Aldridge elbows his way into ranks of tough guys

[tlongII]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/12/jason_quick_insder_story.html

One thing you learn very quickly hanging around the Trail Blazers is you don't use a certain word around LaMarcus Aldridge.
"LaMarcus," Brandon Roy said chuckling before the game, "hates the word 'soft.' Hates it. I learned that real quick."

To a player, being called soft is one of the worst insults around. It's like challenging one's manhood. It means you aren't tough. Don't like contact. Can be easily intimidated. And it is a word that has followed Aldridge since he was the No. 2 overall pick three years ago. Some see his feathery jumper and assume he must hate contact. Others see his lanky frame and equate that with finesse, not power.

Wonder what people are saying today?

Because for me, the Blazers' 91-86 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday will always be the game that proves Aldridge is not soft.

He's played tough before -- he angrily went at Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire earlier this season and stood chin-to-chin, ready to go to blows, with the Lakers' Lamar Odom last season. But nothing compares to the 39 minutes of grit, toughness and shove-it-where-the-sun-don't-shine attitude Aldridge showed Tuesday against probably his most despised opponent, Kevin Garnett.

And it started on the game's second possession.

As Boston came down the court on its first offensive possession, Aldridge met Garnett below the three-point line with a hearty shoulder, knocking the big talker off kilter. Garnett retaliated, slamming back into Aldridge, causing Aldridge to barely ripple. Aldridge simply reloaded and banged back.

For the first time in his career, Aldridge brought the fight to Garnett.

"It's what I had in mind," Aldridge said. "I was going to hit first. I was going to come out physical and let it be known I wasn't going to be pushed around."

Keep in mind, this is the same player who spoke up first in the Blazers' postgame locker room on Dec. 5 in Boston when coach Nate McMillan asked how the team felt after the Celtics bullied their way to a 93-78 victory.

"Punked" is the word Aldridge used to describe what the Celtics did that night.

On Tuesday, the Celtics and Garnett once again were up to their antics. Some of the Celtics' bravado is legit -- they play harder and tougher than any other NBA team. But some of it -- mostly from Garnett -- is bush league. The talking in the opponent's ear. The cheap elbows. The getting down on all fours and acting like a dog.

This time, Aldridge was prepared. When Garnett tried to intimidate with his flapping lips, Aldridge did his own lip action.

"The head games of Garnett ... he smiled at him," McMillan said after the game.

McMillan called it part of Aldridge's growing process. But it very nearly became a painful lesson. With 22.6 seconds left and the Blazers leading 87-86, both teams headed to the sidelines for a timeout. Garnett elbowed Aldridge from behind as he passed. So Aldridge slapped Garnett in the back of the head.

Luckily for the Blazers, referee Mike Callahan saw both infractions. He called a double technical.

"You can only take so much," Aldridge said of Garnett's elbows.

How many elbows did he take before that?

"Many of them," Aldridge said. "But that was going to be the final one."

By the end of the game, Aldridge had finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals. When the final buzzer sounded, the Blazers rushed the court and confetti fell from the rafters. Many of his teammates hugged Aldridge, knowing that he carried them on a big night.

But Aldridge for many moments ignored them. He stood rigid as his teammates wrapped around his torso, and stared intently down the court. He was staring at Garnett, ... wanting, hoping, needing eye contact. He got none, as Garnett, with his head bowed, walked off the court, fiddling with his jersey.

Aldridge shrugged off the final scene.

"Just two competitive players going at it," Aldridge said. "He goes his way, I go mine."

I will forever remember that scene. For many, they will look back at this night as the game the Blazers beat the NBA champions without Roy. I will look back at it as the night Aldridge shed a label.

"Don't even say it," Aldridge said sternly after the game, knowing I was going to bring up the word soft. "If you do, I won't talk to you for another week."

See, before the first Boston game on Dec. 5, I asked Aldridge whether he felt he was soft. He abruptly rose from his chair and walked away, saying things over his shoulder like, "Was 27 points against Detroit soft? Would you say Utah is soft? Then why did I score 36 against them (last season)?"

It was safe to say that the relationship between Aldridge and me -- which had grown substantially this season -- had deteriorated. Thing is, he never understood I have defended him on the radio, and in conversations with other beat reporters.

So Tuesday night, I asked him again: Why does that word bug you so much?

"Did I play that way tonight?" he asked curtly. "Then case closed."

[JordanL]

Well I hope they dont act like pussies when they come to LA in a couple of days. Show some heart against the best team in the league for a change...

I agree. The way they shrank from LA in the season opener was shameful. I was at a bar with my boss, a Laker fan... :bang

Blazers are acting like a different team now then before. It's time to perform like a different team too.

[tlongII]

Winning at Boston or L.A. will be the final step in our maturation process. I don't know if they'll be ready on Jan. 4th, but it will come soon.

[m33p0]

Winning at Boston or L.A. will be the final step in our maturation process. I don't know if they'll be ready on Jan. 4th, but it will come soon.
oden has to figure out you can only have 5 guys on the court at a time first.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i dunno man, real guys wouldve thrown a punch at KG, instead of running up breathing in his face doing jackshit, thats soft.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Winning at Boston or L.A. will be the final step in our maturation process. I don't know if they'll be ready on Jan. 4th, but it will come soon.

um the Nuggets won in Boston, and they are far from mature :lol :bang

[TheMACHINE]

u gotta bully Garnett. Just like what Lamar did to hi on xmas days. Knocked him over and walked away.

[SenorSpur]

Kudos to Aldridge. It's high time someone gave it back to Garnett. Like most bullies, they back down when their opponent retaliates.

[lil_penny]

I'm no fan of odom or garnett but I was surely rooting for lamar that day I was glad to seem him not taking his shit.. same with aldridge last night and oden. Gotta be real physical with boston. Especially down low where perkins is he's a puss. Oden set to the tone real early with the backing down on garnett, and also when he got his tech.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

people are talking about KG like he is actually tough. He is a skinny 7'0 guy that is overrated. Just coz you yell, it doesnt make you tough, just ask kmart :lol

[SenorSpur]

KG is a freakin' fraud. I rooted for Boston to be the Fakers, but it doesn't change the fact that now KG is flaunting himself as some fake-ass, tough-guy.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I'm no fan of odom or garnett but I was surely rooting for lamar that day I was glad to seem him not taking his shit.. same with aldridge last night and oden. Gotta be real physical with boston. Especially down low where perkins is he's a puss. Oden set to the tone real early with the backing down on garnett, and also when he got his tech.

but he didnt do crap to KG, odom only shoulder charge into ray allen

[lil_penny]

Yea but he sent a message that he's gonna be physical also to garnett.. if aldridge would of punched him that's taking it to a whole nother level and would of probably cost the blazers the win.. aldridge and odom both showed garnett they weren't going to take his crap.... still wanna see someone pull a anthony peeler on his starvin marvin ass haha

[SenorSpur]

i dunno man, real guys wouldve thrown a punch at KG, instead of running up breathing in his face doing jackshit, thats soft.

Do you want the guy hurt his team by getting ejected and suspended for a game or two? No. He struck first, got in his share of elbows and shoves in within the game, got his numbers and more importantly, his team won.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Do you want the guy hurt his team by getting ejected and suspended for a game or two? No, he stood up to him, got his numbers and more importantly, his team won.

alpha males would do it :ihit

[Tully365]

Duncan has won 4 rings and still behaves with class on the basketball court. KG wins one, and suddenly he's the biggest bully and cheapshot artist in the league. It amazes me how much he gets away with. Kudos to Aldridge.

[SenorSpur]

Duncan has won 4 rings and still behaves with class on the basketball court. KG wins one, and suddenly he's the biggest bully and cheapshot artist in the league. It amazes me how much he gets away with. Kudos to Aldridge.

It is amazing isn't it? But, ANYTHING'S POSSIBULLLLLL!

[TDMVPDPOY]

since no one is going to put KG in his seat, then his going to continue with his antics....

[SmellyFeet]

since no one is going to put KG in his seat, then his going to continue with his antics....

Owning his team is putting him in his seat. Make him lose, and he will be leaving the court with his head down.

[JoeTait75]

Owning his team is putting him in his seat. Make him lose, and he will be leaving the court with his head down.

Exactly. KG may be an asshole, but he's an asshole with a ring. You want to shut him up, beat him. It's that simple.

[lil_penny]

Owning his team is putting him in his seat. Make him lose, and he will be leaving the court with his head down.


Exactly.

And why do you think the blazers look up to a team like the spurs and the not the celtics? With the exception of bowen the spurs are a classy team led by a classy duncan. The celtics with the exception of allen are the douchiest if douches led by capt douche garnett.

[Bob Lanier]

It was safe to say that the relationship between Aldridge and me -- which had grown substantially this season -- had deteriorated. Thing is, he never understood I have defended him on the radio, and in conversations with other beat reporters.
Why are sport journalists so self-absorbed?

[SpursDynasty]

Actually Aldridge got him from behind...it was a cheap shot from behind as Garnett was turned the other way.

I want Garnett to be smacked as much as anyone else, but Aldridge's hit was a cheap shot.

But it's Portland, so we shouldn't have expected anything else.

[LEONARD]

Actually Aldridge got him from behind...it was a cheap shot from behind as Garnett was turned the other way.

I want Garnett to be smacked as much as anyone else, but Aldridge's hit was a cheap shot.

But it's Portland, so we shouldn't have expected anything else.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/399378038_ed2986e3e5.jpg

[monosylab1k]

Why are sport journalists so self-absorbed?

Obviously their lives are the most important part of the story, the fact that they talk to NBA stars is just icing on the cake for readers.

This wasn't a coming-of-age story about LaMarcus Aldridge. Rather, this was the story of how one courageous journalist dared to challenge a young, dumb basketball player, and how his challenge inspired the team to victory. If it wasn't for this guy bashing Aldridge, the Blazers never would have been capable of beating Boston.

[JoeTait75]

Why are sport journalists so self-absorbed?

Watergate.

[Allanon]

Aldridge looks to be the closest to a young Tim Duncan as there is in the NBA. Sure, he's not close but he's similar.

Except, Aldridge is still soft. If he ever gets the aggression to not back down from ANYBODY, he can be the best power forward in the NBA. Don't take "alot" of elbows then decide to fight back. Fight back after the first elbow.


He's played tough before -- he angrily went at Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire earlier this season and stood chin-to-chin, ready to go to blows, with the Lakers' Lamar Odom last season. But nothing compares to the 39 minutes of grit, toughness and shove-it-where-the-sun-don't-shine attitude Aldridge showed Tuesday against probably his most despised opponent, Kevin Garnett.

Odom and Amare would have whupped his soft ass.

And on Christmas, Odom pushed KG down and just looked at him like "what bitch?". That tackle on Ray Allen last year was pretty awesome too, they were undercutting his legs on his rebounds.

[dickface]

Aldridge looks to be the closest to a young Tim Duncan as there is in the NBA.

And if by that you mean he doesn't look like Tim Duncan at all because he doesn't have a post game and is a terrible rebounder, I'd have to agree.

[Ghazi]

Aldridge is just a soft jump shooter.

[Bartleby]

[url]"Don't even say it," Aldridge said sternly after the game, knowing I was going to bring up the word soft. "If you do, I won't talk to you for another week."

:dramaquee

[TheNextGen]

but he didnt do crap to KG, odom only shoulder charge into ray allen

Lamar ran him over and pushed him down. KG stood up as if "oh ur actually bigger than 6 feet, i'll let it pass"

[galvatron3000]

KG is a freakin' fraud. I rooted for Boston to be the Fakers, but it doesn't change the fact that now KG is flaunting himself as some fake-ass, tough-guy.

was he doing that with Cassell and Spree when they played the Lakers in the playoffs?

