Following a speaking appearance at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on Friday, former NBA guard Damon Stoudamire answered questions from Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com regarding his career and time spent as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Stoudamire, a native of Portland, Ore., played for his hometown team during eight of his 13 seasons in the NBA. In the Q&A, Stoudamire touches on the "Jail Blazers" moniker, his relationship with the city of Portland, his thoughts on LaMarcus Aldridge leaving and whether or not he thinks Damian Lillard can be the guy to bring it back together for the Blazers.

Here's a look at what Stoudamire told Westerholm regarding Lillard:

"'Man, I'm praying for him, because they don't have a lot. I love Lillard. I just hope in a strange kind of way that the fans don't beat him down, because they start looking at his money and what he makes and putting it on his shoulders. ... I've been that guy where you are playing 40 minutes a night and you are getting numbers, but you are losing. The only difference is he's on a franchise that won 55 games, 50, so the expectation is different. I think if he does start to get beat down, everybody has to be accountable for that hit. It can't be on one guy. He didn't make any of those decisions himself.'"