Breaking up is hard to do
The stalemate between the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard, one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise, is downright ugly. Lillard wants to be traded, and the team is willing to do it despite there being years left on his contract. But he keeps saying that he wants to play in Miami, and the team there, the Heat, aren't going to part with anything the Blazers want in order to pick him up.
If a trade can't be worked out, I assume Lillard will sit out the season, like other pouting stars before him elsewhere in the league. But a more likely scenario is that the Blazers will send Lillard packing somewhere and get precious little in return.
It will be interesting to see how many Portland fans are willing to continue shelling out big bucks to watch the crumbs that the Blazers wind up with sans Lillard. Their roster is long on highly rated talent – quite possibly over-rated – but most of the players are unproven and lack experience. Their coach, Chauncey Billups, doesn't seem to know what he's doing, and he could actually ruin some of these kids.
Meanwhile, by law the team has to be sold, but there's no timetable and no serious sale talks under way. The clock is ticking on the lease renewal with City Hall, and conditions on the city's streets continue to deteriorate, particularly in the vicinity of the basketball arena.
It's only July, but already it's becoming evident that another lost season awaits the Blazers. I'd be willing to spend a little on a rebuilding team that's fun to watch, but not under this ownership and management. It's gone from bad to worse, and a reversal of fortune does not appear to be in the cards. Jody Allen, sell the team!
I keep hearing "the team must be sold under the terms of the trust", but I don't hear WHO has standing to enforce this. A judge? What's going to encourage them to do anything?
ReplyDeleteIf the charitable beneficiaries are named in the will or trust, they could sue, I would think. If they are not named, then I suspect the state attorney general could step in. All very theoretical, of course. I suppose there could also be some tax ramifications if they drag things out too long, but that's impossible to tell from here.
DeleteI’m still mystified by Portland’s continued love fest with Lillard. He’s provided some fun moments but mostly flash vs substance and he’s WELL (over) compensated for it. The notion that because he can score 70 on a lottery chasing Houston squad he deserves mention as “greatest Blazer ever” just seems laughable. I’d take his salary and get a few players who can play defense with it vs the current sad state of affairs. Heck, they’ve expanded the NBA playoffs and the team still can’t qualify with a supposed all-time great on it.
ReplyDeleteFair point
DeleteOoh, hot take! He's 59th all time in scoring. I guess that's pretty flashy, and golly gee, also substantive. I guess all those points came against teams that weren't trying though, so you've got a great point! It's him and Clyde for best Blazer ever. If the hapless Allen family had put a decent team around him, he could have been the core of a championship or two. I hope he still can be, with a team that actually commits to winning. Great player, paid commensurate with his talents. You obviously have no comp to claim he's overpaid. Laughable.
DeleteHe already has more money than he can spend in a lifetime perhaps he just needs to let it go and become a high school basketball coach which would be a much higher calling.
DeleteI'm sure you know what's best for him. Maybe you can be his life coach. Give him a call.
DeleteThe writing has been on the wall for a few years. Both Joe and Dame know that they are years away from being playoff winners because of the hole they had to dig out of during the O'Hell years. But Dame had to play a season after the surgery to show he still had chops. NBA needs a Summer drama to keep interest, so of course this is dragging on. It's show business.
ReplyDeleteI think the future of the Blazers is a lot like the future of Portland.
ReplyDeleteThe tired, same old efforts of moving around the deck chairs won’t attract new fans.