The Trail Blazers acquired Gerald Henderson last summer to add leadership and experience to a rebuilding roster, the idea being that he would be a perfect one year piece in a transitional season.
But as this transitional season enters its final days, a curious and perhaps unexpected development has emerged behind the scenes. Henderson has grown comfortable in his new city and smitten with his new organization and wouldn't mind remaining in Portland long term. Ralph Lauren online What's more, his teammates, including some of the Blazers' most important players, would love for him to stay.
Henderson will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and his blend of scoring, leadership and unselfishness will be a sought after commodity on the open market, particularly at a time the NBA salary cap is expected to balloon by 29 percent.
And while he hasn't done much deep thinking about free agency or where his next adventure will take him, Henderson, 28, has allowed himself to contemplate a future in Portland. Over the last six months, he's grown close to Lillard, become a respected leader inside the Blazers' locker room, carved out a role he likes as a scoring guard off the bench and learned to embrace Portland and the West Coast.
"I'd love to come back here," he said. "If they want me back and we can come up with a contract that makes sense, then I'd love to come back here. This has been a great year. I was just telling the guys; this has probably been one of the most fun teams I've been on. This has been one of my most fun years. Because we've really worked for this. We've really earned this. It's a tight group, a great group of guys."
The Blazers will have at least six free agents this summer, including younger restricted players like Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard and Moe Harkless. There won't be nearly as much turnover as there was last offseason, but there's no question a roster that has exceeded expectations will be infused with some new blood. Heading into the season, Henderson seemed to be a one year stopgap perhaps even a candidate to be traded at the deadline but after evolving into an important voice on the NBA's third youngest roster and a key rotation piece for a team that has drastically exceeded expectations, his future seems more open ended.
And while you might think that a player who has started the bulk of his seven NBA seasons would long to regain that role, Henderson says that won't guide his next move. He's grown into his role in Portland and yearns simply to be what he calls a "big minute player."
"You've got to obviously look at all your options and pick the best situation for you," Henderson said. "I can't say where that is now. None of that talk has really started and we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But coming back here would be great. This has got to be one of the top organizations in the league. I've only been on two. But the way they treat the payers, the way they run things day to day coach (Terry) Stotts is great they do things the right way."
It took time for Henderson to find his footing in Portland. He missed training camp and nearly a month of the season rehabilitating from offseason hip surgery. And when he finally returned, Henderson licked his wounds a bit as he learned Stotts' system and felt out his place alongside a roster of new teammates.
He was brought to Portland to be a leader. But that's challenging, if not impossible, to do when you're barely playing, so Henderson had to be patient and believe that his talent and voice eventually would surface. Sure enough, it came, right around the turn of the year. Ralph Lauren online And just as he rediscovered himself, the Blazers, perhaps not coincidentally, started playing their best basketball of the season.
Months later, Henderson has emerged as an important voice in the locker room and during games, quick to speak up in timeouts and huddles, willing to nudge and even call out teammates on the court when things turn sideways. Lillard is the Blazers' unquestioned leader, but Henderson has evolved into one, too, only with a different style and demeanor.
"I'm a guy who's going to put my arm around you and I'm going to be like, 'You need to work, you need to get better, and I'm going to support you,'" Lillard said. "He's like, 'I don't care, this is what has to happen.' And you need guys like that around. He's earned guys' respect."
No one is safe from drawing Henderson's critiques, including Lillard, who more than once has heard from Henderson during a game. The most glaring example of Henderson's tough love came in a February win at Houston, when he yelled at Meyers Leonard for failing to set a screen, which squandered an offensive possession. Later that night, in the postgame locker room, Henderson sought Leonard out to rehash the play and get on the same page.
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