PORTLAND — The start to a new Portland Trail Blazers season lacked the pomp and circumstance of announcing Damian Lillard’s new 5-year $120 million deal and the coronation of him as the team’s fearless new leader only a few months ago.
At Monday’s media day at the Moda Center, the focus shifted back to team, unity and being better than the sum of its parts.
It wasn’t as serious, either.
Head coach Terry Stotts asked president of basketball operations Neil Olshey the first question of the day: “Why didn’t you sign LaMarcus?”
Rookie guard Pat Connaughton took time before his press conference to take a snapchat video.
But make no mistake, there was plenty of talk of Lillard being at the forefront from the Blazers and media alike.
However, he seemed wary of the developing cult of personality, as promotional images of him hovered over the media day podium from the adjacent Adidas team store in the concourse of the Moda Center.
It was Lillard hovering over everything, until he made it clear that it isn’t the way he wants it to be.
“I’m not to interested in all this leadership talk to be honest with you. It’s kind of funny that it has become the story,” he said. “Everything that we’re doing is going to be based on the group. I’m not going to be the hero.”
Stories of Lillard’s leadership oozed, but he isn’t one to want to change his stripes. His basketball responsibilities don’t change either. Referred to often by opposing coaches as “the head of the snake,” since his rookie year, Portland has leaned on him since he got here.
“I don’t know if he is going to have a bigger load to bear on the court,” Stotts said.
The 2015-16 season will be about finding out if there is a future Western Conference contender underneath it all, without weighing results too heavily.
Stotts and Olshey are waiting for the evaluation and an identity to unfold. Both said they wanted making the playoffs to be a goal, but much like their first season in Portland, it’s not being expected of them.
“It’s about establishing how we want to play not only this year but going forward,” Stotts said.
“Are our players getting better?” Olshey responded when asked what would constitute success. “Are we building a culture? Are we better at the end of the year than we were at the beginning? And does this roster have the potential to sustain excellence?”
The Blazers are going to stick to their defensive scheme that’s seen them jump from the bottom of the league to the top-10 in defensive rating. Despite losing prolific archer Wesley Matthews, Stotts promises to let the 3-pointers fly.
The modus operandi of the of the team hasn’t changed.
“It’s players first,” Olshey said. “Myself, Terry, (president) Chris (McGowan), everybody in this organization asks themselves, how does this effect the players? That’s our priority, all we ask in return is that the players then put the team first. That culture doesn’t change with the whim of players coming and going.”
Mason Plumlee was in and out of the starting line-up in Brooklyn. Maurice Harkless was an emerging swingman only to be forgotten by the lure of a new rookie in Orlando.
Few are expecting much of anything from this team, let alone a run to a playoff spot in the brutal West. But they have many players who have something to prove. Perhaps it’s the entire organization that feels that way.
But this much is clear: as far as the Blazers and Lillard are concerned, the time for speeches and sunny beach retreats is over.
The work begins now.
