Aldridge at a Crossroads: Sheed or Bosh?

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TowelBoy

TowelBoy

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Sheed Career Averages: 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 blocks

Bosh Career Averages: 19.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 blocks

Aldridge 2008-2009 Averages (11 games): 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 blocks

Someone needs to really get in this guy's head and tell him the fall away jumper is a back up move, and should not be used in place of GETTING TO THE BASKET.
 
TB, relax. LMA is just adjusting to playing next to a dominant pivot.
 
As Maxie said, these guys are going to need some time to feel each other out and figure out how to play with each other (the same applies to Roy and Rudy); we are still very much in the "cocoon" stage of development with this team and it might take the better part of the season before we truly start to see this team clicking in a highly efficient manner. That's why this team is still a couple of years away from truly challenging the elite franchises in the league, they're greener than wintermint, despite all of their individual talent and potential.
 
Repeat this to yourself.
It's 11 games into the season.

PF does not only mean "plays with back to the basket".
 
Seeing Maggette abuse him last night defensively in the post was not good. Maggette was flopping but Aldridge could have been shooting over the top of him all night long. He was trying to force that hook when he had his favorite fade away there whenever he wanted it. He's still growing and needs to recognize when he can take what he can get.
 
brace yourself.....


hes not as good as either of them.


sorry its the truth. LA isnt and never will be close bosh. And as far as sheed, hes got a looooooooooooong way just on teh defensive part.

ist not close
 
I don't think he going to be like either player.

I do take exception to the idea he is having to get used to playing with Oden. LA has gotten off to slow starts in the last three games, when Oden is watching from the bench. I know Oden has a large impact, but how can he get in LA's way while wearing warm-ups on the side lines?
 
I think it's a reasonable opinion to hold that Aldridge won't be a good overall as either player. But last year Aldridge averaged 17.8, 7.6, and 1.8. If he just trended up a little, he'd be in the 19/9 range which I think is what a lot of us expected. Instead, he's trending down, which is the main reason I pulled Sheed's numbers (to which they are eerily similar).
 
He's not quite as good as Bosh, but he's not an entire tier down. His numbers would look considerably better on a team with fewer good players, and on a team where he didn't have to figure out how to play with another major post presence.

He's also not quite as good as a prime Sheed, yet. His offensive game is close, but his defense isn't. Wallace was one of the best one-on-one defenders of other big men and a help defense asset. Aldridge has shown, inconsistently, the ability to be a help defense asset, but not the man defense.

Aldridge is still only 23 and still learning his role on a constantly evolving team. I think of all the players on the team, Aldridge has been most impacted by the constant shifting nature of the team's talent.
 
MIXUM said:
hes not as good as either of them.
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Egads, I find myself agreeing with Mixum. Like Sheed, LaMarcus is a sub-par rebounder at the PF position, but Sheed is one of the great defensive forwards of the past decade. He was also the offensive anchor of the team of the early 90s that was 12 minutes away from the finals. LaMarcus is closer to him offensively (and not necessarily in a good way - neither has any low post game apart from turnaround jumpers, and LaMarcus won't be doing crazy alley-oops the way Young Sheed could) than defensively. And Bosh has just jumped into another sphere this season (and was the co-MVP of the US Olympic team with Dwayne Wade if you go by +/-).

But that could be okay. He could be the Blazers' Andrew Bynum: solid role player on a very good team. Right now, however, he isn't even that.
 
I'm scared to death he's turning into another sheed (just without the bad attitude). Of course, Sheed used to have a fire that I have yet to see in LMA. If you got him going he could explode for 30+ points. He also attacked the rim more than Aldridge does. I don't know. I'm hoping LMA has a little bit more passion than he has exhibited.
 
Natebishop3 said:
I'm scared to death he's turning into another sheed (just without the bad attitude)..
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A Sheed minus the bad attitude would be fantastic. Sheed's bad attitude led to him being quite underrated. Well, his attitude and the bizarre belief among some Blazers fans that he could be Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan if he just "cared."

The idea of a prime Rasheed Wallace (without the histrionics) next to a dominant center...amazing. However, Aldridge shows no signs of ever being the defender Wallace was. Aldridge will be a very different player.
 