[daslicer]

Odom and Amare would have whupped his soft ass.

And on Christmas, Odom pushed KG down and just looked at him like "what bitch?". That tackle on Ray Allen last year was pretty awesome too, they were undercutting his legs on his rebounds.

Lakerfans tend to overate their players in every category. This is the best example which is Odom is not tough guy. Don't pull that crap here he is as soft as tissue paper where the fuck was he in last years finals when the celtics were playing physical. TAll I recall is him pouting and getting bitchslapped throughout game 6. One game where he shoves KG doesn't make him tough. Lakers have no enforcer on their team. I laugh at the notion of Odom being hard because I have never seen it during his last several years. If we are going to label a player being tough after one act you can make the argument Matt Bonner is tough guy because he threw KG to the ground back when he was in Toronto.

Next we will be hearing how Gasol or Vujacic are hardcore thugs in here.

[pawe]

KG will shut the fuck up when Bonner bitch slaps him when they visit Boston on February.

[Allanon]

Lakerfans tend to overate their players in every category. This is the best example which is Odom is not tough guy. Don't pull that crap here he is as soft as tissue paper where the fuck was he in last years finals when the celtics were playing physical. TAll I recall is him pouting and getting bitchslapped throughout game 6. One game where he shoves KG doesn't make him tough. Lakers have no enforcer on their team. I laugh at the notion of Odom being hard because I have never seen it during his last several years. If we are going to label a player being tough after one act you can make the argument Matt Bonner is tough guy because he threw KG to the ground back when he was in Toronto.

Spur fans don't understand much about other teams. The Lakers were under-sized compared to the Celtics last year. Celtics had Perkins/PJ Brown to deal with Odom and Garnett vs Pau. As tough as Odom is, he gives up too much size to Perkins/PJ Brown.

Kendrick Perkins has 50 pounds on Lamar Odom, that considered, Odom did a decent job on Perkins.

This year, with Bynum, Odom gets to match up to KG & Powe where their sizes matchup nicely.

Doubt all you want now but you'll see the Celtics are no match for the Lakers this year.

[duncan228]

For tlongII.

Everybody loves the Blazers. And while that mainstream love is usually spent on Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, the real secret to Portland’s potential success is consistently ignored. Meet LaMarcus Aldridge.

By: Austin Burton, Dime Mag (http://dimemag.com/2008/12/lamarcus-aldridge-dime-46-feature/)

*** *** *** ***

LaMarcus Aldridge answers the question before the question mark lands, as if reciting a monologue he’s been practicing all summer long.

What’s the one thing the Blazers were missing last year that would have…

“Greg Oden,” Aldridge says, quickly, in the same way every TV head has been programmed to mash the two names together — greGOden — when referencing his much-hyped rookie teammate. “The big body, the blocking shots, having two guys who can score in the post … that’s what we needed last year.

“We feel like we should make it to the playoffs now,” Aldridge adds. “We know it’s not gonna be easy, but we all worked hard in camp and I think we’ll get it done.”

For the past year and a half, if Aldridge hasn’t been answering questions about Greg Oden or Brandon Roy, the two most visible figures associated with the Portland Trail Blazers, he’s been fielding queries about rookie Jerryd Bayless, or Spanish import Rudy Fernandez, or Sixth Man of the Year candidate Travis Outlaw, or head coach Nate McMillan, or even French teenage prospect Nicolas Batum. Meanwhile, the man who averaged 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.24 blocks last season, who was among the NBA’s young stars chosen for USA Basketball’s Select Team to scrimmage the Redeem Team in the weeks before the Beijing Olympics, is a mostly forgotten commodity.

“I’m not worried about whose name they say first or who people talk about,” Aldridge says. “At the end of the day, we all need each other, from Brandon Roy down to the last guy on the bench. You see someone like Leon Powe in the Finals last year; he had something like 25 and 10 in Game Two, and that helped push [the Celtics] through. You need everybody on the team to be successful.”

And in today’s NBA climate, where the concept of the “Big Three” (Garnett-Pierce-Allen, Duncan-Parker-Ginobili) has replaced the idea that championship foundations are built upon two superstars (Jordan-Pippen, Kobe-Shaq), Aldridge’s value should be all the more obvious. “I don’t know why he doesn’t get more attention — it’s just politics, really,” says Blazers fourth-year swingman Martell Webster. “But LaMarcus knows that the only thing he can control is what he does. He doesn’t really care what the media says. He’s got his eyes on becoming an All-Star. That’s what I really respect about him. He knows what he wants.”

*** *** *** ***

Going into this season, the Blazers were the NBA’s favorite shiny new toy. Every fan, writer, blogger, analyst and expert had Portland down as its sleeper squad; a darkhorse getting so much shine, the term no longer applied. Roy was coming off his first All-Star appearance, Oden was making his long-awaited pro debut, Outlaw was coming off a breakout season, and Fernandez had shined in the Olympics while Bayless killed it in his Vegas Summer League run. Between ESPN, TNT and NBA TV, the Blazers had 20 games scheduled for national television, and it seemed every credible basketball source was fully convinced Portland’s 41-win record from the previous year — which included a memorable 14-game win streak covering parts of November and December — was guaranteed to improve, with prognosticators going as high as taking the Blazers to unseat the Utah Jazz as the ’09 Northwest Division champs.

“Nah, I don’t feel like it’s added pressure,” Aldridge says. “We put more pressure on ourselves than anyone else. The margin for error is small, but like last year, with every team winning 50 games, I don’t think that’s gonna happen every year. Still, we have to start out strong. We can’t think about making mistakes, just playing basketball the right way. If we do that, things will work out for us.”

Whether the Blazers can get close to the 50-win benchmark and reach the postseason for the first time since 2003 depends largely on Aldridge, and how the 23-year-old, 6-foot-11 forward/center shares the floor with the 20-year-old, seven-foot Oden.

