Lillard's and Aldridge's relationship. (He will come back Portland one day)

damianlillard · Aug 31, 2020

For the right price I wouldn’t mind having Aldridge back. He’s still a greater scorer, he was able to effectively stretch his game out to the 3 point line. He would be a great back up to Nurkic. He could start at PF but at his age he probably shouldn’t

e_blazer · Aug 31, 2020

Labinot41 said: ↑

"Aldridge will make $24 million next year, and co-star DeMar DeRozan has a $27 million player option. Near the NBA's trade deadline, the Spurs were rumored to be shopping Aldridge, but rival executives suggest the Spurs "overplayed their hand thinking they were supposed to get some giant package for him," one NBA executive said.

The Spurs could shop Aldridge again this offseason. Aldridge had repaired his relationship with Blazers superstar Damian Lillard, and one agent suggests the Spurs could ship him back to the Blazers."
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Whiteside sign-and-trade?

Labinot41 · Aug 31, 2020

damianlillard said: ↑

For the right price I wouldn’t mind having Aldridge back. He’s still a greater scorer, he was able to effectively stretch his game out to the 3 point line. He would be a great back up to Nurkic. He could start at PF but at his age he probably shouldn’t
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His price should be lower since he's becoming a free Agent next summer, i would love to have him back

Labinot41 · Aug 31, 2020

e_blazer said: ↑

Whiteside sign-and-trade?
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Very unlikely, Neil has to find other options

GhostOfPGA · Aug 31, 2020

Labinot41 said: ↑

Very unlikely, Neil has to find other options
Click to expand...

Probably would have to be something like Ariza+Collins for LA+11

riverman · Aug 31, 2020

No team in the league is looking to add more payroll next season...this a time for cutting salary not adding more..rookie deals have huge value as do draft picks

Lanny · Aug 31, 2020

Labinot41 said: ↑

https://theathletic.com/864563/2019...zers-milestone/#click=https://t.co/0QRgSkup4o

Mending fences: Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge find a connection on the precipice of Blazers milestone.

LOS ANGELES — The latest milestone for Damian Lillard will be among the more meaningful for the Trail Blazers star.

As early as Tuesday against the Clippers, Lillard can pass LaMarcus Aldridge as the No. 2 scorer in Trail Blazers history. And while Lillard says his eyes are firmly on surpassing Clyde Drexler as the franchise’s top scorer, he says eclipsing Aldridge will be special, in large part because of where their relationship has been, and where it is now.

For three years they were teammates, during which there was an unspoken tension. Lillard said he was wary of stepping on Aldridge’s star status; Aldridge said he didn’t want to stifle the youngster’s growth. So, they kept to themselves.

And after Aldridge left in 2015 in free agency to San Antonio, their interactions were marked with awkward handshakes and uneasiness of how each felt about the other.

“I didn’t know what he was thinking,” Lillard said. “But I knew in my heart that I didn’t have hard feelings towards him. And as it turns out, he didn’t have any towards me, but he thought I did towards him … so it was like, ‘What the fuck is going on?'”

Jamal Crawford thought the same thing. As a close friend of Aldridge, and knowing Lillard through sharing the same agent, Crawford felt there was an unwarranted disconnect.

So on the same Staples Center court where Lillard tonight will try to pass Aldridge, Crawford initiated what became the repairing of what turned out to be more than just a relationship.

It helped Aldridge find peace. It helped Lillard grow. And in the end, Aldridge and Lillard say it just might help the two reunite in Rip City.

Nobody knows how, or when, it started. But somewhere during the three years Lillard and Aldridge were together in Portland, both players feel like seeds were planted by outside forces to create tension.

“First of all, there was never an issue,” Lillard said. “He’s pretty quiet, and I was young. The fact that he was a quiet person and to himself, and I was young and didn’t want to overstep, there was never really a conversation. Because of that, there was room for people around him to say ‘Aw, Dame is’ … you know, to say whatever they want to say to get him to think what they wanted him to think.”

Said Aldridge: “He and I let people get in our heads. We let outside people drive a wedge between us.”