Minstrel said:
The idea of a prime Rasheed Wallace (without the histrionics) next to a dominant center...amazing. However, Aldridge shows no signs of ever being the defender Wallace was. Aldridge will be a very different player.
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Exactly.

If Aldridge ever becomes as effective as a Bosh or a (non-insane) Rasheed, we should all count our blessings.

Ed O.
 
In all seriousness, he looks like a young Joe Smith right now.

He has a LONG way to go to reach Rasheed status. You can show their stats but 'Sheed was more than stats. He was an intangible guy who played great defense and always looked to get his teammates involved (though to a fault at times).

Color me unimpressed with LaMarcus.
 
MARIS61 said:
Attitude determines who, or what, you are.
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Sure, and there are more possible atttitudes than Rasheed Wallace's. It's not like one can only choose between Aldridge's current attitude or Rasheed Wallace's attitude.

Rasheed Wallace minus the bad attitude (but with the good aspects) would be great.
 
Check out Joe Smith's numbers for his first three years in the League.

Eeerily similar to LaMarcus.
 
Fez said:
Check out Joe Smith's numbers for his first three years in the League.

Eeerily similar to LaMarcus.
Click to expand...

I remember how much promise Joe Smith had when he came into the league. Then he just dropped off the face of the earth. It's amazing how he has played in the league 13 years and has really accomplished nothing.
 
Fez said:
Check out Joe Smith's numbers for his first three years in the League.

Eeerily similar to LaMarcus.
Click to expand...
check out the Warriors teams he was getting those stats on... not so eeeeeerily similar. A little context helps.

I've lived in the Bay Area for most of the last 15 years and those were some bad W's teams. The GSW were devoid of an inside player post Weber when former Blazer great Dave Twardzic (their GM) selected Joe over KG and Sheed supposedly because he was a high character guy and more ready to contribute day 1. Unfortunately for them he was also undersized at his position and not that great of an athlete. The owner had publically called out for Adelman and Twardzic to make the playoffs in their 2nd year at the helm prior to the draft probably causing this massive mistake. Theres a lesson there.

LA is bigger and more athletic then Joe ever was... he's also seems to be a good enough guy. I hope the refs aren't going to make horseshit calls throughout his career like they did last night honoring obvious flops, because if they do he's in trouble. I'm hopeful Blazer fan :ohno: will be ignored this time by management and allow us to see Greg and LA develop... like more then a few here I'm pretty sure it's going to be a great combo

STOMP
 
Uncle Ty said:
I would say LaMarcus IS soft. Does that make him a bad player? No. My definition of a soft big man is one who tends to play away from the basket to avoid contact, both on offense and defense. He's also a poor rebounder. All this doesn't make him a bad player because he possess skills to compensate for his weaknesses. But to me, LaMarcus clearly play smaller than a player of his size and athletic ability should.
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I'd be shocked if Lamarcus was avoiding contact. Not how I see it all. By design, the Blazers have him outside to both open up the driving lanes and to make it harder to double team the post. Hard to get rebounds or mix it up inside regularly when you're out of good rebounding positioning.

In fact, Lamarcus's defense has visibly improved.

Don't confuse trying to adjust to a different role and teammates with being a pansy.

LA is not soft.
 
Uncle Ty said:
Perhaps that was the wrong wording. Prefer to play outside would be more accurate in how I feel about LaMarcus' tendency. And, it has nothing to do with being a pansy, either. I think it's just a style of play.
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Right, but it's not by choice. He's not purposely staying away from the inside because he chooses it's not his style. He has made several comments to the media that he'd like to go inside.

He's doing what he's doing because it's in the teams best interest. Take Oden off this team and you'd see a completely different Aldridge.
 
Uncle Ty said:
I don't see why it should piss you off. LaMarcus' style of play is considered by some people to be soft. Cliff Robinson was also soft. Heck, Dirk is considered by many to be soft. I don't think the word "soft" should have such a negative connotation. Clearly, LaMarcus is a good and skilled player. He's just not a very physical big man, and that could be interpreted as being soft.
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I think it comes down to my definition of soft. I interpret it as a negative comment. So we obviously are looking at this with different intentions.

Also I don't feel you can sum up people (or in this case an athlete) into a simple category like that. I feel there are direct reasons why Lamarcus isn't the "beast" many of you hope for night in and night out.
 
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