Is anybody on this forum able to read a calendar? Aldridge was born in 1985. In NBA terms he is old. As in "old." Comprende?
LMA is close to the end of his NBA career. He is never again going to be the player he was 10 years ago. Not a chance.
He's at an age when the brain says "Go!" and the body replies "Huh? Who, me?" Remarks about motivation or laziness or at ude are just stupid, ignorant drivel. There's no psychological change that will make LMA 25 years old again.
Guys, LMA is O L D. Got it?
The real failure here is the neglect, and irresponsibility, of the Popovich front office to have a replacement for LMA in development for the last 2 or 3 years. What will be done about the situation now, as long as Pop is in charge? Nothing.
LMA's trade value is zip. He might retire at the end of this season. , he might retire tomorrow. If LMA were on some other team the Spurs could be the dumb suckers who would trade for him. Think Demarre Carroll.
The smart move would be to trade DDR for some kind of LMA replacement. That won't happen, with Pop in charge. Pop likes to come off as some kind of progressive with his politics, but in basketball terms he's so conservative, when he appears on the sideline during games he should have a pigeon perched on his head.
Do not give up a draft pick to move LMA. That would be stupid. Sheer lunacy. Giving up draft picks as a team gets older is not a strategy that's going to work out. Because you need those draft picks for younger players. To replace the old ones. Duh.