It lingered after Aldridge left the Blazers in free agency. Lillard remembers warming up the first time the Blazers played against Aldridge and the Spurs.

“I would be walking on the court and he would kind of look, and I would be looking and thinking ‘Will he shake my hand if I put my hand out?'” Lillard said. “Then at the last second, we would be like (he mimics a clumsy slapping of hands). It was like … weird. And that’s when I really started thinking about it — how me and this dude never had an argument, a disagreement … like, I don’t even know what this is about.”

Crawford, who is close with Aldridge and holds Lillard in high regard, could sense that something was amiss.

"I felt like I was the person who could relate to both,” Crawford said. “It was two guys who are both real dudes, who really like each other, but they weren’t necessarily talking, for whatever reason. It was crazy to me. It would be different if one person was fake, or the other was all Hollywood. But I was like, you are all the same. Let’s make this work.”

So in December 2016, before a Blazers-Clippers game at the Staples Center, Crawford — then of the Clippers — asked Lillard if he had spoken to Aldridge.

“Nah. We don’t really talk,” Lillard remembers telling Crawford.

Crawford remembers encouraging Lillard to contact Aldridge. Lillard says Crawford told him to “squash” the feud.

“And I was like, ‘Squash what? I don’t know what you are talking about,'” Lillard said. “And he was like, ‘Man, you all need to talk. You all need to let it go.'”

Shortly after, Aldridge said, Crawford texted him.

“Fix this shit,” Aldridge remembers Crawford writing.

Nobody can remember who reached out first, but both sides said it started slowly.

What’s up? (Send.)
What’s up? (Send.)

But soon, the texts became longer, and eventually it became evident both were earnest about addressing the wedge.

“Both sides put in the effort,” Aldridge said. “That’s why it worked.”

Comforted they were making headway, Aldridge dialed Lillard. What followed was a 35-minute conversation that changed their relationship, and perhaps the future of the Blazers.

For how closed their relationship was, this wasn’t the first time Aldridge and Lillard had spoken on the phone.

In the days before Aldridge announced his decision to leave Portland for San Antonio, Lillard called to make one last pitch for Aldridge to stay.

That short phone conversation was one of the ice-breaking points of Aldridge’s call to Lillard.

“He was like, ‘I remember in free agency you called and asked me if we could just talk, and whether I wanted to stay,'” Lillard remembers. “I could tell at the time that what I was saying was kind of falling on deaf ears … and he was like, ‘I was just over it at that point.'”

Then they got to why there was something to even get over. How did they get to this point?

Aldridge said he started by acknowledging he was cold to Lillard’s arrival.

“Being a vet, I didn’t handle him coming in well,” Aldridge said. “I didn’t want to make him think I was stifling his growth, or have a mindset that I was hating on him, so I didn’t say anything to him. That was the wrong approach, because he told me he would have liked guidance and a big brother.”

Lillard then explained to Aldridge that, out of deference, he didn’t ever say anything to the older player.

“I wanted him to know that I’m not trying to be The Guy,” Lillard said. “Put it like this: I never want people to think I’m not genuine. So if I go to him and say, ‘Man, I’m not trying to be this, you are The Guy, you the leader, I’m not trying to step on your toes’ … then at the end of the game, I’m walking in the huddle saying, ‘Give me the ball.’

“I didn’t know how to explain to him and say, ‘This is not me saying I’m better than you, or this is my team’ … this is me being as complementary to you as possible. So, how do I have that type of mindset and attitude and also be in his face saying, ‘I’m not trying to be The Guy …’? Would he truly understand it? It was tough for me. So that’s why I didn’t say nothing.”

The air began to clear. They found there was a deep respect for each other. They learned they both enjoyed playing together. And they realized that a lack of communication led to a giant misunderstanding.

“It was a good conversation. I feel like he said his truth, I said mine, and by the end of the conversation I was ready to just be like, ‘Well, shit, you want to come back? Like, what’s up?'” Lillard said. “That’s where my head was at. ‘Shiiiit. You ready to come back? Why not, bro?'”

If that conversation had happened before Aldridge’s free agency?

