Explain the rapid decline of Lamarcus Aldridge

MotownMadness · Post #61 » by **MotownMadness** » Wed May 3, 2017 5:58 pm

Canadian6ersFan wrote:I expect a very solid performance from Aldridge tonight. And a Spurs win. That's what excellent teams do; rebound very well against a bad loss.

And then a thread on the GB asking if LMA is a superstar

F N 11 · Post #62 » by **F N 11** » Wed May 3, 2017 6:07 pm

star players thats use to getting the ball struggle in a team structured offense.

Hipster Doofus · Post #63 » by **Hipster Doofus** » Wed May 3, 2017 6:43 pm

MotownMadness wrote:
Canadian6ersFan wrote:I expect a very solid performance from Aldridge tonight. And a Spurs win. That's what excellent teams do; rebound very well against a bad loss.

And then a thread on the GB asking if LMA is a superstar

lol. Silly, toothless, cheeky Isaiah Thomas :lol:

Pacers_Freak · Post #64 » by **Pacers_Freak** » Wed May 3, 2017 6:55 pm

Had this discussion with a friend yesterday. Is LMA the only player in history to go play for Pop and get significantly worse?

akhan786 · Post #65 » by **akhan786** » Wed May 3, 2017 6:57 pm

Mentally weak. That's what separates the true stars from the rest is who becomes a dog in the playoffs.

Even though the NBA has become far more skill based. You need skill players who are also dogs ie. Draymond Green/Rondo players.

Post #66 » by **King of Canada** » Wed May 3, 2017 7:01 pm

K P 6 wrote:star players thats use to getting the ball struggle in a team structured offense.

Shhh, don't tell anyone until we trade Melo :wink:

DieYoung · Post #67 » by **DieYoung** » Wed May 3, 2017 7:06 pm

He was never that good. He chucked up shots on mediocre Portland teams. Scoring 20 ppg isn't impressive if you're doing it on poor efficiency. His tendency to choke in the playoffs was also there when he was in Portland. Remember that monster series he had against Houston in 2014 - What happened in round two? Tiago Splitter shut him down.

He's the same player - just fatter and older. I never liked the signing. He's an immensely flawed player for a big man. He's an underwhelming post scorer, not an elite rebounder, an average defender, crappy passer, soft when it comes to drawing free throws. His offense consists of shooting mid range jumpers and fadeaways. On a mediocre team, you can probably get away with giving him 20 shots a game and squeak into the playoffs. On a contender, he has no value as a first or second option considering his poor efficiency. At best, he's a third option role player that cleans up some boards and get you 10-14 ppg. Not a Batman or a Robin. More like an Alfred.

RightToCensor · Post #68 » by **RightToCensor** » Wed May 3, 2017 7:07 pm

Watch on YouTube

Cyrusman122000 · Post #69 » by **Cyrusman122000** » Wed May 3, 2017 7:09 pm

Pacers_Freak wrote:Had this discussion with a friend yesterday. Is LMA the only player in history to go play for Pop and get significantly worse?

Richard Jefferson too

britblazerdude · Post #70 » by **britblazerdude** » Wed May 3, 2017 8:15 pm

I remember in Portland, when I was in HS, he would come in to a local Subway and order like footlong Philly Cheesesteaks and stuff. Always the unhealthiest option. Pretty much every game day he would go. Maybe fast food lifestyle is catching up with him as he gets older.

OkcSinceSGA · Post #71 » by **OkcSinceSGA** » Wed May 3, 2017 8:20 pm

Patches Perry wrote:Blake Griffin effect. He doesn't shoot threes, doesn't anchor a defense and isn't an elite distributor. He scores his points on toughly contested two point shots. Modern NBA has passed this kind of PF by. It's just not that effective.

They are nothing alike though. Griffin is an elite playmaker and finisher.

britblazerdude · Post #72 » by **britblazerdude** » Wed May 3, 2017 8:21 pm

FNQ wrote:Explanation: he never was that good. Took a ton of shots for a guy who's peak efficiency was .560 (in Portland). I'm sorry, but good shooter or not, if you are taking 18-20 shots per game and you dont get to the line very much, you cant hit 3s, and you arent any kind of distributor.. stop it.

5x all-star not all that good? He's Portland's 3rd all-time leading scorer. Sorry he wasn't like Curry, with 4 other stars on the same team to pull him through. The notion that he was "never that good" is ridiculous. Spoiled Warrior-vision homer goggles.

Post #73 » by **FNQ** » Wed May 3, 2017 8:31 pm

britblazerdude wrote:
FNQ wrote:Explanation: he never was that good. Took a ton of shots for a guy who's peak efficiency was .560 (in Portland). I'm sorry, but good shooter or not, if you are taking 18-20 shots per game and you dont get to the line very much, you cant hit 3s, and you arent any kind of distributor.. stop it.

5x all-star not all that good? He's Portland's 3rd all-time leading scorer. Sorry he wasn't like Curry, with 4 other stars on the same team to pull him through. The notion that he was "never that good" is ridiculous. Spoiled Warrior-vision homer goggles.

