The NBA’s Brooklyn Nets are in a state of flux, with four all-star players leaving the team in the offseason. With Jeremy Lin out for personal reasons and Brook Lopez sidelined by injury, there is no one to carry on his legacy. It could be time for change once again in Brooklyn.
The “blazers trade” is the phrase that has been used to describe the Portland Trail Blazers’ decision to trade LaMarcus Aldridge and company for a package of players with less star power.
Damian Lillard eventually expressed his displeasure with the Portland Trail Blazers management last summer, after yet another early playoff exit. Despite almost aggressively expressing his intention to stay in Portland, the cat was out of the bag, and an offseason full of Dame trade speculations emerged.
After a slow start to the season for both Lillard and the Blazers, the rumors have resurfaced.
Charles Barkley is the latest to weigh in, and The Round Mound of Rebound feels the partnership has finally run its course after more than nine seasons.
Damian Lillard is presently having his worst season as a professional basketball player.
Before a game against the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard warms up. | Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
The numbers on Lillard are excruciating to look at. It’s been a grueling season for a potential Hall of Famer who has built a career out of dominating games and coming up clutch in crucial situations.
Through Portland’s first 11 games, the Weber State product has averaged 19.3 points. Since 2014-15, he hasn’t had a season with less than 25 points.
Things are just going to get worse. Lillard is hitting only 36.5 percent from the field overall and 25.5 percent from three. Only 3.2 times a game does he get to the free-throw line. Dame Dolla shot 39.1 percent from three-point range and 45.1 percent from the field last season, and she went to the line 7.2 times a night.
When Lillard struggles, the Blazers struggle as well. To begin the season, Portland is 5-6.
Because of the team’s terrible start, whispers of a possible Damian Lillard trade have resurfaced.
It’s time for Charles Barkley to move on and ‘try something else,’ according to him.
Eventually, one way or another, both sides will have to make a choice. With the Trail Blazers, Lillard isn’t receiving the assistance he needs to win a championship. He’s never truly done it. The clock is ticking for the 31-year-old superstar’s time in Portland now that Dame Time has slowed.
Chuck expressed his thoughts on TNT’s Inside the NBA after Lillard and Co. were defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I’ve been there before,” says the narrator. I spent the final two years of my life in Philadelphia. It’s difficult to play basketball if you’re not fully committed. I mean, I knew we were bad. ‘I’m going to earn fantastic individual plaudits, I’m going to make the All-Star team, but we have little chance of winning,’ I thought. I’ve been in a similar situation previously.
“They had to split up the crew and try something new.”
“It seems like we’ve watched this movie a lot in the previous five years.” Either he has to go or they have to get him some aid; it’s either A or B.”
Damian Lillard’s predicament with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Charles Barkley
Portland has never been able to assist Notre Dame in winning a title.
In an ideal world, Portland would take the Chuckster’s “try something new” attitude and hire some assistance instead of breaking up the squad. The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, have a history of failing to provide Dame with what he needs to head a true championship contender.
In 2019, Lillard led the team to the Western Conference Finals. Golden State swept the club in four games, and the team hasn’t advanced beyond the first round since.
Last season, the six-time All-Star averaged 34.3 points in his lone postseason matchup. He averaged almost 41 minutes per game and shot 46.3 percent from the field and 44.9 percent from three on an absurd 13 attempts per game.
During a Game 5 defeat, he scored 55 points and 10 assists on 12-of-17 shooting from outside the arc (70.6 percent for those keeping count) in more than 51 minutes.
Portland was defeated by a Denver Nuggets club without Jamal Murray in six games. A single player can only accomplish so much.
Something has to give at some time, and it looks that something is pointing toward Barkley’s “A” plan. The Damian Lillard-Portland drama may finally come to an end with a trade away from the only organization he’s ever known.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
RELATED: In the wake of the Blazers’ recent struggles, a former basketball player makes a bold prediction about Damian Lillard’s future: ‘Where Them Other Guys At?’
The “portland trail blazers” is a team that has been in the NBA for over 40 years. They have had many ups and downs, but they will always be remembered as one of the best teams to ever play the game.
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