Wade advised LeBron against considering hiring Pat Riley as his coach.
Damian Lillard is ready to start a fresh chapter in his career as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. The All-NBA guard shared a picture of himself wearing the Bucks home jersey, looking really good in the white and green jersey.
It’s odd to see Lillard in any jersey apart from the Trail Blazers jerseys he’s been wearing for the last 11 years. The Bucks will have incredibly high hopes after acquiring Lillard, who averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists last season.
With the Boston Celtics acquiring former Buck Jrue Holiday to complete their roster ahead of training camp, the Bucks will have to find a way to make themselves the best team in the East on the court. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard will be hoping to do just that as arguably the best duo in the league.
Even though the trade for Lillard by the Bucks has been received with mostly acclaim, there have been a few naysayers who think this wasn’t the right move. Former Nuggets’ head coach George Karl falls in that camp, not seeing why Lillard is a definite upgrade over the two-way brilliance of Jrue Holiday.
“I think [Damian] Lillard probably makes them more exciting, more explosive. I think he’ll go in there with some excitement being on a team that can win the championship. But to be honest with you, in the playoffs, Holiday might be better than Lillard. I know statistically that won’t prove out but the intangibles that Holiday brings to the game, that’s what wins playoff games. The little things. The defensive ability to move around and cover different players. And, I think you can give Holiday some credit. He became a pretty good offensive player last season.”
Holiday averaged 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists last season. He was named an All-Star and was All-Defensive First Team, bringing a lot of value to the Bucks.
Replacing his offensive production with Lillard won’t be a problem, with Lillard leagues ahead of Holiday as a score. But losing that defense for a team whose identity has been their defensive prowess for years is scary.