The Portland Trailblazers gain a lot of traction because they have superstar Damian Lillard who has his own fanbase. Dame Dolla is one of the biggest NBA stars of this generation and his fans want him to win a Championship. Over the years, Lillard has shown resilience in staying focused in his task and building a team that will improve and eventually win the Championship.
But last season things changed as Lillard was promised a better roster and that is one of the biggest reasons that he stayed back. He wants a supporting cast that will allow him to fight in the playoffs. He wanted the organization to build around him and CJ McCollum.
But things have now taken an ugly turn as CJ’s exit from Portland is almost done, Lillard will once again be left with nothing as such. CJ and Lillard have been the backbone of this Portland Trailblazers unit in recent years and separating the duo is a mistake that the front office have dared to make.
CJ is only 30 years old and it is safe to say that he is in good shape averaging 19 points in his career and is reliable with his shooting skills. He along with Lillard formed a great guard duo or backcourt for the Blazers. But that is set to break as Cj McCollum heads toward joining the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans traded for CJ right before the trade deadline and the deal has raised a lot of eyebrows. While teams are still fighting to climb up the ladder, it is surprising how Portland allowed one of the biggest superstars to join the Pelicans. The deal was bashed by a lot of people and recently former NBA Champion and NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal also blasted the Blazers for making such a horrible move.
Speaking on TNT, he highlighted how he used to associate the Blazers mainly due to Lillard and CJ. He feels that they have tarnishes their image as a franchise by carrying out this move.
“I always thought the foundation of Portland was CJ and Dame. This era we live in, when you don’t do well, you automatically go to ‘We gotta break em up, we gotta break em up.’ I thought if you’re gonna make a trade, why don’t you make a trade around them?”
It will be interesting to see how the Portland Trailblazers perform with CJ as they are 11 in the Western Conference and they have high aspirations of making it to the playoffs this season.
