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Neil Olshey talks LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers on Zach Lowe Podcast

Portland Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey joined Zach Lowe of Grantland on his podcast, the Lowe Post, to talk LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers' rebuild, and more.

By Brandon Goldner
Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Neil Olshey joined Grantland's Zach Lowe on the Lowe Post podcast released earlier today. Even though it's a little long at over 70 minutes, it's definitely worth listening to. Among the notable tidbits:

  • Olshey may have indirectly insinuated (note the qualifiers) that he sees CJ McCollum and Meyers Leonard as starters next season. When asked about new small forward Al-Farouq Aminu, Olshey said flat-out that Aminu will be a starter... no surprise there. Then, a bit later, Olshey talked about how Aminu thrives alongside other shooters, naming Damian Lillard, McCollum, and Leonard as shooters who would be playing with him. To be fair, that could mean that McCollum and Leonard just play significant backup minutes.
  • Olshey was also asked why he wasn't pursuing Tristan Thompson, but he sidestepped it.
  • Lowe asked Olshey about whether the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, which didn't allow the Blazers to give LaMarcus Aldridge a more lucrative extension last year hurt them, and Olshey said that it did. But he also said that it helps other teams avoid getting hamstrung by players at the end of their usefulness from demanding tons of years and money.
  • When asked, Olshey said he believes Aldridge will be a good fit with the Spurs. He also praised Aldridge for playing through a torn ligament in his thumb the second half of the season.
  • Olshey was also asked about reports claiming that LaMarcus Aldridge was prompted to say that he wanted to be the best Blazers player ever. Olshey laughed it off, saying he didn't think it came "from a very reliable media outlet... it was a blog or something." Lowe began to remind Olshey that it originated from Blazer's Edge, but Olshey cut him off, asking what he (Olshey) would gain from prompting LaMarcus to make those comments.
  • Neil Olshey is still a dues-paying, voting member of the Screen Actors Guild from his time as a soap opera actor.
  • Seinfeld is Olshey's all-time favorite TV show, and he and Lowe went through some Seinfeld trivia.
Unfortunately, the podcast made no mention of whether Olshey is planning to host a Pat Connaughton bobblehead night next season.

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