Is Aldridge now the face of the franchise?

[Shooter]

The transition has begun . . . You could see it last night. Aldridge was playing with new passion, driving to the hoop at every opportunity, skying for rebounds, blocking shots, running the court. Did he already know what we now know, that Roy has become a jump shooter and a secondary player on the team?

Without Oden and Przy (and who knows if they will ever regain their former skills), I think that Aldridge has now officially become THE MAN in Portland.

 

[yenniedn]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Aldridge.

LaMarcus Aldridge.

And personally, if you ask me, I think it's either Markus Candy or Andrei Mueller.

 

[Shooter]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Aldridge.

LaMarcus Aldridge.

And personally, if you ask me, I think it's either Markus Candy or Andrei Mueller.

Got me. It's still too early in the morning and I guess I'm half-asleep.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Durant is the face of that franchise, not Cole Aldrich

 

[julius]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Hopefully it's a new coach, former Trail Blazer Kevin Porter.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Hopefully it's a new coach, former Trail Blazer Kevin Porter.

Hahaha, oh Hubie

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Hopefully it's a new coach, former Trail Blazer Kevin Porter.

Or maybe we'll get former Trail Blazer Bo Outlaw back.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Cole Aldrich sucks.

 

[crowTrobot]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

all-star spot there for the taking if LMA can do 20/10. currently 18.3/8.9

 

[B-Roy]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

I think LMA is adjusting to becoming the 1st option though. It's obvious he's being a lot more aggressive this year, even though it's not exactly translating into the box scores just yet. I think it will take him awhile to figure it out. He's still our best player so far this season.

 

[RR7]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

I'm still annoyed that all the contact LMA draws going through the middle, he gets so few foul calls on. He gets bumped hard, and gets a call one of every like 5 or 6 times. I know he isn't going right into a guy, but more name players get those calls. He'd be getting 8 FTAs per night. Still, I loved what I saw out of him last night. Beasting all over. Rebounding, attempting blocks like we haven't seen in a while.

 

[RR7]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Also, really, Aldrich? Obviously, he won't become the face of the franchise if you don't even know his name. It's been what, 5 years with him now? Aldrich?

 

[MrSelfDestruct]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Also, really, Aldrich? Obviously, he won't become the face of the franchise if you don't even know his name. It's been what, 5 years with him now? Aldrich?

I can understand the confusion. Aldrich and Aldridge have very similar appearances

Aldridge has been fun to watch thus far, I really like the adjustments he has made to his game. His time with Bayno definitely has paid off.

 

[hasoos]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

I do like what Aldridge has been doing this year. He has really surprised me.

 

[mook]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

This Pistons game might be the night that we'll look back on at the end of the season and say, "That's when it became Aldridge's team." But really it might have more to do with Roy submerging in this game than Aldridge emerging.

LA has kind of quietly taken 18+ shots/night in 6 of the last 8 games. (The two he didn't shoot that much were the blowout loss against the Lakers and the blowout win to Milwaukee.)

Roy, by comparison, has never averaged even 17 FGA's/night.

When you take that many shots, you quickly become (for good or bad) the face of a franchise. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes refs to recognize this and start rewarding him with more FTA's.

 

[mook]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Which brings up another interesting comparison--a lot of people are dogging on Bosh because he put up big numbers on a destitute team, but has now become pedestrian playing next to superstars. Aldridge is in the exact opposite position. He put up pedestrian numbers on a team with a legit superstar, and now that the team doesn't really have one he's starting to emerge.

 

[hasoos]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Which brings up another interesting comparison--a lot of people are dogging on Bosh because he put up big numbers on a destitute team, but has now become pedestrian playing next to superstars. Aldridge is in the exact opposite position. He put up pedestrian numbers on a team with a legit superstar, and now that the team doesn't really have one he's starting to emerge.

