Under the Radar: Lillard took shots at Portland GM in Latest Press Conference

Following the Blazers' first-round playoff defeat to the Denver Nuggets, General Manager Neil Olshey was quick to move on from head coach Terry Stotts. In his press conference following Stotts' dismissal, he noted to many Blazers fans' dismay that he didn't think the team's underperformance was a product of the roster makeup, a thinly veiled shot at Stotts' coaching ability.

In Lillard's press conference today, while affirming that he would like to remain with the Blazers, Lillard made it clear that this was contingent on changes being made. When further pressed on the types of changes he would like to see, Lillard had this to say:


Just as thinly veiled as Olshey's shot at Stotts comes Lillard's shot at Olshey. ESPN's Frank Isola reports that Lillard, Olshey, and new head coach Chauncey Billups will have a meeting today in Las Vegas.



It's unclear what kinds of roster changes Lillard would like to see, as he's been quoted in the past as saying that if roster changes were up to him, that the team would never change. It seems that the Blazers won't be able to make the transition into a contending team without dealing Dame's long-time running mate CJ McCollum. One can only imagine that McCollum will be dealt this offseason unless Dame intervenes.