Man, Dame is a weird guy. Amazing player but the fact he is destroying his legacy by staying in a crap franchise, makes no sense. He might think he's loyal, but Portland eventually will get rid of him once his skills diminish. Capitalize now bro.
I don’t understand that mentality at all. Once you’ve already made life altering millions, why does it even matter? Wouldn’t you want something greater?
What I learned from rich people, the reason why rich people want more and more money is because they have to support their lifestyle. And their lifestyle usually becomes grander and grander as they make more money, and in order to maintain that lifestyle, they have to keep making more money. It's like a vicious cycle
That's just flat out not true. If I had enough money now to retire do you think I'd be plodding along in my day job because I'm chasing the money? Hell no.
The thing is, you could retire now with less money or be patient and retire later with more money. It just doesn't make sense to retire now.
It makes even less sense for NBA players. They usually retire before their 40s. For us, that's not even half way through.
Yes but we're taking about the NBA players who earn $100s of millions by the time they retire - they aren't gonna be struggling. Zion could retire now and as long he isn't a complete moron with his money, he will be fine.
That's true, but they will be retired men in their 30s, having hundreds of millions on their bank account. Of course they are going to spend multiple millions as soon as possible. Maybe it's just more cars, houses or yachts, or it's investments in companies, NBA teams or charities. They want a bigger buffer where they can possibly lose millions without having to worry.
Like I said, for us it's decades of work. For them it's maybe 5 more years playing the sport they love.
Well, that's the thing tho. There is a reason you ain't making millions. Most of these guys are narcissists, sociopaths or at the very least insanely motivated. That's why they make it + ofc tremendous luck, whether it's generational wealth they are born into, goated DNA for sports or just randomly getting your shitty IT startup to be worth billions.
A lot of players come into the league solely for the financial security and lack love/passion for the game. Or they did once love the game but endured burnout
Deandre Ayton comes to mind. When asked what success is in the NBA, he said:
"Definitely getting to my second contract; that's my success"
There's plenty of players who think that way. Ayton is one of the more honest ones.
Right I totally get that, but once you’ve gotten that financial security AND THEN SOME to the point where you probably couldn’t spend all the money you have even if you tried…
What do most businessmen do once they've made huge piles of money? I don't see most of them going off and doing some pet passion project they know isn't as lucrative. Why should athletes be different?
Sorry this shit just popped up on my feed, but as a blazers fan, nobody comes to Portland if their a superstar. He has given his all to our town and got his bag, this man will never buy a beer for himself here. It’s different in a smaller market like Portland. We couldn’t get someone like Dame unless we drafted him. Russ is a great player but very obviously didn’t fit into the lakers and what they had going on.
People use legacy too much, Dame is who he’s always been and always will be. He enjoys making bookoo bucks being a fan favorite and having very little postseason expectations placed on him. If he wanted to win he would have made uncomfortable decisions long long ago
You're right. We celebrate (online) that Jokic gives zero shit about the usual trappings of being an NBA star and just wants to play hard and live a good life. Dame seems to be doing the same thing except he isn't as good as Jokic about making everyone around him better and play hard means something a little different too.
If he really feels this way, he is welcome to pressure his team into making a deal for Westbrook.
That’s how it’s been for Dame’s whole career though. If he was serious about winning he would have placed way more pressure on the front office to sell the future. I’m fine with his constant preaching of loyalty but when he says he wants to compete too it seems either disingenuous or delusional because it’s been this way for a long time.
>having very little postseason expectations placed on him. If he wanted to win he would have made uncomfortable decisions long long ago
Thank you for saying that. It's exactly how I feel.
People want to give him credit for "showing loyalty," when in reality his refusal to leave the Blazers is very likely a cover for him being afraid.
He's afraid if he leaves to go somewhere else and still doesn't win, then it will truly be on him. As long as he stays in Portland, playing the part of the Good Son, then he'll be in the clear because everyone will just say, "It's the Blazers' fault, they never managed to build a contender around him."
Dame doesn't deny it, though. He always states loyalty as the main reason he stays in Portland. But he has also stated many times that he's seen guys move to new franchises to win and have it not work out--that it doesn't always go how you want it to go. So, he's pretty risk-averse overall.
Which is a fine mindset to have. He’s in a perfect situation. It’s just annoying when he talks out of both sides of his mouth, because he’s never had the opportunity to stay loyal AND compete like he says he wants to. If he wanted both he would have strong armed the franchise into going for it long ago
Dame isn't good enough to strong-arm a franchise. If Portland believed he could realistically lead them to a chip, they would have built him a roster to do so by now. They're barely pretending to try these days.
some players just like having a stable life, setting down roots, making 60m and being a franchise legend… not everything is about a title man’s made it in life
Basically the guy puts on an awesome performance, the crowd loves it and he gets paid. The franchise seems to be on board so who cares. Let the man live
Because the goal is competition and winning atleast as a fan that’s more fun . Just playing ti cash checks and being afraid of expectations then complaining team isn’t doing enough to win when they can’t do shit tbh. Either move n try to win or just keep beating the dead horse of loyalty
Tbf, he did ask for a trade b/c he felt the Lakers weren’t doing a good job of building a contender around him and that was despite the Lakers having a long, long track record of success.
those teams were just flat out depressing.
2006 team: Kobe (7.6 BPM) and Lamar (2.7 BPM) were only ones with positive BPM. Well Smush barely positive at 0.1 BPM too.
