Now that Roy will be out awhile, this is the perfect time for LMA to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and, effectively, put the team on his shoulders. We've seen glimpses of that this season, but certainly not on a consistent basis. However, now is his time to shine.....and in a big way. The guys on this morning's MSP were basically complaining that LMA almost has to have a chip on his shoulder (stemming from the fans'/media's griping) in order for him to play with passion/emotion. The guys were then asking, "Why is that? Now that he has his contract, along with all the expectations, why can't he motivate himself to play with fire instead of having to be prodded in various ways?" It's a good question. Nonetheless, here's to you, LaMarcus. Take up the mantle and run with it, big guy!
Thats the "Motor" issues I have been talking about. He seems to have problems getting going unless somebody gets him mad. The problem is, Brandon needs somebody to help him with the scoring on this team, and he is not getting that help. I swear I am just going to start bringing a big sign every game that says in big letters "Lamarcus is a Pussy" just to get him mad. I really like Lamarcus as a player. He has all the tools, except for the mindset. It kind of reminds me of Josh Smith. Josh Smith finally came in this year and stopped jacking up 3's and outside shots and started going to the rim. His shooting percentage went from 45% to like 58% and his game went through the roof. All because he stopped jacking up outside shots.
IIRC, Rasheed had the same type of (lack of leadership) issues while playing here. Was content with simply being second or third fiddle.
LMA lacks a great handle which really limits the amount of offense he can create for himself (exhibit A, just look at how many times Dalembert poked away the ball the other night when Aldridge was in the mid post trying to back him down). LaMarcus will probably always be most effective as a high post guy who can mix in a mid range jumper with occasional back to the basket moves, but if anybody is expecting him to become a dominant go-to scorer then he's going to have to tighten up his handle and probably improve his lower body strength, that can't happen until the off-season. While we're waiting for that I'll just be happy to see him improving his attacking the glass going after offensive rebounds and continuing to improve his aggressiveness and notching up the intensity on defense.
Some guys are just wired that way ... It's a trait that I'd call more inherent than learned. And frankly there's nothing wrong with that; you can't have 3 alpha dogs on the same team for very long, eventually the friction leads to a breakup (see Kobe and Shaq)
that his blocked shots have fallen off so much combined with what I'm seeing in general leads me to guess that his ankles are still compromised. That said, dude's #s have been going up since Greg went down and he got his old role back... not coincidentally so had Roy's. The easy filter on my fantasy page reveals he's averaged 20 points on 51% and 13 boards for the last week. That he seemed to be much more spry as the week went along bodes well for whats to come (for my fantasy team too ) I don't blame him for taking a step back when asked to, in fact thats to his credit. That his stats have taken off once put back into a starring role indicates whats really what with him. STOMP
Don't forget he's also been nursing a pretty badly bruised knee for some time that he picked up against the Thunder early in the year. I dunno, I'm an LMA fan so I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt (deserved or not) hopefully what we've seen in the past few weeks is a sign of things to come and not just a blip on his season.
He's playing centers half the time... not something that is simple to adjust to. Someone else is going to have to step up... Bayless or Miller. Howard is already playing as well as we can expect.
ABM, I think you meant: "Will The REAL LaMarcus Aldridge Please STEP Up!" Actually he already has the last few games. I've seen a tougher more determined LaMarcus lately, but he's really going to have to bring it tonight.
He's been a major disappointment this season. He blends in rather than being that threat behind Roy. He's more Joe Smith than he is Rasheed.
Can't say I been on the bandwagon with LMA lately. But, this is a big next few games for him. This will decide a lot for me.
I think you got that backwards. Joe Smith is a defensive beast who plays hard all the time. Sheed is a power forward that shoots 5 three pointers a game and is allergic to the paint. Which of these describes LMA best?
LaMarcus stood tall tonight. Great game! He caused Wallace to foul him 3 times, Garnett to foul him 2 times and Davis to foul him 1 time. That's about 2 more than he normally does. And, he easily should have gotten another one. His efforts to get physical pressure on his opponents, especially the big men of Boston, helped to put Portland in a position to go into Boston and steal one on the Road.
No doubt. LaMarcus has stepped us his game. It's great to see. He's going to be more sore physically every day, but he'll feel better about it.
I still can't stand watching him play. I hate his game. One post move that he misses most of the time. Other than that, he shoots wide open long jumpers and long fadeaway jumpers. He has never made a move to the hoop while facing up. It frustrates me very much.
I think you summarize his most glaring flaws right now. I saw him over the summer, just by happening, and was startled by how skinny he was in the lower frame. This despite being praised for the weight he put on over the summer--allegedly. The Dalembert matchup was interesting. Despite being smaller, I thought LaMarcus could use his speed and quickness to either drive over the lane on Dalembert or spin on him because he was playing LaMarcus so close. He did neither. I think the skills are there, but maybe not the confidence. I dont know. He's a bit of an enigma. He impressed the hell out of me in the Houston series last Spring with some newfound moves, but he hasnt displayed anything new this year.
Where the F is his drop step. I've never seen a big man who couldn't at least do a basic drop step. Last nights game Garnett was all the way on the top side of him and all Aldridge had to do was seal him. He tried it later in the game and rushed it so bad he missed the gimmy layup. Banyo needs to spend a summer with this kid.
THANK YOU. Garnett was giving LaMarcus the baseline more than I think I've ever seen, yet LaMarcus seemed incapable of turning to his right and going. He finally tried it and missed the easy layup.
