Damian Lillard back w/ Portland Trail Blazers just feels RIGHT | The Dime With Josh and Kwab

Damian Lillard back w/ Portland Trail Blazers just feels RIGHT | The Dime With Josh and Kwab

Dame is heading back home, mate. Give it up. Even if you’re driving, don’t say it. No, do not clap while you’re driving. Portland, Portland, do not clap while you’re driving. Please, any time to clap while you’re driving. Portland, do not clap while you’re driving. You might pull over to the side and clap if you have to. Do not clap. Even if you’re driving, ladies and gentlemen, Damen Lillard is a Portland Trailblazer again. That feels right. It feels right saying that. I am a Nick fan. You are a Net fan. Yes, sir. fans across the association celebrating this. You know why? Because it feels right. Yes. Yeah. This feels right. It feels right. Dne goes off on his own path. Um and plays for the Milwaukee Bucks for two years. Doesn’t go the way that he wanted it to. Doesn’t go the way that the Bucks wanted it to. And he comes home on a three-year deal. Sham drops this Shamwow. Breaking ninetime NBA All-Star Damen Loaders finalizing a three-year $42 million contract to return to the Portland Trailblazers. Sources tell ESPN deal include a player option in 278 28 and a no trade clause. We can get into like what this means for the roster. They have Drew Holidayiday. They have Scoot Henry Henderson. I actually want to ask you about that. But for me, the whole thing about Damen Lillard and and what I love about this story is that we talk so much about championships and we talk so much about legacy and narratives and we don’t do that here on the diamond. I don’t know if y’all who are subscribed like we don’t get into these like who’s your top 10, who’s your top 15, would you take Deon Booker over Donovan Mitch? Like we don’t do that. We just don’t. That that type of stuff to me is just like fodder. It’s it’s easy. It’s BS. It it’s dumb. I I think it’s stupid. Um, but a reason why I appreciate someone like Damen Lillard going back to Portland and finishing his career there regardless if he gets a ring or not. To me, it it just shows loyalty to a franchise, to a fan base that he cares. He cares about the fans. He cares about the city. You know, when you have that connection, especially a small market like Portland, that stuff matters. You know, it matters to the fans, it matters economically, you know what I It matters to the everything around the arena, to the city itself, to the brand of the Portland Trailblazers. It’s something that is it’s why we watch sports, for instance. And for me, you know, you can say whatever you want about Daniel L as a player. You could say that he went ring chasing for two years and failed and came back. You can critique that all you want, but at the end of the day, this coming back cementss his legacy as the best Portland Trailblazer of all time. I think he’s going to go down as the best Portland Trailblazer of all time. He’s going to come back. He’s going to score more points. He’s going to add to the records to whatever records he holds already. He’s going to catch the records that he hasn’t caught already. He’s He’s going to go down as the best Portland Trailblazer of all time because he was a Blazer, if that makes any sense. You, you know, someone like Paul George kept moving. Someone like Kevin Durant kept moving. LeBron kept moving. Portland had Dame for it’s going to be a decade plus. Yeah. He he was the brand. And I think that’s something special. And to me, I’m not saying it means more than a championship. I’m not saying it means more than whatever, but it means something. And it means something different. And I don’t think a lot of franchises have that, especially in these days and ages where you can just go wherever you want to go. You can demand a trade and get out. You know, it’s it’s very rare that a player has this type of connection with the city. And as a Nick fan, as a Net fan, I’m sure you feel the same way. I think fans across the world, no matter what team you root for, you smile at this news. It’s a great day to be a Portland Trailblazer fan and honestly it’s it’s it’s a nice thing to see as an NBA fan. Yeah, that’s a that’s the right description. A nice nice thing. I think when I saw the notification, I was like, “Oh, wow. Okay, that’s that’s great. That’s that’s like my my like my general reaction was like, okay, that’s that’s awesome.” Like him having dealing with the Achilles injury and being able to be home to rehab and I guess be closer to his family, which was very important to him. I think it was one of the reasons it’s been stated it led to the breakup between him and the Bucks. But being able to be close to his family while he’s recovering, it’s it’s it’s perfect. It sounds perfect. Um like we know like we didn’t really the breakup between him and Portland was it felt awkward from from both sides, but something that like when it came time to happen where like it’s kind of felt like the time was it was the time for it to happen, but we didn’t necessarily like how it