Trail Blazers Rumors: Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, Chauncey Billups, More
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In this week’s episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Fastbreak on FanNation NBA insider and reporter Brett Siegel is joined by OregonLive.com’s Aaron Fentress to discuss all things Portland Trail Blazers, who find themselves fighting for the Western Conference’s best record early on in the year.
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Damian Lillard’s Injury Status [3:50]
Ever since he was drafted 6th overall in 2012, Damian Lillard has been the face of the Portland Trail Blazers. He is one of the best scorers of this generation and it seems like every single season, this team’s chances to be successful depends on Lillard’s availability.
Lillard ended up missing four games at the end of October and into the early portion of November due to a right calf injury and now, the All-Star guard is once again sidelined with a grade one strain to the soleus muscle in the right lower leg.
Recently, the team stated that Damian Lillard would be re-evaluated in one-to-two weeks, but they are going to need him back on the floor if they are to remain a real threat near the top of the Western Conference standings.
Fentress [3:55]: “It is a little concerning because you begin to wonder if Lillard is going to begin having minor injuries here and there because he is 32 now and there are a lot of miles on him and the way he plays. This team is 7-2 when Lillard starts and finishes a game compared to being 0-2 when he does not finish a game. Obviously they are a better team with him in the lineup, so you have to wonder if these back-to-back injuries will wind up costing him more games as the season goes on… This injury should definitely be a reason for concern.”
As far as sustaining success without Lillard, Aaron offered up his thoughts on where this team is at without their leader.
Fentress [5:05]: “I do not think they will beat many great teams without Lillard. I love Anfernee Simons, but Simons without Dame; I don’t see them being able to sustain long runs of winning because you just have to have stars in this league and Damian Lillard is their only legitimate superstar. They do have some rising stars in Anfernee and of course Jerami Grant is having a great season so far, but if Lillard misses a ton of time that will sink this team.”
Gary Payton II Injury Update [7:20]
One of the key offseason additions for the Portland Trail Blazers that has yet to play this season is Gary Payton II, who comes over from the Golden State Warriors. With the Warriors, Payton truly was this team’s “sixth-man” in the sense that he changed the pace of the game, the energy in the game and solidified himself as a key defensive stopper during their championship run.
Improving defensively and getting smarter on that side of the floor was a key point of emphasis for the Trail Blazers in the offseason, which is why they are excited for him to make his debut sooner than later.
Brett and Aaron talked about the impact Payton could bring to this Blazers team and what the timeframe for his return is looking like [7:20].
Siegel: Gary Payton II is one of my favorite players in this league simply because the guy is a dog and he plays hard each and every single possession. He’s a high-energy guy with a great personality and all of his teammates can never say enough good things about him. We saw the kind of impact he can bring to his team when he was with the Warriors a season ago. What’s the latest update you can give us on Payton’s status as he gets ready to return and what kind of an impact do you believe he will have on the Blazers when he’s ready to go?
Fentress: One of the crazy things about this season thus far is that the Blazers’ defense has shown vast improvements without the guy they signed to help fix the defense.
Siegel: Yeah, that’s definitely what everyone expected to happen!
Fentress: Oh yeah, definitely, Who wouldn’t expect a team to be better defensively without one of their best defensive players right? Seriously though, I think Payton’s impact though is going to be just having someone that can play 20-25 minutes a game who is going to give opposing team’s best players the business. He’s such a nuisance for teams to try and deal with and Portland’s backcourt defense with Dame and Anfernee is improved, but they are still pretty much negative defenders. To have someone like Payton come off-the-bench and aid this team defensively in the backcourt will be a luxury for Portland. In terms of him returning, who knows because he was supposed to be ready for the preseason and then he was supposed to be ready for opening week. We are already a month into the season and he’s still not necessarily ready to go. The word is that he is close to returning, but they are waiting for him to get over the hump and be able to do certain things without any soreness whatsoever.
How Jerami Grant Has Positively Changed The Trail Blazers [9:33]
Moving CJ McCollum, Robert Covington and Norman Powell ahead of the trade deadline last season, it seemed like the Portland Trail Blazers were heading towards some kind of rebuild.
This offseason though, newly appointed general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups worked hard to assemble a team they believed could be competitive and not only did they add Gary Payton II, but they added Jerami Grant as well from the Detroit Pistons.
Grant has proven to be an extremely impactful player so far this year on both ends of the floor and without Lillard now, Jerami Grant is proving that he has what it takes to be the top option for the Trail Blazers.
Fentress [10:20]: “One of the things that stands out about Jerami Grant is the different roles he has played. With Detroit, his shooting numbers were down being the primary option with no help around him, but with Oklahoma City and Denver, he thrived as a secondary option around stars like Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Coming to Portland and playing alongside Lillard and Simons, both being point guards who are great facilitators, Jerami Grant’s shooting percentages have skyrocketed. Entering his prime at 28 and having experience being ‘the guy’ in Detroit, he knows how to deal with double-teams and how to create not only for himself, but others as well. I don’t think anyone would say that Grant is a number one option on a playoff contending team, but if he is your third option and you have two guys better than him, now you are looking pretty good… His impact has been immeasurable and Grant is exactly what the Trail Blazers were needing this year.”
Should Chauncey Billups Be In The Coach of the Year Discussion? [23:15]
In his first season with Portland, Chuncey Billups looked like a rookie, first-time head coach. The Trail Blazers went 27-55, their least amount of wins since they won 27 games during the 2004-05 season, but Billups was definitely not to blame for this misfortune, as the Blazes were without several key players, including Lillard, for most of the season.
Now in his second season, the little adjustments Billups has made are starting to show and it is clear to see that he is becoming more and more comfortable not only in his philosophy, but with the talent he has.
In regards to the Blazers’ recent success, Brett and Aaron talked about Chauncey Billups and whether or not he could enter the conversation for Coach of the Year [23:15].
Siegel: Do you think Chauncey Billups could enter the Coach of the Year conversation this season given the early success of this team? I mean, if they can sustain success with Lillard being out and they can remain where they are in the Western Conference, I think you have to consider him in this conversation, especially if they reach their projected win total of just about 50 wins given their current pace.
Fentress: Yeah, I mean if they win 50 games, I think Billups is definitely a Coach of the Year candidate. I’m not going to say for sure that he is going to get it, but the West is crazy. Portland was in first-place, then they were tied for first and now they were just in eighth even though they have just one less loss than the team in second right now. That is how fragile this whole thing is right now. I do not know if they will ultimately get to that 50-win mark, but yes. If Portland finishes as the 4-seed or better in the Western Conference, I think Chauncey is definitely a Coach of the Year candidate.
