Don’t blame Dame for finally asking out of Portland

After 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and years of talk of staying loyal to the franchise that drafted him, Damian Lillard has officially put in a trade request to the team. This has triggered the fickleness of some fans who have been all about Dame Dolla since 2012 and forced them to already turn their backs on the future Hall of Famer.

“It’s in my blood to take the high road. I’d love to hear what fans are turning on… have I misled them? Or anyone ? Fill me in.”

Lillard isn’t going out without a fight and defending his honor, as seen in the above-quoted tweet where he answered back against the notion that fans in Rip City are turning against him following the trade request. A host from Rip City radio in Portland posted the tweet Dame responded to, coming to the defense of Lillard, and wondering, like most outside the city, why they are turning against the seven-time All-NBA star.

The answer to that is really simple. Those turning against Dame are doing what fans do when presented with a scenario that doesn’t benefit them. Fans are fickle by nature, so it doesn’t matter what you’ve done and for however long. Even in the worst situation, they know it is bad for all involved; they’ll still expect you to sit back and accept less than mediocrity from the franchise. Not all the fans, but enough are showing little to no regard for how Lillard has carried this organization since LaMarcus Aldridge left in 2015.

Some will say it’s a small percentage of the fan base who’s actually gone against Lillard, but that will remain up for debate. Those who do turn heel on Dame will lean on what he’s said for so many years about “ring culture” and not wanting to do that by joining a super team. Then you wake up one morning, and suddenly, he’s changed his tune. So, folks are frustrated, and understandably so, but people act like they’ve never changed their minds on a stance they’ve had in the past. It’s called life and evolution. Naming one destination (Miami), he’d prefer a trade to isn’t necessarily a demand. It’s a preference, and since he doesn’t have a no-trade clause, the Blazers have the final say, although they’ll probably attempt to place him in a better situation. So, that should be the least of anyone’s worries.

Portland has tried over the years, and it hasn’t worked. They finally had to come to grips with Lillard and C.J. McCollum not being a championship duo. Lillard was still all in until recently, and everyone should’ve seen this coming. He’ll be 33 later this month, and while still in his prime, that clock is ticking. Injuries have begun to creep up, causing him to miss more time than usual.

Toward the end of the season, the Blazers decided to shut Lillard down, allegedly in hopes of positioning themselves better in the draft lottery. It worked, and they got the No. 3 overall pick, then selected Scoot Henderson. The fact that they sat Dame in order to “tank” in some people’s eyes should have been another indication of what was coming.

Sure, Lillard said he wanted to win in Portland for years, but at this point, he’s seen the writing on the wall, and it’s time to move on. Most of us have been in the same situation in our respective professions, no matter how much we loved a particular place of employment.

Eventually, it’s time to move on, and Dame has finally admitted to himself that he will never win the big one in the Pacific Northwest. As someone who once lived in Portland and still has ties to the area, it sucks, but it’s the reality of the situation. All good things come to an end. Portland, don’t take it so hard; you’ve got your next star in the fold already.