LaMarcus Aldridge Is Built to Fit in with the Spurs, Not to Save Them

[spursparker9]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2710527-lamarcus-aldridge-is-built-to-fit-in-with-the-spurs-not-to-save-them
https://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/675/351/hi-res-b12aa2d379a6b3129844420e16712d1b_crop_north.jpg?h= 533&w=800&q=70&crop_x=center&crop_y=top


SAN ANTONIO — When LaMarcus Aldridge had his pick of teams two years ago, the choice was telling.

He didn't want to go somewhere they'd ask him to play too physically. He didn't believe in himself enough to think he was going to earn major endorsement deals anyway. He wanted to go home to be near his mother and watch his sons' soccer games.

He didn't want to go to a team that needed him to be even better than he had been in order to win…or even be as good as he had been to win.



With plenty of years as a Spur to come, why wasn't Aldridge looking to establish his own greatness in San Antonio and get his own number retired by the Spurs? Maybe it was because, as he said in his introductory press conference two years ago, he simply wanted to be in a place where he could see himself "fitting in well," where "my life is going to be easier."

So as we sit in judgment of Aldridge here in what might well be the midpoint of a Western Conference Finals sweep if Aldridge's teammate, Kawhi Leonard, doesn't return from injury for Game 3 Saturday, no one should be shocked that Aldridge has come up small in a big moment. Indeed, Aldridge all but said it himself: "I'm not looking to try to be David Robinson, to be Tim Duncan. Those guys are rare; they only come around once every 20 years or so."



He wanted to be somewhere where he was included in the sum of the parts and wouldn't be exposed as a minus when expected to carry the team every night. That was a choice he earned, and maybe it's good that he knows his preferences and limitations. He didn't necessarily want to be Damian Lillard, but he didn't want his team to be all about Damian Lillard, either.



Some would view it as a golden opportunity. But if you look at Aldridge's track record, you know that he's not that guy. He wants comfort zone over prime time. Even though he played well in San Antonio's Game 6 clincher at Houston, that was a uniquely pressure-free run with Leonard's ankle being saved for a potential Game 7 back home.


This article was posted before game 3

[tbdog]

Cool, so take a pay cut after next season.

[weebo]

Cool, so take a pay cut after next season.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

awesome - as others have said, his salary doesn't justify his expectations - or the other way around :)

[tholdren]

And hes gay

[skulls138]

Damn. Well there it is.

[dbreiden83080]

Cool, so take a pay cut after next season.

The thing is he is not overpaid. Conley has a 153 million deal. Todays NBA salaries are just out of hand..

[dbreiden83080]

And he is a very good player. Yes he is not THAT GUY, but we already have THAT GUY so we don't need him to be. 17 pts and 8 rebounds is fine by me for another year or two..

[MaNu4Tres]

And he is a very good player. Yes he is not THAT GUY, but we already have THAT GUY so we don't need him to be. 17 pts and 8 rebounds is fine by me for another year or two..

Its not about PPG and RPG. You and Jeff McDonald are twins with the same brain.

He was the worst big in grabbing contested rebounds all yr, he shot 43% from the post all yr -- which is pathethic. He was a player reliant on others setting him up on offense, since he cant create good shots for himself or others.

He needs to go. Hes opting out regardless next summer.

[MVPCues]

And he is a very good player. Yes he is not THAT GUY, but we already have THAT GUY so we don't need him to be. 17 pts and 8 rebounds is fine by me for another year or two..

I don't have a problem with this take. There is a different problem though. I think most fans who have soured on him see a lack of competitive spirit and work ethic. When he tries to make a move and runs into a little defense he seems to give up. He has been better on defense than Lee IMO, but Lee plays with more fire and hustle and finishes at the rim better.

[Death In June]

He doesn't fit in with the Spurs at all. He's played well below what he's capable of, and consistently hurts the team more than he helps. That's the opposite of fitting in. And as the highest paid player on the team, he's a salary cap nightmare.

[dbreiden83080]

Its not about PPG and RPG. You and Jeff McDonald are twins with the same brain.

He was the worst big in grabbing contested rebounds all yr, he shot 43% from the post all yr -- which is pathethic. He was a player reliant on others setting him up on offense, since he cant create good shots for himself or others.

