Dame Lillard "I'm too solid for this weird azz era"

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I always considered the Lillard Blazers overrated and thought that Lillard talks a LOT for someone who hasn't accomplished a damn thing in the league.

 

LOL

 

The Tral Blazers aren't overrated...lol Every year they're picked to miss the playoffs and every year they make it including getting to the WCF two seasons ago.

 

I don't recall them being picked to miss the playoffs. You are correct in that they are not overrated. Usually a solid team that is not an easy out.

 

They are stuck in "good but not great" purgatory, kind of like what the Rockets were a few years ago.

 

Terry Stotts is out as coach. There are rumblings that Damian Lillard is getting antsy. The calls for Neil Olshey to make a franchise-changing move are louder than ever. And the franchise’s commitment to CJ McCollum is once again being questioned.

Lillard’s 31st birthday approaches in July, and after another season in which Lillard went above and beyond to elevate the Blazers, only to be let down in the playoffs by lack of adjustments and lack of a supporting cast, there is a palpable sense of urgency coming from Lillard’s camp. Lillard wants to win big, and he wants to do it now, and following the Blazers’ first-round exit at the hands of a shorthanded Denver roster, it wasn’t hard to see Lillard’s frustration.

[…]

Olshey has acknowledged that over the years, any move of note — a trade or free-agent signing — has been first run by Lillard to receive his endorsement. If Lillard thinks Simmons could work, then that’s the type of move that gives the Blazers a chance to make an instant jump because it addresses their biggest weakness: defense. I’ve also heard Boston could be interested in a player like McCollum, and I’ve always thought Marcus Smart and his defense would be a great pairing in Portland (obviously it would take more to make salaries match, but Smart would be a great start).

 

That settles it, he's joining the Nets. Too bad he didn't come to this conclusion earlier. Maybe we could have packaged CP3 and all those draft pick for Lilliard and still have Harden.

 

It's weird picturing him playing for Oregon.

 

This is turning into a Shit or Get Off the Pot moment for semi-solid Lillard.

 

Lillard's "camp" is antsy? Sounds like he needs a can of bug spray and a tent.

 

Just want to say I'm glad we are done with that ish. Stone managed the rebuild beautifully we can look forward with 3 picks this year and 3 picks next.

Portland in a horrible spot they about to do a Morey deal and give like 5 picks for a band aid solution. Hell they did that just last year with whatshisname, the overrated dude we traded Capela for.

Now that I think about it maybe we can trade Portland CWood for like like 2 unprotected Frps 2 unprotected swaps or something starting in 2024

 

The sexual assault allegations against Billups are pretty damning, and as far as I'm concerned he can go f' himself (as can Dame, who doesn't seem to give two *****).

That Dame would pass on a PG whisperer and likely hall-of-famer in MDA, in favor of a guy with less than a year of coaching experience, doesn't surprise me though.

 

I didn't even know about Billups rape allegations and I was already a big NBA fan in the 90's.

Settling aside the issue of Dame, i don't understand why an allegation made two decades ago is relevant in Billups hiring. Is the case being reopened? Has new evidence come forth? Billups has been working in and around the NBA the past twenty years. Where was the objection then? Furthermore what is the objection? He was accused. He was never charged, tried or convicted. Is the rule that people cant be hired because they once been accused of something?

 

He was accused. The evidence appears to back up the victim's claims. His story didn't add up. He settled -- and walked -- because he was a superstar athlete with deep pockets.

It sickens me that guys like him get free passes while others get the book thrown at them for lesser offenses. YMMV and that's okay.

 

Was he even arrested and charged? The DA and criminal court don't settle for money. The evidence consisted of differing accounts by two sides, the rape kit and apparently a lot of other suspects including, Mercer, Billups, Walker and Walker's other friends. I've no clue what happened there and I'm not going to assume to know. But If we just go by allegations and claims made by one party those Duke boys back in the 90's would still be in jail and a bunch of people arrested by incompetent/sloppy/dirty cops or government officials or mistaken witnesses, would still be on death row and in jail.

 

The DA doesn’t take payoffs, but it’s hard to try a rape case when the victim refuses to go forward after a settlement.

People are entitled to draw their own conclusions. Innocent until proven guilty, in the legal system, doesn’t mean the public can’t look at the facts and judge for themselves.

 

Like I said, YMMV. I've seen enough of these cases to have an opinion and lying to the police raises... questions.

 

To be clear, I'm not saying I know he was 100% innocent either, just making the case that we (society) can't treat someone as guilty of crimes when there is so little evidence/information.

Billups wasn't even arrested. In Kobe's case, he was arrested. Bonded out. Then charged. The Central Park 5 was arrested with more evidence and that was a railroad job. Again, maybe Billups was guilty of something, but we the public don't have enough information to make that determination.

 

At this point I'm honestly more baffled by the hire and their front office decision-making (and Dame's IDGAF attitude) than I am upset about the accusations and what did or didn't happen afterwards. I hate reading stories about what the victim went through, though. Wish it didn't happen so frequently (I know a few sex assault victims myself, and if I know that many... ), but that's where we're at today. Hopefully all parties learned something from it.