Whose team is this?

Going into the season, it was thought this was LMA's team. I'm not so sure. It seems the assertiveness and leadership is coming from other places a lot more than LMA (Dame, Nic and Wes) and the willingness to just get down and work is led by Hickson.

As others have said, the longer time goes on, the more I see Rasheed in LMA, great talent but doesn't have the killer instinct to use it. More willing to get by with "pretty good".

Yes, I realize there may be health issues, but at this point, if the right deal came along for LMA, I wouldn't be opposed to parting with him.

Gramps...

 

With Hickson re-signed, trading out Aldridge would be the easiest of our best players to recover from. I've always thought a high quality team can afford one weak defender, but with the way Aldridge is playing we've got three weak defensive starters (Lillard, Hickson and LMA), and it's too much of a hole. You hope Lillard matures into a good defender, and Hickson brings you rebounding and is going to be cheaper to keep.

I'm beginning to come around on LMA for Noah.

 

I don't really care who's team it is. Why does it have to be anyone's? Right now you have 4 intelligent players in Wes, Nic, LMA and Lillard. All with different types of skills. Players who have the best ball handling skills will have the ball down the stretch, but that doesn't mean it is "their team".

I know if is fun for some of you to always be putting together a trade that will magically get the Blazers to the finals. Replacing a LMA will be tough. Noah and JJ in the front court is not it.

Let it fucking bake. (Unless something truly magical is offered.)

 

I don't think Lillard stepping up should make trading LMA a good idea. Sometimes, having a really good player in the lineup makes things easier for others. Trade LMA for someone like Noah, and it puts a LOT of pressure on all of our scoring now strictly coming from 3 wing players. Start seeing a lot more 75 point games, I imagine.

 

You eventually need a leader but for now I agree with you. This season is a low expectation season and we are still figuring out what we have and who fits where.

Trading LA is the worst idea that Ive heard in a long time and people wont let it go for some reason. Seriously who do you realisticly expect to get that is better? If we traded LA for Noah I would puke. I maybe could have been talked into a Harden for LA deal but you need a solid big to get anywhere in this league and I think the LA/Lillard combo is going to be sic, they are a pick and pop dream. Downgrading our PF to upgrade our SG would have a negative effect on Lillard, IMO.

Let it bake!

 

This is definitely Lillard's team if you look at rough win correlation. When Lillard's offense is on and he isn't being torched by his counterpart, we win. We are 6-0 when his ORtg for a game is 111 or higher and his DRtg is less than his ORtg.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lillada01/gamelog/2013/

Click on advanced stats, and sort on ORtg.

This team clicks when Damian outperforms the opponent's guard(s). When a guard takes advantage of his defensive problems, or Lillard is not shooting well (allowing the opponent to double Nic or LMA) we struggle.

 

I'm not saying trade LMA for a box of Cracker Jacks (or a case of Twinkies whose value have risen), much the opposite. If the right opportunity comes along, do it. By no stretch of the imagination do I think Noah is even close to the right opportunity.

Going into the season I was thinking LMA was the most important player on the team. I no longer think that and think we do need to do something to get more toughness inside and it isn't going to come from LMA.

Gramps...

 

If the right opportunity comes, sure, move him. But if the right opportiunity comes for any player, you move them.

 

I agree with you and Im always open to trading anybody for the right price. I just dont see us getting the same value for LA. I think to get that inside presence we just need to get a center thats a banger. Hickson does an alright job but imagine how LA would we if Oden worked out or Hibbert hadn't been matched by Indy.

 

LMA could be more of that inside presence, he did well on the block last year, and was improving there, for sure. And now we have a much different offense that does not feature that as often. Dallas never had that either. If we keep LMA on the high block as often, I don't think adding someone else is going to change that.

 

I'm most curious to see if LMA's "sluggishness" is hip related and is just a matter of playing back into shape or not.

If it's looking more chronic than not, I guess they should trade him, but then you have to consider that the team you are trading him to is going to perform their due diligence and discover that he's not right physically and then gain any leverage in the deal.

If it's just a matter of him getting back to the form he was in last year and the year before then I don't see much reason to trade him.

 

Lillard may be the MVP on the team in terms of offense (And that is debatable) but that does not make it his team. Bill Russel and Magic Johnson were seldom the highest scorers, but it was their team. But both of those teams had multiple leaders as well.

 

Dame will be fine. His D is already improving quite a bit.

 

This will soon be Lillard's team. No doubt. I would trade Aldridge if the right move came along, but we don't have to make any decisions right away. The guy is signed for at least one or two more years. I just don't like his mindset.

 

Not really the point. The point was just because you are the best offensive player, doesn't mean it is your team. Lillard is the guy I want with the ball in his hands with the game on the line. That alone does not make it his team. (But it eventually will be his.... no doubt)

 

This reminds me a lot of when Zach was the Chief and Roy came in as a rookie. It was Zachs team but as the season went on; it started getting pretty clear that Roy was earning that spot.

 

Mags that is a good point but the difference is that I don't think Zach and Roy's personalities could coexist. I believe Damian and Aldridge can coexist and even be really amazing together eventually, clearly Damian has better leadership skills than Aldridge naturally so it appears Lillard will take over ownership pretty soon if he hasn't already.

 

Make it easy, trade LMA when his value is high for pieces at the 4/5 and/or picks that we need.

 

I don't think we can underaestimate how nice it is to have four players on the court at once who are enough of an offensive threat that doubling is very difficult for defenses. Trading LMA weakens us unless we get another threat at PF or C to fill in the blank.