The "How are Aldridge, Batum, Lopez, and Matthews Doing?" Thread

[riverman]

Wes has never nor will ever have to worry about money for the rest of his life....he got rewarded for being Wes

 

[Natebishop3]

It's an insult to anyone whose primary motivation is money.

How can you say that his primary motivation was money? How does that make any sense? The Kings offered him a max deal and he spurned them and committed to Dallas instead because he wanted to win. He was willing to take less money so they could sign Jordan. Where are you even getting this?

 

[Red Rooster]

How can you say that his primary motivation was money? How does that make any sense? The Kings offered him a max deal and he spurned them and committed to Dallas instead because he wanted to win. He was willing to take less money so they could sign Jordan. Where are you even getting this?

Forgive him, he's "up, up, and away-ed" out of too many windows.

 

[riverman]

How can you say that his primary motivation was money? How does that make any sense? The Kings offered him a max deal and he spurned them and committed to Dallas instead because he wanted to win. He was willing to take less money so they could sign Jordan. Where are you even getting this?

well in fairness...it was the Kings..money or not...they have a really dysfunctional front office..that sometimes matters to guys and Wes probably sensed the revolving door of coaches and players in Sac town

 

[Natebishop3]

well in fairness...it was the Kings..money or not...they have a really dysfunctional front office..that sometimes matters to guys and Wes probably sensed the revolving door of coaches and players in Sac town

He said that money was his primary motivation. Not winning or team culture. Money. Period.

 

[THE HCP]

What a joke. Wes is putting up 12/2/1 and making what $16MILLION GOD DAMNED DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Natebishop3]

What a joke. Wes is putting up 12/2/1 and making what $16MILLION GOD DAMNED DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How many McDonald's vouchers did they give you for that Dame video? Whatever it was, they gave you too much!

 

[THE HCP]

I was making it for Dame personally, then we just decided to air it. No extra pay, just addition street cred.

 

[B-Roy]

Wes could have signed something like a 1 yr $5M deal (or whatever necessary to retain Bird rights, say with team and/or player options), been fully embraced by the fan base, and signed for a much bigger deal a year later with the new TV contract. He would probably have come out ahead financially and not tarnished his reputation for cashing in at the expense of the team.

Yes, it's a bit of a gamble that he never gets healthy enough to get the big contract. But, a) would you be happy in that position, being someone that millions of people despise? and b) for someone like Wes who had absolute certainty he would come back healthy this year, the risk should have been a very minimal concern.

Y'all can say whatever you like about Wes being a great guy. The fact is, he is a typically greedy professional athlete who put his bad health ahead of the team's good health financially. It's no wonder that the owners try to shaft the players whenever the CBA is up for renewal, if even the "good" ones are like that.

If you think any player puts the damn FANS above just about everything else you are crazy. No matter how much they love the fans we're on the very bottom of each player's decision tree.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I was making it for Dame personally, then we just decided to air it. No extra pay, just addition street cred.

Harlan Ellison says: "Never work for free. Have pride in your value. Exposure and street cred don't pay the bills." (actually, he says it differently, but the meaning is the same)

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

It's an insult to anyone whose primary motivation is money.

If Wes didn't doubt he'd come back 100% healthy, then taking less money for a year wouldn't have been much of a gamble. Don't you think he'll make a hell of a lot more this summer with the new salary cap, and a year of increasingly healthy and productive play, then he made last summer with the uncertainty of whether he'd ever be effective again?

I've turned down many contracts when I didn't feel I was the right person for the job. Yes, I could have used the money, but so could the person looking for getting the best work done.

You've taken a stance and won't be swayed despite the obvious flaws that have been clearly demonstrated.

Even assuming what you say to be true (nobody does) the career of an NBA guard is not long for most players.

Then we could start spouting cliches if you'd like. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and so on.....

