Woj: Inside the Courtship of LMA

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B-Roy

B-Roy

If it takes months
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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/five-d...courtship-of-lamarcus-aldridge-225556837.html

We have enough LMA threads but I thought this should get its own. Lots of stuff here....

After the 2012-13 season, Olshey tried to honor a private request of Aldridge’s that the Blazers find out what existed for him on the trade market. Rival teams tell the story of turning down the Blazers for Aldridge in the summer of 2012 for packages that included Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Al Horford, Greg Monroe and Serge Ibaka. Three years ago, the Blazers were flatly rejected for every borderline and genuine All-Star forward in the NBA. Three years later, Aldridge had turned into the No. 1 free agent on the market.
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“Neil was great,” Aldridge told Yahoo Sports. “I’m thankful for everything he did. The organization wasn’t really bad [before him], but it wasn’t player-oriented. He came and really made it about the players. He re-did the practice facility, re-did the arena. He wanted to make the focus about the players being happy. He finally listened to my voice and made me feel like I was the franchise player.”
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Privately, Aldridge never made much of a secret about his dislike for the lifestyle and climate of Portland and the Pacific Northwest. As an organization, the Blazers could do nothing about it.
In the end, Paul Allen and Neil Olshey walked out of that room in Dallas and wondered whether anything they had done the past three years had resonated with him. As Aldridge prepared to meet with several NBA teams in Los Angeles, they wondered: Does he acknowledge that we have built equity with him? Does any of it matter?
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Aldridge loathed driving around Portland and seeing those Lillard billboards that adidas had mounted for him – even when the Blazers made Aldridge the centerpiece of every franchise marketing investment. Here’s how it worked in San Antonio, they told him: No Spurs player is ever alone on a billboard.
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What I got out of this was: Aldridge wants to be pampered like a star, but he's okay not being the sole star on the Spurs, because the public perception is that the Spurs don't highlight any one individual and Aldridge is actually taking a backseat by joining them.
 
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Just finished reading. This stands out, and finally answers all my q's

Throughout the final, formal meeting in late June, it became clear that Aldridge hadn’t let completely let go of years-old issues with the way he believed ex-Blazers Brandon Roy and Greg Oden had overshadowed him in his early years. This was part of Aldridge’s personality that everyone surrounding him understood – that the teams recruiting him had researched and debated internally on how to navigate in the recruiting process.

Leaving that meeting in Dallas in late June, perhaps little was more telling than the fact Aldridge never raised one particular name: Damian Lillard. Ultimately, this was the enigma of LaMarcus Aldridge. He wanted talent around him, but never too much that it might lessen his own marquee. Pleasing Aldridge was never easy, and nobody knew that better than the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Wow, that is quite a revelation of true. Many on this board blasted Olshey for "letting LA leave for nothing". But according to this, he tried and was shot down. Other teams were wise enough to know LA was fool's gold.

Feeling jealous of Damian's billboards is so petty. Come on....are you a 12 year old girl?
 
Sinobas said:
Wow, that is quite a revelation of true. Many on this board blasted Olshey for "letting LA leave for nothing". But according to this, he tried and was shot down. Other teams were wise enough to know LA was fool's gold.

Feeling jealous of Damian's billboards is so petty. Come on....are you a 12 year old girl?
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If you were able to talk candidly with Olshey, what would you ask him?

I think he would be pretty pissed that Aldridge left them high and dry after all they did for him.
 
Neil was great,” Aldridge told Yahoo Sports. “I’m thankful for everything he did. The organization wasn’t really bad [before him], but it wasn’t player-oriented. He came and really made it about the players. He re-did the practice facility, re-did the arena. He wanted to make the focus about the players being happy. He finally listened to my voice and made me feel like I was the franchise player.”
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So, if you wanted to be the franchise player and the GM is making you feel that way, why did you go to a team so you could "feel like you weren't"?!

Something doesnt add up. He's a fucking tool.
 
