Rip City Project
Fansided

Source says Lillard wants another meeting with Blazers owner Paul Allen

By Matt George Moore

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 3: Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen talks with general manager Neil Olshey before the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2016 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 3: Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen talks with general manager Neil Olshey before the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2016 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Word is that newly minted First Team All-NBA player Damian Lillard wants another meeting with owner Paul Allen.

(UPDATED BELOW)

Local scribe and Oregonian/OregonLive personality John Canzano — who occasionally writes about the Portland Trail Blazers and supposedly watches them play sometimes, too — has published another one of his patented “bombshell nothingburger” stories.

It’s about Damian Lillard, who was named to the All-NBA First Team Thursday — one of only three Blazers ever to earn that distinction.

Canzano says “an NBA front-office source” told him, “I hear that (Lillard) is asking for another meeting.”

“Apparently, the source said, Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin is whispering” that Lillard wants another meeting with Allen, Canzano writes.

Stop the presses!

No, don’t, actually.

All-NBA Lillard

My first thought after reading Canzano’s piece is that homie just can’t bring himself to admit how wrong he’s always been about how good Lillard is.

“Lillard is a nice player,” Canzano writes.

(Insert face_with_rolling_eyes emoji here.)

Canzano is so flabbergasted by Lillard’s selection to the First Team over both Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry that he finishes a sentence with an exclamation point sandwiched between two question marks, which I don’t think is AP Style.

"Lillard voted by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters in front of all-world guards Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry?!?"

My second thought is that Canzano says a source heard that Lillard “is asking for another meeting.” That could be a bombshell. But it could also be a nothingburger.

More from Blazers News

Thus: A bombshell nothingburger story.

Canzano doesn’t indicate that he’s talked to Lillard or Allen, so we’ll have to wait and see how accurate his source’s hearing is.

Bombshell nothingburger

Canzano uses his source’s hearsay to springboard into a totally legitimate discussion. Namely, how long will Lillard hang around if he doesn’t get a sufficient supporting cast around him?

Dame has often said he plans to remain with the Portland Trail Blazers for his entire career. But Canzano is right to question that devotion.

And as we wrote recently, “(S)urely we can agree that a player may have reasons for changing his mind — and that we are not privy to that info.”

Lillard told NBC Sports Northwest that when he met with Allen in the early part of this year, they discussed what the Blazers organization’s plans were “to get closer to becoming a contender.’’

Next: No Portland Trail Blazers on NBA All-Defensive team

But with Portland hamstrung by contracts, it remains to be seen how soon Portland can reach that point. If they reach it at all.

Maybe Dame has some ideas? If Canzano’s source is right, the Blazers’ star might have an audience with Allen sooner rather than later.

UPDATE

Lillard responded Friday to Canzano’s story: