NomarFachix Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Blazers rookie guard Damian Lillard doesn't belong in the NBA. Oh, he can play. He made that clear in his first professional game. He just doesn't fit in a league where LeBron James celebrated his title 23 months before he won it, where Kobe Bryant used a foot injury to drive traffic to his Facebook page and plug his shoe sponsor, and where Dwight Howard turned to a Lakers staffer, after a double-digit loss, to ask if he can have his candy for making his free throws. Lillard, after becoming the first rookie since James to score 23 points and dish at least nine assists in his debut and just the third rookie ever to debut with at least 20 points and at least 10 assists, deflected the credit, held himself accountable for his six turnovers, and worried out loud about the fact that he wasn't sure what to pack for his first real road trip. Lillard is Barry Sanders on morphine; before handing the ball to the referee after scoring a touchdown, he gets down into a yoga position and then paints an empty lake. Untouched bodies of water come to mind because he is simply placid, so serene after defeating the Lakers that he made you hope that when the cameras are off and the room clears out, he breaks character, throwing a fist into the air and hurdling in place while squealing. That mental image is funny to think about but also impossible to imagine. There's not much artifice here; he doesn't break character because he's not a caricature.http://www.blazersedge.com/2012/11/1/3583420/media-row-report-blazers-116-lakers-106 Really good article. Dude is just so much fun to watch, evident the first few times he handled the ball in the first quarter. He's going to have a great career ahead of him. Going to go out of my way to watch Blazers games this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazed49 Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Definitely exciting to watch. Dude can play. Finally got our pg. It's just too bad we couldn't have him and roy at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 He's my early pick for R.O.Y. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) He's my early pick for R.O.Y.I would like to see him win it but Davis is also gonna have a monster of a year. I can see Lilard averaging 15-8 this year. Maybe even more points if he's given a bit more freedom/gets comfortable with the system. Edited November 1, 2012 by ChosenOne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sħãlïq™ Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 He's my early pick for R.O.Y.Same here. Def ROY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regime Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 He's already become one of my favorite players. What surprises me most about him is his maturity. You rarely see that from rookies, let alone rookie pg's. He and LA can easily become one of the most lethal p&r/p&p duos in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Wasn't the knock on this guy that he's mostly a scoring mentality? His court vision is impressive, and he executes passes well. I wonder though how much better he's playing than his average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkinDerozan Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Wasn't the knock on this guy that he's mostly a scoring mentality? His court vision is impressive, and he executes passes well. I wonder though how much better he's playing than his average. I think scouts were unsure if he was a good playmaker or not because his numbers at Weber St. suggested he wasn't. Any interview I ever saw with him he said he had to do the majority of the scoring at Weber St. and wasn't able to show off his playmaking skills. I guess he wasn't lieing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sħãlïq™ Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Lillard No. 1 on NBA.com's Rookie Ladderhttp://i49.tinypic.com/nlbsc7.jpg Lots of buzz about Damian Lillard's performance through four games, which includes some early polling that has the rookie from Weber State in the catbird seat for the Rookie Of The Year award. For instance, NBA.com has Lillard in the top spot on their Rookie Ladder after the first week of play. Lillard was rolling through three games (averaging 21.3 points and 9.0 boards, putting him in some rare company) before coming down to earth a bit in Monday's loss in Dallas. Lillard struggled from the floor, going 2-for-13 (1-for-8 on 3s). Still, Lillard is so calm and cool running the Blazers' offense and he's quickly gaining fans throughout the league and made Portland a League Pass favorite for me and so many others. Lillard leads rookies in scoring (19.3) and assists (8.0), easily giving him the top spot. Another rookie guard, Dion Waiters, currently holds the second spot on NBA.com's list, with a recently-concussed Anthony Davis at No. 3. A lot of games still to be played, but a great start for Dame. My link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sħãlïq™ Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Damian Lillard Attacks the Clippers Get used to this – we’re sure you’ll be seeing Damian Lillard individual game highlights here and on dimemag.com a lot in the coming months. He’s one of the few guys, along with names like LeBron, Durant, James Harden, and a handful of others, who could warrant paying attention like this. Lillard didn’t even have a great game last night, but some of his individual crossovers and spin moves are crazy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYPnvGLQN7ghttp://houseofhighlights.com/damian-lillard-vs-clippers-highlights/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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