I admit that I have been an Aldridge apologist. He's shown flashes of brilliance over the years. He's a talented guy. He's usually pretty consistent, and my expectations have never been very high. I figured maybe one or two All-Star games in his career, and that's still possible. The reality that has punched us in the face during the Phoenix series is that Aldridge can not produce under any sort of pressure. If he's doubled, he wilts. If he is asked to be "the man," he wilts. If someone pushes him, he wilts. Obviously we've made a lot of jokes about him being soft over the years, but this is fucking ridiculous. His team needs him and he hasn't produced shit in the last two games. We just gave this guy a big contract and he isn't producing squat. I'm becoming less and less impressed with him as a player. He and Rudy have really mailed it in this series, when we needed them the most. Who has guarded him? Jarron Collins? I mean.... come on! Double team or no double team, he should be good enough to either find the open man or shoot quick enough that the double can't affect him. The Suns have been killing us with second chance points. That's on Aldridge. Camby is doing his part. He can't box out the whole fucking team. Brandon Roy or no Brandon Roy, I have been VERY disappointed with LMA.
Without Roy it is pretty harsh to bag on LMA, I mean the guy has taken the role of the 2nd option all year. It is not exactly easy to hit the switch and change your game because the main guy went down.
The problem is, he hasn't really done squat. How can Miller do his thing when the Suns know that Aldridge is struggling? The reason why we won game one is because Aldridge came out hot and they had to focus on him. After that, Miller took over and we won. Since then, Aldridge has been a ghost. If we aren't getting any offensive production from every position but point guard, that doesn't bode very well...
It's not harsh at all....it's accurate. LMA competing has nothing to do with Roy or anyone else. LMA needs to decide what he's going to be. There is no fire in the guy. When you are the 2nd highest paid player on a team you are a leader whether you like it or not... and he's leading the wrong direction. Pathetic.
He will be until he develops handles - he's easy to defend a lot, especially when Roy is out, because he doesn't have the handles to get out of a sticky situation. Watching him lose his dribble and try to recover when the double team comes is hard.
I was one of the first people on the "draft Aldridge" bandwagon. I want to apologize. Comparing this guy to Sheed is a joke. Right now, he is channeling Darius Miles - an unholy cross between the scarecrow (no brain) and the tin woodsman (no heart).
Aldridge already is the player Sheed was. Look at the stats. The problem was, Sheed was supposed to be the franchise player. Last year, people were talking about Aldridge trying to find his place among the "Big Two" of Roy and Oden. Now, people are hammering him for not being a franchise player. Fans are so fickle.
Yeah cuz stats are just totally the whole story. Just ask Zach Randolph and about a million other examples in NBA history.
Anyone who thinks that Aldridge is Rasheed Wallace is crazy. Sheed put up some GREAT numbers in the playoffs.
Aldridge put up better stats in his first playoffs than Rasheed ever did in any of his playoff appearances. Well, except for 2002, when the Lakers swept us easily. Anyone who can't see this fact is crazy! Did you start threads about Rasheed being shitty back then?
