Crazy thought--Aldridge to New Orleans for their two lottery picks

Is it silly and/or unrealistic? I don't know ... An all-star forward-center in his prime, for a likely top 5 pick and a 10th (or so pick) in a draft deep with big-men.

I guess it would all depend on what New Orleans really wants out of this draft and free agency, because god knows they've got a ton of holes to fill.

 

Why would New Orleans do this? They need the multiple draft picks more than they need LMA.

 

No.

 

Hate the idea

 

First off, I'm not opposed to any strategy that has us continuing to look for a number 1 in the draft. Aldridge is a #2. So, for discussion sake:

Draft:
Robinson or Drummond
Marshall
P. Jones
Lamb

That would be a nice balanced draft. You could fill out the 4 position with what you have left. I think it would take a long time for this team to be any good though. It would make the Wizards look good. But, you would get some more lottery help the next year and maybe come out strong a few years down the road.

I think this would only be appealing if you really believed you could not pull in any free agents to make the existing roster and picks work. If you didn't do the trade, you could still end up with something like:

Dragic
LMA
Beal/Drummond/Robinson (whoever slips to 5, then try to trade up if you don't get lottery love)
P Jones or Lamb

which would be much better now and still give you lots of growth potential.

 

Don't get me wrong I like LA, but he's not the go to guy because he lacks one thing the best have, killer instinct. He just doesn't have it! Kobe, Lebron, Wade, KD, Nash, Rose all have it. LA is a #2 option. Portland needs a #1 guy! Without out it this team will be lucky to make the playoffs and they'll be booted out in the first round if they do to a player with that trait. Sorry but it's true! If we can get a real #1 option that's what Portland must do even if that means moving LA. This team can not just idle anymore.

 

Here's an idea: how about we trade OUR two picks for a player of Aldridge's caliber?

 

I'd be way more receptive to this than the idea of trading a proven player for a couple of lottery picks. Do the names Greg Oden, Darko Milicic, Shaun Livingston, Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Adam Morrison, Eddie Griffin, Shelden Williams, DerMarr Johnson, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Kwame Brown, Marcus Fizer, Jay Williams ring a bell? All lottery picks and all busts for various reasons. NBA-proven All-Star players in their prime should not be traded for lottery picks.

 

I don't give a rip if they do it in the draft or free agency but if this team comes back with Felton, LA and Batum as the big three, expect this year to repeat.

 

How many guys over 6-10 are known for "killer instinct"? Nobody you list is that tall. Only current player I can think of is maybe Nowitzki, and that wasn't always his rep.

Truth is that the NBA selects tall guys for athleticism/talent. There are so few people that height in the world that you just live with whatever motor they have. The ones who prove to have absolutely no motor (Olowakandi and Thabeet are classics) wash out. But even ho-hum energy/killer instinct guys like Shaq can still have fantastic careers if the size, talent and athleticism is there.

Star guards and small forwards generally have that instinct because that drive is one of the few things that can set them apart from the hundreds of others with similar talent, speed and size. It's an absolute necessity for a franchise "small," and we definitely miss having a guy like that since Roy broke down. But we could be contenders without it. If, for example, Oden had lived up to his potential we'd be contenders right now, even without Roy.

 

I like the idea from Portland's end, but I'm not sure what NO's motivation would be?

I also wouldn't mind the opposite and trade the two picks for a talent like Aldridge, but he would have to have a Batman personality and not a Robin, like LA has.

If the draft were to play out like it stands now (which it wont, but anyway...........) 3, 7, 10,11 is a good start to rebuild. Actually, a couple of those picks probably gets you a player of LA's talent that is a Batman

 

KD is over 6'10 now.... have you seen him next to LA, same height.... Hakeem, Shaq, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett for a better part of a decade, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin..... The point is still this.... we don't have a #1 option.. fair to say? We need one, without it we play par golf with teams hitting 4 strokes under.... Do any of you want this to continue? If not we may need to entice a #1 here and that will cost us, but it still must be done.

 

So New Orleans gets better, and Portland becomes New Orleans?

 

LMA is 8th in the NBA in scoring and hit a game-winning shot just before he got shut down for the season.

How is that not a #1 option? Unless you mean a superstar/MVP player as a #1, and good luck finding one of those drafting after #1 in most drafts. LMA made All-NBA last year, and will likely make it again this season unless his missed games are counted against him. Trading an All-NBA for some draft picks (that don't include the #1 pick) seems like a very bad idea to me.

 

Crazy stupid idea.

 

^You said it brother!