In a recent interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard got to talking about NBA "Super Teams" and how he relishes the opportunity to take down a stacked squad, such as the Golden State Warriors.
Lillard stated that each player is entitled to sign wherever they want, so he's not necessarily knocking a guy like Kevin Durant for joining a 73-win team, but it's just something he wouldn't do himself. He has too much pride, and is too much of a competitor to join a super team.
Lillard said:
"If somebody wants to go join people and do that... then, you know, it's not against the rules. They can do it. There's just more pressure to win when you do it. Some people say 'aw, they just joining up, they had to do this to win it,' but we play the game to win it. So when people do it, that's they decision."
"I wouldn't do it. That's just not who I am. I might have too much pride for that, or be too much of a competitor where I couldn't bring myself to do it. It also makes it more fun. You know, you get to take a monster down, and that's always fun."
"I love being the underdog. I love being the smaller man. I love to take that challenge."
The 26-year old guard has led the Blazers to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons but hasn't managed to make it passed the conference semi-finals, ultimately falling to powerhouses like the Spurs and the Warriors in five games.
Although he loves that underdog role, he might change his attitude about joining a "super team" if that trend continues for a few more seasons. We've seen it happen before.