Well one of the problems I have had with the team is that they go to Aldridge for a quarter at the begining of the game, and then they seem to go a couple of quarters without really going to him, then when the team gets in trouble in the 4th, they try to go to him again. Often times, he hasn't taken a shot in so long that it doesn't work out the best until he gets going again. Just get him going, and keep him going. It's that simple. If they can't stop it, don't stop going to it.

 

[Shooter]

Re: Is Aldrich now the face of the franchise?

Also, really, Aldrich? Obviously, he won't become the face of the franchise if you don't even know his name. It's been what, 5 years with him now? Aldrich?

Also, really, what, uh? . . . OK. I've spent way too much time with you, and I don't know your name, either.

 

[mook]

I think you have a point, hasoos. But really, 18 shots/night isn't a bad number. He's still getting touches in those second and third quarters, it's just that defenses learn they have to collapse and so he passes it out or it can't be fed into him.

The troubling thing for me is the lack of free throws he's able to garner out of those shots. 4 FTA's/night just doesn't cut it.

 

[MIXUM]

no. if he is... lotto for 5 years

 

[hasoos]

I think you have a point, hasoos. But really, 18 shots/night isn't a bad number. He's still getting touches in those second and third quarters, it's just that defenses learn they have to collapse and so he passes it out or it can't be fed into him.

The troubling thing for me is the lack of free throws he's able to garner out of those shots. 4 FTA's/night just doesn't cut it.

He doesn't get a lot of love from the refs in the paint even though he gets banged a lot. At least last night he kept with it. See that's the thing. If you play inside, you are inside to get rebounds. If you drift outside, not so much. He kept playing inside last night even though all the shots weren't going down. Look at his rebound numbers from that.

 

[Natebishop3]

By default.

 

[mook]

no. if he is... lotto for 5 years

He's been the best player on the team this season and we're a .667 team.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Now those of us that knew the difference between Aldrich and Aldridge look silly in this thread instead of 1/2 asleep Shooter.

 

[Boise Blazer]

The thing is, as much as I love Roy it makes so much more sense for this team for Aldridge to be the go to guy and Roy to be the side kick. Not only because of the way their games are built but also because it would make the rest of the team so much better. The offense would flow better.

Now with that said do I think either of them (or Nate for that matter) can handle it being like that .... Im not so sure.

 

[Minstrel]

It will be interesting to see if Aldridge's relatively lesser production (compared to the talent people perceive in him) was at least in part due to lesser opportunity. If the team makes a concerted effort to feed him, and Aldridge adjusts to being the go-to guy, we'll get a chance to see, perhaps, what his ceiling is.

 

[Nikolokolus]

If he can keep going to the rack, and if he can finally start converting some of those hooks in the lane, he's got a chance to really start upping his scoring numbers and if that happens then the refs will start to give him some respect.

Some people don't blossom until circumstances thrust them into the role of alpha dog, maybe LMA will be one of those players (maybe Nic too?) we'll see I guess.

 

[Natebishop3]

It will be interesting to see if Aldridge's relatively lesser production (compared to the talent people perceive in him) was at least in part due to lesser opportunity. If the team makes a concerted effort to feed him, and Aldridge adjusts to being the go-to guy, we'll get a chance to see, perhaps, what his ceiling is.

He's already stepping up his game this season. It will be interesting to see what happens now that Roy might be injured.

 

[hasoos]

The history of the league is, when players go down, often times players step up to reap their rewards and finally show what they can do. That is why when facing a team down a player, I often feel those games are more dangerous because a team will let down, and then get slapped back into reality when the lesser known players step up. Most of the players are in the league because they are damn good basketball players.

 

[Nikolokolus]

He's already stepping up his game this season. It will be interesting to see what happens now that Roy might be injured.

Honestly, I think this squad might actually become a running team, if so Aldridge and Batum are going to flourish (and Rudy, Armon, Miller, Camby ...). The real question is what happens when they face competition that can impose a slower half-court game and forces Aldridge into dealing with double teams ... I'm less optimistic about their success rate in that area without a productive Roy.