Source: If Blazers losing by mid-Jan, LMA will ask out

Post #41 » by **DeBlazerRiddem** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 8:49 pm

Uhg this whole thing stinks of fear mongering and fishing for a story.

Remember like a month ago when unnamed sources were telling Dwight Jaynes that Batum hated Portland and it was a sure thing he would be on the T-Wolves? Sources have an agenda.

Most importantly, Aldridge was saying all the right things a while back. He expressed understanding and patience with the route the Blazers had to take, and he even expressed excitement over our draft. What has changed since then, what caused him to do a complete 180?

The thing is, Aldridge is signed for 3 more years. With 4 years being the current maximum contract length, that is a decent chunk of time that he is legally committed to Portland. We could be a sure-fire playoff team in 3 years, in which case debating dumping Aldridge now would look like lunacy. If Aldridge is saying these things when he is up for an extension that is one thing, but now is too soon. As Wiz said, teams spend lots of time, assets and money to acquire players like Aldridge, and without getting a good shot at a similar caliber player, you gain yourself nothing by dumping him.

Listen, what Portland needs to do is talk to Aldridge. That is something none of us posters can do. They need to actually see what Aldridge's demands are and weigh the possibility of placating him in 3 years against what is actually being offered for him. These are things we as fans just cannot know, so criticizing the organization based on assumptions and conjecture is just silly! Saying the Blazers need to trade him while we can still get good value for him is just a silly silly statement that is really meaningless due to your lack of actual information. You can guess, but you can never know, all you are is an angry fan.

Shem · Post #42 » by **Shem** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:08 pm

DeBlazerRiddem wrote:The thing is, Aldridge is signed for 3 more years. With 4 years being the current maximum contract length

If I recall, 5 years in the maximum length if you resign with your current team. 4 years if you sign with another team.

Post #43 » by **Billy** » Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:27 pm

DeBlazerRiddem wrote:Listen, what Portland needs to do is talk to Aldridge. That is something none of us posters can do. They need to actually see what Aldridge's demands are and weigh the possibility of placating him in 3 years against what is actually being offered for him. These are things we as fans just cannot know, so criticizing the organization based on assumptions and conjecture is just silly! Saying the Blazers need to trade him while we can still get good value for him is just a silly silly statement that is really meaningless due to your lack of actual information. You can guess, but you can never know, all you are is an angry fan.

I certainly agree that Portland needs to sit down and speak with Aldridge. Obviously it would be foolish to just move the guy without actually knowing his intentions. I don't think anyone would suggest that. My first choice would not be to trade him.

As fans we simply don't know what's going on, but just because we don't doesn't mean we can have opinions about it

. All I am arguing for the sake of this discussion is that Portland play it smart with Aldridge. IF he were to become disgruntled, I would hope that they would move quickly to either appease him, or move him out. A lot obviously depends on the state of the roster. If Damian Lillard looks like Derick Rose 2.0 and Batum ascends into the role of the #2 fluidly, it makes sense to be overly aggressive to bring in another stud to pair up with that group.

But if Portland looks like they are 3-4 years away, and Portland finds out (or begins seeing signs) of Aldridge being displeased, it would be much better to move him than to try to placate him. Portland would regret if they knew he was unhappy and they didn't either have an immediate plan to placate him, or the willingness to move him. In this scenario the sustainability of the team is likely better served by moving him and building around a new core of Lillard/Leanard/Batum/Assets for the trade, than it would be to try to trade those kinds of pieces to bring in something that can take immediate advantage of Aldridge in his prime.

Which goes back to the decisions the organization has made in the past 7-10 years. At best, many of them are questionable, with a lot of rosy projections overshadowing the odds. Hey, I don't want to move Aldridge unless I have to, but I also don't want to hold on to him only to move him off for nothing that will help in the present or the future. As has been said, he's going to have a lot more value now than he will in 2-3 years. I just hope that Portland has their finger on the pulse of the situation--which I assume they do--and isn't afraid to make the big move if they have to.

Shem · Post #44 » by **Shem** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 12:52 am

Billy wrote:
DeBlazerRiddem wrote:Listen, what Portland needs to do is talk to Aldridge.

I certainly agree that Portland needs to sit down and speak with Aldridge.