He needs to go. Hes opting out regardless next summer.

He needs to for who? If your answer is simply cap space you are not thinking this through at all..

[Ice009]

I was actually trying to remember that quote about him not trying to be David Robinson or Tim Duncan. He said that during the press conference and RC replied with something like - well that's what we expect from you, that's what we're paying you for. LMA took it as a joke, but I think RC was being serious when he said it.


He doesn't fit in with the Spurs at all. He's played well below what he's capable of, and consistently hurts the team more than he helps. That's the opposite of fitting in. And as the highest paid player on the team, he's a salary cap nightmare.

Yeah, he's getting paid too much to be a player that just fits in.


Its not about PPG and RPG. You and Jeff McDonald are twins with the same brain.

He was the worst big in grabbing contested rebounds all yr, he shot 43% from the post all yr -- which is pathethic. He was a player reliant on others setting him up on offense, since he cant create good shots for himself or others.

He needs to go. Hes opting out regardless next summer.

If the Spurs are sure that he will opt out, they should try and trade him next season if they can get a good deal so that they don't waste another year with him on the team.

[Mikeanaro]

The thing is he is not overpaid. Conley has a 153 million deal. Todays NBA salaries are just out of hand..
Conley plays like a max player for that crappy Grizz team, this is a role player.

And he is a very good player. Yes he is not THAT GUY, but we already have THAT GUY so we don't need him to be. 17 pts and 8 rebounds is fine by me for another year or two..
How long have you been watching basketball? 17 points on 17 shots and killing the offense is not fine for any team with championship hopes.
Where was your very good player during the playoffs?

[SpursforSix]

He doesn't work hard enough for the money.

He's a seven foot tall big man. And when he faces any good defender, he settles for a 18 foot fade away. He's big enough and skilled enough to be patient and back people down. But he doesn't.

[$pursDynasty]

in a perfect world if we could trade Boogie for Pau (but only the Kings would be dumb enough for that move), LMA would fit in just fine with MVParker, Verde, KingSlayer, and Boogie. That is an impressive line up however you have to give up something of significance to get something of significance so I am sure the Pelicans would prefer LMA to Pau if the Boogie experiment with AD doesn't work. Then again maybe they will love Pau's 3 point shooting and playoff pedigree who knows? Point being If LMA was your Klay Thompson, 3rd leading scorer one that you don't depend on day in and day out but can go nova from time to time you are good, and that is a good piece to have but he is not even a #2 option. He is no Robin, maybe a Batgirl. So with the comic analogy Kiwi is Batman, Boogie is Robin, LMA is Batgirl and MVParker would be Alfred the Butler, for the sage wisdom/advice and can save the day once in a blue moon but that isn't his primary function.

[Ice009]

in a perfect world if we could trade Boogie for Pau (but only the Kings would be dumb enough for that move), LMA would fit in just fine with MVParker, Verde, KingSlayer, and Boogie. That is an impressive line up however you have to give up something of significance to get something of significance so I am sure the Pelicans would prefer LMA to Pau if the Boogie experiment with AD doesn't work. Then again maybe they will love Pau's 3 point shooting and playoff pedigree who knows? Point being If LMA was your Klay Thompson, 3rd leading scorer one that you don't depend on day in and day out but can go nova from time to time you are good, and that is a good piece to have but he is not even a #2 option. He is no Robin, maybe a Batgirl. So with the comic analogy Kiwi is Batman, Boogie is Robin, LMA is Batgirl and MVParker would be Alfred the Butler, for the sage wisdom/advice and can save the day once in a blue moon but that isn't his primary function.

That really made me laugh. Batgirl describes him perfectly.

[baseline bum]

Aldridge is the anti Ginobili.

[DMC]

awesome - as others have said, his salary doesn't justify his expectations - or the other way around :)

But that's between him and management. You take what you can get. If the Spurs don't like it they have options. I don't blame LMA nor expect him to take a pay cut, but if it's forced on him he might. Not everyone is David West, walking away from 12 million or so just to play for a team with title aspirations. LMA wants a ring, but that's not why he came to SA. He could have gone to Cleveland or Golden State if he wanted to take a pay cut.

