The team’s disappointing record over the initial four months of this season had forced Olshey to consider the typical reaction of losing teams – to sacrifice wins in favor of adding talent in the upcoming draft. But that would have meant undermining the core strengths of his franchise. The GM recognized that the foundation was solid, that Stotts brought a soothing influence to the players in his steady belief – shared with Lillard – that the daily work would see them through. Another crucial part of the infrastructure was provided by the Portland fans, who provided the young Blazers with incessantly positive feedback that is rarely found in professional sports. The Moda Center is a fertile environment for developing talent.

The Moda Center 'felt like you were in Lexington with Kentucky, or in a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium,' Neil Olshey said.

“It is such a college environment here with the team,” Olshey said. “I remember coming here as a coach and then as an opposing team executive -- you felt like you were in Lexington with Kentucky, or in a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. I think our players feed off that. I don’t know if it has the same impact on a veteran player who has played with multiple teams; but so many of our guys came right from college into the organization, and I really do think it’s no different than a young college player walking in as a freshman and being embraced and being supported by a fanbase.”

There was too much to be lost by tanking the season, Olshey decided. He couldn’t expect his young players to accept a losing strategy for the remaining two months without harming their development – especially when the fans as well as Allen were continuing to support them regardless of results.

“A city of this size, with the support that they bring, how can you look them in the eye and tell them you’re going to put an inferior product on the floor consciously?” Olshey said. “When you get into this whole should-you-tank, should-you-not-tank, how can you ethically do that to people who support your team? I understand there are other reasons you lose -- you have a bad year, people have injuries, it just doesn’t work. But to tell people that support this organization that you’re not going to try? You can’t do that. You just can’t.”

There had been many reasons behind the trade: the draft pick, and Plumlee’s imminent free agency vs. Nurkic’s rookie-contract status. But the immediate impact of Nurkic’s size at both ends of the floor -- creating shots for Lillard and McCollum while also providing rim protection for them defensively -- was germane to Olshey’s desire to make something of this season.

“It’s very easy to talk about tanking on a blog or a message-board or a radio call-in show,” Olshey said. “But then go have a conversation with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Go tell them we don’t believe in you and your ability to get this group where it needs to go. We paid them because these were all high-character guys that love the game and continue to compete and grow and develop. If you change that priority and say, 'Take the last 30 games off because we are going to play for the draft,’ how do you get them to buy in again the following season? You can’t flip the switch. It is why the organizations that we all aspire to become in this league are who they are. And it’s also why the ones we are all afraid of becoming are who they are. It takes time, it takes patience, it takes building a culture and knowing that guys are going to come here because they have an opportunity to win.”

And so, he had made the trade for Nurkic not to tear down, but rather to replenish.

THURSDAY

One of the most difficult transitions of the season is to prepare on short notice for the fast-paced, floor-stretching Rockets.

“Do you know how hard it is to get 40 threes a game?” asked Stotts. As hard as it was for coach Mike D’Antoni to create those shots, it was even more difficult for Stotts to defend against them.

Houston’s offense revolved around James Harden, the 27-year-old MVP favorite. He was up against 26-year-old Lillard, a two-time All-Star who, in spite of his steady improvement, been overlooked for the last two All-Star Games.

“Last year when I didn’t make it, that might have been one of the best things to happen to me,” Lillard said of the 2016 All-Star Game. “Because when I actually wasn’t there and the game passed by, I wasn’t sad. And it didn’t kill my mood. I was like, OK, I can live with that. I don’t need the validation. And that is pretty cool, you know what I mean?”

He had realized what he already knew: That leading his team into the playoffs was by far the more fulfilling goal.