LaMarcus Aldridge about to become the 10th highest scorer in Blazers franchise history
by BlazersMakr on Feb 10, 2012 1:31 AM PST
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PrintTo start: Congratulations to LaMarcus Aldridge on receiving his first election to the Allstar game today.
This weekend, LaMarcus Aldridge is about to become the 10th highest scorer in Trailblazer history, by passing Kevin Duckworth. Having already passed Kiki Vanderweghe and Damon Stoudamire this season, Aldridge is about to add his name permanently into Portland lore.
Aldridge is currently only 35 points behind Duckworth.
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From a post I wrote this offseason, asking the simple question:
Could LaMarcus Aldridge, at the end of his current 4 year contract, already be regarded as the greatest Blazer of all-time?
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Blazers Career Point Scorers
#11 LaMarcus Aldridge 7153(0 points behind)
#10 Kevin Duckworth 7188 (35)
#9 Sidney Wicks 8882 (1729)
#8 Rasheed Wallace 9119 (1966)
#7 Mychal Thompson 9215(2062)
#6 Geoff Petrie 9732(2579)
#5 Jim Paxson 10003(2850)
#4 Jerome Kersey 10067(2914)
#3 Cliff Robinson 10405(3252)
#2 Terry Porter 11330(4177)
#1 Clyde Drexler 18040(10887)
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Could LaMarcus Aldridge, at the end of his current 4 year contract, already be regarded as the greatest Blazer of all-time?
No. But I’m really glad he’s taken his game to the next level.
So where do you see him
On the poll from the original post, what is your current feeling/answer?
by BlazersMakr on Feb 10, 2012 5:12 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
at the end of this contract, assuming roughly current production the next 3.5 years
he’ll be right around the #5 mark.
but it’s a highly subjective question
"But if Ding Dongs and prime rib were the path to NBA pivot stardom we'd all be wearing the uniform." -Dave
Aldridge
Current production would lead to Aldridge being the Blazers all-time leader in rebounds, off boards, and blocks, the #2 scorer behind only Clyde, and #7 in steals at the end of the 3.5 years.
by BlazersMakr on Feb 10, 2012 6:01 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
the point?
I don’t believe any ranking of “best Blazers ever” can and should be based off sheer numbers alone. I said that would put him in the top 5. any more than that is going to depend greatly on playoff success in my book.
"But if Ding Dongs and prime rib were the path to NBA pivot stardom we'd all be wearing the uniform." -Dave
Now that I'm awake, I see the guys already covered my response
He’d really need to be the alpha leader of a team who reaches multiple NBA Finals or wins a championship before he even gets into consideration for greatest Blazer. And when I say that, I take nothing away from him, he’s made The Leap and it’s been impressive.
At his current scoring pace
He would be the #2 scorer in Blazer history with in 3 years, at just above 11,600, with only clyde above him at 18,040. Considering LMA would only be 29 at that point, it is very possible he could play for 6 or 7 more years at a high level after that as well. Which would give him a very good chance of passing Clyde for the all time franchise scoring lead.
So yes, I think it is possible for LMA to be the best Blazer of all time once his career is over, but he will need at least some playoff success to go along with his scoring to achieve it.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
The math is rough considering he's become a 1st option now and the increase in productivity but he would end up being 2nd
at the end of his current contract with something like 13,607 pts. give or take.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
That's assuming he plays 79 games out of the year (based on excluding his rookie season and this season, he avg. 79 gm/yr.
Being a Blazer fan is not exactly healthy.
While it is unlikely that LMA will ever become the Greatest Blazer of All Time making the top 5 is pretty cool!!!
I mean seriously look at he names, records and total accomplishments of the guys in the top 10 – GEEEZ!!!!
Points alone doesn’t get it done. These guys did it while being part of truly great teams that had great playoff runs.
I hope that at some point in his career LMA gets the chance to add a deep playoff run to his resume.
LaMarcus All-Stardridge - 2012 All-Star Reserve!!!!
