Once more, with feeling.
Despite not playing in Wednesday's game versus the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center (tipoff schedule for 7 p.m. on ROOT Sports), Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard addressed the media (thanks to Jason Dumas of KRON4 News in San Francisco for posting the video), again, regarding rumors that he has asked for a trade due to dissatisfaction with the current roster. While he might not be happy with how the team has played this season -- and really, who would be? -- he has not asked to be traded and is not planning on doing so.
"I’m not asking for a trade, I don’t know how many times I’ve got to say it," said Lillard. "It’s gotten to the point in this era that people can write stories and say things and ‘I heard this’ and ‘I heard that’ and because of who they are, people take it as like, this is credible, this is probably true. Me on the other hand, I don’t feel like I have to defend myself and this and come out and challenge everything that people say until I’m asked about it because I know the truth."
One one hand, between Lillard's comments this summer about wanting the the Trail Blazers to improve after another first-round exit, the team getting off to an 11-14 record under first-year head coach Chauncey Billups and with the dismissal of longtime GM and president of basketball operations, Neil Olshey, you can understand why there might be questions about his commitment to the only NBA team he's played for. But as he noted, he's reiterated his desire to remain in Portland on multiple occasions in the last few months, though those statements evidently don't mean as much as those made by unnamed sources.
"I been here for 10 years and I’m trying to be a part of the solution," said Lillard. "We out here to do a job, we out here to try to win and try to win big. I feel like that’s something I’m here to do and I’m just trying to be a part of the solution. I’m not trying to be a part of the gossip and a part of the story, I just want to be at peace and try to do my job to the best of my ability and do the things that I I care about and that I’m passionate about and that’s what I’m trying to do. Everything else is what it is."
Not only does Lillard say he's not looking to the exits in Rip City, he's putting in the work trying to figure out how the team can get on track under Billups. He's noted on multiple occasions that he wants to be a part of Billups' success, and he's putting in the work off the court while he's not able to play in order to achieve that goal.
"I sit in the office with Chauncey every day and we trying to find solutions and I’m dealing with these people every day that walk in our practice facility trying to find solutions," said Lillard. "So why would I be a part of trying to find solutions if I’m planning on an exit. That’s not what’s going on but people want that so bad and it’s a good story and good things to talk about and they know people gonna entertain it so they continue with it. But my intentions are to be in Portland and to figure it out. As far as I know, that’s all of our intentions."
Regardless of his statements or actions, Lillard knows the national media are going to continue to keep writing whatever they want and people are going to think whatever they like. He'd rather not have to keep countering the opinions of the unnamed, but he's also not going to let his name continued to be dragged through the mud either.
"I also know that people gonna continue to have these conversations because it’s fun to talk about but that shit is not accurate," said Lillard. "They can keep talking about it all they want and I’m going to keep saying the same thing. People say 'sources' or 'a person close in his camp' and when you say close in my camp, I’m gonna know exactly the select few people that you talking about because I know a lot of people and I have conversations with a lot of people but I’m not a fool. I don’t say nothing behind closed doors about anybody that I wouldn’t say publicly or to they face."