I could see Olshey pulling something unexepected just out of left field at the draft though. Isn't that what golden gut guys do?
Sorry Wookie, I would definitely think long and hard about making this trade. I like Aldridge but in my opinion Aldridge isn't an elite player that can win championships. He's a nice 2nd or 3rd piece but he's going to want max contract this time and I think that would be a huge mistake. I would ask for 2 top ten picks or #1 and an expiring contract (Gasol's contract would be nice three team deal with Lakers). Do I think Cleveland will do this, maybe you never know depends on how much they want Aldridge.
Nothing is ever for certain, but at least we will have a 8-9 year track record in which to make the decision. You may not personally like that record, but it is a better gamble than someone with zero NBA experience. It is all a risk.
People keep saying they wouldn't trade for #1 because there is no clear cut #1. That's kind of a silly argument. That argument works in a draft like last season when there wasn't elite talent to pick from at the top. This year the top 3 players are all worth being taken #1, in fact I'm not sure Exum doesn't fit in that category as well. Most drafts a guy like Marcus Smart would be a heck of a get at 3 and maybe as high as 2. This year though could go as low as 7.
That is very true what it does suggest though is that he gets easier opportunities for rebounds when he shared the court with Rolo. 9 rebounds or 11 rebounds LA does not become a bad player cause his job is easier. All it does is show Rolo's value.
It's one of those implied stats you can only prove by watching tons of film, too, so it goes untracked except maybe by SportsVU. Rolo's big body and willingness to block out up to three dudes just to make sure someone else gets a rebound (while still rebounding well himself) is what sets him apart from a guy like Hickson who gets rebounds but without the benefit of helping anyone else get rebounds. Robin is "a great glue guy" and "does the little things", which is hokey but true. EDIT: actually, there is a telling stat. In 2012-13, we ranked 20th and 23rd in DReb% and OReb%, respectively. In 2013-14, we ranked 13th and 3rd. The major change? Robin Lopez (and TRob).
Because he's arguably the best PF in the game today, and we still haven't seen the best he can be. Because we're farther up the improvement curve than we've been in a decade and a half, and Aldridge is far and away the biggest reason we're where we are. Because we have until the trade deadline next season to measure our place on that improvement curve before we (the team and LaMarcus) make the final decision. I could go on and on and on, and probably will later, but I have to get back to work...
People are bloody unreasonable. Aldridge isn't a max player, yet he's worth 2 top 10 picks (including the #1 overall) in a relatively strong draft? With the way people are criticizing Aldridge's game and contract situation, I would think he's hardly worth an expiring....
I said I would ask for 2 picks doesn't mean I think we will get them. Obviously we have to take a contract back if we traded Aldridge so yes I would want an expiring contract. I like Aldridge I personally just don't think he's a number 1 guy but I'm sure there are lots of teams out there that would pay him a max contract. There almost always is (Lakers, NY Knicks). Again didn't say I would trade him but I'd definitely consider it and I'd ask for the world and settle for some where in between.
What makes LaMarcus one of the best PFs in the game today? I keep seeing people say that, but what exactly is he so good at? He's more like the Jamal Crawford of the PF world. Volume shooter who can get his own shot and gets really hot every once in awhile, average at everything else.
LA did what Roy and others could not, lead the Blazers out of the first round of the playoffs: LaMarcus Aldridge has 89 points in Games 1 & 2. Only Jordan, West, and Iverson have more to start a playoff series. LaMarcus Aldridge joins Kobe Bryant (2001) and LeBron James (2009) as the only active players to score 40+ in consecutive playoff games. that is pretty good company . . He did pretty well in the regular season too: To start the season and through mid-January: Aldridge has been as sensational as he has been consistent this season. He ranks sixth in the NBA in both scoring (23.6) and rebounding (11.0), both at a career-high pace. Aldridge, Minnesota's Kevin Love and Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins are the only players averaging 23 points and 10 boards a game. Portland's 6-11, 250-pound front-liner also is on pace for a career high in assists (2.9), and he is shooting a solid .809 from the foul line. Aldridge has scored in double figures in every game this season. He has had monster performances -- 31 points and 25 rebounds against Houston, 30 points and 21 boards vs. Golden State. He has made more big shots in clutch situations than at any time in his career. He has 21 double-doubles and 15 games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. And then there is this value he adds to the team: Thanks to LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers are now a team of choice for NBA superstars looking to switch locales. That's what Aldridge leads us to believe anyway, having apparently spent All-Star Weekend listening to various players express a desire to partner with Lillard and himself. "Definitely a few guys have told me that this weekend," Aldridge told CSNNW's Chris Haynes of players informing him they want to play in Portland. I would say he is a keeper . . .
