LaMarcus Aldridge & Jerryd Bayless for Al Jefferson
by roundhouse on Jan 21, 2009 2:56 PM PST
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PrintHi, wolves fan here.
This trade was brought up over at TwolvesBlog http://www.twolvesblog.com/forum/minnesota-timberwolves-den/27844-trade-big-al.html
There is mixed results over there on whether people would do it or not. So I was just wondering what Blazers fans thought of it/if you guys would do it.
Yes I know a trade like this would probably never happen and we don't particularly like the Blazers because you guys McFailed us out of Brandon Roy, but just wondering what you guys think, as fans regularly overvalue the players on the team they cheer for.
Personally, I think this trade works for both teams.
For the wolves, in LaMarcus Aldridge we get a young, interior presence that can play both positions and plays some defense. We'll lose some rebounding and scoring down low, but it wouldn't hurt as Kevin Love's forte is rebounding. We're also pretty thin at guard right now and Bayless has big upside.
For the blazers, in Al Jefferson you get one of the best offensive big men in the game and a rebounding force. He doesn't play much D, but you have Oden and Pryzbilla there to make up for it and I think they would fit well next to AL.
So, would you?
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Add my corpse too.
And I think that LA will prove a bigger (sorry, couldn’t resist) to our championship runs than our flashy stud PG Jerryd.
I believe that the coaches struck gold with LA receiving the ball at the foul line. Jerryd’s distribution
With this High/Low pairing now our featured set offense, LaMarcus will bust out streams of triple doubles and then make repeat appearances beside Greg at the all star game.
Good, good stuff.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
What a mess, sorry again.
- LA will prove a bigger asset.
*Jerryd’s distribution skills will become less important.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
Yeah, that's it in a nutshell
I wouldn’t even take Jefferson straight across for LMA. Not that Jefferson isn’t a fine player. But I think LMA is a better complement to Oden—at least to the player that Oden will become.
Of course, I realize that Wolves fans would reject LMA for Jefferson out of hand.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
you are both right on the money
Being a Blazer fan is fun!
by Blazermaniac77 on Jan 21, 2009 6:27 PM PST up reply actions
No I wouldn't do it.
I love AJ, but Lamarcus is more athletic and compliments Oden more. As Oden’s offensive game develops he will be anchoring the paint while LA would thrive in the high post.
On your end Bayless is going to be a very similiar player to Randy Foye, just more athletic. Neither is a true point, they are are undersized 2’s.
Wouldn't Al Jefferson on this team
Just fill in the role that Zach Randolph used to play? Pass the ball to the post, observe.
No
Al would never do hi-lo like Aldridge did during that Bucks game.
Al Jefferson is a great player
and i would be surprised if the wolves would want to trade him, (I would think you guys would to move Love for a legit center before Jeffs for another PF). We need a post presence who can pass and shoot the spot up J more than we need another post player. If for no other reason than being in the same division, this will not happen.
From the back of Travis Outlaw's Franz card: Travis leads the team in monstrous thunder dunks, wins awards for post game interviews, and often gets extra points for degree of difficulty.
yeah, al jefferson is hard to stop down low
but i’m happy with who we have and lma fits together with oden awfully well, better and better as the years go by
ignacio
No, no, no, and no
Jefferson doesn’t play any defense worth speaking about.
The minority of fans who complain about LaMarcus have never convinced me they care a about a thing except having the 4 play like a thug. I like LaMarcus’ offense, and I like how his defense is progressing. Keep him.
We still don’t know enough about Bayless to trade him away yet.
yeah
http://www.twolvesblog.com/forum/minnesota-timberwolves-den/27844-trade-big-al.html#27854
He certainly won’t be leading us to a title anytime soon, unless his defense improves exponentially.
That about sums it up from our perspective. Add to this the fact that He and Roy are best buds and then give this atricle a read
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/01/a_changed_aldridge.html
"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08
Sweeeeeet.
Thanks for quoting me, woohoo!
