There are only 3 guys I'd take over Damian Lillard.

[Clifton]

Say if I could have any player for a 6 year Max deal. The only guys I'd take over Lillard would be the obvious ones: Lebron, Durant, and Chris Paul.

-I am nervous about Rose's injury. If I could trust him to be healthy, he'd probably be a fourth guy. He has most of the same virtues that make me so high on Lillard, but with more natural talent.
-I am nervous about Westbrook's approach to the game in general. He's a great player, and a #2 can be erratic at times (MJ's was; Shaq's was; Duncan's was) but a franchise cornerstone?
-Howard is an offensive nonfactor and is unmanly as a person. I can stand one of those things in my franchise big man but not both.
-Parker, Kobe and Wade are getting older. Duncan and KG are in the twilight of their careers.
-Irving is good, could be great, but he gets injured every week and IMO his kind of game (horizontal movements, contested jumpers after many dribbles) isn't as successful as Lillard's.
-Griffin hasn't shown me that he's willing to enforce his will on a game in any way. Perhaps this is because Paul's the clear captain and he's not fed the ball consistently, but the story of really multifaceted guys who are good players and good teammates but can't dominate a game (Rasheed Wallace) is a long one and they usually don't lead teams to titles.
-Melo, Rondo, Love, Harden, other guys in the 8-l5 range, I shouldn't have to further explain should I? Harden is probably the most compelling guy in this group. I simply think Lillard edges him out slightly as a prospect because of intangibles. Otherwise they're pretty similar and Harden has size on him.

Patience, toughness, humility, fearlessness are the timeless virtues that win you titles in any era and in any sport. Lillard has these things. In light of that, I got no time for erratic wonders like Westbrook, or corny mofos like Howard. And most of the other bright stars in the league are getting old. It seems to me Lillard is the brightest young prospect right now.

He is reactive yet assertive. He'll hoist shots up so quick if you blink you'll miss it, and they'll be from 25 feet out, but they're not bad shots. They're always in good rhythm. He'll drive in for acrobatic layups, but they'll never be forced, there will always be an opening. Even though he could be that guy at the park who waves off the pick because of his athleticism, he makes a point of always waiting for the pick if there's nothing open. He's very fast and athletic, but moves real slow and is never in a hurry. He's never too fast or too excellent for his teammates to keep up.

He's ambitious but humble. He's absorbed everything good that he's encountered since his high school days. 4 years in college. Gym rat, clearly his J is a product of years of work. Personally unassuming but will dagger you with zero pity if you give him an inch of space.

I can't wait to see this guy's career play out.

Show D-Lill some love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUOET9-4kgk

[nathanjizzle]

[Clifton]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUaPpgDpa9w

[The Choken One]

I'd take Steph Curry. Just saiyan...

[brandonislegend]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0

[iDunk]

Lillard isn't gonna improve that much. He's already like 22 or 23, his peak numbers aren't going to be superstar worthy..

[CeltsGarlic]

Ohh boy.
Motiejunas, Harden, Rubio, Marc, P.George,Curry...

[brandonislegend]

Ohh boy.
Harden, Rubio, Marc, P.George,Curry...

Kyrie, Dwight (even though he sucks right now), Tony Parker

[Clifton]

I'd take Steph Curry. Just saiyan...

Another great one. I don't know if his playmaking and leadership are quite what I see latent in Lillard though.

his peak numbers aren't going to be superstar worthy..

I didn't say they were. Luckily I'm not interested in numbers. Who's numbers aren't better than Chris Paul's right now?

[KyrieTheFuture]

He's not even a top 5 PG

[RoundMoundOfReb]

I'd take John Wall over Lilard as well. He impacts the game a lot more than his stats show imo.

[chips93]

Lillard isn't gonna improve that much. He's already like 22 or 23, his peak numbers aren't going to be superstar worthy..

this

hes older the john wall, and a month younger the holiday. holiday is a way better defender, and similar scorer, and better passer.

plus, lillard plays a ton of minutes, and while stamina is a good attribute to have, him playing so many minutes, makes him look a little better than he really is.

[Clifton]

hes older the john wall, and a month younger the holiday. holiday is a way better defender, and similar scorer, and better passer.

Dude, none of that matters. He played 4 years in college and never once played against a top 25 team. I can't tell you who's going to improve how much how fast. I can tell you that in ten years, Lillard will be the guy who everyone's still talking about, not Jrue Holiday (above average PG who might fly under the historical radar. I really like the guy).

He's not even a top 5 PG

When I claim what I claim in the threat title, it's looking forward. The PG position is stacked right now, and *right now*, that may be true. Because *right now* he's a rookie who spent 4 years playing against JV players and is still getting used to the NBA.

But I'll take Lillard at 30 over Westbrook or Wall at 30, easy. (If they're still in the league.)

Lillard has the Chauncey Billups factor of always being better than his comparatively weak numbers. I don't see his numbers ever going much higher than 22/7 - the kind of stuff Tony Parker puts up - but he'll always be doing more for his team than that indicates.

[imnew09]

Point guard wise I would take Kyrie, Rubio, Cp3,Rondo

[DuMa]

Portland curse is soemthing to think about yo.