Aldridge speaks out again about wanting a real center

Ya, Seikaly was good, Melo is obviously good, even though he doesn't really make anyone else better.

 

Look I'm going to respect your opinion on the white u.s. born center. Personally, I don't it's as big as an issue as others think. But... Tell me the players that you had your eye on at 11th that was still available during the time of the draft. Don't use your hindsight; but what you were saying at the time.

 

yet you continue to say it

 

At the time I believe I wanted Lamb. PJ III, Harkless. I think I might have also liked Royce White and Terrence Jones as well. I can't remember too well though

 

I think Lamb would be a nice pick, but the others are big questions for me.

 

crapshoot that the draft is, barton might be the best of that bunch all said and done

 

Leonard is a better prospect than all those guys.

 

I don't know if many of you had noticed but Aldridge has been playing center late in the 4th a lot. Last night against Utah; Aldridge played center for most the 4th quarter. Dallas he played center as well. And he's done a fine job. I wish management or the coaching staff just ask him to be the starting center. He's usually being defended by the other teams centers and defensively he is strong enough to keep from centers backing him down.

 

I think the worry is that over the long term, we will lose Aldridge if he has to continue playing center. And perhaps more importantly, I tho LMA wants to play is a very good post defender so all the banging doesn't fall on him. He can do it, but he just doesn't want to. And if the Blazers want to keep LMA, they need to prove that LMA won't have to be the one to take all the punishment over the long term.

 

Ideally Olshey will find a guy who can play the five spot full-time at a high enough level that this team can get into a position to seriously contend for a deep playoff run. If he can't do that in the next year and a half, he may have no choice but to try and move LaMarcus in the last year of his current contract ... I think that's the strategy of last resort, but it might have to be done at some point. I

n the meantime, there's not much reason to lobby for Aldridge to become a full-time center; he doesn't want to play there long-term and in the end he's going to have the leverage unless somebody can demonstrate to him that playing at the five gives him the best shot he's going to have at getting a ring (and I don't just mean getting a ring in a Blazers uniform). That seems like a pretty tough sell at this point.

 

Leonard will be the starting center eventually.

 

That's what I'm thinking as well. You could sell Aldridge this concept and let him know this is only temporary. Then you can use the free cap space to bolster the bench.

 

Aldridge has been weak in the paint defensively, he manages a few block shots, but overall he's not up snuff for what we need in a paint protecting big

 

He's not bad in man to man as long as he only needs to worry about his man, but he can't rotate well and play both opposing bigs when Hicksons cover breaks loose. I think if he could play along side a good defender we would not complain about Aldridges defense.

 

The question really is what we want to with our cap space? I think big men require big man tax. You could get two solid wings for the price if one solid center. Leonard could be that solid center in about 2-3 years. I would rather spend our space getting more bench players than one center IMO.

 

You guys overrate Leonard's ceiling. Someday he'll be as effective as Przybilla, who was adequate but no star. To advance in the playoffs, a better center than Future Leonard is needed.

 

Leonard has been horrible so far.

 

A PER of 12.5 with a USG of 12.5 isn't "horrible" by any definition. Plus, he's shooting 85% from the FT line and 55% from the field. If anything, Stotts should start using him more, but it's hard when JJ and LMA are playing so well.

 

I'm genuinely starting to question your basketball knowledge.

 

Defensively, Leonard has been pretty abysmal.