went down. Um, he wanted to go to Miami. They sent him to Milwaukee. And so now he’s going back home. Like I understand that. I wouldn’t I wouldn’t want to. Uh, I’m joking. Milwaukee. Joking. I’m joking. No, I’m kidding. I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Miami’s I’ve been to Miami. It’s crazy out there. But um, very very happy for Dame just to end back where he started. Like you said, he’s basically been Mr. Blazer for all these years. Um, all his memorable moments have come in the Portland uniform. like he’s had a lot of crazy like top moments, basketball moments in general that will go down in like history, NBA history that he he did for Portland. Um him the the the two years he had at Milwaukee didn’t go didn’t go as planned. Like it just didn’t go and that happens. That’s it’s part of the story. like um injuries, trades, construction, coaches, coaching, docivers, uh like it’s just there’s a lot of reasons why you can point to a lot of reasons why for sure. No, I mean yeah, I don’t like I’m not trying to pass but like again it it just didn’t it just it just didn’t work out and sometimes that happens. Um and it was I know for a lot of fans who are just fans of basketball, not just fans of Dame, seeing him go down with the Achilles injury were just like damn this this sucks. Yeah. So him having the opportunity just to go back home, I think the most important thing from the signing that we saw was like it being I think three years, but he has a no he has a no trade clause. So basically it makes it feel like this is where he’s he wants to be. Yes. And if at any time there’s like any other decision is is going to be in his in his hands, but it feels like this is probably where he’s going to just end up riding it out for the rest of his rest of his playing seasons, which is I think is awesome. Yeah, I think so, too. I mean, at the end of the day, like, you got to be happy as a human being. Like, and I know we talk a lot about championships, you talk a lot about winning, but if you’re not happy where you’re at, there’s no point in being where you’re at if as a human. Like, I it just is what it is. And he, I wouldn’t say, was publicly known to be unhappy in Milwaukee. But there were reports about him, you know, not being happy in Milwaukee. Let’s just say what it is. You know, he he loved Portland. He was away from his family. I know he went through a divorce, which is something personal I’m not going to get into, but you know, that’s part of his life. And you you go you move across the country. Well, not across you move halfway through the country and you’re in this unfamiliar place. You kind of get traded in a way where it was like, I didn’t even want to leave in the first place, but I feel like I have to, you know, just that mentality and that and that mental mindset he must have been in probably was really hard for him, you know, and and it was hard for Blazer fans, too. That means once Dame left. I used to talk Blazers the whole time on the dime. Since you’ve joined the show, when have we talked Blazers? Yeah, it’s been it’s been Yeah, we ripped Chanty Bilips once last year and that was it. And that was it. And now I’m obsessed with Yang Hansen. So, you’re going to see it all the time. But yeah. So, so to me, man, again, like this is what I love about sports and this is what I wish more people would talk about when it comes to sports. I know debate culture is a thing. I’m not saying it doesn’t have any value. who doesn’t have its place in sports talk, you know, and in the rhetoric surrounding sports talk. But I do wish that we would appreciate players like Damen Lillard more where it’s just kind of like, yeah, he was a Portland Trailblazer his whole life. Yeah, maybe he had the roster to win a championship. Yes, maybe he went ring chasing for two years, but he came back to the city. He came back to the fan base that loved him, that adored him, and he’s gonna finish out his career there hopefully because that’s what just feels right. You know, it’s not all it’s not always about winning. It isn’t. I mean, at the end of the day, you want your favorite team to win. Of course, I’m not saying that. But there are other things to appreciate, you know, about the game than winning. And in a league in a in a moment and in a league right now where there’s so much player movement, like we’re like, again, I mentioned KD and Paul George, and I don’t say that to like pick on them, even like a Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul, like all these players are just team like just trying to find a scenario where they can win a ring. And it’s just it’s exhausting. It’s exhausting. And then they they kind of lose like Chris Paul. When I think of Chris Paul, I think of the Clippers, but it’s like he doesn’t feel, you know, he doesn’t feel like what Stockton was to the Jazz or what Malone was to the Jazz or what Euing was to the Knicks or what Barkley was to the Suns or what Jordan was to the Bulls. Like there’s there’s none of that anymore. And I it feels good that we could say that about