THE LAMONSTER ERA IS NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aldridge could definitely one day pass Clyde
he will likely be #2 at the end of his current contract. If he managed to win a title any time during his career here, it would put him in rarefied air as the best Blazer of all time above Bill Walton.
"We gotta get this $#!^ together guys!" - Phil
Yeah. It definitely depends a bit more on Bringing the team to contender status and hopefully a championship or 2
Than on his career numbers.
"Wide, girthy. Just like a Rhino. Sometimes my horns are visible."
Unless LA is here for a long time...
he will probably finish 2nd in scoring. He has a ways to catch up with Clyde. 10,000+ pts to go. Course, it doesn’t help that this year there are only 66 games…. gotta get into those playoffs.
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
slight change to yours
gotta win in those playoffs
win a couple titles here and he may very well get there one day
they’d probably build him a statue if he managed that
To pass Walton and Drexler, LMA would need to lead the franchise to a championship.
However, the only way LMA will win a ring is if he follows Mychal Thompson’s career path.
by going to the Lakers?
I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.
Mark Twain
Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain_4.html#ixzz1IE4sPu16
by Tyler Durrden on Feb 10, 2012 11:26 AM PST up reply actions
so you're saying there is no possible way for him to win a ring with Portland?
what is that based on?
I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.
Mark Twain
Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain_4.html#ixzz1IE4sPu16
by Tyler Durrden on Feb 11, 2012 11:29 AM PST up reply actions
I agree on the first part
as to the second part, who’s to say? None of us are fortune tellers here.
"But if Ding Dongs and prime rib were the path to NBA pivot stardom we'd all be wearing the uniform." -Dave
Yeah, I don't think anyone could have predicted the transformation he's made the last 2 seasons
If he continues to improve, I can see him as the centerpiece of a title team. But it’d have to be a deep team.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
the argument was always between those
who felt that Aldridge was making strides and still had room to grow and develop despite not always having those strides reflected in his numbers, and those who thought he was maxed out, plateaued, and had nowhere to go but sideways.
I’m very happy that the former were correct.
"If I had a dime for every basket I made today, you'd still suck!" - from the book 'John Dies @ the End'
Oh yeah, many of us thought he could improve a lot
what I meant is that I don’t think anyone could have predicted it with a reasonable expectation of it actually happening.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
it's nice to see it come to fruition
now it’s Batum’s turn
"If I had a dime for every basket I made today, you'd still suck!" - from the book 'John Dies @ the End'
Color me surprised that not only did he make a jump last season, but another one this year.
So yeah, this was unexpected.
So, if LA leads the Blazers to the NBA Finals multiple times, but fails to bring home a championship
And beats all of Clyde’s stats, he’s still behind both Walton and Drexler in your opinion?
Only if he wins a championship for the city of Portland can he overcome those 2 greats?
Walton’s 4 years, and 209 games with the Blazers, would outway anything Aldridge could possibly do because Walton was part of the Championship squad?
Clyde, for some unknown reason, in this scenario would still be viewed as a greater Blazer?
by BlazersMakr on Feb 10, 2012 11:43 AM PST up reply actions
I don't understand your reluctance to accept that he's a franchise player.
not the type that could lead the team to the championship on his own, but for sure a top 2 player on a championship level squad. and sure as hell not mychal thompson.
"Wide, girthy. Just like a Rhino. Sometimes my horns are visible."
Exactly...
Aldridge is 26 years old right now. He’s 5th in the league right now in points/game.
He’s already been honored with an All-NBA selection last year, and recieved an allstar nod yesterday.
He’s locked in as a Blazer for the next 4 years, so he’s going to be our leader for a long time; do we get to look forward to another 4 years of complaining that we don’t have Lebron, Durant, or Howard?
Since Roy stopped being option 1, he’s steadily improving from the 18/7.5 guy to the 23.5/8.5 guy that he is today. I’m looking forward to seeing how much more he can improve, knowing that he’s our beast.
He’s a superstar of the league and our franchise player. Lets enjoy him.
by BlazersMakr on Feb 10, 2012 11:59 AM PST up reply actions
"and sure as hell not mychal thompson."