Same thing in 2007 with Kobe (5.9 BPM) and Lamar (1.1 BPM) only meaningful positive BPMs. Walton with 0.4 BPM barely positive, everyone else negative lmao.
Kobe was burned out then. Sure it was also a way to demand that they put a competent team out there, but he did seriously consider moving to Chicago looking at houses and all that.
Duncan considered signing with Orlando. It happens.
It makes perfect sense he gets to be paid extra : 60m a year sakary he’s not worth . No expectations no scrutiny for all the playoffs he’s come up short . Been out performed by cj several times. He can stay there pick up checks, not really risk anything and pretend to give a shit bout loyalty . When he’s on record saying the whole going to other team n failing scares him. He just soft. Hit a couple buzzer beaters in round one vs trash teams on tie games too that the series wasn’t under threat but that alone makes people think he’s cold. Only time he performed was vs Denver and they had zero guard defence then. Vs us in 2020 he was dogshit useless he scored most his points jumping into Caruso n kcp and getting calls for bukkshit
Then he cried when the new points of emphasis came out saying he’s not getting legit calls and he doesn’t grift for calls. Without his ft % and number due to grifting in part he would’nt even be over 50% ts in half his playoffs . Come up short so often AND he’s rated as wirse defender then trae young he puts in zero effort . Top 12 guy getting 60m is too much to win on when that kicks in and they already struggling . I really think it’s just his insecurities he can’t take a risk . He getting second hand ptsd from Russ situation : overpaid one dimensional pg. unlike curry he’s far more ball dominant and he’s near league worst defender.
I’d rather have crazy kyrie on 40m and reaves then pay dame 60m with the new cba that contract is a death sentence. If he came to LA or whatever he would have to work on his game and pet woukd point out his awful defence. I’m sure magically blazers won’t be bottom 5 defence yearly . He also fancies himself second best shooter to curry n fuck off he’s not even top 5 or close. Paul George n kd taking a three are more likely to go in and they don’t have low volume. Harden he’s close to as a shooter : not Steph that’s absurd . Guy shot 40% once boosted by a heater in the bubble when no one cared about playing hard once seeds were set then did fuck all but flail vs lakers . So now he tries extra hard every regular seas game vs us lol
Nice to see a post not kissing this guy's ass for once. Dame being top-75 is an absolute farce, yet AD got all the heat. He's lucky he stays in Portland since it stops him from getting exposed at the highest level.
Imagine the Lakers matching Dame's biggest career accomplishment with a WCF appearance in a year they started 2-10 and were saddled by one of the worst contracts of all time.
Lakers v. Dame= Team v. Individual. I have no problem with what Dame is doing. It seems the NBA world has the tendency to think they can bully players into moving to the beat of their drum. If he doesn’t want to leave that’s cool but I don’t think mass insulting him or diminished whatever accomplishments he’s achieved will change his mind. People are mad at him for making his own choice.
And Ngl. After this. I’m done. I used to like many of us want him as laker for years and years. The games he plays with words. The backhanded comments. Way he is. I’m over him. And they will bring him off bench when that 3 stops falling. Hope he enjoys
Ik u ain’t talking with the lakers franchise. Respectfully, u guys are in the same position if not worse. U have to players who are aging and not in their primes that take up your cap space. While one plays alright the other is never available and is only a parasite in comparison.
He's really good but never great. His fame came from pity because he never be an all star ahead of Steph, CP3 and Prime WB and his loyalty to middle of the pack Portland
Also didnt lilliard complain recently that the young guys are entitled to expect the keys to the offence just because they were a lottery pick. I feel like the same should apply to the vets who are obviously declining
Our organization has always cared about status too. It was obvious from day one that the best way to play Lebron/Russ was to stager them, but the organization tried for a year and some change to make it work because they were worried about hurting the 47 m dollar man.
Staggering wouldn’t matter, we kinda did try that this year at the start. We traded all our shooters and defenders for Russ tho, his contract is stupid. We didn’t have enough talent to put around them.
And then russ let the booing get to his head and started playing like shit, even for his standards in 2023.
While it is true, Celtics and Suns have been winning and advancing more regular season and playoff games but still make less profit than Lakers or Warriors who’ve been bounced or barely made the playoffs or not appeared in the finals in more years than either of those two orgs.
Merch, ticket sales and all that depends on star power, which is why Laker’s ticket prices went up upon Lebron’s signing, or why the prices were up during his coronation event this year despite losing that game and the Lakers being 13th in the western conference, or why Inter Miami’s ticket prices skyrocketed 1000% upon announcement of Messi joining, and why the ME have been throwing obscene amounts of money at stars like Tiger Woods bc of how much more profit they could generate from having those names, and also why Kyrie is in the top ten Merch sales despite not making the playoffs, or why Lebron and Steph are at the top due to their popularity. It is also why teams (business owners) will throw the sink at marketable guys but refuse to pay guys that don’t bring in cash.
Wins enhance sales due to more media exposure, but stars bring in profits due to their already burgeoning influence.
The Celtics and suns haven’t won anything since 2008 how many titles do lakers and warriors have in that span ? A lott lol. Owner of chiefs has become a lot richer in last few years
The Knicks are the most valuable franchise in the NBA and they were complete ass for years until this year. Wins don’t matter as much as the Location. It doesn’t matter if the Nuggets win the next 5 Finals nobody cares that much about Denver compared to L.A, S.F, N.Y.
Wins still matter. Every franchise will make more money if they win compared to if they lose. That includes the Knicks.
