EPISODE 9: Damian Lillard

I'm bringing on my guy. Y'all know who he is, man, I've been covering him his whole NBA career, his path from Weeber State to NBA Star, seven time NBA All Star. Here in Salt Lake City, Portland Trail Blazers All Star, Damian Lillard, Dame Man, thanks for coming on with me and Mark Stein on this league uncut man. How you feeling, brother? You know you in Salt Lake right now? What's going on? Burgess? Headed to practice? Headed to this All Star practice? The

sprainer of my family just headed down. Man. It's baking my way through the weekend. Is this even more special? You know we were State is right not too far from from Salt Lake. Is this any more special than any other All Star appearances? I think it is just the warnest I feel like every other All Star Wars, I feel like the New Orleans short that you know it's on site of the city Atlanta. I think LA was probably the closest, but you know that it be

from northern California. That's only tides I really had there. But the fact that I went to school here and lived here four years, you know, and I didn't moved around these parts, you know a lot, so a lot of familiar faces, a lot of you know, friends and the family that I may hear. So I think that makes it a little more special one with so many guards in the West, Like is there a point where

you're worried that you might get xed out? Because obviously you guys are basically in the five hundred zone winning wise, Like how do you approach Like obviously you've been an All Star a zillion times before, but is it something that you stress over? I would say in the past more so, you know, being Hayes had those conversations like man, what it is looking like right now? Like our record

versus other people's records and stuff like that. But I just think this time where I would say, these days, I don't really you know, stress or press about it as much, you know, like you said, I've made it quite a few times now. You know, you when you're younger, you want to be in the mix. You know, you want to be there and you want that experience, you want that acknowledgment. And I think the older you get, obviously it's still an honor and it's still a pleasure

to to you know, to get picked. But you know, I just don't think it's as much of a stressor you know, once you get later in your career as it is in the beginning. So you know, now I'm not obviously you're gonna look around and be like, man, you know, you know what you do, look at what the chances are. But I wouldn't say I press over it at all. Start. Let me tell you this stun

when Um he sat out last year. We most of last year he got he had his um surgery on his APTNOM and he was recovering, you know, working his way back, rehapping back, and he would send me clips of his workouts. You know, as he's progressing in each year he'll be like, Haynes, I'm getting there, Like I'm getting there. And I think I think a lot of people felt like he might be on the decline, you know, Dame,

is his his body is breaking down. You know, more injuries are compelling now at this stage of his career. Is he gonna be able to return to form? He got that big new extension, a big max extension um last summer, and now you look at this season he's having. He had the most he had the sixty point game was the sufficient sixty point game in NBA history. And he's having the best year of his career right now statistically all across the board. Dame, are you surprising yourself?

Like you knew you're gonna come back, but the level you're playing right now, Like, is there any surprise whatsoever? Honestly, I'm not surprised, because you know, I was, I was playing, I was having big years the last couple of years, Frank's last year when I just I had to have surgery.

But once I realized, once I started to get healthy, and I realized how hurt I was, as I got back to at the bounce of my step and I could move more freely and I was more comfortable out there, I was like, you know, it's gonna be troubled out there. And I told you that before before the season started, and you thought I was just talking. No, I think you was talking, Yes you did. I was telling you Chris is exactly right. Then. In the media, that's how

we think. How does the athlete block out thoughts like that? How do you block out doubt? Well, I think because as media, y'all don't feeling y'all just are you guys are just watching from the outside. So people that just say stuff, you know sometimes when they're trying to get

what they're trying to convince you, y'all. And I just felt it once I started training, started getting back to full speed, I could just feel it in my step and I could feel it in having the time away from you know, I missed like ficking games, so just not having to travel as much, not having to demand of like having to perform and you know, have all these big performances to win games and stuff like that. You know, I was just kind of rested training during recovery.

I was just I had all that time off. It was a mental break of physical brain. I was able to get all the way back healthy. So I just knew like I felt it. So I think that's that's something that you guys just can't. There's no way for you guys to feel that same way or two to have that same understanding, because it's you guys are just watching it. You know, y'all got to just take our word for it. You know a lot of times people are just just saying it, and it's not hard to

tune that noise out. I think it's hard to tune it out because you sometimes you get anxious for the time to come for people to see, you know. But I mean, I wouldn't even say I tuned it out. I just, you know, documented I just recognize it what it is, and I also know that it's it's justified. It's justified, so I don't tune it out like it's just not possible. Um. You know, I just had more belief in what I felt, you know, but I felt it myself, you know, I just outweighed what the doubt was.

