It’s safe to say that the Portland Trail Blazers aren’t having the season they were hoping for.
They are currently 10th in the West with a record of 20-26.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, they have lost their best player, Damian Lillard, due to abdominal surgery.
He will be out for at least six to eight weeks due to the surgery, although he recently told the media that he was “not in a rush” to return to the court.
Damian Lillard: "My No. 1 goal is to win a championship, and I’ve got to be the best form of myself to make that happen and be a part of it. So I’m not in a rush. We’ll talk about whatever that timeline is whenever we get to that point.”
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) January 22, 2022
This came on the heels of losing CJ McCollum for a spell because of his own injuries.
It also follows multiple scandals and dysfunction between the team and the front office.
All of this leads us to one question: should the Blazers just throw in the towel, give up on this season, and start tanking now?
Time To Tank
At the end of the day, it really is smart if Portland just considers this season a loss and starts officially tanking.
Why should they do this?
Well, because the chances of them achieving a turnaround are near impossible and they need to do everything they can to keep Lillard secure on the team.
Look at the rest of the Western Conference – it’s incredibly competitive this year.
It’s so rough in the West that even LeBron James has a chance at missing the postseason.
Between the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz, the top of the West is pretty well spoken for so Portland would have to let Lillard heal while somehow staying competitive without him.
After that, they’d need to struggle their way through the early rounds of the playoffs to even make the Western Conference Finals.
Think about it: does that seem possible or is it something of a pipe dream?
A smarter choice would be to give up on this season with hopes that the next one is better.
Let the remainder of a season be a time for bench players to enhance their skills and for the coaching staff to find lineups that work.
This plan would allow everyone to heal and recover from their various ailments and would also let the Blazers drop down in the rankings – but up in their chances of landing good draft picks.
In the end, it’s a win-win and really what the team ultimately needs.
Keep Dame Happy
The real goal of the Blazers right now is to keep Lillard satisfied and willing to stick around with the team for another year.
Based on how the season has gone so far, it’s very unlikely that he’s happy.
But he might be willing to hang around longer if he knows there are sizable draft picks coming – and maybe a possibly great trade package too.
Damian Lillard addressed media today for the first time since surgery.
-He feels good and doctors say all signs are positive
-Hasn’t ruled out returning this season but will depend on where team is at. Seemed open to sitting out year if it’s clear plan is to play for draft pick pic.twitter.com/BfbMVPps6t
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) January 22, 2022
If the Blazers give up on this season and start tanking, they can give Lillard a better chance at landing some new talent in the draft and that might be what he needs to recommit to another season.
If Lillard really believes that next year will be better than this one, he will remain a Blazer.
And that’s truly what the team needs more than anything.
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