http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=7397253 Talking about the days of BRoy and this year working without him. Gotta say, I'm loving this guy LMA. He's gonna be a stud!
Oh you can't hear it? Well basically he is really excited to be the man in Portland and will work hard to prove he is capable of being that leader. He said that he is really excited about the team, basically saying we should be fighting for the top 2 seeds in the west. Has a lot of confidence in himself and his team mates. Misses Roy and doesn't think he will ever come back to the game, but anything is possible. He believes Oden will be back before the season ends. Loves Crawford and Wallace.
Doug (EDIT: I meant Scott Van Pelt, not Doug Gottlieb) called Aldridge one of the best players not just in the West, but in the entire league. Aldridge feels this team has good pieces to compete and he's ready to work for the leadership role. Aldridge spoke to Roy after hearing about the retirement. Unsure if Roy will ever make a comeback. Oden's rehab is going "really well". He's doing "light jogging" and "court work". Blazers could see him mid-to-end of the season. LaMarcus also says the Blazers will be a top 2 team in the West and that the number one spot is their goal.
Just as I suspected. Okay I said top 3-4, but I'll take top 2! LMA and Oden are the key to that without a doubt.
If it's true that Oden will be back mid-season; it completely changes everything. He would have a good 20 games to get into playing shape, and we would instantly be very deep with our bigs. If this is true, it's not too far fetched to be one of the top 2 seeds in the west.
Well it's not really Oden as much as Aldridge saying it... But yeah, we are probably safer to say he won't return and be pleasantly surprised if he does return. But we all know MAGS, and his true homerism... Oden could fart differently and I would say he's back and stronger than ever!
I think we can be a top 4 seed without Oden. Of course if he comes back we have a legitimate shot at winning the title IMO.
guy hasn't played ball for over 2 years, he'll need 20-30 games just to get the huge amounts of rust off, and if he plays 20-30 games what are the VEGAS ODDS ON ANOTHER INJURY?
I think they are planning to save Greg for the end of season/playoffs, believing he is unlikely to last more than 20-30 games. Or if they don't, maybe they should. Seriously though, we are going to make the playoffs without him, so just save Greg and his joints for the last 10 games and the playoffs, please. Back to the subject, LaMarcus is the leader this team hasn't had in...god I can't remember that far back. Roy certainly wasn't, nor was Randolph, nor was Sheed, certainly not $amon...well, not the right kind at any rate. Scotty tried to lead, but we had too many boneheads. LaMarcus is a strong gust of fresh air. So is Gerald come to think of it.
The team is beyond "saving" Greg. This isn't a 19 year old rookie who we expect to be locked into for at least the next half decade and likely much longer. This is a guy who will be entering free agency when we have to make big decisions on what direction we want to take to build or retool this team. If a doctor says its ok for Oden to get on the court I’d bet the team encourages him to get the hell out there. Ultimately it's Oden's decision when he wants to step on the court, but I can't envision any scenario where he's ready to play, has medical clearance, and then the team says "No lets wait a little longer…"
When Oden comes back this season, I hope he has a chip on his shoulder and knocks down everyone in practice. He can teach skills to the younger players. We should probably waive Chris Johnson now so there will be minutes for Greg. Might move Kurt at the midseason trade deadline.
You're right Draco. If we still had oden for a couple more seasons, the team may want to wait. But this is the time when brass must make a decision to either go all in or cash out on oden.
My nightmare . . . he will get injured knocking his own teammates down before he gets a chance to get injured knocking down an opposing player.
