In less than two weeks, we will know the immediate future of the Portland Trail Blazers. The NBA Draft will take place on the evening of June 22nd, and at the conclusion of that evening, one of these statements will be true –
- The Portland Trail Blazers are committed to getting Damian Lillard to The NBA Finals
- The Portland Trail Blazers are committed to a rebuild
It’s become pretty simple – if Portland keeps their draft pick and selects a player, they are saying their long-term future is more critical than Lillard – and that they hope to contend for a title in a few years.
If they trade the pick, they are saying the franchise is committed to contending for a title now and are willing to pay what it costs to make that happen.
They may do what Portland has been doing for nearly a decade now, and that is to trade the pick but not get a true star player in return and dooming Lillard to try and carry a roster that isn’t deep enough or talented enough to compete with elite teams.
Denver is proving right now that a generational talent and all-star sidekick can be enough to get a team to the Finals, even if their supporting cast wouldn’t win many people over on paper. It’s easier if your generational talent is one of the best big men in recent history since that requires the other team to focus on that player’s ability as well as their size, but that’s not a deal breaker.
Golden State has won four titles in the last decade with one of the smallest superstars in league history, so it’s not about having the best center in the league. I can’t even name the starting centers for most of the Warriors’ title teams, and that’s because those guys aren’t critical to their system. Even LeBron James won a couple of titles in Miami and Cleveland without a traditional center. If three or four of your spots are taken by guys that can do more than most players at their position, you can get past having a mere mortal at center because your play will typically overwhelm the other team, even if they have a more traditional lineup.
The Miami Heat play a majority of small ball and used that system to get back to the Finals. That’s not something Portland can do with their current lineup, but with the right mix of veterans, they could pull it off. It will take more trades than signing free agents, but if they get the right sidekick next to Lillard, that could finally lure some of the big fish the Blazers feel they have been missing.
Using the draft pick just doesn’t make long-term sense. Lillard may still have time left, but “Lillard Time” will only be around for so long. You’ve seen superstar players like LeBron, who once dominated the league anytime he felt like it, getting old seemingly overnight. Their bodies don’t hold up to the grind of the regular season either, and by the time the playoffs come around, they don’t have the speed and endurance to carry their team anymore. They need help. Lillard needs help, and unless the kid they take at #3 is an immediate superstar, they will need more help. I don’t know how many rookies you can name that have been a crucial player on a Finals team recently, but I’m unfamiliar with many. Sure, Shaedon Sharpe may turn into a legit star next year, but there is just as much evidence that he’s not going to be a star, but he can still be a good player. CJ was a good player, but that’s not what the Blazers need right now. They need another star.
I’ve gone into detail in the past that just getting another star for your franchise player may not be enough, but that’s the only version of a roster the front office hasn’t tried during Lillard’s time as the face of the team. During his first three years in the league, he played with LaMarcus Aldridge, and just as Lillard was getting noticed for his stellar play, LA was gone to the Spurs in 2015.
In the years since, there has been plenty of turnover around Lillard to the point he is the only remaining player from the 2015 team, and both his head coach and GM have been replaced. It’s a new era in Portland, but the same things keep happening. The team around Lillard is middling at best, and at worst, they are a lottery team. In either scenario, his sidekick is one-dimensional and relies on Lillard rather than helping him elevate the team around him.
Portland has been in the Draft Lottery the past two seasons, and they don’t appear to have a team ready to go on a run. They either need to go all-in on Lillard or go all-in on a rebuild. This one-foot-out, one-foot-in nonsense needs to stop.
The team has been pivoting on Lillard’s future for too long; they need to take a step and see what happens. It’s time to go all-in on something or someone. If I get a vote, I say go all-in on Lillard, give him the team he needs, and see what he can do to get to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1992. Lillard turns 33 this year; the team he plays for hasn’t been to the biggest stage of the game they pay him to play since the year he turned two years old. It’s time to do what it takes to get back.
It’s time, Portland. It’s time to make a move. The ball is in your court. Go take your shot.
