It is that simple NoPo....... Tyrus was OURS, and we got LA for NOTHING! I am happy with 18/8 from my starting PF!
I know how it works, we could have had CP3, but with him we win more games and don't get a chance to have LA. and Brandon etc. etc. etc. I'm just tired of everybody KILLIN' LA when we don't have it that bad. I'm just saying, it could be worse.
I honestly don't see where saying LMA is not an elite player is killing the guy. He is a good big man who needs to learn to take a single step backwards when he thinks about shooting from deep. I don't believe he is the second best player on a championship team but I don't think that is like saying the dude is a pile of shit. And can we please never ever talk about the Martell draft again. That draft was worse then the MJ/Bowie pick.
2009-10 rebounds per 48 minutes against playoff teams 17.5 Oden 17.4 Camby 15.7 Przybilla 11.4 Tolliver 11.0 Pendergraph 10.8 Cunningham 10.1 Howard 09.9 Aldridge 09.6 Outlaw 07.0 Batum 06.4 Webster 05.5 Roy Tolliver, Cunningham, and Outlaw aren't considered very good rebounders, but Aldridge is no better. Batum is overrated as a rebounder. And have I ever mentioned that we should have kept Juwan Howard, who can play both center and forward, unlike almost all these guys? http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketbal...-trail-blazers/team/playerstats/10/25/9-3-reb
LA isn't garbage at rebounding, but he doesn't exactly have a great nose for the ball either ... I think the real issue is that he hasn't been an especially high motor guy in his time here and that's not to say that you don't sometimes want a skilled finesse player, but it sure would be nice to see him dial up the nasty a little bit and fight for loose balls, fight for post position and really body guys up in the post.
Great post and it's the number one reason I think Oden will be a massive impact player if he can stay healthy. I'm surprised to not see the article where Przybilla and Camby both say Oden is going to be an All-star and prove people wrong. Anyways, it will happen or it won't we'll see. Aldridge is what he is 18/8 and I don't expect to see that change. He would be great as the third option on the team behind Roy and Oden. Of course Oden has to actually play some games for that to happen.
Not that easy for me to tell, honestly. I wonder what Rondo would do if he had only one good player ahead of him in the rotation instead of playing next to some great players like KG, Ray Ray and PP. I think if I had to make a stand I would say Rondo is better than LMA - but it is not clear cut for me.
Someone saying ZBo still being on the team would be a good thing. Yeah, that's the end of this thread.
ZBo averages 20/10 nothing wrong with him save that he doesn't play defense, Black hole on offense, and he has always been on losing teams. Okay yea screw ZBo i'll take LMA over him anyday.
It's easy to talk of motor, hustle, etc. when looking at Aldridge's rebounds. I'm curious how much of his rebounding is scheme related. As has been pointed out many times, for one, he plays alongside very good rebounding big men. Knowing that, how often does he look to leak out on rebounds? Not to say we actually run, but he leaks out, hurting rebound totals. That's on coaching and scheme. If he does this even 5 times a game, that's 5 less rebounding opportunities. If a team runs a pick and roll against us, it leaves Aldridge near the top of the key at the end of the play. Not a great rebounding opportunity from up there. Same with offense, if we run the pick and pop with him. No, he's not an elite rebounder. But I think our style of play on defense with Aldridge has more to do with that. He's 18th in the league in offensive rebounding, yet drops to 35th on defensive rebounding. More important to me, I had noticed recently on 82games.com that Aldridge actually out-rebounds his opponent on average. So if LMA isn't getting us 12 a night, as long as his counterpart isn't as well, doesn't that matter more? If per 48, he averages 10.5, and his opponent 9.5, well, that's a win to me. Someone might average more throughout the season, but Aldridge averages more rebounds head to head than the opposing PF.
Definitely I'd prefer the second one. Two nearly-dominant scorers and three excellent defenders. Ed O.
No centers last night, and LaMarcus has 7 boards in 28 minutes. Maybe there is something to the theory of the the different rebounding role Nate uses for LA when one of the three great rebounding centers are healthy? Aldridge outplayed David Lee on the boards last night.
