity?

Do the Portland Trail Blazers realize how lucky they are to have Damian Lillard?

Lillard is somewhat of an aberration in the modern NBA — a low-maintenance superstar. He’s a model citizen who’s donated time and money to his hometown of Oakland, California. He has never been in trouble with the law. And he’s the clear-cut leader of the Trail Blazers with a great relationship with the media.

And most importantly, he’s loyal to the small-market team that drafted him.

In fact, Lillard’s goal is to be “the best Trail Blazer ever.”

Humble Beginnings

Lillard’s humility is a product of being overlooked and underappreciated for much of his life. As a two-star high school prospect (according to Rivals.com), Lillard received just five scholarship offers, according to FanSided. He chose mid-major Weber State University in Ogden, Utah — the first school to reach out.

Even after unanimously winning Rookie of the Year and averaging 19 points per game as a rookie, many believed the 22-year-old didn’t have a high ceiling because of his age. Lillard played over 900 minutes more than the next rookie — another omen suggesting he was the beneficiary of a point-guard-friendly system, and not a future Top 20 player.

But Lillard turned out to be better than advertised. He’s developed into an A-List superstar and the face of basketball in the Pacific Northwest. And he’s done it while remaining grateful.

Despite enjoying an enormous amount of success (two-time All-Star; third-richest shoe deal in the NBA; countless game-winning shots; and the 13^th highest salary in NBA), Lillard still feels overlooked.

ESPN Throws Shade

On Jan. 16, Chicago rookie Lauri Markkanen made his 100^th three-pointer of the season, and ESPN tweeted a graphic of the “best shooters” whom Markkanen reached the milestone faster than.

ESPN chose not to include Lillard, who made 100 threes in just 44 games. Lillard fired back in the most millennial way possible: an emoji.

All-Star Voting

In the latest tallying of All-Star votes, Lillard finished seventh among Western Conference guards behind Steph Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Manu Ginobili, Klay Thompson and Chris Paul.

Chris Haynes and Marc Spears interviewed Lillard on The Hoop Collective podcast on Jan 18. Lillard spoke candidly about not making the All-Star Game in previous years and why he deserves to be in Los Angeles for this year’s game.

“It feels like I always gotta be the fall guy,” Lillard said. “In the past, the thing has been, ‘All right, my team has been 10 games under .500 or not in the playoffs.’ But every year we’ve found a way to be in the postseason. And this year I think we’re in a much better position than we have been in the past two seasons that I didn’t make it.”

This is the attitude Lillard’s embraced since he was a two-star high school prospect in Oakland: He’s always felt underappreciated and overlooked. And because of that, he’s developed a massive chip on his shoulder.

Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith went on First Take Friday and attributed Lillard’s lack of fan votes to the small market of Portland. Smith also implored Lillard to demand a trade.

As expected, this was met with internet outrage, which happens to be the fuel that empowers Smith to make outlandish claims. However, I’m going to say something you won’t find anywhere on the Internet:

I kind of agree with Stephen A. Smith.

Portland’s small market size is the reason Lillard isn’t making more All-Star games. If Lillard were the Lakers’ starting point guard, he’d be one of the eight biggest stars in the league. The players and media voted Lillard higher than the fans, but fans account for 50 percent of All-Star votes.

Market size matters.

HOWEVAH  (Stephen A. Smith voice), I disagree with Smith saying Lillard should demand a trade to a bigger market.

If Lillard’s goal is to make All-Star games and sell as many jerseys as possible, then demanding a trade is reasonable. But Lillard wants to win, and Portland is positioned better to win than the NBA’s two biggest markets (New York and Los Angeles).

How Long Will Lillard Tolerate Mediocrity?

As loyal and low-maintenance as Lillard remains, his patience with Portland won’t last forever. He spoke with Haynes and Spears about the Trail Blazers’ inability to make a deep playoff run over the past few years.

“We know what it takes to get past being a middle-of-the-road team, but putting action behind it is different,” Lillard said. “It’s not easy. (There’s) a reason why there’s only a select few teams that are consistently playing in the Western Conference, Eastern Conference (finals). We’re at that point where we’re just trying to put it together and be consistent enough to put ourselves in that race.”

It’s not the market size or All-Star snubs that will drive Lillard out of town, it’s the lack of playoff success.

Keeping Dame with the Portland Trail Blazers

Neil Olshey hasn’t been able to retain star players like LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency. And he pulled the trigger on two of the worst contracts in the NBA in Evan Turner (four years, $70 million) and Meyers Leonard (four years, $41 million).

Recent drafts haven’t been kind to the Blazers either. Besides Zach Collins — who’s improved significantly from the beginning of the season and looks like a nice piece — the Trail Blazers haven’t drafted a starting-level player since taking CJ McCollum in 2013.

The result has been — as Lillard labeled it — another middle-of-the-road season for Portland. Their path to becoming an elite Western Conference team is unpaved at the moment, but how long will Lillard wait?

NBA Culture

Of all the major sports leagues, the NBA empowers players to switch teams most. Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James and Kevin Durant all left their teams in free agency during the prime of their careers.

Each found more success after they left.

Next: Should the Blazers go off the map and pursue Marvin Williams?

In his conversation with Haynes and Spears, Lillard discussed players who’ve been with the same team for their entire career.

“That (playing for one team) speaks to me because when you think of the Mavericks, you think of Dirk ,” Lillard said. “Same thing with Tim Duncan; he represents the Spurs. For the Trail Blazers, I want to be the best Trail Blazer ever. When people talk about this franchise, I want them to talk about me.”

The Trail Blazers didn’t just acquire a superstar talent when they drafted Lillard in 2012. They inherited a community spokesman, on-court leader and humble young man committed to elevating a small-market franchise into a title contender.

But how long will Lillard continue to sacrifice winning to remain loyal to mediocrity?

Not forever.

Nobody’s that patient.