How can you hold the organization responsible for Adidas putting Lillard on billboards?

So what if the Spurs only put multiple guys on their billboards? That had NOTHING to do with the organization. That was just Dame being more marketable and having better endorsement deals outside of the team. It's like he doesn't understand business.
 
Throughout the final, formal meeting in late June, it became clear that Aldridge hadn’t let completely let go of years-old issues with the way he believed ex-Blazers Brandon Roy and Greg Oden had overshadowed him in his early years.
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Get. THE FUCK. Over it!

Good god. Neither of them are in the damn league anymore. AND you were the franchise player. Good fucking lord. Good riddance, you douche.

This article becomes more scathing as it goes on. He deserves nothing but boos. Self-entitled, me first fuckery.
 
B-Roy said:
If you were able to talk candidly with Olshey, what would you ask him?

I think he would be pretty pissed that Aldridge left them high and dry after all they did for him.
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I would want to know if he really wanted to keep that core together, or if he wanted to blow it up, while putting on the public apperence of that being the "plan B".
 
Sinobas said:
I would want to know if he really wanted to keep that core together, or if he wanted to blow it up, while putting on the public apperence of that being the "plan B".
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You know, I've thought about this one a lot before, and it honestly makes a lot of sense. Also fits in line with the comment by Quick that "there was an internal sigh of relief in the organization" when Aldridge left.

Must be hard constantly massaging an inflated ego.
 
No individual Spurs board to be found.....

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So all the time I wanted him trading they were at least trying? Okay, I don't feel so bad that he left for nothing even though I'm glad he's gone. And that whole, "both sides have what they want" crap....what a looser. You know he is butt-hurt about Dame so 'Portland got what they wanted now the he is the star' and LA got what he wanted which is to take his ball and go home to Texas, not have to be the leader and coattail his way to an NBA Title if possible.

Douche....thy name is LaMucas Albatrossridge.
 
JFizzleRaider said:
Stupid fans that have rose colored glasses on. Guy is a complete baby. Probably still wants his mom to wipe his ass for him
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"I mostly stayed in my hotel...ya' know....didn't want to test it out on the streets ya' know". (Like Portland is some gangster ridden crime scene down by the plush hotel he is staying in?)

"I'll be hurt ya' know if people boo me." Really? You mean like the people who are hurt you said you wanted to be the Greatest Blazer ever, wanted to come back here, wanted to sign a 5-year deal....those people? So it's okay for them to be hurt but you're fine backing out on your word. Next question my a**!!

Coattail your way to relevance LaWastus Whineridge. Good riddance.
 
HEY LAMARTIAN you're not not marketable because your style of play is "boring" as you like to say, it's because you have the personality of a potato. Fuck you.
 
Yeah, not sure how you can cheer for a player like that, especially considering he never went out of his way to be the face like Damian does.

And unlike Damian, LaMarcus would've done it for LaMarcus and LaMarcus only.
 
The Heat didn’t have the salary cap space to sign Aldridge, and Riley’s wish for Aldridge to sign a one-year deal with Portland and wait for the Heat’s space in 2016 was a most unappealing proposition.
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Fuck Pat Riley. What a fucking douche.
 
Scalma said:
HEY LAMARTIAN you're not not marketable because your style of play is "boring" as you like to say, it's because you have the personality of a potato. Fuck you.
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I used to think it was harder for bigs to get endorsements but then you've got guys like Dwight Howard and Blake griffin. Aldridge just isn't approachable. He doesn't put himself out there like dame does.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
So Pat Riley teaches LaNarcus the true meaning of teamwork and sacrifice, and he still leaves us for San Antonio.

If you aren't pissed off by this article, fired up to see him lose tonight, you don't have a pulse.
 
B-Roy said:
If you were able to talk candidly with Olshey, what would you ask him?

I think he would be pretty pissed that Aldridge left them high and dry after all they did for him.
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Is ask him what his plans are going forward because he'd probably tell me to fuck off for dwelling on the past.
 
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