P.S. C’mon guys, do the trade with us! Please? Pretty please????
by College Wolf on Jan 21, 2009 4:48 PM PST up reply actions
that is kinda what i see from him also
he will be a great stat guy but I just cant see him winning a championship and possibly not even an all star game.
I just see him as a very skilled offensive player, but he will be one of those players that are highly skilled but not enough to load his team on his back and will them to a championship.
I just see him as a better Zach Randolph who only cares about his #s and not winning games.
"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08
Can't argue that...
Although, I’d take him over Zach R. every day of the week.
by College Wolf on Jan 21, 2009 6:05 PM PST up reply actions
I wouldn't do it, even though I think Jefferson>Aldridge
I may be the harshest critic of LaMarcus Aldridge on this site (I constantly harp on his love of the perimeter and his inability to draw fouls or defensive rebound) and I definitely would love Jefferson’s efficient shooting and rebounding, but I don’t see Jefferson being a great fit. As mediocre as Aldridge is on D, I think Jefferson is worse. Aldridge potentially can be a great fit with Oden due to his shooting. If it was just Aldridge for Jefferson, I’d do it (though most people on this site probobly wouldn’t) but the addition of Bayless is a deal breaker— we still don’t know if he’s the long term solution at PG but he has a lot of upisde and he has a chance to be a very good fit with Roy.
Boomshakalaka
A trade for Jefferson would have to involve shipping Oden... But then you've got two 4s on the floor and no real center...
"Now with a non-provocative footer!"
why?
why does everyone assume you can’t have two post presences on the same team? Worked fine for the Duncan/Robinson Spurs and the Lopez/Lopez Stanford Cardinal.
Either of the two would draw tons of attention, opening up lots of opportunities for O-rebs and tipins for the other one.
Boomshakalaka
Randolph/Curry
Just sayin’
"When I have the ball, I experiment." #5
by Sabonis4Ever on Jan 21, 2009 3:58 PM PST up reply actions
dual post players doesn't work when neither guy plays defense and one of them (Curry) is completely useless
When at least one of the two plays D and neither is incompetent, it can work. Its not the only way to go (I am not fundamentally opposed to a high-low pairing) but its not the kiss of death that some seem to think it is.
Boomshakalaka
Oden/Jefferson (right now) is closer to Randolph/Curry than Duncan/Robinson
I don’t see any problem in theory with dual post players, but don’t think Oden/Jeff would work well.
"When I have the ball, I experiment." #5
by Sabonis4Ever on Jan 21, 2009 4:14 PM PST up reply actions
Oden/Jeff for sure wouldn't be Duncan/Robinson- agreed
Duncan/Robinson had two hall of fame players, both awesome on both ends of the court.
At least initially, Oden/Jeff would feature one player who is inconsistent on both ends and one who is good on O and bad on D. It wouldn’t be ideal, but our D stinks already and I don’t think there’s much doubt that Jefferson is a more effective offensive player than LMA. If Oden could develop into a consistently dominant defensive player who could cover for Jefferson’s lapses, it could be a devastating pairing. With LMA/Oden we are relying on Oden becoming dominant on both ends— and I don’t think its a given that Oden ever becomes a post scorer as good as Jefferson is right now.
Boomshakalaka
But...
How much worse would our D be with Al Jefferson in the post and not Aldridge… I wouldn’t say our D is particularly bad because of Aldridge. He’s one of our stronger defenders.
Oden and Jefferson do seem like physical duplicates on the offensive end, with Oden having more size, and Jefferson having more polish. Duncan & Robinson worked because Duncan had a mid-range game, and they were (at the time) surrounded by perimeter players that could spread the floor and work both players into the offense.
As of now, I would say a close comparison would be Shaq and Amare, with Shaq being hugely more polished than Oden. Have we considered that a success for that system?
But what does having two post players do to Brandon Roy? Wouldn’t you be better suited having a Michael Redd-esque pure shooter than a playmaker/slasher like Roy?