[dbreiden83080]

Conley plays like a max player for that crappy Grizz team, this is a role player.

How long have you been watching basketball? 17 points on 17 shots and killing the offense is not fine for any team with championship hopes.
Where was your very good player during the playoffs?

Well it's a shame we could not get KD to jump on our bandwagon, but 17/8 on 47% FG and 80% FT is indeed a good player. He is not a star player obviously which is good because we don't need him to be. He has one year to go, Spurs need to let it play out. Winning or not winning a title next year will not be about LA playing poorly IMO. Hell we might have won it this year had GS not been so dirty. I hope Curry breaks his leg in the finals..

[DMC]

Aldridge is the anti Ginobili.

He's disconnected emotionally from basketball I think. He's going through the motions, just coming to work and playing ball. He's good enough if he tries to make an impact, but he's not a risk taker, not at all. The big moment is something he'd rather not face.

[BackHome]

If he had Deadmon heart and spirt he would easily be so much better...............

[skulls138]

He doesn't work hard enough for the money.

He's a seven foot tall big man. And when he faces any good defender, he settles for a 18 foot fade away. He's big enough and skilled enough to be patient and back people down. But he doesn't.

[skulls138]

He doesn't fit in with the Spurs at all. He's played well below what he's capable of, and consistently hurts the team more than he helps. That's the opposite of fitting in. And as the highest paid player on the team, he's a salary cap nightmare.He really doesn't fit in. I guess the logic was his outside shot would be a great outlet, which I think his true, if he has an open shot he should take it. But it's when they post him up is where he doesn't fit in. If he would drive it more he could kick it out and then we find the open shooter. Not only is the turnaround anti-team, other teams know he's going to do it and defend against it and hes shooting out of control.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

But that's between him and management. You take what you can get. If the Spurs don't like it they have options. I don't blame LMA nor expect him to take a pay cut, but if it's forced on him he might. Not everyone is David West, walking away from 12 million or so just to play for a team with title aspirations. LMA wants a ring, but that's not why he came to SA. He could have gone to Cleveland or Golden State if he wanted to take a pay cut.

main difference between West and LMA is age. West cannot wait to get a ring, his playing time is almost over so if he needs to take a pay cut then so be it. LMA is still young and thought of coming to SA for many years - but with LMA in the rosters the Spurs have a cap problem to bring another start at least for the next 2 years (maybe 1 year but no less than that)

[DMC]

main difference between West and LMA is age. West cannot wait to get a ring, his playing time is almost over so if he needs to take a pay cut then so be it. LMA is still young and thought of coming to SA for many years - but with LMA in the rosters the Spurs have a cap problem to bring another start at least for the next 2 years (maybe 1 year but no less than that)

Bringing stars to SA has never been a cap problem. It's always been a star problem. What stars are wanting to come to SA but cannot because of the cap?

[apalisoc_9]

Its not the worse article. Spurs looked the best in RS with him as a role player

[Strategic]

There's more to it in the big picture. He had a chance this post season to throw his name in the Hall of Fame discussion. Oh well.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Bringing stars to SA has never been a cap problem. It's always been a star problem. What stars are wanting to come to SA but cannot because of the cap?

Possibly many - we will never know unless you have been privy to RC and Pop's meetings with all the A-level stars that they have talked to in the past 15 years. Your question is a red herring.

[unleashbaynes]

Splitter >> Aldridge for this system

[tholdren]

Conley plays like a max player for that crappy Grizz team, this is a role player.

How long have you been watching basketball? 17 points on 17 shots and killing the offense is not fine for any team with championship hopes.
Where was your very good player during the playoffs?

He cant even pass out of a double. Cue the video from last games over and back

[tonight...you]

Cool, so take a pay cut after next season.
Really, that's it. End thread.

[DMC]

Possibly many - we will never know unless you have been privy to RC and Pop's meetings with all the A-level stars that they have talked to in the past 15 years. Your question is a red herring.

It's not a red herring. You think the cap hinders star signings but what stars? The Spurs weren't plagued with being over the cap every year, and where are the stars?

David - drafted
Tim - drafted
Manu - drafted
Tony - drafted
Kawhi - basically drafted

What stars?

