Aldridge ranked #1 Power Forward

[Pinwheel1]

Well the bottom line is he is pretty good and it will be hard to do better at this time.
So I am not sure why we debate about him over and over and over......

 

[SnakeOiler]

It's not even about Aldridge at this point, and you should know that. It's about the personal bullshit on this forum that some people like to cling to.

"OMG you posted something that I perceived as negative about Aldridge, I'm going to bring it up and rehash it every chance I can so that every thread turns into one huge bitch fest."

You really haven't realized what this forum has become? Long ago? Most of the posters have 10K+ posts and are total blowhards looking for trolls like me.

 

[Shooter]

I think it's Aldridge's rebounding that has improved more than anything this season . . . What I would like to know is what made him start rebounding for the first time in his career?

 

[julius]

You really haven't realized what this forum has become? Long ago? Most of the posters have 10K+ posts and are total blowhards looking for trolls like me.

MINNESOTA IP!

SERFDOM!

#crazyemoticonrunningaroundwithhandsup

 

[magnifier661]

I think it's Aldridge's rebounding that has improved more than anything this season . . . What I would like to know is what made him start rebounding for the first time in his career?

Didn't you know? Kingspeed called him out!

 

[Nikolokolus]

One thing's for sure by the evidence here: Much easier to discount fan views in mass than to address the merit (or lack of it) in their posts. Your post is just a simple ad hominem.

Nope. that's not ad hominem.

 

[jlprk]

I think it's Aldridge's rebounding that has improved more than anything this season . . . What I would like to know is what made him start rebounding for the first time in his career?

The addition of Hickson and the subtraction of McMillan. McMillan's system hid Aldridge's faults by having him act like a statue. Now that Hickson has shamed him into more activity, his deficiencies are more visible, like awful ball-handling.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Nope. that's not ad hominem.

Add is an ad homonym...

 

[Pinwheel1]

The addition of Hickson and the subtraction of McMillan. McMillan's system hid Aldridge's faults by having him act like a statue. Now that Hickson has shamed him into more activity, his deficiencies are more visible, like awful ball-handling.

Not really seeing how McMillan's system hid his faults, but I have no desire to discuss Nate any longer.

But as for LMA ball handling skills......yes they are poor. Most post men are. Unless you are Dirk, almost every big man's handles suck. None of them should dribble in traffic. This is why they are useless in crunch time.

I wish i could remember who said it, but yesterday I heard an interesting stat. it was either about Blake Griffin or Dwight Howard (I think Howard) but in their 5 losses in March, that player has only attempted 5 total shots in the 4th quarter. There could be different reasons for this, but for the second best player on their team.....to only attempt 5 shots in 5 quarters? I think teams in general go away from their bigs in crunch time because of the potential for turnovers. When they put the ball on the floor, small guys slap it away.

 

[Shooter]

Unless you are Dirk, almost every big man's handles suck. None of them should dribble in traffic. This is why they are useless in crunch time.

Aldridge won a game for us in crunch time just the other day.

 

[santeesioux]

MINNESOTA IP!

SERFDOM!

#crazyemoticonrunningaroundwithhandsup

SOCIALISM IS THE ROAD TO SERFDOM TBH!

 

[Pinwheel1]

Aldridge won a game for us in crunch time just the other day.

You are right. "Useless" was a poor choice of words. But the reality is big guys are easier to defend in crunch time because of their lack of ball handling skills. The PG's and wings tend to take over. The fact that LMA is not a great ball handler is not a big deal to me. Because most post players aren't. Doesn't mean they can't catch and shoot and be effective, but once defenses start packing it in, and the refs stop calling fouls on the "reach in'....bigs should stop dribbling because that ball is getting poked away.

 

[mook]

I do. Its a weak era for PF's. I don't really agree that he's the best either. He's top 5, maybe top 3. If Love's healthy he's better. I like Lee better as well. I do agree Aldridge is better than Griffin though.

I disagree about Lee/Love/Griffin. Whatever.