 

[PtldPlatypus]

What a joke. Wes is putting up 12/2/1 and making what $16MILLION GOD DAMNED DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least he's not shooting 35% from the field on 17 shots per game and making $25 million.
http://bkref.com/tiny/l2d6t

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

At least he's not shooting 35% from the field on 17 shots per game and making $25 million.
http://bkref.com/tiny/l2d6t

I hate K*be but I rather pay him 25m for one season over 17m for 4 seasons of Wes.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Oh shit, I realized how wrong I was. Maybe mentioned this earlier in the thread but here's proof Wes just wants money.

Duh, in a contract year he plays on a sore achilles and hobbles around until it explodes. That makes sense, not sitting out until it is 100 percent so you don't risk a big payday.

 

[Tunchi]

At least he's not shooting 35% from the field on 17 shots per game and making $25 million.
http://bkref.com/tiny/l2d6t

Why are they not benching him? Those are atrocious numbers

 

[Natebishop3]

Why are they not benching him? Those are atrocious numbers

Because tanking.

 

[riverman]

He said that money was his primary motivation. Not winning or team culture. Money. Period.

Wes doesn't strike me a a shallow, one dimensional guy at all...money wouldn't be the deciding factor for sure, but last summer Sac was looking like a serious train wreck

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Wes doesn't strike me a a shallow, one dimensional guy at all...money wouldn't be the deciding factor for sure, but last summer Sac was looking like a serious train wreck

Just to clarify because pronoun trouble gets Daffy Duck shot a lot...

He (Handiman) said his (Wes's) motivation was money.

 

[handiman]

How can you say that his primary motivation was money? How does that make any sense? The Kings offered him a max deal and he spurned them and committed to Dallas instead because he wanted to win. He was willing to take less money so they could sign Jordan. Where are you even getting this?

That's silly and you know it. He took nearly as much to be in a much better situation.

well in fairness...it was the Kings..money or not...they have a really dysfunctional front office..that sometimes matters to guys and Wes probably sensed the revolving door of coaches and players in Sac town

Bingo.

If you think any player puts the damn FANS above just about everything else you are crazy. No matter how much they love the fans we're on the very bottom of each player's decision tree.

You guys are still missing the point. Wes could have gotten more money by taking less up front, in the process being embraced by the fans instead of villified.

Did anyone honestly not seeing the fan reaction coming when he signed the contract?

You've taken a stance and won't be swayed despite the obvious flaws that have been clearly demonstrated.

I don't recall any flaw being demonstrated, clearly or otherwise.

Even assuming what you say to be true (nobody does) the career of an NBA guard is not long for most players.

And as most here will surely agree, Wes has a career in the sport after his playing days are done, be it coaching, front office, or the broadcast booth. He doesn't need to worry about getting paid while he still can.

 

[Spud147]

I found this article today and thought there was a really interesting quote by LMA.

http://www.expressnews.com/sports/s...hp?t=b95a544e8dc6ed8151&cmpid=twitter-premium

"Asked if what he’s found in San Antonio has matched or even exceeded his expectations, he declined to answer.
“That’s more of an after the season, look back and reflect type of question,” Aldridge said."

Shouldn't the Spur's max play worry about matching or exceeding San Antonio's expectations? Blazer fans have seen these kinds of answers here before and tried to spin them in a positive way too. LMA still doesn't get it. Addition by subtraction.

 

[Natebishop3]

That's silly and you know it. He took nearly as much to be in a much better situation.



Bingo.



You guys are still missing the point. Wes could have gotten more money by taking less up front, in the process being embraced by the fans instead of villified.

Did anyone honestly not seeing the fan reaction coming when he signed the contract?



I don't recall any flaw being demonstrated, clearly or otherwise.



And as most here will surely agree, Wes has a career in the sport after his playing days are done, be it coaching, front office, or the broadcast booth. He doesn't need to worry about getting paid while he still can.

Man this is some serious victim blaming bullshit. I guess whatever you say broham.