Situationally, there are some similarities.
Statistically? No.
Stylistically? No.
Situationally? Yes.
From now on, I guess I’ll have to specify.
I'm inclined to agree
LMA is a scoring machine who struggles on rebounding, but has shown he can take it to the next level and be a dominant player. That’s not really a description of Mychal, despite the fact he was a very solid player for many years.
That's fair.
I was being lazy by using the direct 20-year comparison.
Plus, the ’82 team came to mind due to missing the playoffs.
Not comparing him statistically or stylistically to Mychal Thompson.
I’m comparing them situationally.
Oh, ok.
You could have also mentioned Jerome Kersey, Drexler, or Sheed, among others, so I took it as a kind of attempted insult. My bad.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
#11
For the sake of keeping Big Duck in the memory of Blazers’ fans, the conventional framework of “Top 10” should be changed to “Top 11.”
"He's not your Vydas or my Vydas, he's Arvydas."
Big Duck
Later this season, Aldridge will be pushing Duckworth to #11 in all-time rebounding as well…
I feel you on the Top 11
by BlazersMakr on Feb 10, 2012 11:46 AM PST up reply actions
yeah, if LaMarcus keeps playing at his current level, it won’t be long before he’s right up there with the best Blazers ever, which says a lot about how far he’s come and also something about how few truly great Blazers there have been— only one truly spectacular long time Blazer and one transcendent player who only stayed that way for a short time.
Whoa whoa whoa whoa...
So I’m noticing something here.
LMA is already ahead of B-Roy on the all-time scoring chart? When did Brandon get passed? I’m guessing it had to be sometime last season right?
I guess this kind of proves that even though B-roy was Batman and LMA was Robin, he wasn’t all that far behind B-Roy in total offensive output.
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they're not.
LMA was always trailing Brandon a little as they both rode up the scoring list
And he tended to be healthy while Brandon missed games. Once Brandon missed most of last season, LMA was able to pass him quickly.
Exactly what I was thinking
so where exactly is Roy on the list?
I JUST WANT MY BASKETBALL BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Sean in Vancouver on Feb 10, 2012 10:50 PM PST up reply actions
#10 is Duckworth with 7188, while Brandon Roy finished with 6107.
So he’s not too far down the list, but probably a few more spots down. Brandon only played two seasons with 70+ games, which hurts his point total.
While we overrate most of our players, LA still seems to be a little underrated by a lot of Blazer fans.
A few years ago, I criticized LA too, even though in all honesty he was still a very good player, but now I don’t think some people realize just how good he has become. Even I was suprised to realize he’s currently top 5 in ppg in the league. But he’s so much more than that. We ask so much from LA and he delivers. You have people like Jason Quick blaming him for the OKC loss after he scored 39 and should have had the game winning block because he’s supposedly not a closer. But how many power forwards are ever the closer? One thing I think that he doesn’t get enough credit for is his defense. As great as Roy was, his defense was severely lacking. And for whatever reason, defense doesn’t get the importance it should when it’s half the game. LA is one of the most versatile bigs in the league. How many players at his position go from guarding the interior to the perimeter regularly and are very effective at it. Having a player that can do that it is extremely valuable. And when it comes to overall value, i believe LA is top 5 in the league. Not too many teams ask more from their player. Nate rides him like nobody else and asks him to do everything. Camby calling him the best PF in the league is not crazy. Personally, when looking at everything, I’d take him over Love or any other PF in the league today. His game is the most versatile and complete at his position. As great as Roy or Drexler were, they could never say that.
Dre ain't got no love for these pros
The surprising one to me
Is Cliff Robinson.
I’m a Portland native, and have been following the team literally since day 1 ( I was in elementary school, but still). I must have been sleeping through the Cliff Robinson years. My recollection of him being the #1 option for many years in a row is very hazy. Uncle Cliffy was sort of the transition from the Clyde teams to the Rasheed teams, but I just don’t remember him piling up many nights of 20+ scoring, or being on the team long enough to be #3 all time
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