Lillard National Player of the Week

[Scorcho]

Lillard has a strange phobia. He is afraid of historical statues.

http://nba.si.com/2012/11/29/damian-..._a12&eref=sihp

[MartyFunkhouser]

Lillard has a strange phobia. He is afraid of historical statues.

http://nba.si.com/2012/11/29/damian-..._a12&eref=sihp

How historic to the statues need to be? I'm wondering if this will give the Jazz an advantage with the Malone and Stockton statues.

[MarkGrace]

3. Who's the best rookie of the first quarter of the season?


Abbott: Damian Lillard, but only because Anthony Davis has played only eight games. Also in the conversation: Andre Drummond and -- look him up! -- Brian Roberts.

Chau: Damian Lillard. The best thing you can say about a point guard is how in control he is on the court. Lillard has been in control from the onset. It's impossible to discuss Lillard's game without throwing out keywords such as poise and maturity. He looks the part of the next great NBA point guard, and he'll get there in time.

Herbert Damian Lillard. A relative unknown before his senior season at Weber State, it's easy to forget he's a rookie with how seamlessly he has stepped into his role, playing 38 minutes per game. Lillard is the rare poised rookie guard who impresses more with his decision-making than his talent, though he's certainly not lacking the latter.

Pietras: Damian Lillard. He leads all rookies in points, assists and minutes, and looks like a polished veteran running the pick-and-roll. He still needs to tighten up his defense, but that should hopefully improve with time. I expect Anthony Davis to eventually pull ahead as Rookie of the Year, but it should be a fun race.

Wilborn: Damian Lillard. This kid is amazing. He hasn't seen a shot or a nice dime he doesn't like. Eighteen points and six assists per game are major for any guard in the league, but for a rookie it's unheard of. Lillard will only have more chances to shine because he seems to be the only player who can create for the woeful Trail Blazers.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/...-first-quarter

[MarkGrace]

From tonight's game.

[YOUTUBE]XKKYUlDyXRg[/YOUTUBE]

[MarkGrace]

Dame went for 37 the other night and I didn't even update this thread? Whoops!

[MarkGrace]

Armed with a full set of summer league games, training camp and preseason games, this season's class of rookies had a huge head start over what last year's rooks had to contend with. But last year's class featured some very special players, including a couple of guys who had huge impacts on the league. (Check out last year's midseason awards here.)

This year, the effect has been less dramatic. But with half a season left to develop, there are a number of players in this class who have shown enough thus far to get us excited about their futures. Let's hand out some first-half awards:

Most impressive rookie: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
Jumping from a mid-major college team to a basketball-crazy franchise and community desperate to be playoff-relevant again, Lillard has his team in the playoff hunt. As talented as he is, that was hard to imagine at the beginning of the season. Playing huge minutes is tough enough for a rookie. Doing so as the team's starting point guard adds a mental element that makes it even tougher. Yet Lillard continues to shine and shows no signs of letting up.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...dseason-awards

[MarkGrace]

35 pts, 9 assists and 0 turns against SA in 40 mins last night. He seemed to be losing some steam there for a while since he's played an insane number of minutes for a rook. But coming out the break he appears to have it rolling again. Last 5 he's putting up 25/6/3 on .542/.483/.840.

[clackamascoug]

I just got done watching the game... (dvr delayed) I've come to expect games like this from him, and hope to for the next 10 years.

The acquistion of Maynor has really helped him and the team. The two guard combo went for 28 in the 4th. (14 and 14)

[MarkGrace]

Officially ROY.

Lillard will become the fourth player in franchise history to win the award and first since Brandon Roy won during the 2006-07 season. He is also the fourth rookie in NBA history to average at least 19 points and six assists per game joining Allen Iverson, Damon Stoudamire and Oscar Robertson.

Lillard swept the Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards, winning every month from October to April becoming the eight player in NBA history to do so. He won the 2013 Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend and set an NBA record for three-pointers made by a rookie with 185.

[MarkGrace]

Damian takes the #1 spot in the sophmore rankings.

1. Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
Lillard has been handling his role as Portland's primary ball handler and decision-maker with poise and confidence all season, running a Blazers attack that features a deadly and precise half-court game. His unique combination of skills is already elevating him into the conversation of "who's the best young point guard in the game?"

While Lillard doesn't have elite athleticism, speed or quickness, he is very good in each category. The same can be said about his pick-and-roll play. But he is an elite ball handler, which helps him in all of those areas, and he is terrific in isolation play. Because teams typically send bigs toward the ball to run ball-screen actions -- and the Blazers are no different -- it is important for the offense to try to mix up looks as much as possible, as long as those looks are similarly productive. So having a point guard who does not require a ball screen to create advantages is a luxury.

Lillard's isolation play ranks high because of all of his "very good" talents plus his perimeter shooting, which may be moving into the elite level. He is crafty, so he knows how to get fouled. He can make pull-up jumpers and floaters, using them wisely and not as a first resort (they are not high-percentage shots when compared to strong drives, for example). And he has a strong stop-and-pop game (pull-up jumpers off a hard dribble-drive), which means he can use a stop-and-go dribble move to get to the rim or get fouled when his defender expects the jumper.

Lillard has also shown the ability to hit half-hooks. So when defenders are forced to defend that shot, Lillard can then add a burst of speed and turn the corner on the slowing defender for a dunk or layup. His step-back 3, normally a low percentage shot, is effective, too, because his defender is already giving him a cushion, which allows Lillard to only slightly step back to get the shot off. And just when his man is convinced Lillard will rise up to shoot, Lillard can hit him with a quick crossover and earn a simple layup.

Most great guards have always been able to beat their man, but as they age, they understand it's the second line of defense that has to be accounted for. Lillard is not adept at this in half-court sets yet, which is one reason why he is shooting below 40 percent at the rim overall. But in early offense, before the opposing team sets its defense, his one-on-one play helps him find creases to the rim. He also excels at using "brush" or "influence" screens, which are screens that have a big either barely touch Lillard's defender or not at all; just the presence of the big near the man defending Lillard creates problems.

Hubie Brown taught years ago that teams set a screen for one reason: to make defenders think. (To this day, it stands as the single most insightful teaching point I have ever heard). So just the possibility of a screen can be effective with a skilled ball handler such as Lillard. He's best in early offense sequences, with or without screens, getting almost nine points a game and sporting an effective field goal percentage above 60 percent in the first 10 seconds of possessions.

His offense drops considerably in pure half-court action after those first 10 seconds, but he's just barely six weeks into his second season. It's fair to guess he will become far more efficient in those later-in-the-clock possessions as he learns how to read the game, and he should be brilliant in the early-action game for many years to come.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...leaps-rankings

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I was way off on this guy. Still not sure how a borderline all-star couldn't get his team into the NIT or win a CBI game, but he's awesome in the league.

[MarkGrace]

I was way off on this guy. Still not sure how a borderline all-star couldn't get his team into the NIT or win a CBI game, but he's awesome in the league.

I thought you were all hung up on the Dance? They played in the NIT.

[MarkGrace]

Last game:

[MarkGrace]

Tonight's game:

Finished tonight with 36 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Hit eight 3pters.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I thought you were all hung up on the Dance? They played in the NIT.

No they didn't.