"Now, you take a bobcat or a Jayhawk. You know they'll run if you give 'em the chance. But when one don't run, why, you shoot him and shoot him quick. Raef's my dog, Pa. I've gotta do what's right..." Old Yeller (1957)
by RoyGoesTheDynamite on Jan 21, 2009 5:34 PM PST up reply actions
remember this?
http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/12/17/696346/this-is-quite-interesting
Aldridge can make some spectacular blocks but when it comes down to stopping a good post scorer or rotating to help out, he’s pretty bad. He is part of the problem with our bad D, as is most every player on the team.
Boomshakalaka
You probably don't see much wolves games
they don’t have a single nationally televised game this year, but AL has added a midrange shot this year to his bag of tricks.
at the same time
Duncan/Robinson worked due to the fact that Duncan has a nice away from the basket game, much like LMA’s
As you have so much bemoaned, LMA does have a good 18ft J and with him having that you cannot leave him open.
I have been unable to find video of the last game and would love to see that high low sequence that they had. Hopefully we can integrate that more into the offense.
"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08
it really didnt work with ralph sampson and hakeem olajawon
as both were at their best when playing in the post and moving into the key. ralph sampson was embarrassed about how tall he was and took the opportunity more and more to show “hey, i’m not just tall, i can dribble and — oops! what the hell?”
ignacio
Twin Towers was probably a mistake
Houston should have drafted Jordan (they had Ralph already, who was a beast before he got hurt) and left us with (H)akeem.
But the Rockets just had to take the local boy…
by EngineerScotty on Jan 21, 2009 5:11 PM PST up reply actions
We'd all be wearing "Drexlers"
instead of Jordans…
"Now, you take a bobcat or a Jayhawk. You know they'll run if you give 'em the chance. But when one don't run, why, you shoot him and shoot him quick. Raef's my dog, Pa. I've gotta do what's right..." Old Yeller (1957)
by RoyGoesTheDynamite on Jan 21, 2009 5:36 PM PST up reply actions
Not really.
I’d trade jscot for a cute girl in a heart beat. Although the remorse might last for a second or two longer in his case.
hakkaa päälle !
You've never seen my picture
That would be like trading away one of our rookies before seeing how good they are going to be.
I know you can put admiration in bags, because admiration is real, and tominhawaii says that everything that is real is measurable.
You could be the most handsome man in the world ...
… which may happen once you rule it … and it wouldn’t make any difference to me.
hakkaa päälle !
Actually...
I care more about the cutey.
Addition by “HeeelLOOOOOOOO NURSE!!!”
Greg Oden, where posters happen.
That trade has 0.00% chance of being accepted on the Blazer end...
I like Big Al a lot, too. But no way, no how, I would give up LMA for him straight, let alone with the mighty Rex…
"Now with a non-provocative footer!"
Zbo minus the attitude would be a pretty good fit
If Al Jeff was willing to get a lot fewer touches playing with Roy and Oden, then his post scoring and defensive rebounding would be great. It may even be the case that Al’s defensive rebounding would offset the downgrade from LMA in the other aspects of defense.
Again, I don’t do this deal, but only because of Bayless. If its Aldridge+a 2nd round pick+cash or something like that, I’m on board.
Boomshakalaka
Listed below are the stat lines for the first two seasons of Jefferson & Aldridge
Year Age Games PPG FG% FT% RPG APG
2006-07 21 63 9.0 .503 .722 5.0 0.4
2007-08 22 76 17.8 .483 .762 7.5 1.6
2004-05 20 71 6.7 .528 .630 4.4 0.3
2005-06 21 59 7.9 .499 .642 5.1 0.5
No way do I trade Aldridge for Jefferson. Jefferson can score on anybody and is a nice rebounder. He’ll likely make at least one All-Star appearance. But what you see now is it. LaMarcus on the other hand still has plenty of growth potential to his game. If you have more than a passing interest in the defensive end of the game, then it becomes downright foolish to consider a swap like this. Aldridge is already a better defender than Jefferson and likely to get much better.
hakkaa päälle !
Jefferson was out of HS
LMA played two years of college. When statistical analysts compare players, they match based on age, not years of NBA experience. If we compare the seasons in which the players turned 22 (last year for LMA and ‘06-’07 for Jefferson—his 3rd season— I didn’t use this year because I wanted a full season), we find Jefferson had superior numbers in PER, True shooting %, offensive rebound rate, defensive rebound rate, block rate and win shares.
Boomshakalaka
You DO remember
the nasty remarks the Blazer brass made a couple years back about Al Jeff’s “psychological profile”?
Far more obnoxious than anything they have said about D——s M—-s.
Of course, this was Steve Patterson doing the badmouthing, not anyone with the current regime—and he was doing so in defense of the selection of Sebastian Telfair in the ’04 draft. But still…
by EngineerScotty on Jan 21, 2009 4:49 PM PST up reply actions
wow, that psychologist was a genius
passing Bassy and flunking Big Al? I’ll bet he was advising us to take Morrison and Redick over LA and Roy, also.
AJ/Oden
Criticize Aldridge’s love of the jumper all you want, but it’s going to free up Oden on the inside so that he can continue to laugh at single coverage.
Oops
That wouldn’t happen with AJ/Oden. They’d probably run into each other crashing the boards too.
No, on so many levels,,,,,,,,,,,
I try to help with everything," Fernandez said. "If the coach says go rebound, I go rebound. I work for the team.
""If I'm playing this game to get media and attention, I shouldn't be here," Aldridge said. "I'm here to play basketball, and do what I can do to help this team win."
Jefferson is a great scorer/rebounder (I know, he is on my fantasy team)
I don’t like this deal because of how well LmA fits with Oden and Roy. Not too attached to Bayless though.
"When I have the ball, I experiment." #5
Zach
We had Jefferson already, just that his name was Zach Randolph. (I’m only talking about style of play)
Inallthetime
Let this one soak in for a minute
On the T-Wolves blog, someone tried to make the argument that Telfair was better then Bayless. No, seriously. Good times.
Not a good trade. I like Big Al, but the high-low possibilities with Oden and LMA are too good to give away, Bayless is a perfect compliment to Roy, and it seems to be way too much to give away for someone like Jefferson, who would be a push for Aldridge at best
I want Greg Oden to tuck me in at night and tell me stories about the old times
Telfair is improving as a player...
and there are facets of his game that are better than Bayless. Anything having to do with passing the ball, for instance.
But Bayless does so many things (as a rookie) better than Telfair does as a four-year vet, it ain’t funny. Penetration. DEFENSE. If you gave Bassy four arms that were each four feet long, he’d still be a lousy defender.
by EngineerScotty on Jan 21, 2009 4:52 PM PST up reply actions
telfair IS playing better and i'm happy for him
i don’t think he’s a jerk like his cousin
if he had gone to college for 4 yrs at syracuse he’d be, uh… well… in his 2nd year as a pro or thereabouts. something like that. whatever.
telfair & foye.
ignacio
No
Oden/LMA is a pefect frontcourt pair in terms of skillsets. Bayless makes it even worse, this would drive me crazy
Jerryd Bayless = Marlo Stanfield
- Early stage Marlo at this point, but Bayless is the emotionless killer new to the game. He will take over, and there will be causalties – it’s just a matter of time.
On the plus side, it would add another player
to the list of those Blazers who’ve shared their last name with a former U.S. president. We’ve already got:
- Kermit Washington
- Jim Jackson, et al
- Brian Grant, et al
- Steve Johnson
Too bad Norm Nixon never played for us :)
You forgot this guy
Mike Obama from the 71/72 team
Larry (the new Johnnie Cochran) Miller: "If we get screwed, we're gonna sue"
by 92wastheyear on Jan 21, 2009 6:54 PM PST up reply actions
for Bosh maybe?
dude, Bosh represents the absolute peak of LMA’s potential. If you don’t make that deal in a nanosecond, I don’t know what to say.
Boomshakalaka
Indeed, that tentativeness epitomizes blinded, delusional homerism at its finest.
Undoubtedly, Chris Bosh is at least two levels above LaMarcus Aldridge as an overall player.
How many levels of fashion sense is he above Bosh?
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Jan 21, 2009 10:42 PM PST up reply actions
Well I could say NO, or maybe NO, but instead I'l just say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope I don’t come accross as rude. :)
Blazer's Edge Ambassador to The Dream Shake Blog
This Signature is dedicated to GREG ODEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ODEN the GOD of WAR, RULES in the ROSE GARDEN!!!!!!!!!
24 POINTS!!! 15 REBOUNDS!!! 2 BLOCKS!!! 2 STEALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya, real shocker, huh? :)
Blazer's Edge Ambassador to The Dream Shake Blog
This Signature is dedicated to GREG ODEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ODEN the GOD of WAR, RULES in the ROSE GARDEN!!!!!!!!!
24 POINTS!!! 15 REBOUNDS!!! 2 BLOCKS!!! 2 STEALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#12
Larry (the new Johnnie Cochran) Miller: "If we get screwed, we're gonna sue"
by 92wastheyear on Jan 21, 2009 6:55 PM PST up reply actions
Straight up for LMA? I'd think about it
but I wouldn’t include Bayless. Maybe a lesser piece, like Sergio.
I’d point out the bad defense, but LMA supplies plenty of bad defense himself, and AJ’s is more exposed since he’s playing out of position at the 5. LMA at the 5 is just as bad as Big Al at the 5 defensively.
For folks claiming that two post players can’t play together, I’m just going to point out the obvious, Larry Bird Celtics? McHale and Robert Parish seemed just fine both operating in the low block, and Bird posted up plenty too. (this is obvious, because Al’s actually developed a lot by obvious study of McHale’s post game, first at Boston and then directly under the man).
Classic back to the bucket guy.
His two main moves were setting up in the block and either spinning baseline for the dunk or spinning into the lane for a jumper 5 feet and in. I don’t think he ever took a shot from more than like 8 feet away.
by howlingfantods on Jan 21, 2009 7:46 PM PST up reply actions
No, as I recall, Parish took his share of 15-footers
And I was a Bay Area resident when Parish broke in.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
not many youtube highlights unfortunately.
but here’s a great extended look at the 86 title series between the celts and the twin tower rockets of Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. Not too many highlights of Parish (he’s like Roy – he was very effective but not flashy enough to get in highlight reels) but you can see he operates almost exclusively in the low post, and there’s a few good looks at their basic set of having Parish and Mchale both in the low post on each side of the bucket.
The 86 version of the celts is in my mind one of the top 3 or 4 squads I’ve witnessed (along with the 87 lakers and the 96 bulls) and what’s interesting about these highlights is how much of the Celts offense centered around Bird, Parish, and McHale (and Bill Walton off the bench) setting up in the low post even though they were up against the seriously intimidating defense of Hakeem and Sampson.
by howlingfantods on Jan 21, 2009 8:12 PM PST up reply actions
On a related note...
it’s good to see that Kevin Love is starting to look like an NBA player; perhaps Love for Mayo wasn’t quite the swindle that it looked like a month ago.
Mayo's also falling back to earth a bit.
Which I kind of expected somewhat – his shooting percentages at the start of the season seemed a little flukey.
by howlingfantods on Jan 21, 2009 4:59 PM PST up reply actions
Al Jefferson and LaMarcus Aldridge are both visibly flawed players, with piss-poor defense, inefficient ...
shooting, and an inability to draw fouls at an acceptable rate being weaknesses that are possessed by both of them.
I'm surprised Al Jefferson's TS% is as low as it is-- its only marginally better than Aldridge's
I’d still rather have Jefferson, due largely to his rebounding prowess, but the upgrade to Jefferson is not worth throwing in a potential Monta Ellis with better defense.
