11. LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE PF, Portland Trail Blazers Age: 26 2010-11 Stats: 21.8 PPG, 50.0 FG%, 79.1 FT%, 8.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 BLK This ranking may seem high until you start looking at the big men below him and realize that Aldridge really is the finest two-way player among them — and that he’s bound to get even better given his age. Last season, Aldridge took on a larger burden on offense and managed to increase his efficiency — a rare double, especially when you consider just how much more efficient he became. He redistributed his shot attempts, averaging 10 shots per game from within 10 feet, up from just 6.5 such shots the previous season, according to Hoopdata. He earned more foul shots and drew more double teams as a result. He morphed from a jump-shooting, outside-in big man into an inside-out post-up force, capable of scoring one-on-one and serving as the kind of player around which a team can build an above-average offense. You can’t say that about Garnett anymore, which is why KG ranks a few spots lower here, despite playing a brand of defense Aldridge can’t yet match. But Aldridge is getting there defensively. He’s solid in the post and in one-on-one situations, and he has emerged as one of the league’s better big men at tracking guards on pick-and-roll plays. He’s not on the level of Garnett, Tyson Chandler or Andrew Bogut yet — he doesn’t protect the rim or rebound as well as those guys — but he has become a well-rounded defender, on the level of a guy like Al Horford. It’s the combination of that kind of defense and the scoring game Aldridge showed last season that has him above some bigger names. He’s not as polished offensively as Stoudemire, but he’s in a different league defensively. He can’t match Kevin Love’s shooting and rebounding, but Aldridge’s defense and post game place him above Love — for now. The gap in defense between Aldridge and Griffin is big enough now for Aldridge to hold this spot, though Griffin figures to come charging hard for a place in the top 10 as soon as the NBA resumes. Randolph was the closest call, because everything we know about defense says the version Z-Bo we’ve seen in Memphis is more of an asset than liability on that end. Aldridge can’t match Randolph yet as a scorer or rebounder, but he’s closing the gap. In a brutal toss-up, I went with Aldridge’s youth and potential as an elite defender. http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011/08/15/top-100-nba-players-nos-11-20/
Ranked higher than... 20. CARMELO ANTHONY 19. AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE 18. STEVE NASH 17. KEVIN GARNETT 16. MANU GINOBILI 15. PAUL PIERCE 14. BLAKE GRIFFIN 13. ZACH RANDOLPH 12. RUSSELL WESTBROOK
I think that ranking is a reflection of the hard work LMA put in to last year's off season instead of playing for Team USA.
Well, the guy said Aldridge's ranking seemed high, but he ranked him there because "he’s bound to get even better given his age" and "I went with Aldridge’s youth and potential." But the real mystery is how did you figure out my name is Debby?
When low class guys were taking uppers and downers, I was a classy acid gent myself. Gotta keep life intellectual.
I'm happy for LaMarcus getting some of the recognition he so richly deserves. He's worked his ass off both on his body and his game, and we're reaping the benefits.
for a lot of guys it's easier to play knowing you're the man rather then the sidekick. You don't question whether the shot in front of you is a "good look" because you're expected to shoot... thats your role. Shooting more and having an aggressive scorer's mentality helps get the player into rhythm/the zone. I agree with other's comments about LA working hard on his body and game last offseason paying dividends, but I also think becoming Portland's #1 option had a lot to do with stepping up his game. It will be interesting to see how Greg is utilized on offense when/if he comes back when/if the season starts. I think the #11 rating is about right. The writer pointing to his D separating him from stat machines Love and Griffin is on the right track. He could have taken it a step further pointing out how those players showed little ability to slow LA down in the 4th quarters of their matchups which all ended up Blazer wins. When it mattered most, he was clearly the better player. STOMP
Just to be "that guy"... Imagine if LMA had been able to do this with a healthy Roy. Having two top-12 players, one big man and one guard, would be amazing. With another potential top-12 player in Oden coming up.
Touche, Imagine if Roy could be the guy to constantly feed LMA the ball in the post, and then be there to bail him out when needed. Now THAT is something I would like to see.
I'm kind of surprised to see this guy rank him above big names like Carmello and Nash. Also that Griffin is ranked so low--that kid is just a straight up beast. I'm just not used to thinking of Aldridge as a borderline Top 10 NBA Player. What a difference a year makes (particularly a December and January). Aldridge made such massive strides in his last offseason. It'll be interesting to see what he can do to build on that if this lockout extends well into the regular season this year. The Blazers are really positioned to benefit from a shortened 2011-12 season more than any other team in the league.
As the post above yours said, Aldridge wouldn't be top 12 if he played with Roy. He would have remained nondescript. It's ridiculous. If Carmelo replaced Aldridge for us, we'd win a lot more games. Until he learned McMillan's system.
so we would replace a versatile big man who played both sides of the court and scored really efficiently for a small forward who only plays offense and scores a lot but at a inefficient rate. This would lead to more wins how?
By giving us a go-to man. How many games did we lose in the 4th quarter after leading. That's when your team collapses if you have no go-to offensive star. Gotta gets points on the scoreboard to win. This is true in McMillan's system even more than in others. He didn't major in chemistry and can't seem to get more than 1-2 guys to do well in any one game.