I don't have the reference offhand, but I do know that Aldridge and the Blazers have spoken about the rebuild and he's publicly stated how he feels about it.

NWGunner · Post #45 » by **NWGunner** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:40 am

Shem wrote:
Billy wrote:
DeBlazerRiddem wrote:Listen, what Portland needs to do is talk to Aldridge.

I certainly agree that Portland needs to sit down and speak with Aldridge.

I don't have the reference offhand, but I do know that Aldridge and the Blazers have spoken about the rebuild and he's publicly stated how he feels about it.

http://www.csnnw.com/pages/landingblazers?LaMarcus-Aldridge-fine-with-Blazers-rebu=1&blockID=685604&feedID=5212

Post #46 » by **Mr Odd** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:49 am

Rumors like this are always good for a laugh.. .
But at the same time it wouldnt shock me if true.

LMA shouldnt ask to be traded if the Blazers
show that theyre trying to get better, but
if the Blazers are dinking around then I
wouldnt blame him if he asks to be traded.

If he is traded dont expect anybody good
in return. Teams that have a player wanting
to be traded rarely get anyone better back
then the player leaving.. .Which sucks for us!!

Wizenheimer · Post #47 » by **Wizenheimer** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:49 am

NWGunner wrote:
Shem wrote:I don't have the reference offhand, but I do know that Aldridge and the Blazers have spoken about the rebuild and he's publicly stated how he feels about it.

http://www.csnnw.com/pages/landingblazers?LaMarcus-Aldridge-fine-with-Blazers-rebu=1&blockID=685604&feedID=5212

thanks for the link

those certainly seem to be the words of Aldridge which I would say trump some anonymous source of Brian Berger.

obviously, things could change over the next year or two, especially with a new coach and GM, but already having an all-star PF who is just 26 would seem to be a pretty desirable beginning for a rebuild

King d · Post #48 » by **King d** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 3:24 am

lukeyrid13 wrote:I've said before but LMA probably will not and should not be given the ability to act like a cry-baby if it ever gets to that point. 1x All-Stars who can't lead their team to playoffs or even .500 seasons are not guys that you placate to their every need. He may say he wants out but I doubt other GM's let alone our own really would care all that much

He already led his team to the playoffs in 2011 :roll:

, and who knows what can he do the next years?
Last year was impossible due to some players that I don't want to name giving up on Nate and the team.

Chanse503 · Post #49 » by **Chanse503** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 4:24 am

Beauty of this situation is nothing...
Due is all jacked and recouping towards--what--we don't know!?

I say sell high--if--in fact--we have value. Otherwise, camp on the contract and see what's up.

Lord know the value of LA isn't goin to just fall off.

We need to move him, and an offer of Harden and Ibaka would be a no brainer if I was GM.

....thank god for not being GM cause Paul got that mudd butt!

GreenRiddler · Post #50 » by **GreenRiddler** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:03 am

Billy wrote:but IMO it would be a dangerous decision to simply assume Aldridge is going to be hunky dory winning 35 games on a young roster forever.

When did 1 season become forever?

GreenRiddler · Post #51 » by **GreenRiddler** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:10 am

Everyone needs to relax LMA already said he doesn't mind growing with this team and likes the players we drafted. We won't find equal value in a trade now or in the future so lets just wait a bit.

GreenRiddler · Post #52 » by **GreenRiddler** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:12 am

I don't think I've reached my prime yet,” LaMarcus Aldridge said. “So, if we get a good group of rookies in this draft, they'll be able to gain some experience in the next couple of years and we'll be a force a couple of years from now.”

That just kills this thread, good find NWGunner. On a side note, I like that LMA thinks he can improve and that 22 and 9 isn't his ceiling.

PDXKnight · Post #53 » by **PDXKnight** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 3:30 pm

Butter wrote:
Oden2 wrote:I think teams will pay for LA with 3 seasons on his contract moreso than when he's in his second to last or final year. If LA wants out around January because of our record I would cater to his needs and trade him. At that point it might be a smart move for both sides.

It depends on what they could get. A young prospect seems like it'd be much better than a draft pick. The obvious problem is that LMA will likely help a team win many more games, so the draft pick value goes down, especially that early in the season.

