On the morning of the 25th, the NBA field of war reignited, and the Portland Trail Blazers sat at home to meet the Golden State Warriors. On the one hand, the championship is hot, on the other hand, it is to rebuild the team, and the result of the game can be imagined. Although the Blazers caused some trouble for the Warriors in the first quarter, from the second quarter of the game, the Warriors created a double-digit lead, and finally the Blazers lost 95-132 to their opponents by 37 points.
Counting this game, the Blazers have achieved a total of 25 wins and 35 losses this season, ranking 10th in the West, although still in the play-off zone, but it seems that after trading powell, Covington and McCollum and other key players, the team that has never missed the playoffs in the past 8 years is destined to fall into the lottery zone.
Where does the Trailblazers go from here? The team's management's attitude is clear – continue to rebuild around Lillard and find helpers for him in this summer's player market. On the recent trade deadline, a team asked the Blazers for the 6-time All-Star, but without exception, they were all rejected.
TNT commentator and NBA legend Barkley said that he did not understand the Blazers' rebuilding plan, and in his opinion, if the Blazers want to rebuild, they should trade Lillard.
"They have to get rid of Damian, that's the most important point, and I've said long ago that they have to send Damian away to start rebuilding," Barkley said, "Damian is at a bad stage in his career, and if you want to rebuild, you shouldn't leave behind superstars who are old and have $50 million in salary." ”
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time that Barkley has called on the Blazers to trade Lillard or persuade the latter to leave Portland, after he has publicly stated many times that Lillard is like himself at that time, if the Blazers can't help him find a helper to fight for the championship, then Lillard should leave Portland.
This season, affected by an abdominal injury, Lillard has played only 29 games for the Blazers, averaging 24 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, shooting just 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three-point range, multiple stats that have set the lowest in recent seasons. He and the Blazers have years left on a high-paying contract, but given his 31-year-old age, it should have been easier if the team wanted to get rid of him now.
Lillard is still very clear about his future – staying in Portland will bring a championship to the city. Just yesterday, in an interview with the media, the 6-time All-Star point guard is still full of confidence, believing that his glory moment will come in the next few years.