“We have different strengths,” Aldridge says. “My main strength is being able to shoot; his is being able to dunk on whoever is in the lane. So I know he’s gonna be inside a lot and I’m gonna be outside, and I’m comfortable playing out. It’s never gonna get too crowded. I think we used this preseason to learn how to read each other. He can have all of the paint. I’m more in my natural position at the four; last year I was playing out of position a lot.”

Aldridge has seen his role change a few times already since he was taken No. 2 overall in the 2006 draft by Chicago and traded to Portland the same day. As a rookie he came off the bench behind power forward Zach Randolph some nights, started at center some nights, and from game to game guarded everyone from Paul Pierce to Pau Gasol. Going into Year Two, with Randolph having been traded and Oden supposed to be on the way, LA was penciled in as the starting four in the preseason. But when Oden had to have season-ending microfracture knee surgery, Aldridge became a starting center/forward hybrid, assuming responsibility as Portland’s go-to guy in the paint. And now, in Year Three, he’s had to adjust his game again to suit Oden. If he does it right, the Blazers could be as good as everyone wants them to be.

“He’s an All-Star player,” says ex-teammate Randolph, now with the Knicks. “He can shoot the basketball, he’s strong, he runs like a deer. He’s going to continue to get better and better. This is what, his third year? Sheeeit.”

The transition from Randolph to Aldridge as the Blazers’ interior anchor represented more than just one talented forward taking over for another; it signaled a fundamental shift in the organization that — as much as the success on the court — has turned the current Blazers into one of the League’s darlings. “Good guy” picks like Roy, Aldridge, Oden and Webster, plus the purging of players whom the Blazers faithful had turned on, helped reclaim a fan base that once ranked among NBA’s most loyal and loud through the mid-1990s, but had fallen out of love during the “Jail Blazers” era headlined by Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, J.R. Rider, Randolph and Darius Miles.

“The one thing the Blazers did last year was they got their home court back,” says TNT analyst Doug Collins. “They got the fans excited about their team again.”

Aldridge, whose home in the Portland suburbs features a theater room, workout room, and houses his massive collection of Air Force 1s and Jordans, has seen the results first-hand.

“I saw it turn around last year, from us not having nobody at the games to having sellout games,” he says. “Blazermania is definitely back. When you’re out traveling, in the city, just going out to eat, you see how much the fans appreciate you and get excited to see you. Going to the games, you just feel it everywhere.”

“The fans love LaMarcus. The community loves him, and they embrace him,” says Webster. “Even though we all understand the whole thing with Brandon and Greg getting most of the attention, LaMarcus knows he’s loved in the city and in the organization.”

*** *** *** ***

LaMarcus Aldridge grew up in Dallas, in a time when the NFL’s Cowboys defined success — and bad behavior — in pro sports. For letting one influence take hold and not the other, LaMarcus gives primary credit to his mother, Georgia, and his older brother, LaVontae, a former junior college ballplayer who, at 6-foot-10, taught LaMarcus to play the big man’s game.

As he blossomed into an All-American at Seagoville High School, where he engaged in a few head-to-heads with an older Texas phenom, Chris Bosh, LaMarcus’ senior-year decision ultimately came down to two choices: the NBA or the University of Texas.

“He ran like a deer, I’m telling you,” says Texas coach Rick Barnes, recalling his first impression of the state’s top recruit in 2004. “He could really run and he loved to run. He could cover ground and really block shots. He was on our radar early. I looked at his potential and you just knew it would all come together for him.

“LaMarcus is one of those guys, once you’re around him, you kind of fall in love with his personality and his realness,” Barnes says. “He is without question the most mature player I’ve ever coached. He’s five years beyond his age in terms of maturity.”

“He’s mature beyond mature,” adds UT assistant athletic director Scott McConnell. “He’s got the next 20 years planned out financially, and he keeps a tight circle. He’s a straight shooter, and that’s who he likes to have around him are other straight shooters.”

In what has since become a piece of Longhorns lore, there’s the story of when Aldridge injured his hip midway through his freshman year — an injury that ended his season and basically prevented him from entering the 2005 NBA Draft — but continued to work on his game, nonstop, even when he could barely walk.

“He was on crutches and wasn’t allowed to stand much,” Barnes says, “so he put a stool over on one of the side baskets, and in practice LaMarcus would sit there for two and a half hours and practice his shot and his passing.”

Texas senior guard A.J. Abrams, a freshman when Aldridge was a sophomore, also relayed the stool story through the grapevine. “Because of the way he worked hard to get back from his injury, everyone saw him as a leader of the team when I got there,” Abrams says. “He’s a pretty cool guy, real down to earth — that’s what I like most about him. Even though you knew and he knew he was gonna be doing big things, he was always just a regular guy.”

In two years at Texas, LaMarcus developed the game that would make him a high Lottery pick: polished post moves and the ability to score inside despite his thin frame, a jump shot that’s increasing in range by the day, plus steadily improving rebounding and shot-blocking skills.

“First and foremost, I know that I can shoot. I can shoot the 18-footer, and I worked on bringing my range all the way out to three,” Aldridge says. “Being able to shoot the ball is always a good threat. I can play out of the post, too. I’ll score most of my points in the post, on pick-and-rolls and hitting the 18-foot jump shot.”

Although still very much a work in progress, LA put up numbers against the League’s best last season: 27 points against Tim Duncan on opening night; 30 points, 10 boards, and three blocks against Pau Gasol and Memphis in November; 22 and 12 against Dirk Nowitzki in November; 36 points against Carlos Boozer in December; and 31 against the Shaq/Amare Phoenix frontcourt in March. But it didn’t take much to read between the lines and see (sans Duncan) that the aforementioned list isn’t one of all-world defenders — which is why Aldridge spent this past summer striving to get stronger and be more consistent against every level of competition.

