You’re beef is with jakesnake99

but I think he’s shown steady improvement across the board.

It’ll be interesting to see if he can become a dominating force next year. Tonight was a great game from him. Considering Duncan’s relatively poor performance, did we witness a changing of the guard?

I’ll just say that I thought the first half of the Spurs game was the best half of his career all things considered. Its just one game though. He has to be more consistent. Since the allstar break, he’s had 3 efficient games (LAC, ATL, SAS) and 4 decidedly inefficient games (Mem, @ Hou, @ SAS, @ Min). He deserves credit for rebounding better since the break. I hope it continues.

One thing that has been nice is our team D the past few games. We’ll see if it continues. During the coarse of the season, very passive help defense and some pretty bad 1v1 post defense from LMA has strongly contributed to our defensive problems. He has a lot of defensive potential and he makes some great plays, but he has a long way to go on that end of the floor.

LMA is a useful player and is ok as a 2nd offensive option, though I would rather he eventually be the #3 option, due to his well documented low true shooting %. I don’t take issue with people seeing him as a significant part of the future team, or loving his game, or believing in their heart that he can become great.

I don’t see how LMA can be called “underappreciated” when all but about 4 posters on BE seem to think he’s a future Chris Bosh.

What I take issue with is people comparing him to superstars like Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire. Those players were much more efficient at LMA’s age.

Most great players make “the leap” by their 3rd season. LMA hasn’t done it yet. His numbers are barely improved from last year (TS% is the same; rebound rate, block rate are down; assist rate and steal rate are slightly up; turnover rate is down; PER is up a tick). That doesn’t mean he can’t become great, but its not particularly likely. There are examples of late bloomers, and perhaps LMA will be one. We all hope so. He sure is a fun player to watch.

I LOVES ME SOME LMA!!!!!!!!!!!

My Homerism is centered on LMA. He rarely has a game that is so bad that I will criticize him for it.

Yes, I look at him through Rose Garden colored glasses and I always will.

He is my ma-crush. There I said it.

But don’t get any ideas that it means I am anything other than dyed-in-the-wool heterosexual. I have been loving women for 30 years and I am not about to change that now. I think that my man-crush more closely resembles blatant idolatry.

To me he is a basketball god and my Blazer hero.

I LOVES ME SOME LMA!!!!!!!!!!!

this is a trade deadline thread right?

Love or hate Rasheed, he played hard, averaged ~18 and 8, and he played great D. He led the team in scoring, was a defense leader, yet the loud voices wanted alot more on the court, besides the less they wanted off the court.

Now we have Lamarcus Aldridge. He does not come with the baggage. He is ahead of Sheed fitting in and finding his game. He is consistently improving, through injuries his rookie season followed by heart problems. He is on the cusp of all-star status, and is the #2 player on the team behind 2-time all-star and ROY BRoy.

LA is near the top of the league this season in offensive rebounds, while playing more outside than inside on offense, too! When his stroke is going, we basically win. That is, anything else going right for us on top of LA hitting that smooth shot, and we are pretty much unstoppable. That shot is a great complement to BRoy’s slashing. LA draws out the opposing bigs and frees up the paint. And he is going to the rim more, it is plain to see. I love to watch him roll across the lane this season with that baby hook.

LA will get to an all-star game or three. If all in the way is David West, LA will get by him.

NOW: How about showing him some love and calling him by his team-accepted nick of “LA”?

Good points all, well most anyways. I think the best descriptions of Aldridge, (not so subtle dodge of controversy), is that he is inconsistent but potentially unstoppable. He is a jump shooting power forward, who is 6’11". He has the speed to cut and run the break, as well as keep up with faster players on a pick and roll switch. His length gives him an advantage defensively, if he is smart enough to use footwork and timing to his advantage.

But the most valuable aspect of Aldridge’s game has nothing to do with HIS statistics. His variety of skills can create terrible mismatches for just about any team in the league. Mismatches disrupt defense, they make players sacrifice position and double team. When that happens Brandon Roy goes from All-Star to Superstar. When that happens role players like Blake, Rudy, and Outlaw are emboldened. When that happens, we beat teams in 24 minutes instead of 48.