 

[B-Roy]

You guys are still missing the point. Wes could have gotten more money by taking less up front,

He could have.....in the same sense that Meyers Leonard could have won the MVP.....by virtue of just being in the league he is eligible.

 

[handiman]

Man this is some serious victim blaming bullshit.

What does that even mean? Bonus points if you can tie it into the context of the discussion.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

[QUOTE="handiman





I don't recall any flaw being demonstrated, clearly or otherwise.


[/QUOTE]
I'll skip what others have said and ask you to refute something I said, do you expect anyone to believe that a player in a contract year would play on a sore achilles if he only cared about money?

 

[BonesJones]

I feel bad for Wes he was a warrior but my goodness he's so bad this year. What gets me is how does your percentages take a noise dive like that? I understand the Achilles thing and all that obviously but I don't get how you shoot THAT BAD when you weren't that athletic in the first place

If you're not comfortable on the court, your whole game suffers. That's a problem I have sometimes, where I'll tense up for no reason and shoot poorly because of it. The fans getting on him and him feeling the effects of the injury have probably caused him to lose confidence, making him shoot worse.

 

[handiman]

I'll skip what others have said and ask you to refute something I said, do you expect anyone to believe that a player in a contract year would play on a sore achilles if he only cared about money?

I'm not really sure what that's referring to? Was Wes' Achilles bothering him before being ruptured? If so, I don't remember that.

Achilles aggravations are extremely common with athletes of all sports. Many people are playing through such things at any given time, and very rarely do they escalate into something that's looked back upon as a season or career-ending injury. So no, I don't really see that as being very revealing of Wes' motivations. You could also look at it the other way, that he pushed through potential injury precisely because it was a contract year, not wanting to show any sign of weakness.

 

[Strenuus]

I'm not really sure what that's referring to? Was Wes' Achilles bothering him before being ruptured? If so, I don't remember that.

Achilles aggravations are extremely common with athletes of all sports. Many people are playing through such things at any given time, and very rarely do they escalate into something that's looked back upon as a season or career-ending injury. So no, I don't really see that as being very revealing of Wes' motivations. You could also look at it the other way, that he pushed through potential injury precisely because it was a contract year, not wanting to show any sign of weakness.

I think that's just part of Wes' mentality more than it's because it's a contract year. I think we all knew Wes' enough to know that, logically.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

I'm not really sure what that's referring to? Was Wes' Achilles bothering him before being ruptured? If so, I don't remember that.

Achilles aggravations are extremely common with athletes of all sports. Many people are playing through such things at any given time, and very rarely do they escalate into something that's looked back upon as a season or career-ending injury. So no, I don't really see that as being very revealing of Wes' motivations. You could also look at it the other way, that he pushed through potential injury precisely because it was a contract year, not wanting to show any sign of weakness.

You could look at your dog barking at strangers as a sign they're bringing you a Publisher's Clearing House check for a million dollars. I'll err on the side of reason.

 

[Orion Bailey]

Sorry but your boo is a streaky good nba player. Nothing more, nothing less. The best thing about Lillard is his leadership but his game is just too streaky. His percentages too low. One week hes hot the next week hes cold. To unreliable..

Ive Figured it out. Its obvious there must be another NBA league with another Blazers team that has a player on the roster with the last name of Lillard. this is the ONLY way Tunchi can be correct. Otherwise its obvious Tunchi has some sort of negative bias and or needs to visit the eye doctor. All players are streaky to an extent. Hit 10 free throws in a row and thats a streak. Miss one and that ends the streak. Making him a streaky free throw shooter.

LBJ is streaky. Kobe was streaky. Even MJ was streaky.... come on man. Stop baggin on Dame, he is the best Blazer in two decades and if built around properly can be a contender for the next decade. Get over it man...

 

[Orion Bailey]

lol. You love being right when the player is bad.

When the player is good, you're nowhere to be seen. Only like to be right when it's bad.

That must suck. At least I show up when Meyers does well.

How you gonna handle sitting next to me in my Leonard Jersey???