“If anything, he might get more points this year with Greg around,” Webster says. “He can get you points inside the paint, and when the guards penetrate he can knock down jump shots. He’s something of a clean-up man; with the two big guys going for rebounds, he can get putbacks and get to the free throw line.”

Part of Aldridge’s summer schooling was against Team USA, where he was tested against Bosh, Boozer, Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

“Those were the best players in the NBA, and the only way they felt they could bring back the gold was to play defense,” Aldridge says. “It was all defense-first. When I came back here (to Portland) I felt even more confident to speak about it to the team, that we have to focus on defense more. They felt they can’t beat nobody unless they play defense, so we should be the same way. And Coach Nate (Team USA assistant) was there — he saw first-hand even more than me.”

*** *** *** ***

As this issue went to press, Oden’s opening-night foot injury meant another role change for Aldridge; that he’d slide back into the role of Portland’s main weapon in the paint for up to a month while Oden recovered. Naturally, he relished the opportunity. In Portland’s first game without Oden, a national-TV contest against San Antonio, Aldridge took a team-high 22 shots, and on one play in the second half he stuck a smooth turnaround jumper over Duncan, then turned and gave a long look to the Spurs’ bench. Later in the half, with the Blazers protecting a small lead, Aldridge nailed a trey in the corner, and with about 30 seconds left, he hit another clutch 20-footer. Aldridge finished with 23 points in a Blazers win.

“I will tell you one thing, there’s a fire in that belly of his,” Barnes says. “Some guys show it different — some guys are phony tough guys that fake it, but there’s nothing phony about LaMarcus. Believe me, I know. You don’t work as hard as he does and approach things like he does without that fire.”

“He wants to be an All-Star. That’s what he’s shooting for,” Webster says. “That’ll be determined in February so nobody knows for sure, but he’s preparing himself for the best. That’s what LaMarcus does; he prepares himself for the best and prepares himself for the worst on a night-in, night-out basis. He shows up looking to build an All-Star resume.”

[tlongII]

Nice article, but our winning streak was 13 games, not 14.

[mystargtr34]

Aldridge is still soft. Hes a 7 foot mid range jump shooter. He negates his size advantage over other 4s by roaming and avoiding contact so far from the basket.

Throwing elbows back at Garnett and staring him down as he leaves the court doesnt make you tough.

Develop a post game.

[jonnybravo]

And if by that you mean he doesn't look like Tim Duncan at all because he doesn't have a post game and is a terrible rebounder, I'd have to agree.

+1.

Worse comparison ever. Nothing like TD. Nothing.

[MI21]

You say this...


Spur fans don't understand much about other teams.

after having just said this?


Aldridge looks to be the closest to a young Tim Duncan as there is in the NBA. Sure, he's not close but he's similar.

Geeeeeeez.


He is pretty much the opposite of Tim Duncan.

Relies on his high release and solid athleticism to get his very very good jumpshot off against defenders. Lacks post game. Has a jump hook over his left shoulder and some turnarounds, but no power moves. Terrible rebounder. Drifts in and out of games and if he isn't scoring he can become quite invisible. Not a great ballhandler and not a great passer.

He is a lot like Rasheed Wallace. Incredibly high release, good athlete and a terrible rebounder. Sheed plays incredible D though, and has post moves..but doesn't use them. There is nothing about him that resembles a young Tim Duncan or an old Tim Duncan except for his skin colour and they are both tall males.

[Allanon]

Tim Duncan is known as the Big Fundamental, LMA is the most fundamentally sound young Power Forward in the NBA.

He'll develop his post game... give it some time.

I said the CLOSEST to Tim Duncan, read the post.

If he's not the closest, name the young Power Forward closest like Duncan.

[lil_penny]

Gotta agree with allanon. Give lamarus some time... but out of anyone he reminds me of a young sheed more than anything..

[mystargtr34]

Tim Duncan is known as the Big Fundamental, LMA is the most fundamentally sound young Power Forward in the NBA.

He'll develop his post game... give it some time.

I said the CLOSEST to Tim Duncan, read the post.

If he's not the closest, name the young Power Forward closest like Duncan.

Al Jefferson is the closest to Tim Duncan in the league.

Aldridge is really different.

[Budkin]

Good for Aldridge. I loved the guy when he played for UT.

[dickface]

I said the CLOSEST to Tim Duncan, read the post.

You said this


Sure, he's not close but he's similar.

He's not anywhere near the closest thing to Tim Duncan. He's the exact fucking opposite of Tim Duncan. Aldridge has way more in common with his nemesis Kevin Garnett than he does Tim Duncan. You obviously know very little about the game of basketball if you think LaMarcus Aldridge is ANYTHING like Tim Duncan. They both play power forward, that's the ONLY thing they have in common on a basketball court.

Aldridge can't rebound and can't post up. So explain how he's at all like Duncan, and how he's the closest thing to Duncan. As said before, Al Jefferson has a whole lot more in common with Tim Duncan than Aldridge, and that says something when Jefferson is the shittest defender this side of Eddy Curry. and Brook Lopez has a lot more in common with Tim Duncan that Lamarcus Aldridge ever will.

[Allanon]

Aldridge can't rebound and can't post up. So explain how he's at all like Duncan, and how he's the closest thing to Duncan. As said before, Al Jefferson has a whole lot more in common with Tim Duncan than Aldridge, and that says something when Jefferson is the shittest defender this side of Eddy Curry. and Brook Lopez has a lot more in common with Tim Duncan that Lamarcus Aldridge ever will.

LMA can't rebound, can't post up. BUT, he is fundamentally sound, just like Duncan. Al Jefferson is good but nowhere near as fundamentally sound as Duncan and LMA.

Al Jefferson doesn't have the size and he is more power than finesse. Both Duncan/LMA are finesse players with better shooting range than Al Jefferson. Both LMA and Duncan can shoot within a few feet of the 3 point line, Al Jefferson cannot.