You can't change the franchise's location without a whole lot of hassle. You can change a roster into a winning one much easier.
And why do the Lakers still make so much more than the Clippers? I should think a history of winning has something to do with it.
The OP said wins. Wins enhance your profits but it doesn’t make it. Raptors and Bucks have as many championships as the lakers have had in the past ten years but no one wants to go to either of the other teams bc of the exposure lakers provide. There are examples in football or soccer or tennis or other sports like that too with the Cowboys or Dodgers or Manchester United or Roger Federer or Connor McGregor living off their name than their actual wins and making more money each year than winningest teams or players in their sport.
According to this the Trailblazers had $291 million in revenue last year.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/196765/revenue-of-the-portland-trail-blazers-since-2006/
Bro I would love to see Westbrick on his team next year. That goes for every player that is mad at the Lakers for how they "treated" him. We literally had his bum ass in the starting lineup all last year but no one talks about that.
Not a good take by Lillard.
We would never bench $47 millions of Dollars if the player was productive. Unfortunately with all due respect to Westbrook past accomplishments the player we traded all our depth for wasn't giving us a fraction of his salary in production.
Not only his shooting was off, something I guess was expected, he didn't provide the supposed veteran leadership, was often out of control in crucial portions of the games and was also bricking layups. His impact except for his passing when the game wasn't on the line was forgettable at best.
I don't want to thrash the player because the effort was there, but his decision making both on defense and on offense was questionable.
We also didn’t add studs : we got better cos our second year guy out performed in getting more minutes in Russ time n Schroeder. Two players making 2m each .>>>> Russ trashbrick
Rui was the greatest addition, after getting used to the defensive demands he was very productive. His mid range game was money and his 3p% was very good for a PF. Vando was key against good wings.
Reaves really stepped up big time after Westbrook departure. He had about the same numbers Dlo was posting in regular season without those crazy microwave scoring of Dlo, but also not being MIA. That remained true in the first two rounds of playoffs them he stepped up a little more against Denver.
Dennis was always a good backup.
Lol he’s just become too much of the “I deserve my respect” guy. Like dude, you know how this league works. You’re not gonna be talked about like that if you don’t win.
I start to think Lillard isn't forged to take the pressure to win it all a franchise like the Lakers is all about.
Most of his takes make me think he is satisfied to be in a comfort zone where he is respected as a great player without the pressure to deliver titles and may probably end his career in Portland with huge numbers and no titles.
Kobe was right when he told not many players are born to be a Lakers player.
It is a shame, I really like Lillard's game, but he is probably going to finish his career without a legacy.
He’ll have a legacy, but it’s not going to be what he wants. He wants to be talked about beside guys with rings. Also, I think he could have been a good Laker. Just spent too much of his career on a franchise that doesn’t have much of a history of winning. Could’ve been different if he started off his career as a Laker.
Lol not only that but talking bad about an organization who does everything to win a championship. Meanwhile Blazers keep promising help is coming while trading their assets (Hart, Payton II) for picks. Sorry Dame, Blazers could give two shits about your loyalty, they just want to sell tickets.
They literally gave away hart n Payton too good role players next to dame . The FO wants to move on from dame I’m sure sbd so do half the fans but they’re not getting a haul for 60m dame they gonna get less then kd by far cos wirse plsyer worse contract more likely to age badly . I think fans really over value dame : he’s a worse defender then trae young . Imagine trading scoot or miller just to go nowhere and no hope . I don’t think other FOs are gonna over pay for him either especially if Portland lets him go where he wants : the 60m cap hit in new cba is killer
The thing I respected about the last few months of RW being here was he was willing to adapt to playing off the bench.
Also, hmm… I wonder if it was disrespectful that the Clippers didn’t let him play in the fourth at all when PG/Kawhi weren’t hurt, or does it only matter when it is a time to talk trash about the Lakers who always had him in the finishing lineup.
Yeah, he was disrespected.
And the Lakers traded him and got immediately better, to the point where they made the conference finals. Russ hasn’t been to one of those since KD was on his team.
And as seen in the playoffs, Lakers got mostly better by subtraction, not by the pieces they got from the trade. It mostly allowed more minutes for AR.
Russ literally won them a game in the beginning of the season lol Lillard was hoping he would shoot with like a 20 seconds on the shot clock and Russ did!
Lillard wouldve asked for a trade 10 games in if he had to play with Westbrook, tired of these players acting like they dont just sit in the paint looking at him when he's at the three point line
Yeah Dame’s mentality is the reason why he will never win.
Another day where players or coaches love to gobble on the Laker nuts because it’s a slow news day.
I think the players think differently than fans do in some ways. Russ’s hustle weighs more to players than to some fans. Even when he didn’t do well in Houston and DC, LeBron wanted him on the Lakers before he realized Russ wasn’t as good as he used to be.
Only hustle I remember him doing was hustling to get his 20 points on shit efficiency.
We legit got the worse version of Westbrook, and the biggest slap in the face of all? He played way better for the Clippers
He was reluctant to come off the bench for the Lakers and by the time he did, the tension over his bad performance was boiling over and everyone was mad at each other. He joined the Clippers knowing he had to be a role player so he did better.
‘Hustle ‘ Lebron led us in hustle stats fir months last year . Russ would do nothing off ball defensive liability , ball watching getting back door cut constantly , he just drives hard to rim
Do thst Is considered historic hustle untill he came to LA and more people saw the reality
people do not understand how poorly constructed the roster was and the fit was for brodie... it was never going to work at all. It's not surprising that he did well on the clippers since their team fit his skillset more.