It wasn't that I just didn't acknowledge it or didn't know that that it was possible reality, this is happening before, it'll happen more, you know. But in a specific situation, I didn't have a concern because of how I feel about big trades made across the League. Kevin Durant going to Phoenix, you know that was a blockbuster. You know, Kyrie going over to Dallas. The Western Conference is getting deeper and deeper. You guys made some moves, added motifs

stable um, you added Cam Reddish Um. You know, obviously there's still some work that needs to be done to get you guys to where you want to be ultimately. But one guy I want to talk about, particularly the Gary Payton situation. I was caught off guard by that, you know, trading them back to Golden State. First of all, what was your thoughts, you know, him going to Golden State, how did you feel? And then ultimately the Gary Payton fiasco that it was Honestly, I wasn't even the word

that that trade was gonna happen. We was actually sitting to each other on the training table when he went when he went into the meeting, and even then, you know, I didn't I didn't think, you know, I didn't think it was gonna really go down like like that. But you know, his time here, I just know that he was coming off the injury. He had the same surgery that I had, but he had a procedure prior to

that so he had to. You know, anytime you got to go back in twice, you know, it's probably gonna be a little bit longer of the process because you already got scar tissue built up in there and then you know, having another surgery. So I feel like, you know, the team was patient. You know, it was a lot of time went by before he before he actually uh before he played, and it was you know, me and him but joke about it, you know, when he was

gonna play. Stuff like that, And I've been on him a long time obviously, but once he got back on the floor, I think his presence was it's like obvious, you know what he brought to a team. He knew that he was bringing something different to our team with his field, with his his ability defensively is toughness, and I thought he, you know, he was showing us that.

But you know, obviously, when you've missed that, many games don't take time, and then you know, the trade happens, all these things come out out performing staff, all of those things, And I honestly don't know the exact dynamic that it was because I just you know, you just assume that they're giving him a playing and he's or whatever that playing is. But what I do know, so it was a lot of a lot of stuff that I did see that I don't I don't see that

happening though. I think Jeff Parton, who's the head of our our performance staff, has been around a long time. I've been around on my own career. He's always been on point, even you know, when he dealt with my surgery, when he's dealt with all of my injuries, He's always been on point and had the best interest of the player. Like I said, I don't really go all the four details, but you know, obviously it was a major disconnecting, a

lot of miscommunications that happened. But obviously with it being looked into, we've seen running backs come out. You know, Gary is still dealing with some pain and with stress, which is something that's possible when you come up with surgery and you start playing get back out there. You don't know what can happen. But I just hope that he gets healthy. And I didn't want to see him go back to go to State because I know he makes it feel better. So I didn't want to see

that happen. In all my years covering League, I kind of feel like the Achilles is the most dreaded injury that a basketball player can suffer. But how high up there is a core injury that requires surgery that has to be not good. I don't think it's anywhere near the Achilles because the core injury is it does like it takes a lot away from you when when you're

playing with it. So the whole time and I was playing with it's like I can feel myself kind able to play at like a fast pace and stop or be moving fast and change direction or jump or shoot a pull up three on the time, you know, it was just tough to like brace and to just kind of control my body, uh in ways that I can't down so I just fitn't doing it, or like at the end of the first quarter, you know, it would get really irritated and I would just have so much

stiffness assortness that it would be like once I come out of the game and I sit down, I'm on the bench for a while, I would be like, man, I don't know if I can I don't know if I can go back out there and move it getting you know, like I could just tell it's gonna be a bad night as far as like my comfort. But I think the surgery I went to do the vain guy doctor Meyers, and feeling and uh getting back from

the surgery wasn't process. You know, it was like the first month and they have two months, was like, man, am I getting anywhere? And then you know that next couple of weeks seems like a lot of progress, but you gotta uh stay on top of it. You know, you came having the slimmage in that process getting back and I didn't. And then once I got back and

was as good as new. So um, when you're dealing with it, it is a tough one to deal with, But once you come back from it in process the right way, I don't think it's even great here and it gives your team is sitting in twelfth place right now again, like I said, other teams got better. Where's your state at as far as like you on board with the plan and what you guys plan to do moving forward, especially in this offseason. Where are you at? Oh as far as where we stay right now? Understandings?

