No matter what Damian Lillard says or does, there is going to be lingering chatter about him possibly wanting out of Portland. He definitely intends to keep trying to dispel that notion, however.
Lillard appeared on ESPN’s “NBA Today” and was asked by host Malika Andrews about the reasons behind him being clear about his future with the Blazers. Lillard issued a fairly firm commitment to Portland and said he does not want the perception to be that he will walk the second things get difficult.
“I just wanted it to be clear. It’s not one of those situations where I’m waiting for some adversity to hit or I’m waiting for us to struggle and I’m just going to be like ‘all right, that’s it, I’m leaving,'” Lillard said. “I’ve also developed a really good relationship with Chauncey (Billups), building on the relationship we had before he became my coach.
“It’s not like I’ve all of a sudden come to this point where I’m set because we made some changes. I’ve always been that way. Coming behind our performance in the playoffs, it was just important to me that our steps are truly towards becoming a championship team. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away. That doesn’t mean everything is going to go perfect.”
Lillard added that he also wants to make sure Billups is successful as a head coach.
“The last thing I’m thinking about is waiting for it to get tough and bailing out on him when it’s part of who I am to see it through that he has some success as a head coach and be a part of that success,” Lillard said.
Speculation about Lillard being unhappy in Portland is going to continue. Even within the last month, there have been rumors that Lillard would be open to moving on but is reluctant to go back on his past comments. True or not, he’s certainly doubling down on the sentiment that for now, he’s good where he is.
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