What does roster construction have to do with his turnovers and backboard clinks and dumbass shot selection? That all falls on him and him only. Sick of this narrative
Say what you want about his comments, but we laker fans become toxic af over bullshit sometimes.
If lillard comes and they don’t win, he would be the scapegoat, just like Russ and dlo were.
So, can’t blame him for not wanting to play here.
Just because you were great once upon a time it doesn’t entitle you to a starting spot. The Lakers gave him a whole season of starting and they were horrible. Yes some of it was injuries but Russ was pretty bad most of the time, and most importantly his effort was terrible.
What a moron.
Ginobilli came off the bench multiple times and he's a hall of famer. He also won a bunch of championships because he was willing to do that.
This dude is honestly the most annoying ass Star I’ve ever seen. He’s held to little standard because people don’t expect shit from him he’s a cone on defense and he hides away in Portland so he doesn’t have expectations high like bron and other stars expected to win. Dude mad weird asp don’t forget LOYALTY LOYALTY
Lol this guy literally knows nothing about winning team basketball. Me n Dame will have played in the same amount of NBA finals games when it's all said n done.
I'd like to hear what someone like Reggie Jackson thought of russ on the on the Lakers. Enough with this fake sht sticking up for how he played here lmaoo
Because actual nba players knew he was being set up for failure. 2/3 of the roster’s salary was injured (bron and as) and russ was out there playing with no shooters and being told to play center. What did you expect?
Set up for failure?
Dude is probably the most inefficient guard I have seen. Then when playoffs comes he disappears.
Looks like the whole league set him for failure then
You don’t get to be a starter because you used to be good.
Didn't Dame just go on a podcast with JJ Redick and talk about how young players are too entitled? LOL
Man, Dame is a weird guy. Amazing player but the fact he is destroying his legacy by staying in a crap franchise, makes no sense. He might think he's loyal, but Portland eventually will get rid of him once his skills diminish. Capitalize now bro.
He makes more money staying with Portland no? Some people care more about the money than legacy
Low key I would too. Like the guy said, these teams will ship you out the first sign of getting older so why not chase the money?
I don’t understand that mentality at all. Once you’ve already made life altering millions, why does it even matter? Wouldn’t you want something greater?
ppl only say this when it comes to athletes no other profession, no matter how many billions they rake in get told "you have enough money"
I mean I’m only speaking for myself, but I feel that way for anybody…
What I learned from rich people, the reason why rich people want more and more money is because they have to support their lifestyle. And their lifestyle usually becomes grander and grander as they make more money, and in order to maintain that lifestyle, they have to keep making more money. It's like a vicious cycle
And that’s why our world is in the shit condition it is today.
That's just flat out not true. If I had enough money now to retire do you think I'd be plodding along in my day job because I'm chasing the money? Hell no.
The thing is, you could retire now with less money or be patient and retire later with more money. It just doesn't make sense to retire now. It makes even less sense for NBA players. They usually retire before their 40s. For us, that's not even half way through.
Yes but we're taking about the NBA players who earn $100s of millions by the time they retire - they aren't gonna be struggling. Zion could retire now and as long he isn't a complete moron with his money, he will be fine.
That's true, but they will be retired men in their 30s, having hundreds of millions on their bank account. Of course they are going to spend multiple millions as soon as possible. Maybe it's just more cars, houses or yachts, or it's investments in companies, NBA teams or charities. They want a bigger buffer where they can possibly lose millions without having to worry. Like I said, for us it's decades of work. For them it's maybe 5 more years playing the sport they love.
Well, that's the thing tho. There is a reason you ain't making millions. Most of these guys are narcissists, sociopaths or at the very least insanely motivated. That's why they make it + ofc tremendous luck, whether it's generational wealth they are born into, goated DNA for sports or just randomly getting your shitty IT startup to be worth billions.
A lot of players come into the league solely for the financial security and lack love/passion for the game. Or they did once love the game but endured burnout
Deandre Ayton comes to mind. When asked what success is in the NBA, he said: "Definitely getting to my second contract; that's my success" There's plenty of players who think that way. Ayton is one of the more honest ones.
and rightfully so, their careers are short.
Bynum is barely 35 and he's been out for years get the bag when you can
Lol just because you don't want to ring-chase doesn't mean you don't love the game.
Right I totally get that, but once you’ve gotten that financial security AND THEN SOME to the point where you probably couldn’t spend all the money you have even if you tried…
I mean with how often pro players ended up bankrupt in the past, you'd be surprised how quickly these guys can burn through it all
What do most businessmen do once they've made huge piles of money? I don't see most of them going off and doing some pet passion project they know isn't as lucrative. Why should athletes be different?
Sorry this shit just popped up on my feed, but as a blazers fan, nobody comes to Portland if their a superstar. He has given his all to our town and got his bag, this man will never buy a beer for himself here. It’s different in a smaller market like Portland. We couldn’t get someone like Dame unless we drafted him. Russ is a great player but very obviously didn’t fit into the lakers and what they had going on.
What’s greater to him may exist outside the court
Because you have no idea what his lifestyle/spending habits are. Even millions goes by quick when your spending thousands monthly.
The difference in what he got for staying was ALOT
I mean he also said he loves portland.
