SI's Sam Amick Takes Brian Inside the NBA

August 1, 2012, 10:09 am

On Tuesday, Sports Illustrated’s NBA Insider Sam Amick joined the Sports Insider live to discuss the many developing stories in the world of basketball.Most notably, there is growing momentum behind NBA Commissioner David Stern’s push to end NBA player participation in the Olympics. And while Amick admits that he’s personally against it, he concedes that the recent increase of support – especially if it grows any more among NBA owners – could be difficult to stop. It’s not hard to find a case to bolster the argument against participation, as Blake Griffin recently suffered a knee injury in a Team USA practice that required surgery – days after signing a contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers, no less.

When the focus shifts to the Portland Trail Blazers’ head coaching search, Amick expresses his surprise that Brian Shaw is reportedly no longer in contention and that former Orlando Magic assistant coach Steve Clifford – whom many considered a long shot – is a finalist. He also thought that while Trail Blazers’ owner Paul Allen usually likes to make a splash with big-name coaching hires (see: Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks), the hiring of a former assistant to a first-time head coaching position seems like a delegation of power on Allen’s part to Trail Blazers’ GM Neil Olshey.

As the discussion transitions to the Portland rookies, Amick comments that from what he’s seen, Damian Lillard already looks like a professional. And while being the MVP of the NBA Summer League is far from a guarantee of success (see: Jerryd Bayless), he comments that it’s better that Lillard played well enough to be MVP than if he had played terribly. He goes on to say that while the original pre-draft buzz surrounding Lillard was the product of creative marketing, after seeing him play there is now more substance  to back up the hype.

Take a listen to the full interview, which includes more Trail Blazers rookie talk and whether the new Collective Bargaining Agreement will mean the death of super teams like the Miami Heat.

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