some players at least still. And I think Dame is one of those players even though he went to Milwaukee for two years. I just kind of miss that era. I just miss that era. Yeah, there the era of the player just staying in one jersey the whole time. Yeah, we’re we’re way past that. We’ve been way past that for a while. It’s kind of crazy to think about, but um yeah, like even though he was on Milwaukee for two years, I I just remember I’ll be watching games, I’m like that doesn’t look right. No, watching it’s the same, you know, it’s kind of it’s kind of similar to like um now when I see like anytime I see Luca in a Lakers jersey, I’m like it feels Yeah. I mean, even Luca got traded, bro. Like it’s not even like the players who were do like with Luca, he got traded. It’s like Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, play player movement happens a lot. Like, um I never I’m never and you’re the same way about this. We don’t really we don’t really knock players for like making moves to make themselves happy or like try to win. We don’t we don’t knock it. We’re like if that’s what you want to do, that’s what you want to do. Like it’s player empowerment. It’s important. Like go go go to where you feel comfortable. Go to where you feel wanted. That’s it’s important. Um, I think a lot of fans do crave the um the player they like they kind of that was drafted and stayed in the same jersey and ends up retiring in the same jersey. Every like fans do crave that but in this era of play empowerment and player movement like it doesn’t happen a lot. Um Dane going back to the Blazers is it just feels like a really great story. Um but also comes with a bunch of questions we’ll say. Yes. Yes. Um, now the main thing I see a lot of people I saw somebody was like, “Oh, what happens for scoop now since Dame is there?” And somebody somebody replied, “I guess he has to scoot over.” I laughed. Um, it was s I laughed, but um I I right now I personally don’t think it’s that big of a deal as some people are making out to be because Dame is coming back from Achilles. like it’s he’s not going to play all of he’s not playing at all this year. So Scoot So Scoot’s going to be there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Scoot’s going to be there. Um so you you you’re trying to see how well Scoot is going to look as the league guard this uh this new position especially after the trading away Anthony uh Simons and bringing in Drew Holidayiday. Yeah, but that’s I’m saying Drew is probably going to start at that position. The other Yeah, that’s the other question I’m um that I kind of saw I I see other people like uh mention is like does this mean this might lead to a Drew buyout? Because Drew necessarily didn’t want to go to Portland again like he’s that’s been something he’s been kind of clear about. I don’t know if there’s been discussions in the background with uh Bilips and all that to kind of change that mindset, but he he doesn’t uh the first and when the trade initially happened the thing that was out there was that he doesn’t initially want to go to Portland. If this ends up being hypothetically being like a Drew Holiday buyout, I don’t know where he ends up. Um I saw I saw was it Bias Houston say u Will say that like yeah he has a team that he could play for wanted him to come to Houston and I was like bro that’s when I saw that I’m like that’s the greed they talk about. That’s the greed. Yeah Will you had a great offseason. That’s the greed. Relax will you can’t you can’t get everybody will that’s the greed. You can’t get everybody bro. you have a grid like relax. That’s the greed they talk about, man. That’s Yeah. But um yeah, I don’t necessarily when it comes to Scoot right now, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I I feel like like I said, it’s going to be the ball’s going to be in Scoot’s hands this this season. It’s is he’s going to get a chance to step up. We don’t know what happens with Dne if he’s gonna come back and him necessarily coming back is gonna coming back from and this is this is me speaking from personal experience coming back from a achilis injury you you’re not the same player there’s stuff you have to learn to adapt um I remember even KD mentioned it was like those like players like um players like Dame and Jason Tatum some of the shots they take those long shots they take right now off that off their off their main foot They have to adjust because your leg doesn’t feel right. Yeah. So Dame’s going to have to change up his game a little bit. And throughout this process, if you have a guard in place that can still like kind of carry the torch for you in the future, it’s it’s good to have. So I feel like it’s going to be a slow process, gradual process, and we’ll see what it looks like when Dame is healthy. Yeah. I I don’t know what’s going to happen with Scroo here. The Blazers are an interesting team right now because they have two timelines really with Drew Holidayiday. They you have Aia who Aia is young. Um, they did ship ship out DeAndre Aton. Who else is on the