Exactly! I've been saying this for years. Look at how close their FGA, FG% and points per game were. And that was a point in Zach's career where he started shooting more jumpers. Many were happy to see Zach get shipped off for bad contracts, and LA is seen as a hall of famer.
I think Aldridge is pretty special and I will miss what he gave us on the court. He will be missed. But since hearing about how volatile it was with his constant ego patting, being gone maybe more valuable then we can imagine
It's not like he is a once-in-a-generation talent though. I think these stats show he's not even a once-in-a-decade talent.
Say what? You can't force a guy to get low if he doesn't have the heart for it. Aldridge would rather shoot jumpers and fadeaways than attack the basket. It's just who he is and it's not changing at 30.
Wait until Pops gets a hold of him. I doubt you will see the 800 mid range shots to lead the league again.
I think he will be motivated for the first time in his career. If I had to hazard a guess, I'm gonna say he is going to be a beast next year. The jerk.
I think you will see a disgruntled LMA being forced into the paint way more than he is comfortable with.
I think Blazer fans are really going to love Ed Davis, I have a good feeling about him. Shoots 60%, high energy, his block and rebouding percentages are better than LAs. He was 8th in the league in blocks per 48 minutes among PFs. (Lamarcus 22nd) 3rd in rebounding (LaMarcus 12th), 3rd in 2p% (LaMarcus 29th)
I saw a little Theo Ratliff (boy, now there was a con man), Zach Randolph and Buck. Obviously, he won't be as good as those 3 were, but the one thing I did notice about him, he didn't go up soft like the one guy who used to be the PF for the team. What was his name, Mark Altick?
Aldridge always had his fair share of haters. Hell, I wanted to trade him for Love, or Favors, or Horford, or Monroe a couple years back. He shot too many damn jump shots.
I think what your analysis is neglecting is that Randolph was a tremendous player too. Portland fans turning on a player doesn't mean they were actually crap. I'm pretty sure Memphis doesn't regret acquiring him. Aldridge wasn't (ever) a franchise player, a superstar. He was a very good player...losing that is damaging, but it's not like losing a prime Tim Duncan or Michael Jordan.
But that's what my analysis is trying to show. That losing him, while damaging, isn't the end of the world. We gave up Zach for practically nothing (still more than we got for LA though), and we survived. Hell, most people don't even regret moving Zach. And it could be argued that Zach was a better overall talent. A harder worker. Other than having better length, they damn well seem to be identical in terms of how they contributed to the team, although one was 25 and one was 29.
