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HomerLovesKoolAid said:
I shoulda copied it but some guy on twitter actually said 'he doesn't make anyone else better.'
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There are two distinct meanings to that statement:

1) Does Dame improve the development of players around him? He's a great teammate and leader, goes out of his way to teach the young guys, and we've never seen an example of anything but praise from the guys around him. This is a definitive yes.

2) Does Dame improve their level of play on the court? This one is debatable. Between being a weak defender at the point of attack, playing at a deliberate pace that isn't conducive to transition opportunities, not being great at lob passes, and holding the ball too long when double teams come, there's certainly a case to be made that his teammates could play better under different scenarios.
 
calvin natt said:
How was he not straight with them. This is a long talked about issue. He told them point blank over the course of a year he wanted to play in Texas.
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Cal, respectfully, you're not the only person who knows people who are either connected to the team or work for it directly. I say with confidence that the message all throughout the summer of 2014 up to the trade deadline, the line coming from the Aldridge camp was "Don't trade me, I want to stay." After the trade deadline, his story changed. Bottom line, he didn't want the trouble of moving to a new organization between moving to a team he wanted, so he stupped us. Now, that's his right. However, I am going to call him out for it.

Seriously, I know you think the front office is incompetent, but you think if LaMarshmallow would have been straight with them, they wouldn't have tried to trade him? To get something? Please. You're smarter than that.

He's a f***ing punk who didn't want to carry the mantle of being "The Man", but resented everyone else who got that attention (B-Roy, GO, Dame). F*** him.
 
maxiep said:
Cal, respectfully, you're not the only person who knows people who are either connected to the team or work for it directly. I say with confidence that the message all throughout the summer of 2014 up to the trade deadline, the line coming from the Aldridge camp was "Don't trade me, I want to stay." After the trade deadline, his story changed. Bottom line, he didn't want the trouble of moving to a new organization between moving to a team he wanted, so he stupped us. Now, that's his right. However, I am going to call him out for it.

Seriously, I know you think the front office is incompetent, but you think if LaMarshmallow would have been straight with them, they wouldn't have tried to trade him? To get something? Please. You're smarter than that.

He's a f***ing punk who didn't want to carry the mantle of being "The Man", but resented everyone else who got that attention (B-Roy, GO, Dame). F*** him.
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100% this.

I'll also point out that he was publicly saying he wanted to stay here so it was putting the organization in a tough spot if they traded him. They would look like the bad guys.
 
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didn't Aldridge give an interview once he signed with the Spurs where he said that his statement about re-signing had bee coaxed from him by Olshey?
 
handiman said:
There are two distinct meanings to that statement:

1) Does Dame improve the development of players around him? He's a great teammate and leader, goes out of his way to teach the young guys, and we've never seen an example of anything but praise from the guys around him. This is a definitive yes.

2) Does Dame improve their level of play on the court? This one is debatable. Between being a weak defender at the point of attack, playing at a deliberate pace that isn't conducive to transition opportunities, not being great at lob passes, and holding the ball too long when double teams come, there's certainly a case to be made that his teammates could play better under different scenarios.
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Agree with this, pt 2 I would say Dame has improved defensively and will probably get better. Waiting for improvement with passing, especially lobs and general decision-making on traps. I think Billups will help him improve, make the simple play more often. Trouble comes when leaving your feet to pass.
If he gets better at those things he will make every other player better.
 
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wizenheimer said:
didn't Aldridge give an interview once he signed with the Spurs where he said that his statement about re-signing had bee coaxed from him by Olshey?
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No doubt the Blazers shot him up full of Toradol before coaxing him.
 
wizenheimer said:
maybe, but....

