“I’ll be putting him to work every day,” is what Chauncey Billups said about his newest player, Damian Lillard. And by work, he doesn’t mean he’s about to exert the returning Portland star’s condition. The Ex Bucks star has a long recovery ahead from that Achilles injury. Until then, his shot-calling skills will be utilized from the sidelines. Is it too soon to talk about Coach Dolla? Not since Lillard came back to the Trail Blazers. At least one person is all for it. And Dame’s drawing comparisons to this ex-NBA star for coming full circle.
Before Dame Dolla, it was Dwyane Wade who went from championships in Miami to his hometown team in Chicago, and back to Miami once more. D-Wade only differed in not getting in Erik Spoelstra’s way, but he remains a franchise player. Same as Lillard is to the Blazers, with a difference in how he’s going to work in his first season back.
“He’ll be back as good as ever, if you know anything about him,” Billups said about Lillard’s bench role. “This year, he’ll be the highest-paid assistant coach in history. I’ll be putting him to work every day.” Dame signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Rip City franchise with no timeline on his return to the court. Until then, he will be a glorified assistant coach on a player’s salary.
Nov 12, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) checks the scoreboard during the second half of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
NBA skills trainer, Chris Johnson, hailed this move for the Blazers locker room on D-Wade’s Timeout podcast. Since seeing his impact on the team up close in the NBA Bubble, Johnson stated that Lillard will be the “extended coach” this team needs. The Blazers’ new young core in Yang Hansen, Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and Scoot Henderson can learn how to draw plays, analyze film, and learn the right mentality firsthand from Dame. “he could be a liaison between that staff and that locker room, which plays right into his next year coming back because he could be the bridge,” Johnson said.
Apart from commanding respect, Lillard is going to gain more in Rip City than with the Bucks, according to D-Wade. “No doubt what he says… when he speaks in Portland, you gonna listen. Milwaukee, yeah, they respect what you’ve done, but they not listen the same as they gonna listen in Portland.” This is a narrative that pre-existed since Dame shared the locker room with Giannis Antetokounmpo. But it’s a different Portland when Lillard had a vet in Carmelo Anthony the last time.
Dame is the vet there now. And D-Wade predicts a successful run even if the guard isn’t stepping on the court.
Dwyane Wade has long-term advice for Damian Lillard
After the Bucks waived Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers swooped in, Dwyane Wade set the record straight – Even if Lillard didn’t lead Portland to a championship, it won’t change that he is one of the best players in the league. A week since his declaration, Wade is firm that Lillard has plenty of seasons left in him.
He predicts we’re about to see a masterclass, similar to Kobe on bouncing back from an ACL injury while still holding a presence within the team. “What players should do when you take a time like this to really grow yourself, is really learn the coaching side,” Wade said.
He even insists that Lillard should consider coaching beyond his NBA career. “Most of us say, ‘I ain’t gonna coach, oh, I ain’t gonna be on TV, I ain’t gonna,’ bro, we don’t know. And so give yourself a chance to go learn something. And this is a year for Dame as he recovers to get back on that court, is to really become an extension of the coaches, but learn what it’s like being a coach just in case one day he actually wants to sit in that seat.” And drawing from Billups’ joke, D-Wade added, “This is… he get paid for this.”
Despite speculation that a lot needs to be mended between Dame and Portland, NBA vets like Wade see this partnership as perfection. Even if we won’t see Damian Lillard back on the court again anytime soon.
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