One of the reasons why I became a fan of Joakim Noah is the same reason why I dug the gameplay of Greg Oden.
I had the chance to watch the Florida Gators triumph over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. There were a ton of NBA players in that game like Oden, Noah, Al Horford, Mike Conley, Corey Brewer, Marreese Speights, Daequan Cook, and Taurean Green. With that said the players that caught my attention were Noah because he looks like a very efficient "hot mess" and Oden, who was seen by many as the top pick of the 2007 NBA Draft.
As I said, it sucks how his NBA career happened.
Also, it sucks how this triumvirate failed to materialize. This team also had Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews.
I think this team also had the tail-end versions of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Although I'm guessing when they were part of the team, the Blazers were finishing the process of their rebuilding.
I think when Damian Lillard said this, he was channeling LaMarcus Aldridge. I remember LA was in his late 20s when he wanted out. Also, like Lillard, Aldridge was forced out of Portland. I guess this is the right way to persuade Lillard to have a championship drive. In this situation, it's the organization that needs to look after their player because the player continues to look after the organization. Portland had to push Aldridge because of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden.
Meanwhile, Lillard needs to leave because CJ McCollum has since moved to another team. I want Lillard to move to a small-market team like Dallas, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Toronto, and perhaps OKC or Utah. If Portland wants to get the right value for Lillard, then it's by obtaining at least 33 percent of a normal roster.
Rudy Gobert, with all the ridiculousness of his situation, is good for at least seven players. The Minnesota Timberwolves basically gave up on the possibility of a Walker Kessler superstar career by giving more assets to Utah. And speaking of small-market teams, pairing Lillard with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an awesome thought.
In fairness to Portland, they really tried their best to give Dame his players. Jusuf Nurkic is still there with Gary Trent Jr. Shaedon Sharpe is starting to look like a future bright spot. With that said, it's hard to justify a player entering the Top 75 list if they can't produce a noteworthy playoff run. Yes, Lillard had a couple of playoff moments but no one really remembers it or at least sees it in the great moments. Maybe we can remember it if he wore a Lakers or a Celtics jersey while playing alongside Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant but without it, it's not the same.
And it's not like we're just zeroing in on Lillard and Aldridge. Clyde Drexler was also forced out of the team. Like Lillard, he also had a running buddy in Terry Porter. Perhaps like Drexler, he could team up with a former college all-star teammate and finally get his ring.
But looking at his Weber State info, he was the only one in his class to make the NBA.
Oh where can he find his Hakeem Olajuwon?