[therealtruth]

He's a finess PF. Watch him drop 40+ on the Rockets a couple of years back in the playoffs. That's the PF the Spurs thought they were getting no the soft PF that wants to take it easy. He got too comfortable to allow Kawhi to do the heavy lifting.

[Mikeanaro]

He cant even pass out of a double. Cue the video from last games over and back
And he is like 7 foot tall, everything is an excuse to LaMe-Arcus.

[tbdog]

I have no issues with LMA. I mean, we would love him to play like Portland days, but I think this is more on Pop and this new Iso, slow down system. But then again, Pop has lead us to 60 plus wins the last two season, so can you blame Pop? We were never going to outrun these small teams as we need to move too many pieces to combat them. Playing big against Warriors was the most likely way to win rather than playing inferior small ball to their superior small ball. LMA needs to go to center. We are playing way to slow for his style. That is what happens when we had Duncan, fat Diaw, and West, then now Gasol become main pieces to the team. The league is small these days anyway, so just play him center for the post part. There is only a few big centers this days, as long as we have the personal to combat that, we will be fine. And we desperately need someone that breaks down the defense.





Gasol either needs to go or strictly play at center with limited to no minutes with LMA.


Find a guard that can break down the defense.


Find a starting calibre power forward.

[sasaint]

I have no issues with LMA. I mean, we would love him to play like Portland days, but I think this is more on Pop and this new Iso, slow down system. But then again, Pop has lead us to 60 plus wins the last two season, so can you blame Pop? We were never going to outrun these small teams as we need to move too many pieces to combat them. Playing big against Warriors was the most likely way to win rather than playing inferior small ball to their superior small ball. LMA needs to go to center. We are playing way to slow for his style. That is what happens when we had Duncan, fat Diaw, and West, then now Gasol become main pieces to the team. The league is small these days anyway, so just play him center for the post part. There is only a few big centers this days, as long as we have the personal to combat that, we will be fine. And we desperately need someone that breaks down the defense.





Gasol either needs to go or strictly play at center with limited to no minutes with LMA.


Find a guard that can break down the defense.


Find a starting calibre power forward.


Um, no. LMA is the reason the Spurs play slow ball.

[tbdog]

I disagree. Portland played far faster with Lillard running the show. We played slow because TD couldn’t run up and down anymore. Diaw was unfit. West is old. When we push and control the pace, LMA looks far better. Our entry passes are so wide these days. LMA sets up on the edge of the key and we throw it far out, and now he is way out of the position. This has more to do with our entry passes and pace than LMA being soft.

[sasaint]

LMA sets up so far outside the key because he is too slow to get early position and too soft to establish position - even against guards. Didn't you watch how smalls guarded him in the Houston series. I can count on one hand the number of times I saw him actually sprint the floor in the entire regular season. The guy is soft and very slow. Heck, JaVale McGee is blowing by him - not to mention eating his lunch.

[tmtcsc]

The thing is he is not overpaid. Conley has a 153 million deal. Todays NBA salaries are just out of hand..

He may not be overpaid by the newest salary cap standards but he was definitely overpaid when he signed the contract. No, he wasn't sent here to save the team but he's not holding up to his end of the bargain. You could get the same production from someone far less talented and for far less money. He should shoulder a lot of responsibility (along with Pau Gasol) for the team's playoff struggles.

I was a HUGE proponent of picking Gasol up in free agency but its clear he didn't live up to his expectations either. He's nowhere near the post-up player I thought he was. He did spread the floor with his 3 pt shooting ability but his lack of mobility on the defensive end really hurt. Of course, I feel the team - as is - and with Leonard leading the way was probably good enough to beat the Cavs and make the Warriors sweat. I just thought the Spurs' offensive burden wasn't going to fall so heavily on Leonard. That was totally unexpected.

[therealtruth]

The guy's got no heart right now for some reason.

[Down Under]

Its not the worse article. Spurs looked the best in RS with him as a role player
This is why I think he should be a stretch 5 predominantly. He can shoot the 3, play good defense when he's not hurt and depending on his mood get some good seals down low. Him and Bertans would be intriguing starting.

[John B]

Expensive stretch 4. Spurs should have just kept Bonner :bang

[Dingle Barry]

It all boils down to him being a lazy pussy.