Trail Blazers' list of concerns after Game 1 should include the future of LaMarcus Aldridge

He'd trade him for a bucket of tennis balls, not Kevin Love.

 

With the exception of maybe a week of solid play, Nic has been bad all year. I didn't think he performed at the level he needed to play at this evening for the team to take game one.

 

I'm not talking about this year. I'm talking about tonight. His defense was kind of blah tonight, but he did fine offensively. Outplayed Green.

 

He had a lot of bricks.

I think for this team to take this series he needs to average 20 points a game. As does Damian. Averaging over 20 points a game is a sign of upping your game in all facets.

 

lol.

I don't think you can take a signed fa and trade him or another signed fa though. So this isn't even worth discussing. You would have to sell Kevin on the open cap space and coming to Portland which I assume at that time he will already have verbally agreed to another team.

 

I don't get all this talk about Aldridge leaving? How can this happen unless the Blazers just let him go?

 

Jason Quick article. Maybe there is some truth, but even more likely he made the damned thing up.

"Unnamed sources/players". lol. We've seen this charlatan before.

 

I listen to all of the post game interviews. Around the time of the 5 game losing streak LA resigning started to feel like less of a "lock". After the loss at Orlando there were questions if it could be a catalyst, like it was the year before when they won 9/10 to finish the reg season after the low point loss to the Magic, then won a playoff series. He said "No. Different year, different feeling . . . " There are other similar examples where he just seems despondent, especially since Wes went down. Of all the signs, his body language tonight was the worst to date. Nobody knows what he's going to do this summer, perhaps not even he does. But it's going to get a lot more tense if this series ends like it started tonight.

On the other hand this is life in the NBA 2015. Halfway through last season it appeared we were set for the next 5+ years. One of the best starting units in the league, outstanding chemistry, 2 stars coming into their own. But there are no assurances. Halfway through last season Indiana also looked like the best team in the league, and poised to battle Miami for the next several Eastern Conf championships. Now they're both in the lottery, perhaps for the foreseeable future. At the end of the day, LA can still make a lot more $ here than anywhere else. He's also comfortable here, and is on track to break every meaningful record in franchise history. That still means something, just not everything, I still think he resigns here, but I'm a lot more nervous about it than I thought I'd be.

 

I do think the massive infusion of cash from the new TV deal and the huge increase in the cap starting next year have changed the equation.

 

That won't really effect LA at all unless he wants to do a 1 year deal, which may not be the greatest idea since he is injured and turning 30 but he certainly could say he wants a 1 year deal and the Blazers management would be hard pressed to say "nope its 5 years or nothing". I don't see leaving 110m on the table as a great idea.

 

This is Quick garbage. He does this every year. As soon as it gets a little dicey he jumps all over the first Drama he can dig up.
Yes...I too wish to know exactly what player said 50/50. Of course that is confidential. It's also a mixed up statement because he isn't just saying one player. It starts out with "Players". "Some Blazers PLAYERS have already said they are worried free agency will take Aldridge away from Portland this summer. Earlier this month, before a home game, a Blazers player estimated the chances of him returning to Portland at 50-50."

Here is my next question. Why was Quick asking any player earlier this month a question like that? Earlier this month was right before the playoffs. This is why i wish Quick would just stay the hell away from the Blazers.....

 

After his ancestral inspiration Zach demolished him last night, Aldridge probably wants to return to his roots, learning at the foot of Father Zach. The only question is, can we get Conley for him.

 

Wow. What idiotic player is talking to Quick about this now? You want this distraction during a playoff series?

I'm more mad at that player than Quick. Way to rep your team

 

I seriously doubt there is any player that spoke to this rumor starter.

I mean in the post game press confernece Aldridge said. "I need to play better".
That's coming from a guy who was the only threat offensively really... He didn't look at his 32 points, 14 rebounds 7 of those offensive... He looked at his 34 shots.
"I need to play better". Not "We need to play better as a team." "I need to play better".
Zero credibility by Quick.

 

I would like to apologize to Aldridge. I didn't even read the article earlier and was badmouthing him in another thread just about the possibility of him leaving.
After getting more relaxed and actualy reading this thread, my problem is certainly not with him but maybe with the quality of topics started here and of sports journalism. This article has nothing, absolutely nothing, I could write it if I were a douchebag and it would have more value, this is like quoting one of my posts and making a topic out of it, simply bullshit, I'm sorry.

 

Ay man this is bad and it already begins.. I knew as soon as we drew Memphis the pounding we would get the LA rumors will begin. This was my biggest fear.

Plus Lillard playing like shit doesn't help at all. It's not really assuring for LA that he has another star to help him..

 

That's just it. Quick covers that by starting off with "Players". The idea is that he talked about the issue with many of them in the couple weeks that led up to the playoffs, which is just straight Bullshit! Then he goes on to take a quote but wont give a name. How do we know this statement wasn't just an off the cuff joke that was slightly tweaked and taken out of context? We don't because Quick is making it impossible to chase down. This is the kind of garbage that got Quick in trouble before and eventually he will get in trouble again.