I agree it's a pretty week era for PF's though. 10 years ago you had Brand, Dirk, Duncan, KG, Jermaine, Pau, Webber, Marion, Randolph, Sheed....

 

[Natebishop3]

I disagree about Lee/Love/Griffin. Whatever.

I agree it's a pretty week era for PF's though. 10 years ago you had Brand, Dirk, Duncan, KG, Jermaine, Pau, Webber, Marion, Randolph, Sheed....

It's the era of the point guard right now. Funny how that works.

 

[mook]

It's the era of the point guard right now. Funny how that works.

Yeah, shitty timing. In the current NBA the 2000 version of Damon Stoudamire might have been worth a damned. He still wouldn't have been able to finish at the rim, but he would have had a lot of open 18 footers, which he was pretty good at.

Those Shaqobe Lakers teams might not have been quite so dominant either if they played now. They got eaten alive even back then by quick PG's.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

Bottom Line: If LA is the #1 PF in the league, and he can't even get his team into the playoffs... what does that say?

 

[BlazerWookee]

Bottom Line: If LA is the #1 PF in the league, and he can't even get his team into the playoffs... what does that say?

That our bench sucks?

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

Bottom Line: If LA is the #1 PF in the league, and he can't even get his team into the playoffs... what does that say?

That it takes more than 2 or 3 good players to make a good team?

 

[jlprk]

Bottom Line: If LA is the #1 PF in the league, and he can't even get his team into the playoffs... what does that say?

That the dumbest position to make your leading scorer is PF. The PF and C exist to rebound and defend, the wings to score, and the PG to facilitate. A PF who thinks of nothing but scoring sinks the ship.

 

[magnifier661]

That the dumbest position to make your leading scorer is PF. The PF and C exist to rebound and defend, the wings to score, and the PG to facilitate. A PF who thinks of nothing but scoring sinks the ship.

Tell that to the Kings when Webber was their leading scorer. Maybe say that to Karl Malone and Utah?

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Tell that to the Kings when Webber was their leading scorer. Maybe say that to Karl Malone and Utah?

In the grand scheme of things those teams came close but not close enough however. Of course it wasn't all their fault they can only do so much. It is odd that PFs don't win championships as the main guy (outside of Duncan) lately.

 

[mook]

Maybe it's all about the money and fame. Aldridge was a fantastic defender in college. He probably looked at the contracts handed out and realized a guy who scores 20ppg makes more money than a guy who defends really well and is a great rebounder.

Ben Wallace only had 3 seasons where he was making over $7 mil/year. Lifetime earnings of $84m over 15 years.

Kevin Love is making $12m+ for the next four years, and will have made $75m in just his first 8 years. And assuming he doesn't completely break down, Kevin Love will probably be earning $5-8m/year into his mid-to-late 30's just passing and hitting outside shots.

Being a good scorer is awesome if you are a big man. You may not win championships, but you make bank, the team promotes you, and you get to stick around in the league forever. Meanwhile, the talentless 7 footer standing next to you does all the hard work of trying to guard the Duncans and Aldridges of the world and taking all the contact underneath.

 

[Pinwheel1]

That the dumbest position to make your leading scorer is PF. The PF and C exist to rebound and defend, the wings to score, and the PG to facilitate. A PF who thinks of nothing but scoring sinks the ship.

I don't think it makes a difference who your leading scorer is as long as you have multiple options. Now I agree that force feeding a big at the end of games will not work unless you have a guard who can keep the D honest. Shaq needed Kobe and DWade. Duncan needed Parker and Gianobli. LMA needs Lillard and Wes and Nic.

We are not far off on offense from being a really good team. But we are on D. And we know what we need to fix that.
A big physical center.

 

[Natebishop3]

Maybe it's all about the money and fame. Aldridge was a fantastic defender in college. He probably looked at the contracts handed out and realized a guy who scores 20ppg makes more money than a guy who defends really well and is a great rebounder.

Ben Wallace only had 3 seasons where he was making over $7 mil/year. Lifetime earnings of $84m over 15 years.

