Thanks for sharing something so fresh and profound. I’ve never seen this before….
No_Information3972
Cool post.
connorob32
I agree 100%. Damian and the Blazers have both benefited each other massively over the past decade. Neither of them owe each other anything.
StudentLoanSlave1
We paid him to win us a championship. He did not. If anything he owes us
GlassWear5910
Would you have preferred he left in free agency next year for nothing? Someone was going to pay him.
bmf09598
Windhorst mentioned this on his podcast, that he basically gave up his right to pick his trade destination when he signed the super max extension
Floaterdork
We owe him nothing but his salary and a spot on the roster. I like this take. More or less what I’ve been saying.
Dame made his bed in Portland and then decided he doesn’t want to lie in it. I don’t believe that Dame is stupid, or that nobody, over all of these years, ever said something to him like “you know, I get that you want money, but you say you want a ring, and then negotiate contracts that make it next to impossible to build a competitive roster around you. Especially since it’s already hard enough just to get free agents to come play in Portland.” Dame was loyal during his time with us. But that all went out the window when he publicly demanded a trade. Halfway into a rebuild around *him.*
In the end, after leaving us in that position, after the FO acquiesced to most of his demands over the last 11 years, including trying to shop the 3rd pick, he hurt the team more than he helped it. Was he great while he was here? Absolutely. Does one WCF appearance in an 11 year career mean Dame walks on water? Nah. It barely moves the needle.
People also need to remember things like the fact that he shielded CJ from being traded until it became his only choice if he wanted any chance of the FO being able to put something remotely close to competitive around him. If we’d made that trade after a few years with Dame, long enough to prove that he’s a star who can contribute alongside a guy like Dame, like 5+ years ago, we would have gotten a better return, and it would have gone a long way toward setting some boundaries with Dame. The FO treated him the way LA treats LeBron. Like he’s an owner, or GM, or someone else who should *actually* have a say in business matters.
Giving him as much money as he asked for, every time he asked for it also hurt. Because now it’s hard for teams to come up with a package that matches his salary without it including a superstar and their entire bench, or multiple superstars, which would put Dame right back into the situation he was in here. If we do send him to Miami, does he think we’re not gonna want either Jimmy or Bam, plus a few of those young forwards and guards? Most teams don’t want to give up a haul like that for Dame at this stage of his career.
Which brings me to my final point. The last 2 seasons, the reason we’ve sucked has directly correlated with how many games Dame has missed. He hasn’t been healthy the last couple seasons, and at his age, why should any other team think he’s still worth $60m per year? At least until they see him dominate in game action again?
I think there’s a realistic chance that he’s with us at the start of next season. At least for long enough to show the league that he’s healthy, if he’s healthy. If I were another team, I’d be hesitant to trade for Dame not knowing how he’s gonna play coming off of 2 injury plagued seasons. But yeah. It feels like he’s blaming, and punishing us, for his injuries, at his age. And that’s not cool.
markusalkemus66
Only people saying that the Blazers owe Dame are Heat fans
Huskdog76
It is interesting watching espn, as the women on there push back against the notion that Dame is owed his next destination. I think it is because, as women, they just feel lucky to get paid to play sports in whatever fashion they can.
9 Comments
Thanks for sharing something so fresh and profound. I’ve never seen this before….
Cool post.
I agree 100%. Damian and the Blazers have both benefited each other massively over the past decade. Neither of them owe each other anything.
We paid him to win us a championship. He did not. If anything he owes us
Would you have preferred he left in free agency next year for nothing? Someone was going to pay him.
Windhorst mentioned this on his podcast, that he basically gave up his right to pick his trade destination when he signed the super max extension
We owe him nothing but his salary and a spot on the roster. I like this take. More or less what I’ve been saying.
Dame made his bed in Portland and then decided he doesn’t want to lie in it. I don’t believe that Dame is stupid, or that nobody, over all of these years, ever said something to him like “you know, I get that you want money, but you say you want a ring, and then negotiate contracts that make it next to impossible to build a competitive roster around you. Especially since it’s already hard enough just to get free agents to come play in Portland.” Dame was loyal during his time with us. But that all went out the window when he publicly demanded a trade. Halfway into a rebuild around *him.*
In the end, after leaving us in that position, after the FO acquiesced to most of his demands over the last 11 years, including trying to shop the 3rd pick, he hurt the team more than he helped it. Was he great while he was here? Absolutely. Does one WCF appearance in an 11 year career mean Dame walks on water? Nah. It barely moves the needle.
People also need to remember things like the fact that he shielded CJ from being traded until it became his only choice if he wanted any chance of the FO being able to put something remotely close to competitive around him. If we’d made that trade after a few years with Dame, long enough to prove that he’s a star who can contribute alongside a guy like Dame, like 5+ years ago, we would have gotten a better return, and it would have gone a long way toward setting some boundaries with Dame. The FO treated him the way LA treats LeBron. Like he’s an owner, or GM, or someone else who should *actually* have a say in business matters.
Giving him as much money as he asked for, every time he asked for it also hurt. Because now it’s hard for teams to come up with a package that matches his salary without it including a superstar and their entire bench, or multiple superstars, which would put Dame right back into the situation he was in here. If we do send him to Miami, does he think we’re not gonna want either Jimmy or Bam, plus a few of those young forwards and guards? Most teams don’t want to give up a haul like that for Dame at this stage of his career.
Which brings me to my final point. The last 2 seasons, the reason we’ve sucked has directly correlated with how many games Dame has missed. He hasn’t been healthy the last couple seasons, and at his age, why should any other team think he’s still worth $60m per year? At least until they see him dominate in game action again?
I think there’s a realistic chance that he’s with us at the start of next season. At least for long enough to show the league that he’s healthy, if he’s healthy. If I were another team, I’d be hesitant to trade for Dame not knowing how he’s gonna play coming off of 2 injury plagued seasons. But yeah. It feels like he’s blaming, and punishing us, for his injuries, at his age. And that’s not cool.
Only people saying that the Blazers owe Dame are Heat fans
It is interesting watching espn, as the women on there push back against the notion that Dame is owed his next destination. I think it is because, as women, they just feel lucky to get paid to play sports in whatever fashion they can.