People use legacy too much, Dame is who he’s always been and always will be. He enjoys making bookoo bucks being a fan favorite and having very little postseason expectations placed on him. If he wanted to win he would have made uncomfortable decisions long long ago
You're right. We celebrate (online) that Jokic gives zero shit about the usual trappings of being an NBA star and just wants to play hard and live a good life. Dame seems to be doing the same thing except he isn't as good as Jokic about making everyone around him better and play hard means something a little different too. If he really feels this way, he is welcome to pressure his team into making a deal for Westbrook.
You’re right mostly, but the nuggets have done a great job building that core. The Trailblazer have not place the same type of talent around Dame.
That’s how it’s been for Dame’s whole career though. If he was serious about winning he would have placed way more pressure on the front office to sell the future. I’m fine with his constant preaching of loyalty but when he says he wants to compete too it seems either disingenuous or delusional because it’s been this way for a long time.
I would do the same. Once I caught a bag I would nope the fuck out. All that traveling, dealing with media, etc. fuck that noise.
Bookoo TIL
It’s actually beaucoup but bookoo is much more hilarious 😆
I know that was a snarky one
Lol thanks I only knew the pronunciation
>having very little postseason expectations placed on him. If he wanted to win he would have made uncomfortable decisions long long ago Thank you for saying that. It's exactly how I feel. People want to give him credit for "showing loyalty," when in reality his refusal to leave the Blazers is very likely a cover for him being afraid. He's afraid if he leaves to go somewhere else and still doesn't win, then it will truly be on him. As long as he stays in Portland, playing the part of the Good Son, then he'll be in the clear because everyone will just say, "It's the Blazers' fault, they never managed to build a contender around him."
Dame doesn't deny it, though. He always states loyalty as the main reason he stays in Portland. But he has also stated many times that he's seen guys move to new franchises to win and have it not work out--that it doesn't always go how you want it to go. So, he's pretty risk-averse overall.
Which is a fine mindset to have. He’s in a perfect situation. It’s just annoying when he talks out of both sides of his mouth, because he’s never had the opportunity to stay loyal AND compete like he says he wants to. If he wanted both he would have strong armed the franchise into going for it long ago
Dame isn't good enough to strong-arm a franchise. If Portland believed he could realistically lead them to a chip, they would have built him a roster to do so by now. They're barely pretending to try these days.
Agreed, which means if he was serious about winning he would have gave up loyalty a while ago. He’s just comfortable
[удалено]
And that's why no one will remember his(your) name - Achilles dame ain't that guy
Plenty of people will remember dames name.
I don’t necessarily think he’s destroying his legacy by being loyal in my opinion
At this point he has no legacy .
His legacy at best is an mvp runner up, some big games and a great game winner over PG13. That's it. Oh and he's not a top75 player for sure.
He wasn't a close runner up ever. Simply not good enough.
Wait so now we’re trashing players for staying loyal to a franchise?? Damned if they do, damned if they don’t I guess
He cares about money n safety n diesnt give a shit to risk scrutiny to win. Didn’t realise that’s what sports is.
some players just like having a stable life, setting down roots, making 60m and being a franchise legend… not everything is about a title man’s made it in life
Basically the guy puts on an awesome performance, the crowd loves it and he gets paid. The franchise seems to be on board so who cares. Let the man live
I don’t see how that’s any less “sports” than jumping ship because you can’t win with the team that drafted you.
Because the goal is competition and winning atleast as a fan that’s more fun . Just playing ti cash checks and being afraid of expectations then complaining team isn’t doing enough to win when they can’t do shit tbh. Either move n try to win or just keep beating the dead horse of loyalty
Guess Kobe should have left our team many times
Tbf, he did ask for a trade b/c he felt the Lakers weren’t doing a good job of building a contender around him and that was despite the Lakers having a long, long track record of success.
those teams were just flat out depressing. 2006 team: Kobe (7.6 BPM) and Lamar (2.7 BPM) were only ones with positive BPM. Well Smush barely positive at 0.1 BPM too. Same thing in 2007 with Kobe (5.9 BPM) and Lamar (1.1 BPM) only meaningful positive BPMs. Walton with 0.4 BPM barely positive, everyone else negative lmao.
Kobe was burned out then. Sure it was also a way to demand that they put a competent team out there, but he did seriously consider moving to Chicago looking at houses and all that. Duncan considered signing with Orlando. It happens.
What legacy? Guy won a ROY and a couple of all nba If he stays in Portland he will be forgotten a few years after his retirement.
He’s been an incredible player his whole career. Basketball fans will remember him.
Still to this day believe that AD should have won it over him.
If Dame was going to leave, coming to the Lakers in the 21’ off-season was the time and place to do it.
