Aldridge speaks out again about wanting a real center

[oldguy]

When someone said, "Lot of qualifiers", you replied:

LOL no, it's simple

American born white centers. Although I am thinking of expanding it to North American born centers, and possibly even WWII allied born centers

Now you add another qualifier; In the last 10 years. Not to mention in another thread about how white US born centers, you added the qualifier of; Taken in the lottery.

Seems like you do have a lot of qualifiers, and shouldn't have been LOL'ing at KeepOnRollin when he/she said there were lots of qualifiers. No?

Go Blazers

 

[Mediocre Man]

When someone said, "Lot of qualifiers", you replied:



Now you add another qualifier; In the last 10 years. Not to mention in another thread about how white US born centers, you added the qualifier of; Taken in the lottery.

Seems like you do have a lot of qualifiers, and shouldn't have been LOL'ing at KeepOnRollin when he/she said there were lots of qualifiers. No?

Go Blazers

That wasn't a qualifier. Just a number I picked out of the blue. To me it's dumb to go back too far because the game has changed so much. The players playing in it have changed so much as well. Basketball is a black mans sport. Can white men succeed? Absolutely, but it seems to me that fewer and fewer white American's are.

 

[oldguy]

My mistake. I guess I thought that you added qualifiers when you went from, "American born white centers" to "American born white centers taken in the lottery in the last 10 years."

Go Blazers

 

[Mediocre Man]

My mistake. I guess I thought that you added qualifiers when you went from, "American born white centers" to "American born white centers taken in the lottery in the last 10 years."

Go Blazers

It started with taken in the lottery way back when, and it took off from there

 

[MickZagger]

Koufos maybe
Kamn no
Hansbrough yes
Collison maybe
Miller no
Budinger no
Parsons no
Hayward yes
Hinrich not anymore
Korver no
Blake hell no
Jimmer maybe

You wouldn't take Budinger, Parsons, Lee, Kaman or Korver?

But you would take Hansbrough? lol okay....

 

[3RA1N1AC]

this is just so silly at this point

umm, dont draft white people from gonzaga who play sf and have mustaches

see thats a joke mm, kinda like your nonsense as well

 

[Mediocre Man]

this is just so silly at this point

umm, dont draft white people from gonzaga who play sf and have mustaches

see thats a joke mm, kinda like your nonsense as well

It's my opinion. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. My opinion won't change until, as originally stated, a few drafted in the lottery proves me wrong. Same with players from Syracuse and guys with pre existing medical history falling and drafting them

 

[MickZagger]

Rony Seikaly is an outlier.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

It's my opinion. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. My opinion won't change until, as originally stated, a few drafted in the lottery proves me wrong. Same with players from Syracuse and guys with pre existing medical history falling and drafting them

nonsense

 

[Mediocre Man]

nonsense

Ok. You think it's nonsense and I don't. Agree to disagree and all that. There is no reason for to continually say so.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Rony Seikaly is an outlier.

Ya, Seikaly was good, Melo is obviously good, even though he doesn't really make anyone else better.

 

[magnifier661]

Ok. You think it's nonsense and I don't. Agree to disagree and all that. There is no reason for to continually say so.

Look I'm going to respect your opinion on the white u.s. born center. Personally, I don't it's as big as an issue as others think. But... Tell me the players that you had your eye on at 11th that was still available during the time of the draft. Don't use your hindsight; but what you were saying at the time.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

Ok. You think it's nonsense and I don't. Agree to disagree and all that. There is no reason for to continually say so.

yet you continue to say it

 

[Mediocre Man]

Look I'm going to respect your opinion on the white u.s. born center. Personally, I don't it's as big as an issue as others think. But... Tell me the players that you had your eye on at 11th that was still available during the time of the draft. Don't use your hindsight; but what you were saying at the time.