Al Jefferson dunks alot, you rarely see Duncan and LMA dunking.

Al Jefferson plays the low post. Both LMA and Duncan can and do play the high post.

Once LMA gets his post game going and puts more effort into rebounding, he'll be closer to Duncan than Al Jefferson ever will be due to his inherent range.

[Bob Lanier]

What does it mean to be fundamentally sound?

[MI21]

Aldridge is fundamental?

He doesn't box out, he doesn't have any consistent moves in the post (even basic ones like drop step, up n under, baseline spin), he doesn't consistently play the backboard offensively, he doesn't show his hands at all times offensively... The only truly special fundamental thing he has shown is his beautiful high release on his J.

In fact, the things Aldridge are excels at on each end are probably the weakest parts of Duncans all around incredible game, outside shooting, and covering smaller players on PnR switches. They are nothing alike.

Al Jefferson is a lot more like Timmy even with the horrible D. No one in recent memory abuses Timmy himself in the post than Big Al. He already has a wide array of posts moves, is a solid rebounder and like Timmy is deceptively strong. Someone mentioned Brook Lopez which was random but a good observation. The step through hook over his left shoulder is like a Tim Duncan clone.

Tim is hard to compare to because he is good at every aspect of the game, great a lot of aspects and a fantastic defender all whilst lacking in athleticism. It's like trying to compare someone to Larry Bird, you might find a couple of similarities but not a lot. LaMarcus Aldridge has absolutely nothing that resembles Tim Duncan.

[Armando]

Aldridge is fundamental?

He doesn't box out, he doesn't have any consistent moves in the post (even basic ones like drop step, up n under, baseline spin), he doesn't consistently play the backboard offensively, he doesn't show his hands at all times offensively... The only truly special fundamental thing he has shown is his beautiful high release on his J.

In fact, the things Aldridge are excels at on each end are probably the weakest parts of Duncans all around incredible game, outside shooting, and covering smaller players on PnR switches. They are nothing alike.

Al Jefferson is a lot more like Timmy even with the horrible D. No one in recent memory abuses Timmy himself in the post than Big Al. He already has a wide array of posts moves, is a solid rebounder and like Timmy is deceptively strong. Someone mentioned Brook Lopez which was random but a good observation. The step through hook over his left shoulder is like a Tim Duncan clone.

Tim is hard to compare to because he is good at every aspect of the game, great a lot of aspects and a fantastic defender all whilst lacking in athleticism. It's like trying to compare someone to Larry Bird, you might find a couple of similarities but not a lot. LaMarcus Aldridge has absolutely nothing that resembles Tim Duncan.



Not saying you personally but why do we always need to compare players? Aldridge is Aldridge and Duncan is Duncan. 2 great players and hopefully 1 day Aldridge will have success.

[m33p0]

i'd like to see a young tim duncan. :)

[MI21]

Not saying you personally but why do we always need to compare players? Aldridge is Aldridge and Duncan is Duncan. 2 great players and hopefully 1 day Aldridge will have success.

I agree. Especially when they aren't in direct competition like if one of them was backing up the other, or one was drafted #1 and the other #2.

I just see Laker fan dribbling shit about Spurs fans not knowing about other teams and then throwing out gems like Aldridge is similar to young Duncan, and something must be said :)

[Armando]

Thats a fucking farce to compare Aldridge to Duncan. Come on guys!!! Aldridge is an overrated scrub playing on a non-playoff team, and Duncan is a living legend... where is the comparison?



He is by no means an overrated scrub.

[duncan228]

Another one. Guy's making some headlines.

Leap of Faith (http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3800651)
On a team of more obvious stars, it's LaMarcus Aldridge who will decide just how far the Blazers will go.
by Ric Bucher

The kid gloves have come off.

Six-foot, 175-pound video coordinator/assistant coach Kaleb Canales used to put them on—forearm barrel pads, technically—in pregame warmups with 6'11", 240-pound LaMarcus Aldridge, allowing Canales to poke and whack the big man without doing any damage. Handling Aldridge with care is an approach the entire Trail Blazers leadership, knowing what it does about the mercurial power forward, has adopted. Sure, Aldridge is a valued player, mixing an impossible-to-block high release with defensive versatility. But the reason he gets kid-glove treatment is because underneath the baller lurks a wary Texas boy—TXBOY 12 is stenciled on the heels of both of his game shoes—who early on learned harsh lessons about betrayal. "I'm not normal," Aldridge says. "The only person I really trust is myself."

When those are the words you live by, your tendency is to examine everything you encounter with a microscope, looking for signs of deception or dishonesty, for any speck of someone trying to get over. Even something as simple as changing a pregame routine—say, replacing Canales—requires deliberation and execution, lest Aldridge peer into his scope and find something not quite right.

Of course, Aldridge's lack of faith in his fellow man isn't the first topic of conversation for those who mull whether the Trail Blazers will live up to the expectations that have them skipping right past "playoff team" to "perennial contender." Greg Oden's right knee, Brandon Roy's nagging injuries, Steve Blake's point guard play … each is a lot more top of mind. This team—which has not made the playoffs in six years, which has half a dozen players (including Aldridge) who will be eligible for options or extensions this summer, which has the NBA's second-youngest roster—is just poking its head out from the cocoon. In other words, the Blazers are as fragile as they are enthralling—just like Aldridge.

So this metamorphosis is going to take time, which requires patience, which demands, well, trust that the time spent will be worth it. Canales is closer to Aldridge than most because he's a fellow Texan who's there whenever Aldridge needs him—summer workouts, midnight shooting drills, extra film sessions. He's as protective of Aldridge as Aldridge is of himself. But if coach Nate McMillan doesn't feel the same way one night in late November, it's because his team is only barely hovering above .500 and Aldridge is struggling. Mightily. McMillan thinks it's the warmup routine, which has Canales looking part-cyborg, part-Michelin Man. The getup has Aldridge grinning, even as a rolling hook caroms off the backboard.