You know, I can only control what I can control. You know what I doing before and what type of attitude has been talent, he and I have what you know, how I operate to that stuff. So uh, you know, I'm going to enjoy this this the next two days and All Star and then Sunday when I get you know, I'm gonna strapped back in and get ready to try to push that line and try to make it happen. Uh. And as you know, we're so tight in the West

right now, you can win three in their own. A couple of teams loose two out of three, and you know you don't finn play. So you know, as bad as a place sounds, you know, it's more about you know, if we do end up going on a run and end that poor fifth place, like all right, do we what is it gonna look like in the postseason? Can we actually compad And that's the most important thing to be So I'm gonna handle it how I always ended the soldier, ugush the line, make it happen, you know,

the close out of the season. And then you know, when it comes to what what what our vision is as an organization, as a team, I can definitely understand you know, what we want to do, what we're trying to do, just a matter of you know, actually execute that plan and uh being able to get things done in a way where we come back and it's like, Okay, we got a chance to truly give people a championship within So I understand it now was just time to make it have the I think, you know, that's just

what it's time. I consider myself a basketball romantic. I always love the idea of players who stay with one team. You know, I always said, you know, living in Dallas and covering Durk Navitski's whole career, he won one championship, but I on my scorecard, you know, staying with one team, I kind of consider that like a championship of its own. I think, you know, Kobe and Duncan felt the same way.

Reggie Miller and John Stockton are guys who didn't win a championship, but you know, nineteen and eighteen years with one team. But like, it just strikes me as the way the game has changed, people are always urging you to leave. It's just different. I feel like ten years ago everybody would have said stay, stay, stay, but now it's like dangn get out of there. How do you view the discussion of your career like that? I think I think it's just because of the the way the

game has changed. I think it's become much more common, just like, oh, you need a ring, you know. I think it's about the outside pressure of you need to ring. You gotta win a championship. You know, it's tough out here. You know, it's tough right down, especially with the access we will have to us through social media. How often you know, to discussed every little thing on TV. So it just comes with a lot of a lot of heat. You know, we're under a microscope as far as you

know what other people think of it. So I think that leads guys to feeling like I gotta do what I gotta do win the power of the player. I just feel like, you know, I love the organization I played for. They haven't won the championships in seventy seven. I want to bring one. I want to bring one back here. I think people are just they just love discussing what I should do, because you know, one of the only one of the few guys that have laboring teams.

I think, honestly, I think a lot of people just love to to see things just get mixed up. You know. They love the drama and you know, then once it happened and they die off of it, and then it's like on to the next thing. But I just understand that nobody, nobody's gonna have to walk in my shoes or live with any of the consequences or anything. You know. I never let that way into any decision or phil about it. You know, it does get irritated sometimes it's

like what's the big deal? You know what I mean, Like everybody's telling me what I need to do and what I should do, as if they actually care, you know what I mean, they say it from a placement, if they actually care, when I know they don't, you know what I'm saying. It's just like it's just funny. How long did it take you to feel about Portland

the way you can do? So that we restinct? You know, we play all the big sky Country School, Montana, Montana State, Idahole State, you know, so we was always in these like small bad town you know what I mean, Like and then we played Portland State. So like when we were coming to Portland State, like that was the city we all I was looking forward to going to your conference. Yeah, it was like downtown, they had stores we could just

kind of move around restaurant and stuff like that. So, uh, that was when I first started to like Portland and my two best rooms out of high school they also went to college in Portland, so I always liked it, you know, they liked it, so it was, you know, it kind of was a match making ever close to home too. Jane, I've never I've never told you this. I want to see if you confirm it and see

if you could provide details. So a couple of years ago, Dane, I was talking to Kevin Gardnett and he told me he reached out to you, and I think this was at the point when you were considering what you were going to do with your future a few years ago. But it was after we lost the Nuggets in the playoffs, so it was that summer. It was that summer. So I asked him, I asked him for details, and he was like, asked your man, Dane, what was about? Tell us, Dave,

what was that conversation? Like Kevin Gardnett talking to you and this is when you lost that series of Denver and then you were kind of questioning your future. I mean he called me or he texted me and he was like, give me a call when you get a chance this ticket. I was like, all right, so, uh, I'm tired him. And he was like, he was like, man, I know how you feel. I've been. I've been where you at Minnesota. I loved playing there. I wanted to win it, and you know my heart was in it.