At the time I believe I wanted Lamb. PJ III, Harkless. I think I might have also liked Royce White and Terrence Jones as well. I can't remember too well though

 

[magnifier661]

At the time I believe I wanted Lamb. PJ III, Harkless. I think I might have also liked Royce White and Terrence Jones as well. I can't remember too well though

I think Lamb would be a nice pick, but the others are big questions for me.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

crapshoot that the draft is, barton might be the best of that bunch all said and done

 

[MickZagger]

At the time I believe I wanted Lamb. PJ III, Harkless. I think I might have also liked Royce White and Terrence Jones as well. I can't remember too well though

Leonard is a better prospect than all those guys.

 

[magnifier661]

I don't know if many of you had noticed but Aldridge has been playing center late in the 4th a lot. Last night against Utah; Aldridge played center for most the 4th quarter. Dallas he played center as well. And he's done a fine job. I wish management or the coaching staff just ask him to be the starting center. He's usually being defended by the other teams centers and defensively he is strong enough to keep from centers backing him down.

 

[Further]

I don't know if many of you had noticed but Aldridge has been playing center late in the 4th a lot. Last night against Utah; Aldridge played center for most the 4th quarter. Dallas he played center as well. And he's done a fine job. I wish management or the coaching staff just ask him to be the starting center. He's usually being defended by the other teams centers and defensively he is strong enough to keep from centers backing him down.

I think the worry is that over the long term, we will lose Aldridge if he has to continue playing center. And perhaps more importantly, I tho LMA wants to play is a very good post defender so all the banging doesn't fall on him. He can do it, but he just doesn't want to. And if the Blazers want to keep LMA, they need to prove that LMA won't have to be the one to take all the punishment over the long term.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Ideally Olshey will find a guy who can play the five spot full-time at a high enough level that this team can get into a position to seriously contend for a deep playoff run. If he can't do that in the next year and a half, he may have no choice but to try and move LaMarcus in the last year of his current contract ... I think that's the strategy of last resort, but it might have to be done at some point. I

n the meantime, there's not much reason to lobby for Aldridge to become a full-time center; he doesn't want to play there long-term and in the end he's going to have the leverage unless somebody can demonstrate to him that playing at the five gives him the best shot he's going to have at getting a ring (and I don't just mean getting a ring in a Blazers uniform). That seems like a pretty tough sell at this point.

 

[tlongII]

Leonard will be the starting center eventually.

 

[magnifier661]

Leonard will be the starting center eventually.

That's what I'm thinking as well. You could sell Aldridge this concept and let him know this is only temporary. Then you can use the free cap space to bolster the bench.

 

[HailBlazers]

Aldridge has been weak in the paint defensively, he manages a few block shots, but overall he's not up snuff for what we need in a paint protecting big

 

[Further]

Aldridge has been weak in the paint defensively, he manages a few block shots, but overall he's not up snuff for what we need in a paint protecting big

He's not bad in man to man as long as he only needs to worry about his man, but he can't rotate well and play both opposing bigs when Hicksons cover breaks loose. I think if he could play along side a good defender we would not complain about Aldridges defense.

 

[magnifier661]

Aldridge has been weak in the paint defensively, he manages a few block shots, but overall he's not up snuff for what we need in a paint protecting big

The question really is what we want to with our cap space? I think big men require big man tax. You could get two solid wings for the price if one solid center. Leonard could be that solid center in about 2-3 years. I would rather spend our space getting more bench players than one center IMO.

 

[jlprk]

You guys overrate Leonard's ceiling. Someday he'll be as effective as Przybilla, who was adequate but no star. To advance in the playoffs, a better center than Future Leonard is needed.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Leonard has been horrible so far.

 

[PapaG]

Leonard has been horrible so far.

A PER of 12.5 with a USG of 12.5 isn't "horrible" by any definition. Plus, he's shooting 85% from the FT line and 55% from the field. If anything, Stotts should start using him more, but it's hard when JJ and LMA are playing so well.

 

[MickZagger]

Leonard has been horrible so far.

I'm genuinely starting to question your basketball knowledge.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Defensively, Leonard has been pretty abysmal.