I would like to thank LaMarcus Aldridge

He's a dog....he's smelled him naked

 

The team had a massive roster change that year and it's good, in hindsight, that it happened. It officially became Dame's team and he welcomed the leadership role. My trust is in Dame.

 

I think we dodged several bullets letting the old crew split up....best blowup rebuild by a team in one season I can remember

 

Absolutely right. Though some don't want to hear it, it is the same reason the Barton trade was a good one. It freed up minutes, allowing CJ to become MIP.

 

Also freed up minutes from whoever we would have drafted in the 1st round last June. 19th pick.

 

HCP said Dame would struggle without LMA.

 

Wes leaving freed up the minutes for CJ. Barton wouldn't have affected that. He would've been battling Crabbe for bench minutes.

 

http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/...ames-harden-tim-duncan-defense-problem-111016
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This season, the Spurs are trying to replace the Big Fundamental with the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol and David Lee -- all good players in their own ways who can't stop a runny nose...In the end, the Spurs' 101-99 loss came down to the final possession, with neither Kawhi Leonard nor Aldridge able to buy a game-tying bucket...

Aldridge in particular needs a "Come to Jesus" moment on that end of the court. Last year, the combination of Duncan and Leonard masked most of Aldridge's deficiencies and freelancing. In 2016-17, not even Kawhi can save the Spurs from Aldridge's worst habits.

One sequence in the fourth quarter cast a harsh light on the big man's woes. With just under 10 minutes to play, the Spurs managed to storm back to take a one-possession lead. After a Houston timeout, the Rockets came out and ran a simple pick-and-roll with a secondary action on the weak side. Aldridge reacted as if aliens had landed in the middle of the AT&T Center and demanded that he recite the Constitution backward. In his confusion, he ended up on Harden...San Antonio lost containment on the roller, and the Rockets got an easy look at the rim that ended in two free throws after a desperation foul.

Just a few possessions later, Harden once again forced Aldridge into a switch. You could see the joy in The Beard's eye as he flew right past the Spurs big man, finding Clint Capela for an alley-oop...Aldridge is only part of the problem. Gasol is even worse; Lee does his damnedest, but effort only gets you so far...the Spurs don't have an average defender among their bigs.