Now, after a couple of weeks of subtle hints and a one-point home win over the Kings in which Aldridge is so out of sync that he pleads with McMillan to stop calling his number, the coach has had enough. He orders assistant Joe Prunty to work over Aldridge the next day. Prunty is no bigger than Canales, but after practice he and two other staffers put Aldridge through a post drill—pushing, grabbing and slapping with focus—and suddenly Aldridge isn't grinning anymore. Practice is long and the prepractice film session longer, but Aldridge is revving in midgame form, wheeling and crushing dunks. "Haven't done a drill like that since college," he says afterward. Prunty will take over the pregame routine, too. From now on, Aldridge will get Canales and his pads only after Prunty puts him through a crisp set of shooting drills, which includes asking to see the big man's go-to move for that night. Aldridge is so versatile, he can tailor his repertoire to the opponent.

Later, Aldridge is at his locker when McMillan comes over and slides a hand under his T-shirt. Wanting to see if the new workout has produced the desired result, he frowns when he doesn't find a sheen of sweat. Aldridge, exasperated, says, "C'mon, I've been done for a minute! Dang!" The intrusion touches more than skin; it strikes a nerve.

TXBOY 12's trust-no-one mantra didn't fall from the sky. As a kid, he suffered comparisons on the local courts to his father and brother, both accomplished prep players in the Dallas area; he had their height but not their game. Then he'd return home from the latest humiliation and often find his dad inebriated. But Marvin was a friendly drunk, so Georgia, LaMarcus' mom, put up with him well into LaMarcus' teenage years. Marvin, as his son says, "was around physically but gone mentally." So it was left to LaVontae, LaMarcus' older brother by six years, to pass along what he knew about basketball. Even after his mom finally kicked Marvin out of the house, LaMarcus still gave his dad one more chance, inviting him to his draft party back in Dallas after the Bulls made him the No. 2 pick of the 2006 draft, then immediately shipped him to Portland. All he asked was that Marvin show up sober. He didn't. "He reminded me of all the reasons I didn't like him," says LaMarcus. He discusses his father casually, but Mom knows better. "All the pain," says Georgia, "LaMarcus never let it show."

What her son won't reveal in words, though, he reveals in action—or inaction. There is no warning sign. Betray him and you are excised, as was the AAU coach who Aldridge learned was trying to steer him to a particular school he did not want to go to. Aldridge won't mention the coach's name or the school; for him, the man no longer exists. Aldridge can be done with you as quickly and completely as he was with Marvin, whose indiscretions included calling LaMarcus on his 16th birthday—without realizing it. "He's a hard candidate," Georgia says of her son. "He has the same high standards for everyone, and he doesn't care about excuses."

LaMarcus hasn't seen Marvin since draft night.

BEING A Texan, Aldridge has a particular love of red meat. So it was especially wounding when he thought that Roy had left him out of a trip to a Brazilian barbecue joint in Memphis early last season. So that's how it is, he thought, and steered clear of Roy everywhere but on the court. It wasn't until the summer that Travis Outlaw convinced Aldridge that he had simply forgotten to tell him about the dinner. The issue is a memory now, but that kind of response to a perceived slight is what the Blazers work every day to avoid. They can't afford not to. As rock-solid as Roy is, as imposing as Oden may be, most NBA GMs think Aldridge's potential is the most tantalizing. "He's only scratched the surface of what he can be," says one. McMillan agrees and has his pickax ready. "Brandon's game is further ahead offensively than defensively, and Greg's game is further ahead defensively than offensively," says McMillan. "LaMarcus is a player who can dominate at both ends. I don't want to compare players but he has a lot of the same things KG has. Right now, he's Rasheed Wallace. He can get to Kevin Garnett." Neither Roy nor Oden draws similar comparisons. Yet, Roy is an All-Star and the hysteria over Oden was only slightly muted by the microfracture surgery last season that postponed his debut. Only to the public is Aldridge a clear third in the Blazer pecking order.

One of the main reasons McMillan opted to bring Oden off the bench when the No. 1 pick first returned to the lineup was to squelch Aldridge's urge to defer to him. And while the Blazers' marketers gladly would have followed everyone's lead and made Oden and Roy the thrust of their strategies, Kevin Pritchard and McMillan knew better. Aldridge gets equal time on the cover of the team's media guide and on area billboards.

That billing makes the best sense to opponents. "Aldridge is the first guy we plan for," says Kings assistant Rex Kalamian. "Brandon is a handful, but you kind of know what you're going to get from him. When LaMarcus has it going, they're a different team." Aldridge knows how much he means to Portland too. If he was upset at McMillan's sweat check, it's because he knew he'd already taken steps to get back on track. After a 3-for-14 stinker in that Kings game—his worst shooting performance all season—he showered, dressed and took his mom to dinner. After dropping her off at his two-story brick manse in Lake Oswego, he changed back into workout gear and called Canales to arrange a midnight session at the practice facility.

Before the next game, he also called his coach at Seagoville High, Robert Allen, whom he credits with raising him in Marvin's absence. There were days when the electricity was shut off at the Aldridge house and food was scarce, so Allen would use Seagoville's games as an excuse to invite LaMarcus over for dinner and conversation. "He taught me everything," Aldridge says. He knew what Powell would counsel even before he called: Are you getting your 200 shots up? Gotta get your 200 shots up every day. He just needed to hear the voice of the one man who has always been in his corner.

MAYBE THAT change in pregame routine did the trick. Or maybe the self-imposed after-hours shooting session was all it took. Maybe all Aldridge needed was to get over the shock of seeing Dwight Howard fronting him two weeks into the season after he had back-to-back games of 27 and 24 points. "At first, I was like, what is this?" Aldridge says. "I didn't see myself as that big a threat. All of a sudden teams were double-teaming me from different places. For a while, I stopped playing basketball and started thinking basketball." Whatever the reason, Aldridge has been a new man of late. He knocked down seven of 10 shots against the Heat in late November and the Blazers rolled to a 38-point victory, their second-biggest margin of the season. With Aldridge shooting 57%, the Blazers won five straight after the Kings game by an average of 15 points. And neither he nor they have looked back since.

