HoopsHype.com Rumors

Damian Lillard on being afraid of historic statues: I was at Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas. I'm walking in the wax museum seeing all the celebrities and I happened to walk into the last room and there's the dead presidents. Martin Luther King. Really huge icons. The Jesus statues and all that kind of gave me shivers. When I saw those people and the music that was playing, it just didn't sit right with me. When I see statues, it kind of bothers me. Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Darnell Mayberry: East Skills Challenge team: Jrue Holiday, Brandon Knight, Jeff Teague. West: Damian Lillard, Jeremy Lin, Tony Parker. Twitter @DarnellMayberry

Tony Parker, Jeremy Lin, Jeff Teague, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Knight, Damian Lillard, All Star Game 

Rosters set for Rising Stars Team Shaq: Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Chandler Parsons, Dion Waiters, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tyler Zeller, Kemba Walker. Team Chuck: Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Ricky Rubio, Tristan Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas, Alexy Shved. Sulia

Ricky Rubio, Harrison Barnes, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Kenneth Faried, Anthony Davis, Tristan Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Tyler Zeller, Bradley Beal, Brandon Knight, Chandler Parsons, Andre Drummond, Damian Lillard, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Dion Waiters, All Star Game 

Portland Trail Blazers rookie standout Damian Lillard has been invited to participate in the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Houston, CSNNW.com has learned. According to a person close to the rookie point guard, the three-time Rookie of the Month has every intention of accepting the invitation. Lillard is known for his offensive ability, but just as well, he has dazzled this league with his ball handling ability and passing skills ever since he stepped foot in the league. CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, All-Star, Damian Lillard 

The Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal and the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard today were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January. NBA.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard 

Jessica Camerato: BBVA Rising Star Challenge Rookies: Davis, Lillard, Barnes, Beal, Drummond, Kidd-Gilchrist, Shved, Waiters, Zeller #NBA Twitter @JCameratoNBA

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard, All Star Game 

Mike Tokito: Postscript to #Blazers' loss to Cavs: Damian Lillard thought Kyrie Irving double-dribbled, but said he needed to play better D on the play. Twitter @mtokito

Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard 

Payton also is watching a lot of basketball. And what point guards is he watching? “I like Damian Lillard because he’s from Oakland, California, and he’s a phenomenal basketball player,” Payton said. “He should be the rookie of the year, he’s playing very well right now for Portland and I love his game. “I’ve been watching Deron Williams for a long period of time now and I like him. He is the epitome of an old-school basketball player. He just goes out there and gets it done, he’s not about being fancy, going through your legs three or four times, pulling up in your face. He just gets it done. He just gets what he has to get, gets his assists, gets his rebounds, gets his points and just gets his team to win.” NBCSports.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Gary Payton, Deron Williams, Damian Lillard 

Lillard has already established himself as the likely choice for Rookie of the Year based on his work in the first half of the season. He's averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds. He has been named the Western Conference's Rookie of the Month for November and December and has eight games of at least 20 points and seven assists. He's also helped the Blazers, who finished 28-38 last season, to a winning record. "Any time a rookie is playing at the level he is playing at with the poise that he is playing with, it's going to grab everyone's attention," Sacramento Kings coach Keith Smart said. "Are all the Western guards playing at a great level? Chris Paul is at a super level. [Russell] Westbrook is in there. All those guys keep moving up. Can [Lillard] possibly be there based on where he is right now? Maybe, maybe not. "But his team is winning, he's playing at a great level, and everybody sees the poise as a young point guard and how he runs a basketball team. So it heightens people's attention and the possibility depending on how the votes go." Yahoo! Sports

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

"Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul – I think they are all definite All-Stars," Lillard said. "It will be tough for me being a rookie and those guys putting in so much more time than I have." Yahoo! Sports

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Jerry Zgoda: Adelman when asked by a Portland reporter covering Damian Lillard if he believes in the "rookie wall": "The guy from Washington?" Twitter @JerryZgoda

Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Wizards, Damian Lillard 

“I felt like I was the best point guard and the best way I could show that was going to all these workouts and the combine to prove it up,” Lillard told CSNNW.com. “When I had a chance to go in front of every team with Marshall and all the other players that are suppose to be better than me, I made sure I showed them that I was the best. We were all out there, we were all out on the court at the same time, everybody was there to see it and I showed them.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Ben Golliver: Damian Lillard says his November Rookie of the Month trophy is going to mom Twitter @blazersedge

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

While No. 1 pick Anthony Davis was the overwhelming choice in a preseason survey of NBA general managers – who don’t always personally fill out the survey, I’m told – to win the award, a direct poll of a half-dozen assistant coaches and scouts – the ones who do the detailed advance reports on opponents, including player evaluations – has Lillard as a heavy favorite at the season’s quarter-pole. CSNBayArea.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Damian Lillard knows the questions won't stop. "It don't matter what I do," he said, "you're going to ask me about Rookie of the Year." "If I have a bad game: 'How does this (effect) your Rookie of the Year?' If I have a good game …" Columbian

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Rookie point guard Damian Lillard is at the center of the Trail Blazers' rebuilding/reloading plan. As one NBA scout recently said, "He's only been in the league for a month but he's already figured out how to control the game." Lillard already is Portland's third-best player, and he's quickly emerging as its go-to guy. On Monday night, he scored the Trail Blazers' first bucket with a sneaky hesitation move, a baseline drive and then a beautiful reverse finish to elude Brendan Haywood. With his outside shot off the mark all night, Lillard continued to attack the rim both in the half court and in transition. It wasn't Lillard's finest night of the season, but he clearly can be entrusted with the controls in the cockpit. ESPN.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Damian Lillard: I like DC. I wana come back and visit the memorials even though I'm scared of statues Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Damian Lillard: People I'm only scared of historic statues. Abraham Lincoln , MLK, etc . Had a bad experience at the wax museum lmao Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Before Wednesday's game, Lillard expounded on his issues with statues and monument. "I've always been scared of historic stuff like that. If I see statues of Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. — all that stuff kind of gives me a funny feeling," Lillard said. USA Today

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

He has trouble pinpointing the exact time he fretted seeing statues and monuments but said the uneasy feeling was palpable during a visit to a wax museum two summers ago before his senior season at Weber State. "The last room was Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln — all these big-time historic people, and it looked just like them. Same size," he said. "They had music playing in the room to set the mood, and it just threw me off." "Ever since then, I'm done. Even at Lake Oswego (near Portland), I drive past the cemetery, and there's a statue of Jesus with his hands up. That even scared me. I don't mess with statues no more. "It's the idea that they're from so far back, and so big in our history. Just to see something that looks so close to them, it's weird. It freaks me out." USA Today

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard