Super-Overreactionizer: The Wizards, Thunder, Blazers, and Nets should just give up

No Point in Dreaming of a Ring

by Andrew Lynch (@AndrewLynch)

For these Portland Trail Blazers, a championship is literally beside the point.

Sure, you might think that their mediocre defense is what separates the Blazers from the glory of a title — well, that and the unstoppable behemoth that is the San Antonio Spurs. And it is true that Portland’s attempts to stop opposing offenses are about as effective as combatting global warming with a box of Otter Pops. But defense is an issue that can be remedied, through scheme, improvement and the acquisition of the right types of players.

The defense can be fixed. What will doom the Blazers to annual second-round exits, however, is their newfound identity. Damian Lillard, the brash, young floor general who’s come to personify this team, is the albatross that will drag Portland down, down, down.

Lillard is, of course, a fantastic player, a phenomenon in his own right. But there’s one thing that Dame, as those enamored and awestruck by his offensive pyrotechnics refer to him, simply isn’t: He’s not a pure point guard, and he never will be.

His talents are of the scoring variety, and he puts them to great use. His array of offensive moves is peerless; few score as efficiently as Lillard. And scoring efficiently is one of the most important skills an individual can have in today’s NBA. That importance was on full display Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs, when Lillard’s scoring prowess helped stave off elimination and keep Portland alive to fight another day. Dame won Game 4 for the Blazers, and there’s no denying that.

But here’s the thing — anyone can score! That could have been Nicolas Batum or Wesley Matthews or Luke Babbitt in an alternate reality where the Blazers retained Chalupacabra. And if Dame were half the player that he supposedly is, it very well should have been one of those guys. If the Blazers are to be a championship-caliber team, it has to be those guys. It’s impossible to let your minuscule point guard carry the scoring burden and expect to compete for a ring.

And if Lillard were a pure point guard, everything else would fall into place for Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge is a large man and crafty on his feet; pair him with a real distributor, make it easier for him to score, and all of a sudden he becomes a top 3 defensive player, without question. A true point would allow the Blazers to run more pick and roll with Robin Lopez — and, let’s face it, this is a pick and roll league. Any time that you can run pick and roll, you’re going to see success no matter what else happens.

Instead, Portland has hitched its wagon to a scorer in a point guard’s body. Lillard’s a hell of a player, and he’ll excite the basketball faithful in the Pacific Northwest for a long time. He’ll put butts in the seats. He’ll win the Blazers a few games.

And, ultimately, there will continue to be nights like Monday, when Batum was the Blazers’ best playmaker and led the team with eight assists compared to Lillard’s paltry five. Every once in a while, Portland will put it all together and get the win. But until they realize that their precocious superstar doesn’t have the game to take them to the next level, the Blazers will be nothing but a sideshow spectacle alongside the road traveled by the true contenders to the championship.

Stare as you pass, seekers of the ring. The show won’t last for long.