Buckner: LaMarcus Aldridge Says David Lee "Made Me Look Better" With All-Star Snub Talk

Earlier this week, Golden State Warriors forward David Lee said that he could have been an All-Star last season instead of Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge if the two teams' records had been reversed.

If you look at my numbers around All-Star [time] last year and all the stuff we were doing. LaMarcus Aldridge makes the All-Star team, and I don't. I think if Portland and Golden State's records are reversed, it's probably the opposite way [and I make the All-Star team]. And he's a great player; I'm not talking bad about him at all. But I think all the All-Star appearances, all the respect you want to get, that comes with being on a winning team.

On Friday, Candace Buckner of The Columbian reported Aldridge's response to the comments.

"Nah, that don't bother me. Whatever he has to do to motivate himself. I'm not offended by that. One of the key quotes he said is that I have more wins. That's a big part of the NBA I thought, was making your team, ya know, win games."

"I can't take offense to it because I think he might have been trying to throw a punch but he just made me look better because he said my team had more wins than his so that means that I must be leading my team in the right direction. So, I don't have anything bad (to say) about that. I don't care. It doesn't bother me."

Although Aldridge expressed twice that he wasn't bothered by Lee's comments, his tone and choice of words revealed that he didn't exactly care for them - no matter how many times he said he wasn't offended.

Aldridge finished with 18 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 26 minutes. Lee finished with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 setal in 35 minutes. Aldridge and the rest of Portland's starters sat out the fourth quarter; Lee and the Warriors' key players finished out the game late.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter