NBA history has been dominated by super teams, but Portland Trail Blazers’ star Damian Lillard insists on staying the course despite being one piece away.
The Portland Trail Blazers had a remarkable year. Fresh off their first Western Conference Finals appearance in over a decade, the Blazers appeared to be building something progressive for the future. Portland looked like a destination where free agents would want to play.
The backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will always be exciting to watch and consistently give the organization a chance to compete. All-Star point guard Lillard has been critical in the past about the player movement in free agency and the stacking of rosters to form super teams. Lillard has even gone out of way to claim he won’t do that. However, it is Lillard’s old school thinking that is preventing the Blazers from taking the championship step.
Michael Jordan, Joe Dumars and Larry Bird never thought about teaming up. But they also benefitted by already having a deep roster — Jordan had Scottie Pippen, Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc. Dumars had Dennis Rodman, Isiah Thomas, and Adrian Dantley. Bird had Robert Parrish, Danny Ainge, and Kevin McHale. If the Bulls did create a ‘dream’ a lineup of Jordan, Dumars, Bird, Parrish, Rodman and co., they’d have dominated the NBA. Players in the ’80s and ’90s wanted to compete against each other, so the idea of teaming up never crossed their minds.
As other players got closer towards the end of their careers, that is when they started ring chasing. It happened with Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett and Charles Barkley. Former Portland Trail Blazers great Clyde Drexler was dealt to Houston to team up with his former Phi Slama Jama teammate Hakeen Olajuwon and won a title with the Rockets in 1995.
Now players are choosing to team up early in their careers, during the prime of their playing days to pursue a championship. This offseason the Los Angeles Lakers have retooled with Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and others, while the LA Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard and traded for Paul George.
All the while, the Blazers have struck out again in free agency. Cousins — a former All-Star before tearing his Achilles — signed for the league minimum at $3.5 million with the Lakers (he actually took less money than he made last season with the Golden State Warriors). Before his injury, Cousins was in the running for the MVP, averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. He was also shooting 35.4 percent from long distance. George was an MVP finalist this year. Leonard just led the Toronto Raptors to their first ever NBA title.
However, none of them even considered signing with the Blazers to form a super team with Lillard and McCollum. Even Kevin Durant picked the perennial losing Brooklyn Nets over the Blazers.
The Blazers are good as is and ‘Dame Time’ will carry this current roster into the second round. But that’s where the Blazers success stops. As teams get better in advanced rounds, Lillard extols more energy and it gradually becomes harder for him to get in the lane and score easy baskets. As he tires, his shot tends to fade and shooting percentage drops so he takes ill-advised 3-pointers, leading to easy transition points for the opposition. The Blazers were up by double-digits in every game against the Warriors but ended up getting swept.
As defenses clamp down on Lillard and McCollum, they need additional scoring. The current additions in free agency — Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore, Mario Hezonja, and Anthony Tolliver — are not going to cut it. Whiteside has not been good for years and his sour attitude could potentially cause a rift in the clubhouse. Re-signing Rodney Hood is a plus for the bench, but Hood is a catch-and-shoot player. He needs to move better without the ball to be more effective.
If Lillard is serious about winning a title, he needs to be drop the old school mindset. Step into the current trend and talk with other All-Stars about coming to Rip City. The Portland Trail Blazers need a third scorer, someone who can alleviate the pressure off their dynamic backcourt to make defenses work and get his own shot. Forming a super team in Portland is the way to advance in the Western Conference.