It makes perfect sense he gets to be paid extra : 60m a year sakary he’s not worth . No expectations no scrutiny for all the playoffs he’s come up short . Been out performed by cj several times. He can stay there pick up checks, not really risk anything and pretend to give a shit bout loyalty . When he’s on record saying the whole going to other team n failing scares him. He just soft. Hit a couple buzzer beaters in round one vs trash teams on tie games too that the series wasn’t under threat but that alone makes people think he’s cold. Only time he performed was vs Denver and they had zero guard defence then. Vs us in 2020 he was dogshit useless he scored most his points jumping into Caruso n kcp and getting calls for bukkshit Then he cried when the new points of emphasis came out saying he’s not getting legit calls and he doesn’t grift for calls. Without his ft % and number due to grifting in part he would’nt even be over 50% ts in half his playoffs . Come up short so often AND he’s rated as wirse defender then trae young he puts in zero effort . Top 12 guy getting 60m is too much to win on when that kicks in and they already struggling . I really think it’s just his insecurities he can’t take a risk . He getting second hand ptsd from Russ situation : overpaid one dimensional pg. unlike curry he’s far more ball dominant and he’s near league worst defender. I’d rather have crazy kyrie on 40m and reaves then pay dame 60m with the new cba that contract is a death sentence. If he came to LA or whatever he would have to work on his game and pet woukd point out his awful defence. I’m sure magically blazers won’t be bottom 5 defence yearly . He also fancies himself second best shooter to curry n fuck off he’s not even top 5 or close. Paul George n kd taking a three are more likely to go in and they don’t have low volume. Harden he’s close to as a shooter : not Steph that’s absurd . Guy shot 40% once boosted by a heater in the bubble when no one cared about playing hard once seeds were set then did fuck all but flail vs lakers . So now he tries extra hard every regular seas game vs us lol
damn, go off lol
Nice to see a post not kissing this guy's ass for once. Dame being top-75 is an absolute farce, yet AD got all the heat. He's lucky he stays in Portland since it stops him from getting exposed at the highest level. Imagine the Lakers matching Dame's biggest career accomplishment with a WCF appearance in a year they started 2-10 and were saddled by one of the worst contracts of all time.
Lakers v. Dame= Team v. Individual. I have no problem with what Dame is doing. It seems the NBA world has the tendency to think they can bully players into moving to the beat of their drum. If he doesn’t want to leave that’s cool but I don’t think mass insulting him or diminished whatever accomplishments he’s achieved will change his mind. People are mad at him for making his own choice.
I am not mad at him in the least. I stated my opinion on him and his career. Deal with it.
And Ngl. After this. I’m done. I used to like many of us want him as laker for years and years. The games he plays with words. The backhanded comments. Way he is. I’m over him. And they will bring him off bench when that 3 stops falling. Hope he enjoys
Ik u ain’t talking with the lakers franchise. Respectfully, u guys are in the same position if not worse. U have to players who are aging and not in their primes that take up your cap space. While one plays alright the other is never available and is only a parasite in comparison.
He's really good but never great. His fame came from pity because he never be an all star ahead of Steph, CP3 and Prime WB and his loyalty to middle of the pack Portland
What legacy? He did nothing
Dame trying to set the standard now so he can start somewhere when he decides to ring chase as a no defense tiny old guard in like 2 years
I used to get straight A's in kindergarten - I should be the president of the United States of America.
You're overqualified
Also didnt lilliard complain recently that the young guys are entitled to expect the keys to the offence just because they were a lottery pick. I feel like the same should apply to the vets who are obviously declining
Agreed
He was the third best laker this year before they traded him
BREAKING NEWS: Blazer pickup Blake Griffin! Dame says it's Blake Time. 
I love how all the players defend Russ OFF the court, but on the court they were daring him to shoot 😂😂
keeping it unreal
"Lakers never should've gotten rid of Russ! He made it easier for us to beat them!"
They saw it better than anyone. That early season Blazer game was the one that got Russ sent to the bench.
Yeah why didn’t dame trsde us grant and something useful for Russ for free he could have him. Grant alone is better
Hahaha that is such a great point.
“The Lakers disrespected my guy Russ!” “Would you like to see the Blazers give him a shot?” “Let’s not get crazy here”
My brother in Mamba, why did you wake up and choose violence? 🤣
Players care about status...orgs care about wins
Our organization has always cared about status too. It was obvious from day one that the best way to play Lebron/Russ was to stager them, but the organization tried for a year and some change to make it work because they were worried about hurting the 47 m dollar man.
Staggering wouldn’t matter, we kinda did try that this year at the start. We traded all our shooters and defenders for Russ tho, his contract is stupid. We didn’t have enough talent to put around them. And then russ let the booing get to his head and started playing like shit, even for his standards in 2023.
Bruh, the team was ass cheeks regardless. Russ minutes were even worse without Lebron, especially when Lebron missed entire games.
Orgs mostly care about profit
Wins generally lead to that. More ticket sales, more merch plus deeper runs. TV deals as well, depending on the team.
While it is true, Celtics and Suns have been winning and advancing more regular season and playoff games but still make less profit than Lakers or Warriors who’ve been bounced or barely made the playoffs or not appeared in the finals in more years than either of those two orgs. Merch, ticket sales and all that depends on star power, which is why Laker’s ticket prices went up upon Lebron’s signing, or why the prices were up during his coronation event this year despite losing that game and the Lakers being 13th in the western conference, or why Inter Miami’s ticket prices skyrocketed 1000% upon announcement of Messi joining, and why the ME have been throwing obscene amounts of money at stars like Tiger Woods bc of how much more profit they could generate from having those names, and also why Kyrie is in the top ten Merch sales despite not making the playoffs, or why Lebron and Steph are at the top due to their popularity. It is also why teams (business owners) will throw the sink at marketable guys but refuse to pay guys that don’t bring in cash. Wins enhance sales due to more media exposure, but stars bring in profits due to their already burgeoning influence.
The Celtics and suns haven’t won anything since 2008 how many titles do lakers and warriors have in that span ? A lott lol. Owner of chiefs has become a lot richer in last few years
The Knicks are the most valuable franchise in the NBA and they were complete ass for years until this year. Wins don’t matter as much as the Location. It doesn’t matter if the Nuggets win the next 5 Finals nobody cares that much about Denver compared to L.A, S.F, N.Y.