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-blazer-ever-comments-were-neil-olsheys-idea/

definitely seems like the kind of snake oil that Olshey would mix

I kind of get the jeebies thinking about Olahey and Aldridge dancing around each other trying to outfox one another. Like a rat and a snake trapped in a shoe-box
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I don't doubt some parts of that, but I really don't think Olshey would trust LA on his word if he had to trick him into saying he was going to stay. Olshey if anything was overly cynical to the points of not thinking good players wanted to be in Portland. I'm skeptical that he see what was either an "F yes or F no" situation and thinking it meant anything just because LA might have said something to the effect of intending to stay. Olshey was a bad GM in a lot of ways, but I don't think he'd be that stupid to believe he compelled Aldridge to spew rainbows from his mouth and it actually meant something.
 
wizenheimer said:
maybe, but....

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-blazer-ever-comments-were-neil-olsheys-idea/

definitely seems like the kind of snake oil that Olshey would mix

I kind of get the jeebies thinking about Olahey and Aldridge dancing around each other trying to outfox one another. Like a rat and a snake trapped in a shoe-box
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That story does not refute his position as not wanting to be traded. I can see Olshey setting up something like that, but what I cannot see is Olshey knowing he is gone and not getting anything in return. To me, Olshey's actions are more in line with what I heard Aldridge's camp telling the team. You don't just let a player like Aldridge go to clear cap space or avoid a tax.

In the end, it's a business. Aldridge did what's best for him and it didn't matter what happened to the Blazers. However, to me, it negates his nine years here and I have booed him every time I have seen him play. Even Drexler or Walton didn't backstab us the way he did.
 
maxiep said:
I say with confidence that the message all throughout the summer of 2014 up to the trade deadline, the line coming from the Aldridge camp was "Don't trade me, I want to stay." After the trade deadline, his story changed.
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In what I saw and was told second hand you are absolutely correct except one minor difference. He completely changed as soon a Wes went down is what my connection said. He didn't compete nearly the same after that injury and he never wanted to try to wait through an injury like that to see if they could compete.
Remember that injury happened in March after the trade deadline so yes I highly doubt anyone was ready to trade Aldridge.
It was July 4th when Kim Hughes was fired for letting the cat out of the bag. Before that fans had been kept in the dark for the most part.
It was a couple weeks after that another player was moved. Batum was traded first.
 
maxiep said:
Cal, respectfully, you're not the only person who knows people who are either connected to the team or work for it directly. I say with confidence that the message all throughout the summer of 2014 up to the trade deadline, the line coming from the Aldridge camp was "Don't trade me, I want to stay." After the trade deadline, his story changed. Bottom line, he didn't want the trouble of moving to a new organization between moving to a team he wanted, so he stupped us. Now, that's his right. However, I am going to call him out for it.

Seriously, I know you think the front office is incompetent, but you think if LaMarshmallow would have been straight with them, they wouldn't have tried to trade him? To get something? Please. You're smarter than that.

He's a f***ing punk who didn't want to carry the mantle of being "The Man", but resented everyone else who got that attention (B-Roy, GO, Dame). F*** him.
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I’m not arguing if he’s a punk or not. I am just stating that he asked them for a year to trade him. If someone doesn’t want to agree with that, that’s fine. I’m 100% confident in that statement though. I don’t know other peoples sources or doubt them. And I would love more than anything to be more transparent but just can’t. It is what it is….
 
Best offense and Worst defense
FpLw_hiaUAAdAL7
 
Fairly-Hard said:
So Lillard not even in the top 10 conversation?
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He'd be 9 or 10. I'd put him above sabonis easily and put shai at 10. But above that there's serious discussion about why dame won't go above that.
 
Strenuus said:
He'd be 9 or 10. I'd put him above sabonis easily and put shai at 10. But above that there's serious discussion about why dame won't go above that.
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He's better than Ja and Julius. Julius for sure.
 
Chris Craig said:
He's better than Ja and Julius. Julius for sure.
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Ah shit dunno how I forgot Julius. Ja and dame are comparable (even if dame is world's better. Just talking about now and the current context)
 
Strenuus said:
Ah shit dunno how I forgot Julius. Ja and dame are comparable (even if dame is world's better. Just talking about now and the current context)
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Ja is a good argument to have. I think Dame is better though.

But yeah, Dame is better than Randle.
 
I'm curious about Durant on the MVP ladder. Now that he's been traded mid-season, how realistic are his MVP chances?
 
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