PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers team executives, coaches and players spoke to reporters Monday morning at media day, less than a week after the front office traded superstar Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, ushering in a new era in Portland built around a young, athletic roster.
General manager Joe Cronin answered questions about the Lillard trade, which took months to complete and according to reports, created some acrimony between Lillard and the front office, especially Cronin.
While much of the conversation centered around Lillard, there was also a lot of discussion about the expected impact of the the Blazers' new players, namely rookie guard Scoot Henderson and new starting center Deandre Ayton.
Training camp starts Tuesday for the Blazers in Santa Barbara, California. Portland's first of four preseason games is Tuesday, Oct. 10 and the Blazers tip off their regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 25 against the L.A. Clippers. Portland's first home game of the season is Friday, Oct. 27 against the Orlando Magic.
Here are some excerpts from some of the interviews at media day:
Dewayne Hankins, president of business operations
On potential Blazers sale: "No changes on the ownership front. The team's not for sale, it continues to not be for sale. Jody has continued to make efforts to really do things that are in the long-term best interest of the franchise. You saw that with the Remix and getting that up and running. We're also doing a big renovation to the practice facility ... this year. She's just been really invested in doing the long-term investment in the future."
On local over-the-air broadcasts for NBA teams: "We've really been watching the Jazz really close, the Suns really closely and the Golden Knights have done something similar. This industry changes all the time. We keep our deals on these things really short so we can watch things take place and see where they're headed. Our goal at the end of the day is always to have as many fans see our games as possible and we'll always take that approach going forward in any TV deal."
Joe Cronin, general manager
On Damian Lillard: "I want to open up thanking Damian Lillard for 11 incredible seasons with us. Obviously a Blazers legend. We're excited to see what he's got in store next and we're rooting for him."
On report that Lillard asked to come back to Portland if he wasn't going to be traded to the Heat: "I told him I personally thought it was a bad idea. The trade request had not been rescinded. And for me, I didn't want that to go into the season. I thought, let's find something now instead. That was my approach, to do what's best for us and find the best deal, where hopefully we could all be happy. And we feel like we accomplished that, where the Trail Blazers are really excited where we are, and we think he's got an incredible opportunity to compete at the highest level in Milwaukee."
On future relationship with Lillard: "I hope over time the relationship gets stronger and stronger. It's hard when it happens. In the moment, I don't think it's ever super-pretty. But I hope that there's not enough baggage left over, I hope over time that ... I know he loves this city and I know he loves this organization and the fans. And hopefully he'll be able to be one with the organization whenever that next page is turned."
Chauncey Billups, head coach
On Cronin's work this offseason: "I think Joe did an incredible job this summer. His patience, he was diligent the whole time, wasn't reactive at all, stayed disciplined to what we knew we wanted and needed. You rarely see big trades go down where everybody made off and did well and feels good about it."
On new center Deandre Ayton: "I'm not sure what really happened [in Phoenix]. ... Sometimes it's just time for change. ... I think that was probably what happened with him. I know for me, I'm really, really excited about DA. He was already a Top-5 center in the league and there are so many different levels that he can get to. ... We've got to help him reach his potential. That's my responsibility as a coach. ... I'm very honest with him. We're not bringing Deandre here for him to be [Joel] Embiid, where we're going to throw him the ball 30 times a game, and say, 'alright, go be the MVP.' That's not going to be his role. But he will probably have a more expanded role here than he had in Phoenix."
On rookie guard Scoot Henderson: "I didn't realize how good of a playmaker he was. I knew that he was explosive and tough and competitive and all of those great things, but he has a feel about him, about his game, he has a way of, he's so competitive and he's always trying to win, he has a way of bringing you with him, if you will. For a young guy, that's not easy. He can get to his spots pretty easily. He can really guard. He'll learn a lot of tough lessons this year, just by the way he's so competitive and he's going to want to guard everybody. It's going to be some tough nights that I'll have to let him go through, because that's how you learn. But he's been a dream, it's been beautiful being able to watch him and teach him and watch film with him. It's been a lot of fun."
