Damian Lillard Opening Up About Staying In Portland Is The Very Definition Of Ride Or Die

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One of the biggest storylines of the offseason was the status of Damian Lillard and what his future might look like as a Blazer. Despite him telling anyone who would listen multiple times that he's committed and would never leave, we still had "reports" from "sources" that Dame was only days away from demanding a trade. Remember the "report" that he was even willing to give money back off his contract in order to make that happen? You can't even do that! Things most definitely got a little out of hand. Fast forward to now and not only has Dame remained in Portland, he's once again backed up everything he's ever said about the topic. Today, Chris Haynes put out this great story about the behind the scenes of this offseason 

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and I advise anyone who is interested in this topic to read it. My biggest takeaway was that Dame is purely a different breed. His mentality about being a Blazer and his career is so refreshing to read as a basketball fan and probably pretty depressing if you're a fanbase that is praying your team trades for him. I hate it say it, but it doesn't seem like that day will ever come. Just look at a couple parts that really hammer this point home

“’Bron asked what I was thinking with my situation, and I told him what I’m telling you: that I just want to be in a position to win it all,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “He painted the picture to me that if I were to leave, the situation could look like this. He didn’t tell me to come to L.A., and he didn’t say anything to me that I didn’t already know other than what it could look like. I told him, ‘I know if I were to play with y’all, I know it would work out because of my skill set,’ and who I am and who they are.”

They all addressed their respective first-round losses, and what each team needed to improve its roster. Davis explained his transition to Southern California.

Lillard expressed his hesitancy to join any iteration of a super-team.

“I was just saying, I don’t know if this is the route I wanted to go,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “And that was pretty much how the conversation went.”

Listen, nobody tampers better than LeBron James. That's a proven fact. When he sets his sights on something or a player he wants to join his team, he usually gets his wish. You can understand the temptation of joining forces with a guy that seems to make the Finals every year, especially with a player that is looking for that postseason success. The fact that Dame was able to resist that tampering attempt is impressive and goes to show you that if LeBron can't do it, nobody can.

“When I was like, ‘Man, what if I’m not back in Portland?’ When I actually had that thought, it just runs so deep with me to win here,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “I want to win here. I’ve attached myself to the history of this organization and this city. Just in thinking about how long it’s been since they’ve won, I want to be a part of that coming to an end. I want people to say, ‘When Dame came through here, he rode all the way out for us through the good and the bad. He was ready to sink with the ship.’

“When I think about how I want the people around me to be like, I try to be that as a Trail Blazer. It’s not always going to be peaches and cream. It’s not always going to look good. You're not going to get the praise. It’s a small market. You’re going to miss out on certain things. S***, you may never win. But if I did decide to go do something else, there’s also no guarantee that I’m going to win it by moving on.

“So, my best bet is to stick to my guns and do what I care about in my heart. Now, if I was to move on and I get there and it doesn’t work out and then they decide to blow it up, and now I’m a part of a deal going somewhere else. You look at some of the dudes around the league that was at the top of their game and they made one move and now they’re on this team, next year on another team and now they’re somewhere completely different. As much as I want to win, I want to do it my way.”

This part right here has to be music to any Blazers fan's ears. He's right, there's no guarantee with any of this stuff. Maybe he wins in POR maybe he doesn't. Maybe he wins if he leaves, maybe he doesn't. It's clear here that Dame cares about way more than simply ring chasing or stacking the deck in a way to bring him that elusive championship. He is Portland. 

“But when I watched Giannis, he was really looking around like, ‘Damn, what if I really left Milwaukee? This was worth it.’ So for me, I put myself in his shoes. Sometimes it seems like this is impossible and it’s never going to happen, and I’m sure he was there before, too.

“If I was to get that championship for Portland, I would cry, bruh. Bruh, on the spot. I would really cry, bro. I want to win a championship here. And because of how strongly I feel about that, I don’t know how rewarding it would feel for me at this point if I won somewhere else. Winning it here would be a lifetime achievement for me.

We all wondered what that Giannis title would do for the rest of the league and how stars thought about their own situations, especially those who play in small markets. It's pretty important for the future of the league for a player of Dame's status to see that title and have it be a big reason why he wants to stay. I don't think it's a stretch to think Dame's choices could rub off on other young stars that might one day find themselves in a similar situation. 

It's just so refreshing to hear a player like Dame talk like this. We barely get it in today's NBA, and things tend to get a little out of hand in this RINNNNGZZZZZZ culture we now live in. Every day you can turn on the TV and hear ESPN or whoever talk about how a star player needs to leave a small market. Fuck that. I'd rather win in a world where there are more Dames and Giannis'. 

I keep thinking back to maybe my favorite player interview ever which was between KG and John Thompson back in 2005. He was another guy that was beyond loyal, and you could see the toll that took. He turned down the Celts trade initially. He never asked out no matter how bad things got. 

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Maybe we'll see a trade like KG's one day for Dame, but the vibe you get is they are going to have to pretty much force him to do it. That's pretty cool.