Like it or not, Greg Oden hasn’t developed yet. He’s too young, has has too many set backs, and hasn’t mastered the NBA game. I believe he will eventually, and when he does we will be unstoppable. But not because he will supplant Aldridge. It will be because instead of two players who require a double team, we will have three. I believe Aldridge is that kind of player now in terms of skill, he just needs to have a more aggressive attitude about winning.

I see a good change in Roy. He’s hungry, he can smell the playoffs, and he knows that there are other teams who want to deprive him of his meal. Aldridge needs to get that same hunger. Beating the Spurs shouldn’t come from a battered ego, or a home crowd’s cheers. It should come because you’re not letting anyone stand between you and victory, regardless of circumstance. That’s how WINNERS play basketball, that’s how Jordan played. When we play in that frame of mind, we WILL win rings. Period.

Still shoots too many j’s, still doesn’t always go 100%, but he’s made great strides.

The idea that LMA is UNDERappreciated among Blazer fans is like saying cheese is underappreciated in Wisconsin. Hilarious.

Look, did LMA play a heckuva game last night? Yes. Yes, he did. He was great.

Has he played that way most of the season? I don’t think I need to answer that.

As others have detailed above, LMA generally hasn’t looked much better this year than he did last year. He’s yet to make “the jump.” He doesn’t rebound well. He doesn’t score efficiently. He doesn’t force regular double teams down low because he doesn’t go there enough.

Those are facts.

He’s showed improvement lately, as his jumpers have looked better and he’s drawn more fouls. That’s promising, for sure.

But to say he’s underappreciated amongst a community that laughed at the mere suggestion that he would be included in a deal for Amare? The same Amare who’s a six-time all-star at the age of 26?

I’m not saying that deal should have been done… but at worst, LMA is fairly rated around here. At. Absolute. Worst.

Hopefully the game last night was the beginning of something great. Hopefully he makes the “jump” down the stretch and into the playoffs and becomes a legit all-star candidate next year. Hopefully.

But he’s not there yet.

I get the seventh rec.

Hmmm. Sounds like a bad myspace band.

Great post though. I love LaMarcus’ game. I was surprised Nate didn’t mention him in the post-game. His running the floor put pressure on the Spurs, and tired out their creaky old legs.

Among Blazer fans he is the most underappreciated Blazer. I laughed out loud at Blazersedge giving the first third of the season MVP award to Przybilla. I love Ghostface as much as the next guy but….MVP? Hahaha! I think people might be a little spoiled by Roy’s especially quick development into a perennial all star. So sick of the Blazer fanbase nitpicking.

He would be a rookie this year if he stayed in college. Quote it, At 25 LaMarcus Aldridge will be quite Duncanish.

Yeah he shoots too many j’s and picks his spots but I’ll take him with no statistical analysis to back up my position…again.

leads a lot of +/- metrics and I think he has a Shane Battier esque effect that doesn’t show up in the box score. He tips a lot of boards to guards, he pulls opposing big men off the glass, he doesn’t turn the ball over or foul very often, he is very good at defending smaller players, he spreads the floor and opens up the paint, he is an excellent offensive rebounder, he runs the floor, he is starting to add savvy vet “up’n’under” moves to get to the line and he is just now beginning to spin toward, rather than away from the paint.

LMA came in as a project and has done very well. I will take a consistent 18/8 any time, though by spinning toward the hoop and not having to switch onto pgs as much, I bet we see him average 20/10 in 2 years.

Aldridge has been doing this… continued consistent improvement in all facets of his game and we can’t hope for anything more out of all of our young guys.

By LA doing this, he is leading by example. While B-Roy is undoubtedly the team leader, LA is leading by example and letting his game translate on the court.

I believe in coach Nate and company to continue helping rising stars like Aldridge, Roy, and Oultaw, heck our entire roster, to get better and improve time after time…. There are not many teams that actually work on developing their youngin’s. This is why I believe in players like Oden and Martell too, this staff is too damn good at developing young talent for any of us to simply give up and say trade these dudes now.