Boomshakalaka
I think what we're seeing from Bayless and Aldridge
is that Bayless is going to be a very efficient shooter who draws fouls, and Aldridge is showing flashes of being a great option in the hi-low with Oden. We can’t give up on either of them.
Jefferson rebounds better, but we already lead the league in rebounding, not to mention that LaMarcus is in the top few forwards in offensive rebounding.
we are awesome at offensive rebounding
but only the 8th best defensive rebounding team. Jefferson would help us limit 2nd chance opportunities for our opponents, which may very well overcome any downgrade from LMA to Jefferson in position defense (which wouldn’t be that dramatic anyway).
Boomshakalaka
LaMarcus isn't a bad rebounder
I looked at the numbers from 82games.com and our Power Forwards on average get more rebounds than the opposing power forward, and that certainly isn’t coming from Channing right now.
as Iggy says, they're both pretty good
and I don’t see LA as that rotten a defender. In fact, I see him as our best perimeter defender (not saying much, granted). I’ve seen Jefferson at the line plenty. LA not so much, but that results from three facets of his game, besides for not having the best handling skills around the basket:
- NBA Tenet: Don’t Foul a Jump Shooter! which he is
- You can’t foul someone on a shot you don’t challenge and defenders often don’t even try
- He’s not that strong, so on the block he fades away rather than fight through contact
For all the criticism of his shot selection, he has a beautiful jumpshot.
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Jan 21, 2009 10:51 PM PST up reply actions
I wouldn't
even trade LMA for Al. Let alone give away Bayless as a rookie.
A bit off topic
but the problem the T-Wolves have (besides an idiot owner, and until recently, an idiot GM) is that their two big men of the future—Love and AJ—are both big, bruising, back-to-the-basket types. While Love probably can play adequate post defense just by chewing up space; neither is good at stopping dribble-penetration, and AJ’s D is lousy by any measure.
On the other end of the Great Lakes, we have the fine city of Toronto—where the combination of Bosh and Jermaine hasn’t worked out well. O’Neal has had lots of injury problems in the past few years, but still can play—and his strength is defense.
Bosh is probably untouchable. Love is a young talent; the T-Wolves are a few years from contending anyway. So what do folks thing of an Al Jeff/Jermaine swap, with the Wolves throwing Jason Collins in for cap purposes? If O’Neal can stay healthy, its a potent front line the Wolves—Jermaine is a better fit with Love than Jefferson is. And if not—his deal is done after this year; thats $21 million off the books.
For the Raptors, they get an excellent frontcourt mate for Bosh, and a lower payroll—although Al Jeff has 4 more years left on his deal. Collins is waiver-wire material, obviously.
An alternate version of this trade, which would benefit two additional players needing a change of scenery, is O’Neal and Jason Kapono for Jeff, Mike Miller, and the ghost of Mark Madsen. Toronto should probably throw in a pick as well in this case.
I suggest posting this comment on a Minnesota T'wolves blog.
Let’s just say that the responses you’ll get for it will be brutal stuff.
Why do you hate...
us long suffering timberwolves fans so much Scotty? It isn’t enough that we don’t have Brandon Roy…. ohh why don’t you take Jermaine O’Neal, and like it.
I think you might find a “404 Error” at wolves fan sites a few days after any trade for Jermaine O’Neal and Jason Kapono.
You shouldn't feel bad about Roy/Foye.
At least McHale got stiffed by the best. But I gotta remember he ain’t running the show anymore, and make my T’Wolves trade proposals less… generous.
(Besides—there’s a rumor that McHale wanted Foye anyway, and drafted Roy for Houston who thought Portland would then take Rudy Gay—but that Pritchard figured that out and took Foye himself, breaking up the deal and leading Houston to take Gay and trade him to Memphis for Battier instead… have you guys heard anything about that?)
The Garnett trade, on the other hand—that’s like getting robbed at gunpoint by your uncle. Danny Ainge has no principles whatsoever. :)
by EngineerScotty on Jan 21, 2009 6:49 PM PST up reply actions
Besides... we DID have Jermaine O'Neal, remember?
