http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-mailbag-reunion-tour-continues/ Q: With the Trail Blazers stunning playoff collapse, the injury to Wes Matthews, and The Assassination of Damian Lillard by the Coward Mike Conley, does LaMarcus Aldridge seriously contemplate leaving this summer? Imagine him and Kawhi in S.A. for the next five years! —Paul C., Los Altos, CA BS: I don’t mean to anger Rip City, but we have to discuss this one. You could make a strong case for Aldridge being in play this summer. It will be Year 10 for him; he needs to win now. He just lost Wesley Matthews, and there’s no looming sign that Portland will ever find that third piece to put that team over the hump. He’s not nearly famous enough for someone who was one of the league’s 10 best players for two straight years. He’s from Dallas and attended the University of Texas, which opens up going-back-home possibilities in San Antonio (Duncan’s replacement?), Dallas (the Mavs’ new franchise guy?) AND Houston (his best chance for a quickie Finals trip). Then again, Houston wouldn’t be his team; it already belongs to Harden. Dallas is heading in the wrong direction and already sent its top-seven-protected pick to Boston next season; I don’t see how that’s a better basketball situation than Portland’s this summer. As for San Antonio … I mean, would YOU want to replace Tim Duncan and spend the rest of your career being compared to him? That answer could go either way, I guess. The good side: Pop, Spurs, Kawhi, infrastructure, first-class fans. The bad side: If it doesn’t go splendidly, you become The Guy Who Screwed It Up After Duncan Left. Which makes me think Orlando (assets + talent + youth + Florida), Boston (assets + youth + role players + President Stevens + great owner/front office) {OP Note: Of-fucking-course Simmons thinks Boston is a potential suitor] and New York (biggest market, Carmelo, top-three pick, cap space) could be legitimate LaMarcus players here. Four months ago, I would have said it was a 99 percent chance he stayed. Right now, it has to be 50/50. And dropping. If it means something to him to retire in Portland someday, he’ll stay. If not, he’ll leave. But it’s definitely not the best basketball situation for him. And by the way, Lillard is the Blazer getting commercials these days, not Aldridge. If you don’t think that matters to these guys, you’re crazy.
Wow, who knew Wesley was so important? And "stunning collapse"? That's a bit much. Maybe if those first two games had been in Portland.
He's going to get a lot of offers but I still think he'll take the 5 year max here and play with our younger talent than try and get a shot with a much, much older squad. I'm sure he'll have demands to upgrade the roster this summer but Ginobli, Parker, Diaw and Duncan are in the sunset years of their careers. He'd be banking on Danny Green, Patty Mills and Kawai Leonard with Splitter left on the roster. I think Pop retires when Duncan does in a year or so. His legacy is here just as Duncan's is there.
Hands down if LMA leaves it's Lillards fault I've said it before with his epic regression this past 2 months and half clearly showed LMA he's not the superstar sidekick he needed. Good job deciding to suck at the most important months we ever needed.
Come on Sly, we needed him to show up real well these last few months at the bare minimum just put up amazing numbers to show LMA something.. In a glimmer of hope, for the love god show up these next two games and stop letting people say youve been assassinated everybody notices and u better believe LMA has.. Please
LOL at Simmons saying BOS is a better basketball situation for Aldridge than POR. Seriously, they are so craptastic they couldn't even post a winning record in the worst division of the worst conference in the history of the universe. 40-42 in the Atlantic Division is pathetic. They got to beat up on 18-win PHI and 17-win NYK all year and still couldn't win more games than they lost. Last I checked, they are down 0-3 and about to get swept. So, Aldridge is supposed to leave $29 million of guaranteed money to go play for that shitty team. And, if he's worried POR will never get that third star to make a finals run in Portland, exactly who is going to be his 3rd (or even 2nd) star in BOS. They are a team of role players without a single all-star on their roster. And Simmons thinks POR fans are a bunch of soccer mom/homers... Is there a more delusional homer than Bill Simmons? BNM
New York! New York is a disaster of a franchise! Only NBA reporter I read is Marc Stein. And that's just because he's a die hard Man City fan!
Thank you. Injuries happen. If anything that injury could have probably made it where the thinking goes "ok well Wes is out but me and my superstar sidekick is still kicking ass I can't wait to see what we do fully healthy" But no. Dame decides to suck literally at the worse time of this franchise history
I definitely disagree with your statement that Lillard has permanently regressed. I do agree that the responsibility of production in a series "win or lose" lies on the shoulders of your stars. If Aldridge was playing like shit, then you would come at him the same way. Lillard must perform tomorrow. This is his time to shine. Talk is cheap and he needs to rise up instead of making excuses. He said he's been through worse, then man up and prove to the world how you overcome! So far he hasn't done this and if it continues, he may lose his allstar
I get your point. I just figured that if anything we bought ourself another year with LMA because injuries took us down this year but I really believe that the regression of Lillard, not saying it's permanent, but his regression quite possibly will be the cause of LMA being scared away. And if that happens then F Dame Lillard for his recent showings. Then on top of that when the playoffs started it was Lillards chance for a new chance almost a new season basically, to show LMA ok what do we have here is my sidekick going to show up like he said he would? On top of that against a hobbled pg? But hell no in fact it went literally the worst possible outcome and that's sucking incredibly bad. Lillard's percentage has fallen off a cliff, from 43.4% to 27%. His three-point percentage has followed suit, 34.3% to 9.1%. Lillard's assists have gone from 6.2 per game to 2.0. Yea Ill def blame the so called 100M dollar Adidas boy for scaring our franchise player away
Why must anyone take the blame? Maybe it's no one's fault....I doubt he is the kind of guy that would point the finger this direction or that direction. I will say this though, if the team was winning championships or on the cusp. It would be enough to sign him. So from that stand point all involved including himself and the organization (Olshey, Allen etc) can take responsibility for this.
