I think acknowledgement that Aldridge is needed for success is due.
What level of success? Borderline playoffs? Then yes, he is absolutely essential. I just don't think he's the sort of player you can build around and create a contender. I also think that both Lillard and Nic have more to do with the success we've seen this season. I feel that we would have the same record - or a better record - if we had JJ playing PF and a real C (be it Monroe, Cousins, Noah, that guy in PHX who I'm blanking on...whoever).
The unfortunate thing is that on the surface it would appear that it'd be great to have LMA as our #3 guy. However, because he's such a poor help-defender and can't do the "little things" I don't think he's well suited to that role. I feel that that #3 guy needs to be able to contribute all those little things that make the team better than the sum of its parts - be able to quickly make the right read in order to make the right pass, set the solid picks that get guys open for shots or streaking towards the hoop for dunks, play tough-nosed defense against the ball not just the player they're assigned to. Bosh is now doing those things - I use to hate Bosh, just thought he was a slightly better version of LMA. But he's playing the #3 man role well. Haslem before him.
I guess it boils down to whether you think LMA can learn to do those little things that make a team go from good to great. I haven't seen anything that makes me think he can do that. He's certainly improved this year. His rebounding IS better (not just numbers, but technique), but I still don't think he's a force on the glass. His ability to recognize and pass out of the double team has improved a lot, but he was SO bad at it previously that it's really not saying a lot - he's still not a great passer and struggles passing into traffic to a player on the move. He still rarely reads and reacts quickly, which creates a hitch to the offense and allows the opponent's defense to set if it was previously scrambling. Given that he's 27 and has been in the league for 6 (?) years I don't think we can expect a whole lot of development from him - to this point he's shown zero ability to be even an adequate help-defender.
He looks good on paper, but what I see on the floor doesn't look like a guy who can be a Top 3 player on a contender. Perhaps all that's needed is a terrific defensive C to go next to him. I'm suspect of that though, for the reasons above. It would definitely make us a Playoff team that could possibly threaten to get to the WCF in a couple years, but I don't know that just a C and a bench would make this team a contender.
And as I've said before, much of my vitriol is a reaction to the overvaluation of his skills. If you say he's the BEST PF I'm going to go equally as far in the other direction. So definitely take my valuation of him with a grain of salt - but also really take a look at him and see him for what he is, not just what the popular opinion of him is. Because as we saw with Nate, popular opinion can be VERY wrong.