"You never know,” Aldridge said. “But of course, if we had a better relationship, it changes the whole outlook of how it went. It’s sad that not talking like we do now could have changed history. But everything happens for a reason. He has flourished in that role, and I keep telling him I’m going to come back and finish there. That’s something him and I have talked about — playing together again.”

In February, at All-Star weekend in Charlotte, Lillard said he noticed a notable connection. It wasn’t LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It wasn’t Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

It was Aldridge and Lillard.

“We were more connected than anybody else at All-Star weekend,” Lillard said. “Over the course of that weekend, we interacted on a genuine level. It was cool for us.”

It was there in Charlotte, amid a rekindling of friendship, where talk of reuniting resurfaced.

“Once we aired it out and realized it we never had an issue, it made it easy for us to reconnect,” Aldridge said. “It felt effortless to be around each other, so we were talking in locker room, joking about us in the pick-and-roll, and doing it again one day.”

At one point, Aldridge was asked if he could exchange jerseys with another player, who would it be? Lillard, he answered.

Lillard said he noticed in Charlotte that Aldridge was more at ease than he had ever seen him. There was a sense of freedom and peace within the 33-year-old.

“I think he is a lot happier. He was smiling a lot when I was around him, and he just had this different energy about him. You can tell. He’s in a different space right now. Hopefully one day he will come back and finish his career here. I think that would be a great ending for him.”

Aldridge agreed that he is happier, and he said Lillard is one of the main reasons.

“Fixing things with Dame helped, because there was this cloud of thinking this, and thinking that,” Aldridge said. “To fix that and to know that I can go back and he will welcome me and it is his team … that makes it better. I’ve just had a lot of time to grow and mature, and I’ve made my way here (in San Antonio) of being the guy kind of like I was in Portland, and it’s been a process … but I’ve just comfortable with who I am and what I’ve become.”

What he is not comfortable with, Aldridge jokes, is Lillard passing him on the scoring list, perhaps as quickly as Tuesday. Lillard needs 23 points to pass Aldridge.

“I said this was coming,” Aldridge said. “I remember when I got to No. 2, I said this guy next to me (Lillard) is going to pass me. Now, I’m not saying I’m happy about it, because I’m a competitor, but I’m definitely happy because of the person he is. He’s been a great ambassador for that city, which loves its basketball. It really couldn’t happen to a better person.”

For Lillard, there is one more player to catch — Drexler, whose 18,040 points could be topped in about two and a half seasons. But for the moment, he can’t help but reflect on the man he is about to pass and what could have been had he and Aldridge spoken more openly and sooner.

“If we would have talked about it, we would have still been playing together,” Lillard said. “There was a whole lot of that in our conversation. It was like … all of this could have been prevented.”
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I have it from an inside source that Aldridge was a prima donna.

riverman · Aug 31, 2020

Lanny said: ↑

I have it from an inside source that Aldridge was a prima donna.
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I have it on an inside source that he didn't win a ring playing next to Duncan...

Duckhook · Aug 31, 2020

Could a Lillard/CJ/'Melo/LMA/Nurk lineup even work? Not just the $$, but the chemistry? I'm assuming a healthy Collins and Trent Jr. would be part of any trade with Whiteside, but damn... that's 3/5ths of a potential starting lineup we'd be shopping for 1 PF. At this point as long as Pop is in SA, they won't trade LMA for a dollar less than his perceived worth... which is inflated.

riverman · Aug 31, 2020

Duckhook said: ↑

Could a Lillard/CJ/'Melo/LMA/Nurk lineup even work? Not just the $$, but the chemistry? I'm assuming a healthy Collins and Trent Jr. would be part of any trade with Whiteside, but damn... that's 3/5ths of a potential starting lineup we'd be shopping for 1 PF. At this point as long as Pop is in SA, they won't trade LMA for a dollar less than his perceived worth... which is inflated.
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Pop might not be coaching there next season...he's hinted at retiring

kjironman1 · Aug 31, 2020

Duckhook said: ↑

I'm assuming a healthy Collins and Trent Jr. would be part of any trade with Whiteside
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Oh boy getting rid of both Trent and Collins for Aldridge? Can i just say this?
ABSO FUCKING LUTELY NOOOOOOO!

