What are Dame Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers Doing? | Cookies Hoops E518 “Flying Daggers”

What are Dame Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers Doing? | Cookies Hoops E518 “Flying Daggers”

Shout out to a good player historically in the NBA. I don’t think he should have been top, what is he, top 75, top 50? Um, but Lillard shot daggers. He has some of the most memorable shots in our recent memory. Uh, and I love the narrative of like it warms my heart, you know, when when people are online being like, “This is how it should be.” I’m like, “Yes, I agree. Julius Randall contract extension warms my heart. Dane Lillard back in Portland, man, they’re even trying to yank Portland out uh the Blazers out of Portland. So like him going back as a bit of a soft look on one hand. I get it right where when he was traded to Milwaukee, it felt as if he had kind of been pushed into doing that without maybe he want maybe he wanted to go to Miami, but maybe he didn’t really wanted to leave at all. and he had been doing that little dance of maybe I’ll go to try to get the team to acquies more to his demands or just I need to be around people who want to win as much as me. Exactly. Or just basically I mean this is what Giannis does in Milwaukee all the time. So it’s funny that they ended up being teammates. This thing of like was awesome. I don’t know guys it doesn’t feel like I can win here but you know I want to win here but maybe you just don’t want to win as much as me. And it’s like okay okay we’ll spend a little more money and we’ll take your opinions into account or whatever whatever it could be. we’ll reassure you that we want to win as much as you do and then we can continue on this lifelong romance between the player and and an organization. I don’t have a problem with any of that. However it goes, right? But him immediately going back is it’s pretty funny. Is it ceremonial? Because he’s going to be 37 and a lot of people or some people I read were like, “Oh my god, he’s going to be the finishing touch on the championship team.” I’m like, “Dude, he’s cooked. He’s done. Is this just like signing a one-day contract and being like, I’m a Blazer again. Okay, that was a great career. And uh we’ve ap we’ve made up. We’ve kissed and made up. We’re at the Coldplay concert. I don’t know if that works, but you know, we we we patched things up and now I get to retire my jersey in the Raptors. I couldn’t tell you what Dame thinks because athletes are crazy. And if you If you ask Dame, he’s like, “Well, yeah, I’m going to be an all-star when I get back. I’m going to play 35 minutes a game.” And he was good last year. He was good last year. He was good the year before. He’s He’s always good. So, in his mind, I don’t think he’s thinking, I’m going to come back a broken husk of the player I once was. Um, I’m probably Kemell Walker-ish. Yeah. Play 22 minutes a game, complete liability on defense. My jumper will probably never be the same. And you know, I’m there kind of as a source of of of guidance for Scoot, who is the future of the franchise. You think that’s what Dame thinks? No. I think he’s going to be like, I’m finally going to win a chip with this guy Kamar who I love. You know, it’s like they got Yang. Chip time. See, Francis Yao Ming, let’s go. Right. He looks at it as, “Okay, so we kind of were rebuilding, retooling without me when I get back.” All right, we got we got Chinese Jokic the big tariff. We got we got Denny who’s become a very good player. We’ve got Star Cllingon. We’ve got we got Camra Tamara, however you say his name like that thy bowl. Maybe he’ll be there, maybe he won’t. But still, you look at it, you say, “Okay, we’ve got some wings. We got some players. Jeremy Grant will be getting off of that contract that I tricked the team into giving him. Maybe. Great. Yeah. Yep. I I like that team build. Oh, I don’t like that team build, but there’s pieces there that I think would give Lillard optimism. Um the Holiday thing now seems kind of funny when you do the Lillard thing. Like, wait a minute there. I don’t know why he just took Drew Holidayiday, who makes $40 million a year or whatever it is, off of Boston’s hands, doing them a solid as a weird weird veteran consiglier to your young guards. And then you’re going to also have Dame Lillard returning. You’re going to have a pair of 36y old, 37y old, 38y old guards. Who do you think you are? The Sixers. and and the ownership I think is is up in the air there with Portland. I believe um the estate is moving forward in dealing flipping the team and Silver was very loud in saying like Portland has a has had a great run with the Blazers and he hopes they stay there but there’s no guarantee. So, there’s a bit of uncertainty going on in that part of the NBA world. Um, Dame going back, I think, is like I think every player should be self- serving. I think he he and Drew Holidayiday’s heart maybe still resides in that wonderful city of Portland. I’d love that place. Um, but the team build is weird and Lillard’s hubris has always been a source of delight for me, us. Uh, and when it comes to fruition, it’s even better. Like, he’s been quite the character and entertainer, and I’m I’m grateful for him. Um, but this seems ceremonial, doesn’t it?

We discuss Damian Lillard’s heartwarming return to the Portland Trail Blazers. But what does it mean for either party? Excerpt from Cookies Hoops E518 “Flying Daggers”

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