And as his confidence grows, his trust issues begin to fade a bit. About the Blazers' treatment of him in general and the new pregame routine in particular, Aldridge says, "I can't say it didn't help. They've never told me one thing and done another. They've been good." These days, Aldridge isn't so hard on others, either. When a school friend who'd gotten sidetracked and dropped out went back to earn his high school equivalency diploma, Aldridge took him off his blacklist and offered encouragement. Even after Marvin's embarrassing appearance at the draft party, LaMarcus offered all his contact information and promised his dad if he ever got his act together, the door would be open again.

"He's getting there," says Georgia. "He's letting go. He realizes he can't do it all himself. The wall is coming down. Slowly, but it's coming down."

[JordanL]

Aldridge is very good at rebounding, especially where he plays the court.

He plays with the #1 and #3 rebounders in the league, (Oden and Przybilla), and he leads the team in offensive rebounds per game.

There aren't that many rebounds to mop up after our two centers mop up, (not to mention our guards are pretty good at rebounding as well). The Blazers have the higest rebound margin in the league... I think rebounding isn't the right knock on LMA.

Aldridge also can post up. He proved that at UT, and he proved that his first and second seasons. He isn't doing it this season because, (again), Portland has the best Center rotation in the league. This isn't really hard to figure out if you understand the game.

[urunobili]

damn i'd do anything to have Aldrigde on my team... :depressed

[Brazil]

damn i'd do anything to have Aldrigde on my team... :depressed

Trade Manu :stirpot:

[dickface]

What does it mean to be fundamentally sound?

he doesn't know, he just knows that tim duncan is called that. so in order for his retarded ass comparison to sound plausible, he has to blindly call lamarcus aldridge that too.

[dickface]

LMA can't rebound, can't post up. BUT, he is fundamentally sound, just like Duncan. Al Jefferson is good but nowhere near as fundamentally sound as Duncan and LMA.

Al Jefferson doesn't have the size and he is more power than finesse. Both Duncan/LMA are finesse players with better shooting range than Al Jefferson. Both LMA and Duncan can shoot within a few feet of the 3 point line, Al Jefferson cannot.

Al Jefferson dunks alot, you rarely see Duncan and LMA dunking.

Al Jefferson plays the low post. Both LMA and Duncan can and do play the high post.

Once LMA gets his post game going and puts more effort into rebounding, he'll be closer to Duncan than Al Jefferson ever will be due to his inherent range.

:lmao tim duncan is a high post finesse player. now i know you don't watch basketball. just because he CAN play that game doesn't mean he can be defined by it. Duncan scraps in the muck just as much as anybody, something Aldridge is far too big a pussy to do.

like I said before, if anybody is "the next Tim Duncan" it's Brook Lopez. and it's doubtful lopez ever gets that good. LaMarcus Aldridge is not the same player as Duncan, he doesn't have the same mentality and doesn't play the game at all like Tim Duncan. You fucking fail.

[Sissiborgo]

Aldridge Rocks...

[Allanon]

Aldridge is fundamental?

He doesn't box out

WTF are you talking about? Aldridge doesn't box out? You are an idiot if you believe this. Try watching a game outside of a Spurs game sometimes fool.



he doesn't have any consistent moves in the post (even basic ones like drop step, up n under, baseline spin).

He has the moves, he needs to use them more. As I said before, give him time.



he doesn't consistently play the backboard offensively, he doesn't show his hands at all times offensively... The only truly special fundamental thing he has shown is his beautiful high release on his J.

Now this is just crap coming from your mouth. Just because he doesn't shoot bank shots he's not fundamentally sound hahahahah...dumbass.



In fact, the things Aldridge are excels at on each end are probably the weakest parts of Duncans all around incredible game, outside shooting, and covering smaller players on PnR switches. They are nothing alike.

Duncan is one of the most consistent outside shooting Power Forwards that there are. How is this Duncan's weakness? He can consistently shoot from the top of the key and the elbows.



Al Jefferson is a lot more like Timmy even with the horrible D.



No one in recent memory abuses Timmy himself in the post than Big Al.

Denial? You just saw Andrew Bogut a couple of days ago.



He already has a wide array of posts moves, is a solid rebounder and like Timmy is deceptively strong.

He has the post moves but can't score consistently outside of the paint. Oh yeah, Al plays horrible defense too, just like Duncan? Hahahahah.

[Allanon]

:lmao tim duncan is a high post finesse player. now i know you don't watch basketball. just because he CAN play that game doesn't mean he can be defined by it. Duncan scraps in the muck just as much as anybody, something Aldridge is far too big a pussy to do.

Tim Duncan is a Finesse Player, are you saying he isn't?

Tim Duncan CAN play the High Post. Are you saying he can't and doesn't?




like I said before, if anybody is "the next Tim Duncan" it's Brook Lopez. and it's doubtful lopez ever gets that good. LaMarcus Aldridge is not the same player as Duncan, he doesn't have the same mentality and doesn't play the game at all like Tim Duncan. You fucking fail.

Nobody is saying LMA is the same player as Duncan, only you.

Brook Lopez? :lol

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Bruce Bowen is ahead of Aldridge in the all star poll.

[dickface]

Brook Lopez? :lol

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-090211

Brook Lopez, Nets
I like Lopez's ability to be a threat from out on the floor when being tightly guarded. He's able to get his waist down and dribble under control a few times. And in time, he'll be able to convert these drives more regularly than he can now.

When I see him wheel around the pinch post-extended and drive toward the rim after faking a handoff, I think of Tim Duncan. He doesn't move like Duncan, but he is going to be able to do a lot of the things that Duncan does. He has a chance to be a truly special player.

owned