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Blazers odds and ends, including news about Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic

PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 31: Damian Lillard #0 and Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen before the game against the Chicago Bulls on January 31, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 31: Damian Lillard #0 and Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers are seen before the game against the Chicago Bulls on January 31, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)

It’s June 4. The NBA Finals are moving to Cleveland with the Warriors up two games to none. But what’s happening with the Trail Blazers?

The Portland Trail Blazers aren’t in the Finals, but they are in the news.

Which is good.

Those of us who like to watch the NBA need something to do in between Cavaliers-Warriors games.

(I know there aren’t five days between Finals games, but it sure feels like there are five games between every Finals game.)

More from Blazers News

Of course, it’s a swell time to be a sports fan in general, yeah?

You’ve got NCAA baseball regionals, the Women’s College World Series and the Stanley Cup Final (yes, it’s Final, without the “s” on the end) in addition to the NBA Finals (with an “s” on the end.)

Major league soccer and baseball are in full swing, and the MLB draft is underway. You’ve also got a bunch of NBA hopefuls bouncing around the country working out for various teams. (We wrote a little story about six of them here.)

But enough with the delays, man. Let’s get back to the Blazers.

Blazers’ Damian Lillard: Mr. Clutch

Our main man Damian Lillard received another accolade this week when the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) awarded him their “Mr. Clutch” award.

Whether you call it “Dame Time” or “Lillard Time,” just about everybody in Rip City knows that Lillard is clutch. It’s certainly cool, though, for him to be recognized by his peers.

Here’s a swell video documenting all the times he’s hit a clutch shot.

Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic: Wait, what now?

Strange stories emanating from the blogosphere regarding Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic: According to a story on the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team’s website, Siniša Kovačević, the team’s director, discussed Nurkic’s impending free agency.

According to a (possibly erroneous) Google translation of the story, Nurkic, according to Kovačević, “has everything agreed” on a new contract. (You can find a little more on this weirdness at Blazer’s Edge.)

Next: Best of the Season, Part XV: Blazers win ninth straight

Additionally, ClutchPoints.com, while also acknowledging the possibility of a Google translation error, says a website called Sportske reports that Nurkic might not be a Blazer next season:

"Nurkic has a great season in the Portland jersey, but his contract has expired and will probably get a new club in the NBA league during the summer."

You can see Google’s page translation here. No word on this from Nurkic or the Blazers. Unless we get some confirmation, I’d chalk this one up to a blogger who’s just expressing an opinion.