Simple question: LaMarcus Aldridge...

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by Fez Hammersticks, Mar 18, 2011.

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  1. Fez Hammersticks

    Fez Hammersticks スーパーバッド Zero Cool

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    Is he just a breakout player or is he a true franchise player?
     
    Fez Hammersticks, Mar 18, 2011
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  2. Eastoff

    Eastoff But it was a beginning.

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    why are we whispering so loud?
     
    Eastoff, Mar 18, 2011
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  3. BlazerCaravan

    BlazerCaravan Hug a Bigot... to Death

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    Yes.
     
    BlazerCaravan, Mar 18, 2011
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  4. Pinwheel1

    Pinwheel1 Well-Known Member

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    Define franchise player. I count less than 20 in the league. I would say he is our best player, but I think a franchise player should be a super star and he is not quite there. Yet
     
    Pinwheel1, Mar 18, 2011
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  5. Natebishop3

    Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

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    I think he's a franchise player. I think something clicked for him finally, paired with Brandon going down so he had the motive and opportunity..... easy conviction.
     
    Natebishop3, Mar 18, 2011
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  6. oldmangrouch

    oldmangrouch persona non grata

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    He has to prove he can sustain this level of excellence to be a "franchise player". There are very few players who deserve that label.
     
    oldmangrouch, Mar 18, 2011
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  7. Minstrel

    Minstrel Top Of The Pops Global Moderator

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    Hello darkness, my old friend
    He's a breakout player. If he sustains the breakout, he'll be a franchise player. If he sustains the franchise, he'll be an icon player.

    Dunno what happens when you sustain the icon.
     
    Minstrel, Mar 18, 2011
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  8. Boob-No-More

    Boob-No-More Why you no hire big man coach?

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    Hall of Fame.
     
    Boob-No-More, Mar 18, 2011
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  9. BlazerCaravan

    BlazerCaravan Hug a Bigot... to Death

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    You become a legend. Larry, Michael, Sabas, Pele, Babe, etc.
     
    BlazerCaravan, Mar 18, 2011
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  10. maxiep

    maxiep RIP Dr. Jack

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    He's two, two, two things in one. He's a breakout player who has become a franchise player. I remember when my wildest dream for him was to become almost as good as Chris Bosh. He's a damn sight better than that right now as he can play in the low post and also plays that other 47 feet.

    If he doesn't win MIP, then I don't know what to say.
     
    maxiep, Mar 18, 2011
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  11. Minstrel

    Minstrel Top Of The Pops Global Moderator

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    And when you sustain the legend? This goes on forever... :sigh:
     
    Minstrel, Mar 18, 2011
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  12. BlazerCaravan

    BlazerCaravan Hug a Bigot... to Death

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    Hehehe! Canonization. The Beatles, Da Vinci, Einstein. From there, it kind of peters out.
     
    BlazerCaravan, Mar 18, 2011
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  13. Further

    Further Guy

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    I think he is half a franchise player. Not good enough to truly carry a team like a Bron, Kobe or Durant, but he is good enough that if you paired him with another equally good player, they would be in contention year after year.
     
    Further, Mar 18, 2011
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  14. BlazerCaravan

    BlazerCaravan Hug a Bigot... to Death

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    I'm going to reserve judgment on the actual question until the end of next season. I want to see what he does for us in these playoffs, in the offseason (if he learns the Dream Shake or gets 3 point shot, or gets a better nose for the boards....) and next season. I want to think he's franchise-level. He's led a rag-tag team to a respectable record since taking over. That's something the Jordans of the world do. He still needs a Pippen though (Roy, Batum, Wallace, someone else?). (Yeah, I'm totally overstating using those examples, but it's the archetypal example).
     
    BlazerCaravan, Mar 18, 2011
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  15. 3RA1N1AC

    3RA1N1AC 00110110 00111001

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    if he comes out of the gate like this next year, and the blazers are winning, he will be talked about as the best pf in the league
     
    3RA1N1AC, Mar 18, 2011
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  16. blazerboy30

    blazerboy30 Well-Known Member

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    Before I can give an opinion... What is a "franchise player"?
     
    blazerboy30, Mar 18, 2011
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  17. Hey

    Hey Active Member

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    Yes, he's a top 10 player right now.
     
    Hey, Mar 18, 2011
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  18. alex42083

    alex42083 Thanks Brandon

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    He's one of those "All-Star caliber" players right now -- not a franchise player yet. But if he gets his 25-10 in the playoffs and leads us to a playoff series win, making big buckets down in crunch time... then he'll become a franchise player in my eyes. He's got a lot to prove.

    And then we can start making preparations to put his No. 12 in the rafters, like we did with Brandon a couple years ago.
     
    alex42083, Mar 18, 2011
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  19. Minstrel

    Minstrel Top Of The Pops Global Moderator

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    I would define it as a player good enough to be the primary driver of success on a championship-caliber team. Could Aldridge be the centerpiece of a championship team? If so, he's a franchise player. If not...he's not.
     
    Minstrel, Mar 18, 2011
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  20. Rastapopoulos

    Rastapopoulos Well-Known Member

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    Hm. I don't think Durant has ever carried a good team (well, that USA team was pretty good, but they almost got beaten a couple of times). Westbrook is arguably OKC's MVP this year, and OKC with just Durant and no Westbrook (well, they were Seattle then) were terrible, and his "advanced stats" were god-awful. Substitute "Duncan" or "Nowitzki" or "Howard" and you'd be more on point.

    I'm just happy that Aldridge is a fuck of a lot better than he used to be. Is this a flash in the pan? I'm always wary of MIPs - they tend to return to Earth. But I think McMillan is a good coach to keep him on track. I think an interesting question is: on the off chance that (a) Oden stays healthy for any length of time, (b) he doesn't leave the Blazers, and (c) he's still pretty good, how will LaMarcus look playing next to him? How much of Aldridge's improvement comes with more of a smallball lineup? Would having a player like Oden who HAS to camp out down low (unlike Camby, who can feed the post from the top of the key) make Aldridge back into a jump shooter?

    Two years ago Roy made the jump.
    This year: Aldridge.
    Next year I want Batum or Oden.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2011
    Rastapopoulos, Mar 18, 2011
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