Deandre Ayton, center
On the welcome he felt when he got to Portland: "Just the way I was welcomed. Things happened so quickly, the trade happened and then I was on the jet headed here to PDX. It just felt like I got drafted and I was on the jet to my next city that I was going to call home. Some of the facility people and some of the front office, just showing me love as soon as I touched down. It really did feel like I got drafted and I felt the love as soon as I walked in."
On what he brings to Portland: "Dominance. I bring dominance. My nickname is DominAyton. Me, I play with a lot of passion, you guys can tell, a lot of grit as well. I try to take the hypocrisy out of the game, where I'm not telling my teammate one thing and doing the other. I'm more of a team player. I'll make the sacrificial decision and take myself out, less shots for me. When it comes to winning, I'll be the gritty guy to get the job done, close out possessions and just take the blame and things like that."
On countering questions about his motor and consistency: "Look at the position I was playing in, the environment I was playing in, it can sometimes put toll on your mental. ... I have accomplished a lot of things where my motor is not a question. Playoffs, no matter what it is, I play the best I can play, I play as hard as I can play. That won't be a question at all. That's one of the reasons why I told you guys this summer that I'll be changing the narrative. I'm with an organization that wants me and wants me to succeed, so there's a lot more passion when you feel that mentally. ... There will be a lot more grit and a lot more domination this year."
Scoot Henderson, guard
On being a leader in Year 1: "There is a lot of opportunity. My yardsticks and pinpoints is finding who I am as a player, figuring that out. Right now, I know what I can do, and I can do many things throughout the game. My biggest thing is to push the pace and be that vocal point guard. Be another guy on the team that's encouraging, always make sure I'm patting my teammates on the back, always making sure, 'we got the next play, we're good.' Little things like that that go a very long way. ... That's where I think I can really grow and be that guy. We have a lot of pieces, but I think my main thing is to push the pace and get everybody involved."
On what he loves about basketball: "The most joyful thing about basketball is the togetherness. Basketball is a team sport. If you're a one-man army, you can't win at all. I think my biggest thing is I'm a winner, so with people that I love to be with, that's good vibes. I think that's the best thing about basketball, the sharing and all things teammates, all things team. That's something I love about basketball. The competitiveness that comes with it, man, I just love to compete. It's something when I get on the floor, something comes out of me when I get on that floor, I feel that fire in me."
On his passing and vision: "I've always been an unselfish player, love to bring them in and then kick out. That's always been my game. You can ask any of my teammates, whatever age group, when I was 9 playing with my brother, when I was in high school, with the Ignite, that's always just been my game, to create chaotic things and then spray out. That's been me."
On being Lillard's replacement, the new Damian Lillard: "Just because people think I want to be the new Dame, I don't even think like that. There's no pressure. I'm Scoot Henderson. I've never been pressured like that. The only pressure that I have is from myself, the pressure I'm putting on myself to be the best version of myself that day. To maximize that day and to go out there and take care of my opponent, help my team out on the win. I don't think there's pressure for me to try to be the new Dame. I'm not trying to be the new Dame. It's a new era for a reason, so I'm here to be Scoot Henderson."
On being productive as a rookie: "I just go out there and do what I do best. I don't try to do things I'm alright at. I go out there and do things that I know I'm great at, and that's getting downhill, that's spreading the love, that's hitting the open shots, and then creating my own as well. I'm not trying to be just a guard in the NBA, I'm trying to be one of the premier guards and that comes with the work and that comes with me just going out there and making sure I'm comfortable with how I'm playing, make sure I'm comfortable with the sets we run. I think our pace this year, you won't see too many set plays the way that we're playing."
Anfernee Simons, guard
On the Lillard trade: "When somebody like Dame leaves, who's made a big impact in your life and in your career, it definitely hits harder than any other teammate leaving. He was like the last one out of the group,. So now, it's just turn the page and move on to new journeys. I'm just excited about this year and the opportunity I have."