team? Jere Jeremiah Grant. Jeremy Grant’s on the team. Shaden Sharp. Shaden Sharp is a young guy. I might want to take this takeback. Tammani Kamari. You got Yeah. All right. I’ll come back in. Yeah. I mean, the Blazers are interesting team because they’re they’re clearly building an a defensive identity. Like that’s what they’re trying to be. I think if if you watch the moves that they’re making, the people that they’re picking up, they’re trying to like create this tough defensive identity. Um, and I think it’s going to work. I I think they are going to be a very good defensive team. They were very competitive the second half of the year. Obviously, Dame does not fit that description whatsoever. Um, so it’s going to be interesting to see how he fits in next year. Scoot, I don’t I’ll be honest with you, Quab. I don’t know if this spells the end for his tenure as a Portland Trailblazer, but you have two different timelines now with that position, right? You have Drew Holiday, you have Scoot, and then when Dan gets back, if Drew is still around, you have Drew Holiday, you have Scoot, and you have Damen Lillard. How do you divvy up those minutes? And how do you expect Scoot to develop? You know, Scoot is the second pick of the NBA draft. This isn’t somebody who, you know, was late first round, second round, or someone who you just got from another team. This is a guy you heavily invested in, who you had a lot of belief in. Um, and who has, you know, he’s had his rough moments, but he’s he’s gotten better, I think, just not to the number two level that you want him to get at. I think they’re going to have to make a decision with Scoot. I don’t know if it’s going to be this year. I But I I do think Scoot is playing for his Portland Trailblazers career this year. I do. I I don’t think any moves will be made this year. I don’t think he’ll be traded by the deadline, but that rookie contract extension is going to be due soon. And I think that if he doesn’t take a significant leap this year, I think he’s gone. I do at some point before the before the extension. Okay. I mean, I I can I can see them just giving him the extension and then figuring it out like along the way. They’ll give him the extension and that’s what teams do now anyway. They get you get paid and then you get traded anyway. It doesn’t matter. Yeah. like you just cuz it’s with how the the the CBA is with the aprons and all that. You might especially you want to keep your place in house, especially with the bird rights. Um I’m throwing out these terms like I know exactly what I’m talking about. I see that. But he extension and he might be due for extension this year. It might be. Well, go ahead. Say what you were saying. I’ll look it up. But um yeah, it’s like uh you you just he might sign the extension and then you figure it out as uh as Dane gets healthy. I feel like um the point you made they are building like a they had a defensive team last year and they they’ve added adding Drew Holidayiday adds to that like we’ve talked about the we talked about the roster when we were talking about uh Hans Yang before um on the previous episode and it’s like you look up and down the roster you have players like um like uh Tammani uh uh Matis Tibbo uh Donovan Klingan like uh even I know he’s not the same player he used to be but even uh even Jeremy Grant. You have these players that are defensive that have are defensive players that have defensive reputations and then you add Drew Holidayiday in that in that mold. Like it might be it might feel like yeah they have two timelines but they have they have an interesting mix of players like a very interesting mix of players and it’s going to be an interesting year for for Portland move. like actually not even an interesting a couple interesting years cuz we’re going to see what next year looks like with um the new young editions and also um when Dame finally comes back the the next year we’re going to see what what uh what they decide with that. So Scoot does have a year after this year but has a club option after this year. So got we’ll see what happens there. All right. Well listen Dame is back in Portland. We just wanted to give a shout out to the Portland Trailblazers fans. Damian Lillard feels right. Yeah, I mean it feels right again for like a day and then tomorrow LeBron James gets traded to Charlotte and we’re like what’s going on? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Culture club culture culture culture. Listen, you can follow us everywhere at the DimeNBA. I’m Josh Rodriguez at Josh Rodriguez_qu. Hit the subscribe button. We’re trying to get to 3K, baby. Um, you know, we do some game recaps if you haven’t been familiar with our channel. You know, big games, we go immediately after them. We recap them for you. Uh, power rankings, all that good stuff and full episodes. So stay tuned for that. Until then, we’ll see you for another episode of the dime. Peace.

Josh and Kwab react to Damian Lillard returning to the Portland Trail Blazers

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