Heavy is the head
Even for those who don't wear the crown. But the one who does has an even bigger job to do.
Damian Lillard deserves a break. I know we can all empathize. Chip away at it as we may, it’s hard not to feel like that feeling will never truly go away, even if the vaccinated summer helps that feeling subside for a bit.
After an incredible bubble run, and another pandemic-affected season, I think we all wish we could hit the pause button and just figure it out in our own time. It’s hard for me to even write this because even as someone who simply watched the journey, I’m exhausted from it all. But the truth of this life is that our path will rarely get easier. The progress we will make, of course, but another challenge awaits.
Damian Lillard has been avoiding the particular challenge that awaits and I know why. He cares deeply cares about how his actions affect others. And he does it in a way I’m not sure I’ve yet to even understand. I like to think that I care and I genuinely think I do. I’ve paid for way too many hours of therapy to that to say that I don’t. But most of us, if not all of us, lose our way. I know I have in trying to do my job or trying to get things right in my life. What I admire about Lillard the person is that no matter what personal tragedy befell him, he never projected it onto anyone else. He never lashed out. I want that for myself. I want that for more of us. I’m getting distracted, but this shit is emotional for me, alright?
Running an NBA team is not for the faint of heart. As a basketball romantic, I don’t think I ever could. But here we are and here Dame is. Lillard was just awarded the NBA’s Teammate of the Year Award, an honor of which he was more than worthy. Dame has prided himself on always being the best teammate he can be and he is always that person. But the hopes of this Blazers team moving forward, and the decisions made about who he will be a great teammate to, or play for, now lie with him.
Dame has relinquished power for a long time. But the power of running the Blazers needs his stewardship now. I know Lillard truly wants what he says he wants: a championship parade down broadway past El Gaucho. But the reality of the NBA in 2021 is that the onus of building a championship team is not just on the weight of an executive: it will have to weigh even more heavily on the superstar player.
The first question Lillard has to answer is one that Vulcan Board Member and Blazers Vice Chair Bert Kolde must ask him: how comfortable are you with Neil Olshey as the Team President? Now, Lillard is loyal and Olshey did draft him. But the business of basketball, when building a championship team, is no longer about loyalty. But while building an NBA team is the work of a motherfucker, it also has to be about trust. Who does Dame trust to build this team? Before hiring a coach, who is the person he will be working with on a daily basis, Dame first has to give direction on the vision for what his daily work life will look like. Dame has had the power to let power go for years, but he may have to do the very thing he was hoping to avoid.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant both have received their portion of criticism for the influence they carry in building their teams. Kevin Durant, according to LaMarcus Aldridge, was the first person to contract Aldridge when he became a free agent. LeBron, of course, had his entire team quit on him during a season in which he tried to get Anthony Davis. It’s going to be messy. Feelings are going to get hurt. Lives will change. But this is the messiness that winning a championship often requires.
Lillard is a master at self-improvement, both on and off the court. It seems like every time I see him, he’s added another layer to his game or another level of growth in his life. But Lillard the player has to go into his Lillard The Executive Mindset. This is the job description of NBA stars in 2021, especially ones as smart as accomplished and as in his prime as Dame is. I would be very surprised if during all those NBA2K sessions Dame never went into Franchise Mode.
Dame has mastered the game on the court, which was all he was drafted to do. But as we say in Spanish, se cambio el papel. Lillard is going to be in the new ‘Space Jam,’ so we know that he knows how to adapt to the script. But we all need to be clear about what his role is now and it’s not one that I envy. The decisions that come from the Blazers will ultimately be tied to him and be scrutinized even more than his play. He’s the star, he’s the ultimate teammate and now he’s also the boss.
While it may have contradicted his way before, his goals now directly conflict with the way he’s preferred to do business. But there’s nobody else I’d rather trust with a tough decision.