In August, less than 24 hours after Olshey had hired
Terry Stotts as head coach, there were the Blazers' general manager and coach on Aldridge's back patio at his Newport Beach, Calif., home, talking basketball, family and the future while soaking in the view of the Pacific Ocean.
"It made me feel great, it made me feel like they were invested in me," Aldridge said. "I thought it showed a lot of character for them to go out of their way and see me and make me feel comfortable."
"One thing about Neil, he is about the players," Aldridge said. "I mean K.P. (Kevin Pritchard) was a good GM, and so was Rich Cho -- I don't want to take anything away from those guys -- but I can really tell Neil cares about the players and that he feels they are a priority. That has been nice to deal with."