Portland Trail Blazers considering shutting down Dame Lillard for the season

The Portland Trail Blazers are in discussions over the possibility of shutting down Damian Lillard for the season to allow him deal with a calf problem that has troubled him for months.

Portland are three and a half games out of the Play-In Tournament race and look extremely unlikely to make the playoffs. 

The franchise is seriously considering taking precautions as Lillard deals with his injury, reported Shams Charania of the Athletic.

Lillard’s last game was on March 22, and he was his most effective self, contributing 30 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in a solid win over the Utah Jazz.

Lillard has actually been excellent this season, doing all he can with a less than stellar supporting cast. His stats make for impressive reading. 58 games played, averaging 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game on 46.3 percent shooting.

After a trade deadline when Portland made moves for the future rather than the present, it makes sense that the team are now considering shutting Dame down for the season.

Lillard is playing in his 11th NBA season and while there is constant talk about his failure to deliver a title to Portland, he has had an exceptional career up till this point.

 For this career, he is averaging 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game on 43.9 percent from the floor.