Baker had been on the all-star team 3 straight years when the Sonics got him. Anyway, I was answering this objection, that we can't hold anyone we get for Aldridge if he's better than Aldridge. I said, simply trade for someone early in their contract, and by the end of it make sure he's happy here.
Except you didn't say that at all. By evoking Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, you contradict yourself. Both players were traded because they were at the end of their contract and wouldn't resign. That isn't to say your scenario couldn't happen, where a younger, better player early in a large contract comes available for an older, less good player later in their contract. Owners love cap space. But there's no scenario like that right now: LA being Top 5 in his position makes the "better" part harder to accomplish; and being early in a contract and only 27 makes the "younger" part harder to accomplish too. Never mind that Paul Allen probably still hates the possibility of repeating a Jermaine Oneal for Dale Davis.
I said it here. As for it being hard to trade up because he's top 5, he's the worst top 5 I've ever seen. It's easy to find a list of players who would be more effective for us. Start with a list of everyone with a PER over 17 and winnow it down. We can get almost any of them for him.
Your assumptions are so bias and for your own personal agenda it's not even funny. You state Aldridge is the worst top 5 player in his class is only YOUR opinion. And you are damn straight we could get any of those players for him. Reason? Well because they aren't even close to his value.
Two bogus, made up stats that are so filled with mud they really don't tell you anything useful. Hollinger may be very smart when it comes to numbers - but he's an idiot when it comes to applying them to basketball. PER is garbage.
Except for the fact that I was one of the few people who actually LIKED Zbo and didn't feel like trading him to make way for a pansy PF was the direction we should have gone. ZBo is so much more skilled than LMA it's not even funny.
Guess we'll all have to agree to disagree about Aldridge. Only time will tell if he will reach his full potential. In the meantime, let's hear from somebody who actually has credibility: Transcript: Neil Olshey On What Lillard Needs To Improve And Why Aldridge Isn't Soft
Your person with "credibility" is just Olshey defending his player. Of course he'll do that. Olshey says this is temporary and Aldridge is banged up. But Aldridge has had the same problems for his whole career, and it's more than softness. It's also coordination and unquick responses to actions of other players.
I don't see what the point of bringing up Zach has to do with Aldridge being a good player. I was one that agreed he should have stayed too. Why does this matter?
I dunno - you're the one who brought him into the discussion. You're the one who said people like me ran Zbo out of town. There have been a handful of Blazers that I have wanted to run out of town: Travis Outlaw Derek Anderson Nate McMillan Gerald Wallace LMA - and really, he's a very distant 5th to the others. I wanted the others gone and didn't care if we got anything back. I actually want a good return if we're going to get rid of LMA. And honestly, I'd love even more for him to develop some killer skills and do the dirty work that a PF is suppose to do.
The game has changed. Not sure if you heard the Patrick Ewing interview this morning on Dan Patrick, but his point is the game has evolved. Miami and Dallas as we have discussed has help change it. The stretch 4's make it hard for big guys like Gasol to defend. Guys like LMA are not always under the basket to do the dirty work. Roles are not that defined anymore. Yes you need someone to do the dirty work, but who it is could change nightly depending on who you are playing.
"People like you". Just saying. No offense taken - I just felt the need to point out that I actually liked Zbo. And I liked Sheed too, since I'm weighing in on "objectionable" Blazers PFs.
Oh my mistake. I meant people running Zach out of town even when he was filling the stats; like you are currently are trying to do with Aldridge. So in the end; Aldridge could be run out and have the success of Zach now.
Personally, I think it's a phase that's been caused by a general lack of talented Cs, and not an "evolution" as it seems like Ewing may be suggesting. The league responds to the talent that it has - over the past decade+ there has been very little in the way of C depth, and there really hasn't been any dominant C since Shaq. However, that might be changing. It appears that there are more quality Cs in the league today than there has been in a very long time - young ones too. As they develop, if any of them become dominant you'll see teams trying to compete at the C position again. But regardless of C or PF, those two positions are and always will be responsible for (a) protecting the paint and (b) rebounding - those things come with the territory (being tall). I have nothing against PFs who shoot long jumpers - it's a terrific tool to have. BUT it shouldn't be the primary tool. AND - LMA just isn't as good a shooter as you think he is. (Maybe not you, Pinwheel - not trying to single you out here. But most people have the misconception that LMA is a terrific shooter.)
The difference for me is that while their stats and W/L records may be similar, their skills aren't. I could see that Zach had superior skills at his position. Other than defense he was very skilled at all other facets of the game - able to stick the outside jumper, face up & put the ball on the floor, play out of the post, pass from the high post, rebound, great hands, great footwork, quick reactions, coordinated. He could simply do it all. With LMA I can't say the same. I don't see any individual skill that far surpasses that of your average starting PF.
Very few PF's in the game have a better turn around jumper with a hand in their face than LMA. Regardless of why the league has more stretch 4's, or where that trend is headed......the point is right now they are a factor. So guys like LMA have to leave the paint to guard them. The C depth has nothing to do with this IMO. Because some centers play better with a pF stretching the floor. Ewing pointed out that Howard excelled with Ryan Anderson on the floor. He doesn't see it working with someone like Pau Gasol.