Kevin Love is making $12m+ for the next four years, and will have made $75m in just his first 8 years. And assuming he doesn't completely break down, Kevin Love will probably be earning $5-8m/year into his mid-to-late 30's just passing and hitting outside shots.

Being a good scorer is awesome if you are a big man. You may not win championships, but you make bank, the team promotes you, and you get to stick around in the league forever. Meanwhile, the talentless 7 footer standing next to you does all the hard work of trying to guard the Duncans and Aldridges of the world and taking all the contact underneath.

That is an interesting way of looking at it. I didn't think of it like that. I wonder if Aldridge will get to a point in his career where he feels comfortable going back to being a fantastic defender.

 

[magnifier661]

In the grand scheme of things those teams came close but not close enough however. Of course it wasn't all their fault they can only do so much. It is odd that PFs don't win championships as the main guy (outside of Duncan) lately.

Well right now, I would be happy to have the success of Utah (Stockton/Malone) and SacKings (Webber/Bibby). Some argue that Sac was robbed one season against the Lakers. As for Malone/Stockton; they reached the finals twice and only Jordan's juggernaut team defeated them. I think one series when 7 games didn't it?

 

[HomerLovesKoolAid]

That the dumbest position to make your leading scorer is PF. The PF and C exist to rebound and defend, the wings to score, and the PG to facilitate. A PF who thinks of nothing but scoring sinks the ship.

There have been plenty of power forwards on successful teams who scored well and rebounded/defended well. I doubt that scoring is all the LMA is thinking about.

I'm starting to think that you don't like LeMarcus.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

As for Malone/Stockton; they reached the finals twice and only Jordan's juggernaut team defeated them. I think one series when 7 games didn't it?

6 games both times.

 

[BlazerWookee]

There have been plenty of power forwards on successful teams who scored well and rebounded/defended well. I doubt that scoring is all the LMA is thinking about.

I'm starting to think that you don't like LeMarcus.

Starting?

 

[Pinwheel1]

Well right now, I would be happy to have the success of Utah (Stockton/Malone) and SacKings (Webber/Bibby). Some argue that Sac was robbed one season against the Lakers. As for Malone/Stockton; they reached the finals twice and only Jordan's juggernaut team defeated them. I think one series when 7 games didn't it?

Yeah they led their teams, but it was Stockton who hit the big shot to put them in the finals one year. He always came up big when they needed him.

As for Webber, that team was loaded with talent. He and Vlade (Who I see all the time at the grocery store) were great passers. It was Peja and Bibby who hit the big shots late in games. I think Sacramento is who we should copy.
But we would need a passing center who can play D (I would kill for Sabas)

 

[mook]

That is an interesting way of looking at it. I didn't think of it like that. I wonder if Aldridge will get to a point in his career where he feels comfortable going back to being a fantastic defender.

I don't know. I suspect the dye is cast and he is what he is.

But I look at what Aldridge has become and I totally get why they are bringing Leonard along slowly. On a different team I think Leonard would be in second or third place for ROY. Not that he's anything that special in most facets of basketball, but the guy can score if you give him the ball and tell him to shoot. If you watch him he doesn't just take no-brainer shots. He throws up and makes some shots that are a pretty advanced degree of difficulty for a rookie big. He has some nifty passes to boot. Not a ton of this stuff, but a shit-load more than you'd expect out of a Przybilla-type rookie big man. On a really bad team, you give him 14-18 shots and he'd put up 17 or 18 points. Easily. He's got really nice range, he's so big that he's hard to block, and he is a good finisher around the rim.

Of course your team would lose most nights because Leonard sucks at defense and is just now learning how to do little things in an offense that help teams succeed.

I think the team is trying to inculcate in him defense as much as possible now, because once the genie of his offense gets out of the bottle it's not going back in again.

Travis Outlaw is the ultimate example of how you don't want to bring along Leonard. With his athleticism and length, Trout could've been a very good help defender. But we tried to make him into Tracy McGrady 2.0 by telling him he could shoot whenever he wanted. He never learned to play a lick of defense. He's now a fringe player.