Damian Lillard had been expecting to play the next two seasons in Milwaukee, but he’s very pleased to be back with the Trail Blazers after the unusual turn of events that ended his time with the Bucks. Appearing on Monday’s episode of The Sideline with Andy Katz, (hat tip to Bleacher Report), Lillard talked about how much he enjoys being in Portland again at this stage of his career.
“I’m not an overly expressive person,” Lillard said, “but I think in my adulthood, coming back at here at this time, with the age of my kids, where the team is— they’ve developed and grown over the last couple years— being back where I’ve been for the first 11 years of my career, this is one of the times where I feel extremely happy. Every day I wake up and I’m thankful. I’m waking up seeing my kids, taking them to school. I can just drive down to my mom’s house. I couldn’t be happier.”
Lillard’s connections with the Blazers appeared to end two summers ago when a contentious relationship developed after he requested a trade. He was hoping to go to Miami, but Portland general manager Joe Cronin wasn’t impressed by any of the Heat’s offers. The standoff lasted almost the entire offseason before Lillard was shipped to Milwaukee.
Although he was excited about the prospect of teaming up with Giannis Antetokounmpo, injuries to both players prevented their on-court relationship from fully flourishing. The Bucks won 49 and 48 games in Lillard’s two seasons with the team and lost in the first round of the playoffs in both years.
Last season went off track when Lillard was sidelined in March with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He was able to work his way back for the playoffs, but he suffered an Achilles tear that’s expected to keep him out of action for the upcoming season.
Desperate to find a way to remain competitive, the Bucks made a controversial decision to waive and stretch the final two years of Lillard’s contract and used the extra money to sign free agent center Myles Turner.
“I had surgery, I jumped right into the things that they allow me to do,” Lillard told Katz in describing the recovery process. “The moment that I’m allowed to do it, I do it. And I try to get into it without fear, and also protecting myself at the same time.
“I recently started back running, and I’m four months out. So I’m feeling strong. I’m feeling good about it. But I’m going to take my time to get all the way back, get it all the way healed, get it back strong, feel good on it, get my body all the way back right, so that when I return to the floor I’m not returning as a shell of myself. I plan to return and be myself.”