It's like people don't read the articles before they post. I could be in line for a promotion today I could be laid off today
I agree that it will never happen as Amare' will not choose Portland. But get over the NO GM part. It will make no difference over the next couple of weeks. They have enough talent in the office now to know who they want to go after, and how to pick up the phone. Sure over the long hall they need a "captain" to manage everythng, but they are not going to be left out in the cold if they really want to pursue someone. KP if anything would have hinder that with his "ley it bake philosophy (Which I still lean towards-I would not trade LMA as I think he fits better than Amare' along side Oden)
I highly doubt Amare would choose us over his other options, which is fine with me. I'd rather have LMA and his contract over Amare and the max deal he wants.
Kind of interesting how almost all of us have bitched about LA's contract over the past season, but it won't be anywhere near the worst for PFs after this summer. PFs who will be paid more than Aldridge next season: - Josh Smith -KG -Jamison -Dampier (ya, i know he's a C-- but he helps make my point) -Dirk -Kenyon Martin -Nene -Troy Murphy -Gasol -ZBo -Al Jefferson -Lewis -Brand -Amare -Duncan -Bosh -Boozer LA's deal doesn't look that bad at all.
It seems to me that a lot of posters on this board have a short memory. Amare Stoudemire absolutely kicked Lamarcus ass in the playoffs. Upgrade = Upgrade. Plus the other thing a lot of you seem to be missing is the fact that having a scorer to take the load off of Roy will do wonders for his durability. When a player carries too much of the load, it wears them down. Amare could shoulder a lot of that load.
What kills me is that all of the photos they took for his profile, this is the one they thought made him look the best.
How is averaging 20.5ppg/5.5 rpg compared to 19ppg/6rpg absolutely kicking Lamarcus ass? He outplayed him but I think you're exaggerating a bit.
How did Shaq and Amare play together? How would Oden and Amare play together? Personally I think LMA is a better fit. I don't care if Amare is better head to head. Different system , different PG.
Shaq didn't fit with that team because was old, overweight and slow. He joined a team that liked to run. He slowed their pace when they were constructed to be up-tempo. By the time the team's make-up had changed, after D'Antoni's departure, Shaq was also gone. I'd say that Amare would fit fine with Oden. Amare is really not a back-to-the-basket player. He's a face up power forward who hits mid-range jumpers and slashes to the basket. His offensive game is what I'd like Aldridge to be (Aldridge doesn't really attack the basket well) and with more aggression. The downside is that Amare's defense is significantly worse than Aldridge's...though Oden, in time, could make up for that. (Right now, it may lead to more fouls by Oden, so that's a concern.)
That's probably what tips the scales for me against adding Amare in exchange for Aldridge. At 27, Amare is who he is. Had he been groomed in a system where he learned to play defense, he'd be a much more desirable player. But he's just spent 8 years with the Suns. He's not going to learn to defend now. It'll always be an Achilles heel on any team he plays on. At 24, Aldridge is 4 years into being a Blazer under Nate. He's made small, steady gains on the defensive end, and there's still some upside there. I want Oden on the floor every minute possible. That's my overwhelming concern, because we don't win a title with Amare or Aldridge if Oden isn't manning the middle and out of foul trouble.
Some people seem to have forgotten that in a couple of those games that PHX was up so big, that Amare didn't play the whole game, whereas, the guy you are comparing him to stat wise, did.
I don't agree. I think the only difference between Lamarcus now, and Lamarcus in his rookie year is the number of minutes he plays and the number of fouls he committs. His blocks have actually dropped into the sewer, where he used to average about 1.5 a game, he now averages .8. While he tries hard on defense, he obviously doesn't study film, because he lets the guys he guards get to their strong move every time without trying to take it away.
Ah yes, that extra 3 and a half minutes Aldridge played means Amare absolutely kicked his ass. Great observation.
Yeah, after thinking it over, I think that tips it for me, too. I think Amare would be a better fit if Oden were established and had fouls under control (and referee cheating, err, I mean respect, in his favour). As it stands, the slight upgrade (significant on offense but mitigated by defense) is not worth the likely hinderance to Oden's development.
His defensive rating has crept down a little from 109 to 107, which isn't exactly earth-shattering. But I do think he's improved at full-court defense (getting back and holding down the fort on the fast break) and defending on switches around the perimeter. But yeah, his post defense hasn't really advanced much so far.