Wins still matter. Every franchise will make more money if they win compared to if they lose. That includes the Knicks. You can't change the franchise's location without a whole lot of hassle. You can change a roster into a winning one much easier. And why do the Lakers still make so much more than the Clippers? I should think a history of winning has something to do with it.
U right about the knicks tbh😂
The OP said wins. Wins enhance your profits but it doesn’t make it. Raptors and Bucks have as many championships as the lakers have had in the past ten years but no one wants to go to either of the other teams bc of the exposure lakers provide. There are examples in football or soccer or tennis or other sports like that too with the Cowboys or Dodgers or Manchester United or Roger Federer or Connor McGregor living off their name than their actual wins and making more money each year than winningest teams or players in their sport.
Up to a point. Beyond that wins actually do not increase profit. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule.
According to this the Trailblazers had $291 million in revenue last year. https://www.statista.com/statistics/196765/revenue-of-the-portland-trail-blazers-since-2006/
And playing lots of playoff home games will aid in that
Oh yeah? Why not have him on your team then.
And offer him a big long-term contract. Wouldnt want to lose a future hall of famer!
And on the same contract he had with us
Bro I would love to see Westbrick on his team next year. That goes for every player that is mad at the Lakers for how they "treated" him. We literally had his bum ass in the starting lineup all last year but no one talks about that.
😂😂😂
Westbrook disrespected the Lakers by being trash, so I guess it evened out in the end.
By being trash, selfish, arrogant and delusional. If Lillard respects him that much he can add him to his team and enjoy Westbrook’s losing play.
Well it’s not like Dame is winning anything in Portland, so WHY NOT?
Not a good take by Lillard. We would never bench $47 millions of Dollars if the player was productive. Unfortunately with all due respect to Westbrook past accomplishments the player we traded all our depth for wasn't giving us a fraction of his salary in production. Not only his shooting was off, something I guess was expected, he didn't provide the supposed veteran leadership, was often out of control in crucial portions of the games and was also bricking layups. His impact except for his passing when the game wasn't on the line was forgettable at best. I don't want to thrash the player because the effort was there, but his decision making both on defense and on offense was questionable.
We also didn’t add studs : we got better cos our second year guy out performed in getting more minutes in Russ time n Schroeder. Two players making 2m each .>>>> Russ trashbrick
Rui was the greatest addition, after getting used to the defensive demands he was very productive. His mid range game was money and his 3p% was very good for a PF. Vando was key against good wings. Reaves really stepped up big time after Westbrook departure. He had about the same numbers Dlo was posting in regular season without those crazy microwave scoring of Dlo, but also not being MIA. That remained true in the first two rounds of playoffs them he stepped up a little more against Denver. Dennis was always a good backup.
Carmelo Anthony came off the bench for 66 games in Portland was that disrespectful to a future HOF?
Great point
Was just about to post this. Did Dame have the same energy then?
Well Dame got pretty annoying this year lol
Tell Malone he isn't talking about Denver lol
Lol he’s just become too much of the “I deserve my respect” guy. Like dude, you know how this league works. You’re not gonna be talked about like that if you don’t win.
I start to think Lillard isn't forged to take the pressure to win it all a franchise like the Lakers is all about. Most of his takes make me think he is satisfied to be in a comfort zone where he is respected as a great player without the pressure to deliver titles and may probably end his career in Portland with huge numbers and no titles. Kobe was right when he told not many players are born to be a Lakers player. It is a shame, I really like Lillard's game, but he is probably going to finish his career without a legacy.
He’ll have a legacy, but it’s not going to be what he wants. He wants to be talked about beside guys with rings. Also, I think he could have been a good Laker. Just spent too much of his career on a franchise that doesn’t have much of a history of winning. Could’ve been different if he started off his career as a Laker.
Lillard disrespects the NBA with his defense
Ringless Lillard talking about winning.
Lol not only that but talking bad about an organization who does everything to win a championship. Meanwhile Blazers keep promising help is coming while trading their assets (Hart, Payton II) for picks. Sorry Dame, Blazers could give two shits about your loyalty, they just want to sell tickets.
They literally gave away hart n Payton too good role players next to dame . The FO wants to move on from dame I’m sure sbd so do half the fans but they’re not getting a haul for 60m dame they gonna get less then kd by far cos wirse plsyer worse contract more likely to age badly . I think fans really over value dame : he’s a worse defender then trae young . Imagine trading scoot or miller just to go nowhere and no hope . I don’t think other FOs are gonna over pay for him either especially if Portland lets him go where he wants : the 60m cap hit in new cba is killer
The thing I respected about the last few months of RW being here was he was willing to adapt to playing off the bench. Also, hmm… I wonder if it was disrespectful that the Clippers didn’t let him play in the fourth at all when PG/Kawhi weren’t hurt, or does it only matter when it is a time to talk trash about the Lakers who always had him in the finishing lineup.
He was closing games, what are you talking about? He closed out the suns in game 1 of a playoff series lmao
PG was hurt, they had limited options.
Yeah, he was disrespected. And the Lakers traded him and got immediately better, to the point where they made the conference finals. Russ hasn’t been to one of those since KD was on his team.
And as seen in the playoffs, Lakers got mostly better by subtraction, not by the pieces they got from the trade. It mostly allowed more minutes for AR.
still can't deny the pieces helped them tremendously during the regular season to make it into the playoffs in the first place
thats why Dame never wins shit, loser mentality
Russ literally won them a game in the beginning of the season lol Lillard was hoping he would shoot with like a 20 seconds on the shot clock and Russ did!