Traded him for Dale Fracking Davis, we did. Curse you, Bob Whitsitt!
by EngineerScotty on Jan 21, 2009 6:52 PM PST up reply actions
Believe it or not, I think Blazer fans undervalue Aldridge.
Sure, we get to see his flaws. But I got to watch Monday’s game here in Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee broadcasters LOVED them some Lamarcus Aldridge. I know Our announcers think LmA should be an All Star, but when the opposition’s announcers are making the case for your player to go to the All Star game, then I think that says something. Heavy duty 10th commandment breaking there, to be sure.
That, and Michael Redd put Aldridge ahead of Roy as players to look our for on our team. Could he be a better rebounder? Sure. Could he be a bigger inside presence? Sure. But that’s not his game. And we don’t need him to be those things. That’s what Oden is for.
Aldridge is a perfect fit for us, and I would hate to see him go, period. But in exchange for Big Al? That just makes me cry.
Current Titles:
Official Blazer's Edge Poet Co-Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season
Official Blazer's Edge Ambassador to the Milwaukee Bucks
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their broadcasters loved LMA...
… because he was on fire from the perimeter, just as he was on the road in Milwaukee last year. If he’d made shots from out there at his usual rate, my guess is that they would have wondered why he didn’t go inside more. Most NBA broadcasters are terrible analysts. So are most NBA players. If the Bucks announcers or Michael Redd had talked bad about a Blazer, my guess is that you would have called them idiots.
The best thing about Aldridge’s game Monday night, by far, was his passing. If he can feed Oden the ball in a good position on a regular basis, the high-low stuff could be extremely effective. It made you wonder why we haven’t seen more of that. In that regard, I understand the sentiment that LMA is a perfect fit. I also think people are right to be wary of Al Jefferson.
The calls for LMA to make the allstar team, however, are badly off base. Among West big men (PFs and Cs), Yao/Duncan/Amare/Shaq/Dirk/D.West/Jefferson/Millsap/Gasol/Okur (not in that order) are all more deserving.
Boomshakalaka
They aren't the only ones.
McMillan and Pritchard love Aldridge.
Opposing coaches see him as the guy they have to worry the most about.
Other GM’s see him as the Blazer they’d most like to have.
It is only a few, misguided souls who seem to constantly find fault with LaMarcus. Most of us shake our heads and hope that someday modern medicine finds a cure for them.
hakkaa päälle !
Not just an All-Star
Some folks around here seem bummed that LMA has not turned into Tim Duncan.
by EngineerScotty on Jan 21, 2009 6:55 PM PST up reply actions
I saw that Michael Redd comment and cracked the hell up.
You mean a one-dimensional overrated jump shooter praised LMA for his game? Shocker!!! Whatre the odds!
by howlingfantods on Jan 21, 2009 8:15 PM PST up reply actions
Well
after that game I’m even more interested in acquiring a PF who has some idea how to get post position on offense and box out on defense.
Boomshakalaka
I thought LA was one of the few bright spots
his shooting kept Wallace out of the paint. They only got 8 offensive rebounds (there weren’t that many, though) and their 4’s, Wallace and Hickson totaled 5 rebounds. Our perimeter defense was weak on a night they canned everything from the arc. We did not lose this game by getting outmuscled
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Jan 21, 2009 11:04 PM PST up reply actions
wow, just wow
LMA missed about 5 boxouts and settled for 20 foot jumpers when guarded by Wally. I don’t know what game you were watching. LMA got 3 rebounds, Wally got 10.
Boomshakalaka
Was he guarding Wally?
I saw him mostly matched against Wallace and Hickson, except a spell in the first half when the Cavs went small. I went back through the game and saw Wally beat Travis twice for offensive rebounds and get a third when LaMarcus was doubling LeBron and no one rotated to block out Wally. 3 rebounds is not enough, but lack of rebounding that is not what killed us. Lack of opportunities for defensive rebounds did
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Jan 22, 2009 6:20 AM PST up reply actions
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