Here's my ideal trade targets:

1) A good team that owns a pick from a crappy team
2) Young prospects
3) draft pick(s) from a decent team gaining LMA

Looking at a list of traded picks
http://www.nbadraft.net/2013mock_draft

Here would be my ideal target:
Rockets receive the Raptors' 2013 first-round pick (Top 3 protected and 15-30 in 2013, top 2 protected and 15-30 in 2014 and '15, Top 1 protected and 15-30 in 2016 and '17, and unprotected in 2018. (Kyle Lowry trade) (Kyle Lowry trade 07-11-12)

Number 1 would be key here but two pretty solid prospects would be enough to make me consider. So either 1 or 2 to the extreme or a combination of both would be ideal, number 3 is just a throw in to sweeten the deal.

I'd like that deal with the Raptors' pick. Unfortunately even the Raptors are an unpredictable team at this point. I'd almost rather wait till draft day but the downside to that is teams get pretty attached to certain guys by the end of june..

JasonStern · Post #54 » by **JasonStern** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:00 pm

aldridge is locked up for three years and the blazers are bringing on five rookies. let's see how the season plays out before looking to move aldridge. worst case, the blazers are in a better position to trade him for a high pick this off-season than trade him and have the receiving team win more games yielding a lower pick due to aldridge's acquisition.

Post #55 » by **Billy** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:57 pm

GreenRiddler wrote:
Billy wrote:but IMO it would be a dangerous decision to simply assume Aldridge is going to be hunky dory winning 35 games on a young roster forever.

When did 1 season become forever?

Since always, duh

My point wasn't about a single season. I would imagine one season would be fine, but ideally Portland will look at that single season and not chalk everything up to rookies, a new coaching staff, and a new philosophy. Even with all of those things, it should be fairly apparent where the Blazers arc will be heading toward for the coming years. If Lillard is a ROY contender, Leonard/Freeland look solid in the middle, and Batum shows himself to be worth the money we dropped--it's safe to say 35 wins this season will just give Portland one more decent pick (hopefully) and they can set themselves up to make a run at a FA in the summer.

But, where I could see Portland getting in trouble is if things don't work out quite as hoped. Maybe Lillard isn't quite as spectacular as he was in Summer League, guys like Leonard and Freeland are a long ways away, and Batum is still 25/5/5 one night followed by 2 nights of 11/2/3 . In that case, I think Portland would be wise to be taking the temperature of the situation. What Portland can't afford to do is convince themselves that even though they didn't see the marked improvement they hoped for, that it will magically come together in the summer and next year will be different without some kind of changes.

Aldridge might be a good soldier through a year of rebuilding, but if the team doesn't show enough to realistically pencil them into the playoffs the season after next, it's unlikely that he'll be happy for much longer. If it's looking more like 2, 3, or more seasons before Portland is even challenging consistently for a good playoff spot, that is "forever" by basketball standards especially when considering that would have eaten up the height of Aldridge's prime.

Post #56 » by **Billy** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:58 pm

JasonStern wrote:aldridge is locked up for three years and the blazers are bringing on five rookies. let's see how the season plays out before looking to move aldridge. worst case, the blazers are in a better position to trade him for a high pick this off-season than trade him and have the receiving team win more games yielding a lower pick due to aldridge's acquisition.

I agree. I wouldn't want to trade him until next off-season at the earliest. Portland still has the possibility of flirting with some good FA's like Bynum and Harden--even if very unlikely. If they strike out there and don't add anything else of major substance that would help the following season or two, and they appear to be headed to a more serious rebuild, it might be time to start looking.

PDXKnight · Post #57 » by **PDXKnight** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 6:13 pm

Billy wrote:
JasonStern wrote:aldridge is locked up for three years and the blazers are bringing on five rookies. let's see how the season plays out before looking to move aldridge. worst case, the blazers are in a better position to trade him for a high pick this off-season than trade him and have the receiving team win more games yielding a lower pick due to aldridge's acquisition.

I agree. I wouldn't want to trade him until next off-season at the earliest. Portland still has the possibility of flirting with some good FA's like Bynum and Harden--even if very unlikely. If they strike out there and don't add anything else of major substance that would help the following season or two, and they appear to be headed to a more serious rebuild, it might be time to start looking.

