Minutes after the Blazers found out LaMarcus Aldridge was bolting for San Antonio, breaking apart one of the league's most polished starting lineups, C.J. McCollum's phone rang. It was Damian Lillard.
"He basically told me, 'This is our chance to show everyone -- our coaches, the whole league, everyone -- that we can be elite together'," McCollum told ESPN.com.
Lillard's brand of quiet, empowering leadership was a big reason the Blazers were confident they could rebound from the departure of Aldridge, Robin Lopez, Wes Matthews, and Nicolas Batum -- the latter in a trade Neil Olshey, Portland's GM, began discussing two months before Aldridge left.