Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has no interest in playing for another team. He wants to win like a Trail Blazer. The six-time All-Star made his point clear to his in-ring partner, Logan Murdoch.
“I want to win as a Trail Blazer,” Lillard explained. “I want to win the championship where I am, and I don’t think I would feel the same joy and happiness if I worked somewhere else. And I will be happy, no doubt. “
Some NBA betting sites are giving the Trail Blazers the 12th-lowest odds to win the championship in 2023. However, sportsbooks are expecting the Western Conference team to return to the playoffs.
“We must understand that nothing will come easily to us, everything will be difficult.” – @Dame_Lillard https://t.co/sZvLWEru9s
— Casey Holld (@CHold) October 12, 2022
“You get that experience like winning a chip,” Damian Lillard continued. “But I know how I want it.”
In the 2021-22 season, Lillard appeared in just 29 games due to an abdominal injury. He averaged 24 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest. The guard also shot 40.2% from the floor and 32.4% from 3-point range.
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups sat down for an interview with Murdoch. “The biggest message I want to send to Dam is to build on making sure we get people around us who can help make this thing better,” Billups told the staff secretary.
Damian Lillard wants to win a championship with the Blazers
Most of all, Damm trusts his new coach. The Trail Blazers finished 27-55 (.329) last season, with the guard missing most of the season and the team making a few changes.
In February, Portland traded CJ McCollum, Tony Snell and Larry Nance Jr. to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nickell Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, Didi Luzada, Thomas Satoransky, a 2022 first-round draft pick, and a 2026 second-round draft pick. pick and a 2027 second-round draft pick.
“That’s why I’m so hard on him,” Damian Lillard said on Billups. He knows the game, he’s thoughtful, he’s a players’ coach, he’s got a relationship with everybody, but I know he’s going to be tough.
Last season Lillard proved to be the Trail Blazers MVP. Without him, the team is not in the playoffs. It should go without saying. Portland missed the playoffs last season for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Can the Trail Blazers win a championship with Damian Lillard? Well, the 32-year-old could use another superstar to help him win. That rests entirely on GM Joe Cronin.