If by next off season you mean 2014 I disagree but the 2013-14 mid season would have some merit. If Aldridge ends up wanting out, the last thing the Blazers would want is to be forced to trade LA for scraps on the final season of his contract. Based on the Howard situation, the Blazers would probably be lucky to land one good pick on LA's last season, but if we make it the season before his last we're sure to get somebody who bids higher. In sum, yes I could see merit to waiting on LA so long as he isn't demanding to be traded immediately but if the signs point to him signing elsewhere at the end of the deal, Olshey and company can't hold onto our best trading chip for too long. LA could jump start a total rebuild quite a bit and I'd hate to lose out on that option because we held onto Aldridge in the scenario that he wants out.

Post #58 » by **Billy** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:45 pm

Oden2 wrote:
Billy wrote:
JasonStern wrote:aldridge is locked up for three years and the blazers are bringing on five rookies. let's see how the season plays out before looking to move aldridge. worst case, the blazers are in a better position to trade him for a high pick this off-season than trade him and have the receiving team win more games yielding a lower pick due to aldridge's acquisition.

I agree. I wouldn't want to trade him until next off-season at the earliest. Portland still has the possibility of flirting with some good FA's like Bynum and Harden--even if very unlikely. If they strike out there and don't add anything else of major substance that would help the following season or two, and they appear to be headed to a more serious rebuild, it might be time to start looking.

If by next off season you mean 2014 I disagree but the 2013-14 mid season would have some merit. If Aldridge ends up wanting out, the last thing the Blazers would want is to be forced to trade LA for scraps on the final season of his contract. Based on the Howard situation, the Blazers would probably be lucky to land one good pick on LA's last season, but if we make it the season before his last we're sure to get somebody who bids higher. In sum, yes I could see merit to waiting on LA so long as he isn't demanding to be traded immediately but if the signs point to him signing elsewhere at the end of the deal, Olshey and company can't hold onto our best trading chip for too long. LA could jump start a total rebuild quite a bit and I'd hate to lose out on that option because we held onto Aldridge in the scenario that he wants out.

Agreed. 2013-14 mid-season would be the latest that I'd want to explore things if we knew there could be problems. Sadly it would be one of those things that the first sign of trouble will immediately knock his value down a peg. If Portland has their finger on the pulse of the situation and evaluate things early in the situation, they can make a decision that will allow them to get the most value. If they wait until things really sour (of course assuming they ever would), they will wind up with another bad deal.

monopoman · Post #59 » by **monopoman** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:24 am

Oden2 wrote:
Billy wrote:
JasonStern wrote:aldridge is locked up for three years and the blazers are bringing on five rookies. let's see how the season plays out before looking to move aldridge. worst case, the blazers are in a better position to trade him for a high pick this off-season than trade him and have the receiving team win more games yielding a lower pick due to aldridge's acquisition.

I agree. I wouldn't want to trade him until next off-season at the earliest. Portland still has the possibility of flirting with some good FA's like Bynum and Harden--even if very unlikely. If they strike out there and don't add anything else of major substance that would help the following season or two, and they appear to be headed to a more serious rebuild, it might be time to start looking.

If by next off season you mean 2014 I disagree but the 2013-14 mid season would have some merit. If Aldridge ends up wanting out, the last thing the Blazers would want is to be forced to trade LA for scraps on the final season of his contract. Based on the Howard situation, the Blazers would probably be lucky to land one good pick on LA's last season, but if we make it the season before his last we're sure to get somebody who bids higher. In sum, yes I could see merit to waiting on LA so long as he isn't demanding to be traded immediately but if the signs point to him signing elsewhere at the end of the deal, Olshey and company can't hold onto our best trading chip for too long. LA could jump start a total rebuild quite a bit and I'd hate to lose out on that option because we held onto Aldridge in the scenario that he wants out.

The Howard situation was a unique entity mostly because Howard kept making huge problems for any team that would try to trade for him besides Brooklyn. Olrando was stupid and should have looked to trade Howard a year+ before now when he would have gotten far more value.

In the situation where Aldridge is willing to sign an extension with most teams you bet your ass we will get a decent amount for him.

If Denver and Utah can get decent payback on Melo and Williams we can do the same with Aldridge.

sir G Wallace · Post #60 » by **sir G Wallace** » Fri Aug 17, 2012 3:27 am

I dont like Ibaka because he is undersized and extremely dependent on his athleticism. I would love Derrick Favors in here. He is a future stud I feel like