On the Ayton addition: "DA is a great player. No. 1 pick in my draft. He's just a man amongst boys. I think he's easily one of the most talented bigs in the league and he can provide a lot for us, whether it's on the offensive end or defensive end. He just gives us a different level, an ability to play any type of defense, and do different things on offense that make us hard to guard."
On having two defensive centers: "Now we got Robert [Williams III], too. Those two, I don't think we've had that type of interior presence in a long time. ... Two bigs like that being that dominant in the paint and having that much of a presence defensively, we haven't had that in a long time. I'm just excited about it. Someone like DA, like I said, he's one of the most talented bigs in the league. He's pretty experienced, obviously playing in the [NBA] Finals, he can teach the young guys anything he's been through. Robert, he's played in the Finals, too. They're young but they're experienced as well. So we got the best of both worlds when it comes to that."
Shaedon Sharpe, guard
On Henderson: "He can really see the court. It's crazy because I was playing against him, five on five, and the passes he was making, I was like, 'How do you see that?' Because I'm there defending him and I'm not even seeing that. He's a great player. Sees the court really good. And he's a great defender. ... He's a player that likes to get other players involved, everyone's touching the rock. When we play like that, it's just fun basketball."
On what he learned as a rookie: "Really just the pace of the game and the physicality. During the offseason, I worked on ballhandling, my pace and even different reads. I really just worked on all that stuff and how I can apply it to the game for this season."
On starting or coming off the bench, and playing shooting guard or small forward: "It doesn't really matter to me, for real. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. Playing small forward, center, point guard, shooting guard, it doesn't really matter. It's really whatever I can do to help the team."
Jerami Grant, forward
On the Lillard trade: "It's definitely a shock. It's definitely different. But it's a part of the business. This is my fifth team in 10 years. I'm accustomed to change, and you just have to make things work. I think Joe [Cronin] and Jody [Allen] have been doing a great job of putting other pieces around to allow us to be successful."
On the current team: "We have a lot of exciting pieces. [Anfernee Simons] has grown a lot. Excited to get to play with him again. Matisse defensively. And then all the new guys we got in Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, Deandre [Ayton]. ... Having two athletic centers that can do virtually anything on the court, it's huge. It's huge for me, defensively, being able to funnel guys down there, knowing somebody is down there, ready to have your back on the defensive end. On then on the offensive end, knowing whenever you get in trouble, you can throw it to the big guy and they can do what they need to do to get a bucket."
On Henderson: "I think he has a natural leadership to him. He's a natural leader. Yeah, I definitely think he has potential to be that [leader] pretty early. But you know, we want to make it easy for him, we don't want to put too much on him right away, but he definitely has a natural leadership position in him. Definitely look forward to him growing into that position."
On being a new dad: "Amazing. I definitely love being a new dad. I love being a dad."
Matisse Thybulle, forward
On the new roster: "The potential for the speed that we can play at is intriguing for most of us here."
On having defensive centers like Ayton and Williams: "Having shot blockers is game changing for players like me. There's an idea that you have half a defender with you at at all times, as far as your teammates playing in help positions. With the way I play defense, in trying to funnel guys into uncomfortable situations where they turn the ball over or take bad shots, it makes it a lot easier having a big presence at the rim. For me, it's great. I'm super excited. If guys want to get crafty and think that they're going to blow by me and then have to meet one of them at the rim, that's great. I'll go pick the pass off when you try to bail out of that shot. So for me, it's very exciting. I haven't played with either of them but I've played against them quite a bit, so it will be fun to have them on my team this time."
On Henderson: "Very fast. Very strong. It's been fun to watch him navigate different styles of play. We played a lot of pick-up [in September] and the teams have shifted every day. With each team comes different dynamics, so to see how he's able to respond, having different teammates has been really fun. To his credit, he's proven to be pretty dynamic as a young player. So it's cool to see, and I think it will be pretty fun for you and all the fans to see once it's showtime."
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