Aldridge. The Man.

I was thinking of something more where nationally he’s just assumed to smash you to pieces. Hopefully next year the blazers can expect it and shrug with a smile while the national media are still left gaping.

He needs to carry this over though. He didn’t do that last year, so here’s hoping he does that htis year.

that’s always been a strength of his. It seems to me he’s tougher and more determined since the break.

LMA’s biggest problem on both ends has been aggressiveness (or lack thereof) and strength, with the lack of strength helping create the lack of aggressiveness. He is getting stronger, NBA-PF strong, and doing whatever he wants out there.

He’s the type of guy who really practices and refines his moves, and won’t try out stuff in-game until he is comfortable with it. That’s why we haven’t seen much put-the-ball-on-the-floor moves, and you can almost tell what move is coming up because he has been mechanical (rehearsed even) with it. Now, he has expanded his repertoire and is recognizing when and where and how to use each move in his toolbelt.

That sweep across the lane baby hook is unstoppable. I love that shot.

He can establish position against most anyone now (no more getting pushed out to twenty feet). He is longer and taller than many centers, let alone most PFs. In the past he has always been effective inside, but relied on the jumper too much because he couldn’t get good position inside. That is starting to be a thing of the past.

It helps that, in addition to being stronger and more confident, he is able to at least put the ball on the floor for a few dribbles to set up the running baby hook. His long strides and quickness make it all the easier. So, being pushed out by a stronger defender is less of a problem now.

We’re really seeing that 3rd year jump now. We started to see it before the concussion, and I was really worried it would evaporate or be sporadic after he crumpled to the floor while being aggressive. Thankfully, he came back just where he left off, and then some.

It’s really fun to watch. Running, dunking, perfectly executed post moves, nice passes… this is the jump.

Ironically, if he wasn’t playing so well and putting the game out of reach through 3 quarters, his numbers would be even better. And just like Roy, LMA’s numbers would better reflect his play if our pace was simply faster— creating more shots, more easy buckets, and more rebounds to inflate his stats. But, yeah… I won’t lose too much sleep over it.

Mortimer

but I don’t agree with the “knocking him back” idea. I think since the concussion he’s been more explosive and aggressive.