Carmelo is a 10x all-star. He was regarded as an elite player in his prime. He was also not that good.

Aldridge was considered a star-type player. He wasn't. Thus, he was not that good. Saying he's solid across the board is hardly an insult, so I have 0 idea why you took it as one and start talking nonsense. Curry had flashed long before the stars came - he's the #1 reason as to why the better players came to the Warriors. The team I'm a fan of has absolutely no bearing on my opinion. Since that seems to be the centerpiece of your counter - other than total points scored for a franchise (shrug) and all-star appearances (also shrug) - what exactly is your arugment here? He scored inefficiently a lot, thus he's a star player?

He is an average efficiency 2nd/3rd option, a solid rebounder, and a solid defender. He was regarded as a star player and the centerpiece of Portland pre-Lillard. He shouldn't have been, because he wasn't that good. When he went to San Antonio where they actually have a good team, it's pulled the curtain back and shown what Aldridge is - a 3rd option type who can capably man the PF position. If I told you that when he was in Portland - and not just you, I'm sure other Blazer fans - they wouldn't have accepted that.

Hipster Doofus · Post #74 » by **Hipster Doofus** » Thu May 4, 2017 3:54 am

HotTubMike wrote:
Canadian6ersFan wrote:I expect a very solid performance from Aldridge tonight. And a Spurs win. That's what excellent teams do; rebound very well against a bad loss.

Didn't you expect the Spurs to win game one too?

Called it.

HotTubMike · Post #75 » by **HotTubMike** » Thu May 4, 2017 3:56 am

Canadian6ersFan wrote:
HotTubMike wrote:
Canadian6ersFan wrote:I expect a very solid performance from Aldridge tonight. And a Spurs win. That's what excellent teams do; rebound very well against a bad loss.

Didn't you expect the Spurs to win game one too?

Called it.

Not exactly all that bold the higher seed at home in a must-win desperate situation.

durden_tyler · Post #76 » by **durden_tyler** » Thu May 4, 2017 4:05 am

Stats could be down, but he's at least winning and plays in meaningful playoff games. Leaving a mediocre team like Portland was simply a good decision.

DieYoung · Post #77 » by **DieYoung** » Thu May 4, 2017 4:20 am

All that criticism in the media and this is the best response he has - outplayed by Ryan Anderson again? Guy has no heart.

Hipster Doofus · Post #78 » by **Hipster Doofus** » Thu May 4, 2017 4:33 am

HotTubMike wrote:
Not exactly all that bold the higher seed at home in a must-win desperate situation.

I know, I didn't boast. Just calmly stated my opinion on tonight's match, and it turned out to be exactly correct. Aldridge had a nice game and the Spurs blew them out. On to the next one.

The funny thing, though, is that a couple of nights ago the general board was filled with anti-Spurs threads. Oh they're old, oh they're slow, oh they can't defend the three, oh this, oh that. The impulsiveness of people is staggering these days. What happened to the days of logical, calm, well-thought out ideas?

If there's one thing I've learned in my 16 years of following the NBA on a daily basis is this: never count out the Spurs as long as Popovich is there, and never count out their old dog players.

The San Antonio system is on a whole different level than the rest of the NBA. The rest of the NBA focuses on star players and maximizing the return on them for a few years while they're still productive, and then trading them. The Spurs focus not on star players, but on players that fit. The system runs the show down there, not the players. That's the difference.

HotTubMike · Post #79 » by **HotTubMike** » Thu May 4, 2017 4:37 am

Canadian6ersFan wrote:
HotTubMike wrote:
Not exactly all that bold the higher seed at home in a must-win desperate situation.

I know, I didn't boast. Just calmly stated my opinion on tonight's match, and it turned out to be exactly correct. Aldridge had a nice game and the Spurs blew them out. On to the next one.

The funny thing, though, is that a couple of nights ago the general board was filled with anti-Spurs threads. Oh they're old, oh they're slow, oh they can't defend the three, oh this, oh that. The impulsiveness of people is staggering these days. What happened to the days of logical, calm, well-thought out ideas?

If there's one thing I've learned in my 16 years of following the NBA on a daily basis is this: never count out the Spurs as long as Popovich is there, and never count out their old dog players.

I wouldn't. Like I wouldn't count out the patriots. From what I've seen it's mostly Spurs fans with those knee-jerk reactions.

Alex DeLarge · Post #80 » by **Alex DeLarge** » Thu May 4, 2017 5:17 am

Amidst all this ripping on LMA, the Spurs have had their best ever backtrack win totals with him as the #2.

LMA is clearly not as good on offense as he was in 2014 (when he was an absolute beast) and 2015 (when he was still elite). However, his defense has improved significantly. He clearly puts in a lot more effort on D, and his rim protection is vastly underrated.

If/when Pop finally decides to play Kawhi at the 4 and LMA at the 5 as the sole post option, I imagine we will see better offensive production. Not only will the lane open up, but LMA won't be chasing Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza around the perimeter. It would also help if SA's guards force-fed the post when Ryan Anderson is on LMA's back.