HolyBackboard · Aug 31, 2020

I'd argue you can't play LA at the 4 in today's NBA. He's a 5 and we already have Nurk. Factor in that we don't have the salaries to make a trade work, I think all of this Aldridge-to-Portland talk is just that, talk. It's not going to happen unless Aldridge wants to sign here (for the MLE or less) next year and even then, he'd likely be the backup 5.

I don't see it happening.

BoomChakaLaka · Aug 31, 2020

No to Aldridge

another Whiteside baby

AldoTrapani · Aug 31, 2020

GhostOfPGA said: ↑

Probably would have to be something like Ariza+Collins for LA+11
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I would love that. I would trade Collins in a heartbeat for anything even decently useful

AldoTrapani · Aug 31, 2020

kjironman1 said: ↑

Oh boy getting rid of both Trent and Collins for Aldridge? Can i just say this?
ABSO FUCKING LUTELY NOOOOOOO!
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Who cares about Collins. He’s an injury prone fouling machine with butter fingers. But no way on Trent Jr. That dude is a stud..

RR7 · Aug 31, 2020

HolyBackboard said: ↑

I'd argue you can't play LA at the 4 in today's NBA. He's a 5 and we already have Nurk. Factor in that we don't have the salaries to make a trade work, I think all of this Aldridge-to-Portland talk is just that, talk. It's not going to happen unless Aldridge wants to sign here (for the MLE or less) next year and even then, he'd likely be the backup 5.

I don't see it happening.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Aldridge is a 5. Do we need to spend any or all assets adding a backup 5? Even worse, we'd like;y start him at the 4.
A whiteside S&T for him? For whatever reason SA would do that? I mean, I guess, if and only if, Jody is all in on a big LT bill. Otherwise, why?
I like a deal with getting 11 back, as someone mentioned, but why does SA do that? If they think COllins is worth 11, they still should at least to get A positive asset back for Aldridge.
Maybe there's a 3 way deal where it's Hood, Collins, Ariza AND 16 for Aldridge and 11. and then 11 going somewhere for a piece we'd like better than 16

AldoTrapani · Aug 31, 2020

RR7 said: ↑

Yeah, Aldridge is a 5. Do we need to spend any or all assets adding a backup 5? Even worse, we'd like;y start him at the 4.
A whiteside S&T for him? For whatever reason SA would do that? I mean, I guess, if and only if, Jody is all in on a big LT bill. Otherwise, why?
I like a deal with getting 11 back, as someone mentioned, but why does SA do that? If they think COllins is worth 11, they still should at least to get A positive asset back for Aldridge.
Maybe there's a 3 way deal where it's Hood, Collins, Ariza AND 16 for Aldridge and 11. and then 11 going somewhere for a piece we'd like better than 16
Click to expand...

LMA hates playing the 5. Give him the role this organization dreams of Collins ever doing

RR7 · Aug 31, 2020

AldoTrapani said: ↑

LMA hates playing the 5. Give him the role this organization dreams of Collins ever doing
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He used to. He played almost all of his time the past 2 seasons as the 5 there. He's older, fatter, slower

illmatic99 · Aug 31, 2020

AldoTrapani said: ↑

LMA hates playing the 5. Give him the role this organization dreams of Collins ever doing
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That was a while ago. He has played the majority of his minutes at C for the past three years.

Chris Craig · Aug 31, 2020

Aldridge will come back next offseason when he is a FA

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Lillard's and Aldridge's relationship. (He will come back Portland one day)

damianlillard Well-Known Member

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Lillard's and Aldridge's relationship. (He will come back Portland one day)

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damianlillard Well-Known Member

e_blazer Rip City Fan

Labinot41 Well-Known Member

Labinot41 Well-Known Member

GhostOfPGA The late great Paul Allen

riverman Writing Team

Lanny Original Season Ticket Holder "Mr. Big Shot"

riverman Writing Team

Duckhook Well-Known Member

riverman Writing Team

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