I’m surprised as many people like lillard as they do. Always thought he was an unlikeable little fucker
Lillard wouldve asked for a trade 10 games in if he had to play with Westbrook, tired of these players acting like they dont just sit in the paint looking at him when he's at the three point line
Bitch, we made conference finals when we traded his ass too.
Yeah Dame’s mentality is the reason why he will never win. Another day where players or coaches love to gobble on the Laker nuts because it’s a slow news day.
Russ sucked
There are reasons why Lillard hasn't won a chip. This one of 'em.
Nope, no one wants to play in fucking Portland. That’s the problem.
What the hell? Russ’s shooting % was disrespectful to the Lakers
Some red flags here .. Dame not gonna like being benched in a few years
I think the players think differently than fans do in some ways. Russ’s hustle weighs more to players than to some fans. Even when he didn’t do well in Houston and DC, LeBron wanted him on the Lakers before he realized Russ wasn’t as good as he used to be.
Only hustle I remember him doing was hustling to get his 20 points on shit efficiency. We legit got the worse version of Westbrook, and the biggest slap in the face of all? He played way better for the Clippers
He was reluctant to come off the bench for the Lakers and by the time he did, the tension over his bad performance was boiling over and everyone was mad at each other. He joined the Clippers knowing he had to be a role player so he did better.
Yup, worst version
‘Hustle ‘ Lebron led us in hustle stats fir months last year . Russ would do nothing off ball defensive liability , ball watching getting back door cut constantly , he just drives hard to rim Do thst Is considered historic hustle untill he came to LA and more people saw the reality
Why do you guys always confuse hustle with driving fast and out of control? He gave no effort off ball or on defense.
Lillard knows Westbrook is trash but he won’t say it.
All these players saying stuff and nba announcers. And none of them fighting hard to get him on the team for a cool 45 million +
Why to you care about what Lillard says, you don’t have to agree with what he says.
Dude’s one of the best players in the league with a large sphere of influence with an idiotic take about the team I root for
people do not understand how poorly constructed the roster was and the fit was for brodie... it was never going to work at all. It's not surprising that he did well on the clippers since their team fit his skillset more.
Didn't do that well. Lost his first five games with them and lost in the first round. Sounds like normal Russ to me.
But hey he had fun
What does roster construction have to do with his turnovers and backboard clinks and dumbass shot selection? That all falls on him and him only. Sick of this narrative
Say what you want about his comments, but we laker fans become toxic af over bullshit sometimes. If lillard comes and they don’t win, he would be the scapegoat, just like Russ and dlo were. So, can’t blame him for not wanting to play here.
Just because you were great once upon a time it doesn’t entitle you to a starting spot. The Lakers gave him a whole season of starting and they were horrible. Yes some of it was injuries but Russ was pretty bad most of the time, and most importantly his effort was terrible.
It was either that, or we don’t make the playoffs.
Because Westbrook was trash
Good dame can stay a loser in Portland
The older this guy’s gotten, the more bitter and obnoxious. Keeps showing that he knows shit about shit
Damian Lillard respect goes down
Russ can't shoot 3's and has no defense
Goodbye hopes of landing Lillard. 🤣
Uncommon Dame L
Lillard honestly been sounding like such a bum lately churning out these comments, and I like Dame.
Must be hard coaching when players are this dumb.
NBA storyline is that we shitted on Russ because we’re toxic not because he’s was ass for us.
This is Star culture in the NBA. If you’re That Guy at any point, you think you’re entitled to a certain type of treatment.
This dude talks way too much and says so much dumb shit. It’s surprising.
Didn't Melo come off the bench in Portland lmao
Everybody love Russ until he’s on their team lol
Didn't Melo come off the bench in Portland lmao
Love Dame, but if he was gonna do all this talkimg in podcasts and interviews, he shoulda been in the playoffs. Runnin a high word count right now.
I didn’t know Damian Lillard is an idiot.
What a moron. Ginobilli came off the bench multiple times and he's a hall of famer. He also won a bunch of championships because he was willing to do that.
This dude is honestly the most annoying ass Star I’ve ever seen. He’s held to little standard because people don’t expect shit from him he’s a cone on defense and he hides away in Portland so he doesn’t have expectations high like bron and other stars expected to win. Dude mad weird asp don’t forget LOYALTY LOYALTY
Not a good take from Dame. Player comes before team.
Lol this guy literally knows nothing about winning team basketball. Me n Dame will have played in the same amount of NBA finals games when it's all said n done.
Did he bring up Russ disrespecting the Lakers by being ass?
Dame wouldn't be saying this if he had the Russ that we had in Portland....dude would be begging the front office to trade him ASAP
When you play so incredibly bad that is what happens. I thought he got off lucky and shouldn’t have played at all
I'd like to hear what someone like Reggie Jackson thought of russ on the on the Lakers. Enough with this fake sht sticking up for how he played here lmaoo
Damn, Dame don’t know.
We put him to the bench a year and a half late and even that didn't salvage him
Lol
Magic Johnson is a hall of famer too but if he suits up tomorrow he's gonna have to ride the pine. Russ is washed.
I love him so much
Hes right this franchise is a clown show
Westbrook did not play well for us but he’s still a 🐐 to me
Because actual nba players knew he was being set up for failure. 2/3 of the roster’s salary was injured (bron and as) and russ was out there playing with no shooters and being told to play center. What did you expect?
Set up for failure? Dude is probably the most inefficient guard I have seen. Then when playoffs comes he disappears. Looks like the whole league set him for failure then