But you know, here here and get draining. You know, it could be tough. You know, That's all you know. And he was like, you know, once I decided I was gonna go to Boston, I got there. We had Rando all peers Bray, you know, he started just running down and he just started talking about how less stressful it was, how the bonds they had, you know, how together they were, and it was just a different experience. And he was like, I didn't know what I was missing out on, you know, I just I only knew

what I knew. And he was like he wished he had done it sooner. I wish I had done that that sooner because it was a better experience than I actually won the championship, which I respect. I saw that. I saw that hap him in real time because I was following the big heavy during his time in Minnesota, and you know, really to Boston, but I just feel like to eat his own. I do think, I do think, you know, my situation is very similar. It is, but

like I said, everybody's everybody's actual situation is different. In general. Though, how helpful is it just to be able to talk to guys on the outside We can't really identify with a lot of these things. You know, how many people like Garnett would you say that you talk about your just your career with not many. I've been in the eleven here and so I know a lot of people,

but I don't really know a lot of people. But as far as talking just talking like you know, these types of conversations, you know that I spoke to him about it. You know, other than that, it'll be like, oh Williams being him, were talking all the time, mellow Tina Thompson. You know, it'd be people like that. I ain't just parted to anybody. You actually lead me into

one of the other questions. About a month ago, I was fortunate to sit down with Steph who is turning thirty five in March, and like, I like, I had to look up your Yeah, I had to look up your age, and I was like, how is Dann thirty two already, like I just I can't, I can't believe it. But I asked him the same question. You know, I think at thirty two we can say it without insulting you that you're you're somewhat of an old head. Now you just said it yourself. You've been around for eleven years.

Do you like do you like that? Do you like having more of the I've seen it all or I've seen a lot of it at this point in my career and being able to mentor guys and coach up guys because you've been around more than a decade. I mean, I always look at myself like a young I'll always look at myself like I'm wanted the young players, like one of up and coming players. Last night, I was leaving like an all star function. I saw tyres Manxi and he liked shook my hand and he was like, well,

what's up, Oge? You good? And I was like, oh gee, But I think it's a It is good to just looking around and you're like out of scene. I've been there and done that. You know, with a lot of these things, we've seen it time to time you get and I think that's a good feeling. But I don't think nobody's looking around like man in eleven years, Like I'm you know, I think we all want to stay young and stay fresh. But um, you know that's part

of it. Your time come and comes and goes, and you just try to try to try to, you know, stretch it as much as you can, you know, without you know, doing it and not being you know, who you've always been. So I just try to stay on top of everything and stay young physically, stay young mentally, and then go from there. All right, Dane, this this part, this part is gonna drop Monday morning, and so it's gonna be before you go this All Star game. I'm

gonna get you out of here. Um three point contests? How are you feeling about your chances day? Like? What what are you calling it? Are you calling game winner right right now? How you feel? Man? I mean, I mean, you know, I think I'm winning. I will say in the past, I was just you know, going in there and shooting. You know, I'm like whatever. But this time, like I feel like I actually want I don't want to do it no more after this, and I want to win it at least one time. So I'm definitely

shooting to win. Do you practice off the rack before you get to Salt Lake or not? The first time I ever did it, I practice off the rack, but I did in this time. I'm just going in. My second year covering League was Dane's rookie year, and I remember his second year he made history and I actually broke that story, probably my biggest story at that time, where Dane would compete it in the Dunk Contest, the Three Point Contest, the Skills Challenge, the Rookie Sophomore Game,

and the All Star Game. No other players could participate in all five events All Star was doing since and I performed. I performed it All Start Saturday at in twenty twenty, So I really have done everything everything. Hey, well, nobody's gonna get you with that. Hey that's that's six. Nobody's gonna get you with that last one you just mentioned. I did all of literally everything you could do on All Start Saturday and Sunday. I do so amongst Star players.

Do you guys talk about the Dunk Contest like you know, for us on the outside, we always want big names and the Dunk Contest, and we just get farther and farther away from away from it. What do you all stars talk about when the dunk contest is brought up? Honestly, I ain't never heard nobody really talk about it. Man. That's painful. I think we get into the point where it's like, what else is are they gonna do? I

feel like the dunk contest is getting worse exactly. Dame and Harry Gordon was like that dunk contest where I was like, it's a real this is real, like dunk off right here, this three point this the main event now like it's it's become that over the last few years, and it might it might end up being that way. But most you know, hopefully we get a you know, hopefully we see something good. But Dane, I'm gonna get you out of here, bro, Man. I appreciate you. Man,

you and a sprinter on the way to practice. Man giving us some time. Man, you know, I ain't got a number of for you. Man. Appreciate you, Thank you, sir, good luck the rest of the season. Haynes in the clutch again, making interviews happen that otherwise would not. That was awesome to get Dame Lillard on the way to All Star practice because it's a circus. I mean, these guys are running from one event to the next. So that was that was a very nice surprise. Another point

for Haynes in the scorebook. That does it for this edition of This League Uncut. Chris and I will be back very very soon with Moore and as always everyone, thanks for listening, Thanks for your support, Please rate, review, subscribe. Haynes and I back with another episode later this week. Take care and that'll do it for us, See you next time. This League Uncut is an iHeartRadio production.