Damian Lillard isn’t sure when he might be able to start playing again, but he won’t try to return until he’s fully healed from last week’s abdominal surgery, writes Anne M. Peterson of The Associated Press. The Trail Blazers guard provided an update on his condition today in his first press conference since deciding to have the operation to address his abdominal tendinopathy.
“I’m just a week from surgery,” he responded when asked about a timeline for returning. “We said we’ll re-evaluate my situation weeks out, six to eight weeks, and we’ll talk about it then. But I’m not in a rush. My number one goal is to win a championship. I’ve got to be in the best form of myself to make that happen and to be a part of that. So I’m not in a rush. We’ll talk about whatever that timeline is when we get to that point.”
Lillard has been dealing with abdominal pain for years, but the condition became particularly acute at the Summer Olympics. He rested for a few weeks before training camp, but said the pain returned when he started playing regularly again. Lillard’s Olympic teammate, Jrue Holiday, who underwent a core operation during the 2018/19 season, suggested the need for surgery while they were together in Tokyo.
“He was the first person that pretty much confirmed that I needed to have surgery because I sat out of practice one day and I was like, ‘I can’t move,’ and I was kind of just holding it. And he just started describing every single symptom,” Lillard said. “And he was like ‘I had it.’”
The uncertainty surrounding Lillard puts Portland in a difficult position with the trade deadline just 19 days away. At 19-26, the Blazers are clinging to the last play-in spot in the West and they face decisions on whether to try to move Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic, who both have expiring contracts, or to try to deal Lillard’s long-time backcourt partner, CJ McCollum, who has two more seasons and more than $69MM left on his contract.
Lillard indicated that he would be less likely to attempt to return this season if Portland’s front office decides to trade some of its core players and hope for success in the lottery.
“I mean, if we’re gonna play for a draft pick it wouldn’t make sense to me. Because I’m not gonna play for no draft pick. I’m just not capable of that,” he said. “So it’d be best if that was what we were doing, or what was decided, then it wouldn’t make sense for me to play.”
I admire Lillard for his commitment to Portland, but it’s almost laughable to hear him say winning a title is the most important thing while still maintaining his desire to stay with the Blazers.
I just hope he doesn’t say he wants out and Philly ends up dealing Ben for him. If that happens then the Sixers better be getting at least one unprotected 1st from them because I think Lillard’s decline has started, and I believe he will quickly become just another overpaid, over the hill guard that barely moves the needle for a team’s championship aspirations.
Agreed, though at this point idk what he is supposed to say. As long as he’s in this situation (superstar on a bad team) people are going to ask the question, and there’s only so many answers he can give.
I blame the reporters moreso than Dame. Find a new angle fellas.
Lillard on the wrong side of thirty coming off this injury plagued season doesn’t hold value,coupled with his decline in play when healthy,high salary makes him a huge question mark.
He would have been a Sixer If it wasn’t for the abdominal issue.
Becoming hard to believe you Mr Lillard, right?
If you played to win a championship, you wouldn’t had gone to play summer bbq games in Tokyo & you would had gotten yourself treated & be ready to start the season real strong & try to push a POR team that never looked like a playoff team even before the season to try make something happen… but you chose to have fun in the summer & give up on the season before even started…
So, right now, I don’t believe you playing for a championship, not to say how disrespectful is for POR fans & teammates to say if you ain’t competing is no point for you to play!
I always have been a big Dame fan, but man this last year with his whinnying is becoming very hard to root for the dude anymore!
Why are you dragging Lillard through the mud so much for playing in the Olympics?
He was injured. It should have been addressed in the offseason.
Country > City, but whatever… Dame made his choice. At least he had the opportunity to do something cool, other than being another dime a dozen internet whiny voice. Scream into the void if it helps you, Dame doesn’t need a soft fan like you.
#LoveLillard you just a bench of haters
Dame will look back on his career with a lot of regret. Definitely will not make Top 100 in 25 years.
The 75 list was a joke, especially ignoring the international players (Jokic, Manu, Parker, Gasol?). Lilliard won’t fall off though because they took the laziest route with that list and just added 25 players instead of actually ranking them using modern statistics and knowledge. Lilliard is safe… though eh really shouldn’t be.