Aldridge wants out?

[Dupp]

When he says the city is too boring and too small, what's he talking about? The nightlife?

I'm guessing marketing for himself. Hes an all star and wants bigger exposure i guess, sponsors etc. Which is fair enough.

[CB-Blazer]

When he says the city is too boring and too small, what's he talking about? The nightlife?

I'm guessing marketing for himself. Hes an all star and wants bigger exposure i guess, sponsors etc. Which is fair enough.

I the interview, he talks about how he doesn't need that hooplah because he already has a bunch of money........read the interview.

[CB-Blazer]

Maybe Chicago shouldn't have traded him for Tyrus Thomas in the first place

This trade is the best hing to happen to Chicago, without this trade we would have never to D. Rose!

Yeah, I would take Rose of Aldridge too

[RunSunRun]

So, is it safe to assume Aldridge has been spending time with Dwight and Chris Paul?

[Dupp]

Via Wiretap. Think the Blazers should swing that Cleveland deal now

Just proves my point that deal would of sucked for cleveland. Dude will bolt in a year. NO THANX.

He still has 2 years on his deal......

Oh really? For some reason i thought he was expiring.

When he says the city is too boring and too small, what's he talking about? The nightlife?

I'm guessing marketing for himself. Hes an all star and wants bigger exposure i guess, sponsors etc. Which is fair enough.

I the interview, he talks about how he doesn't need that hooplah because he already has a bunch of money........read the interview.

That was just my guess as to what a player could mean by that. What does he mean then?

[Liver_Pooty]

What an idiot. Trade him to Milwaukee just for kicks and giggles.

[nuposse04]

Well if his reasoning is THAT...not sure why any small market team would give up anything of consequence for the guy....Alas, I blame the hipsters.

[CB-Blazer]

Oh really? For some reason i thought he was expiring.

Nah, still has 2 years.

That was just my guess as to what a player could mean by that. What does he mean then?

Well, Jason Quick kept bugging him, asking if he was unhappy. Aldridge kept saying "I'm fine".

Quick asked him why he wasn't doing promotions or renewing is condo lease, and kept hammering and implying that he was gearing up for a break-up from the Blazers, and Aldridge said:

This is why I hate being in Portland,’’ he told me. “You can’t do anything.’’

I took it as, this is why I hate Portland. It's so small, everyone knows what you are doing and ever move is under the microscope and is looked into much further than it needs to be.

Other quotes from the article:

Quick: Do you want to be moved?

Aldridge: “I’m fine. Like I said, it was a tough season, but I’m not trying to jump ship. We will sit down and we will talk about who we are going to bring in, and what things will happen and we will go from there.’’

Quick is notorious for trying to create headliners to further his career, which he cares about much more than the sport he is actually covering.

[PacificBlazer]

The Quick article is sketchy at best, like CB-Blazer said.

[Dupp]

Haha fair enough. So pretty much another story out of nothing. Lot of that going round this time of year.

Anyway i hope / think he'll stay. You guys have a really nice core you just need a damn bench

[CB-Blazer]

Also, I'm not saying Portland won't move Aldridge. I honestly do not know, but am in the camp who would like to see him moved, unless he argues against it.

Aldridge is a 28 year old All-Star in his prime, I'd be a bit worried if he wasn't concerned about winning, especially at this point in his career. He's put in 7 years here and has already been through a rebuild. I feel we kind of owe him a trade to a contending franchise if it works for both sides.

Also, Aldridge is arguably the best player on the trade block. The Blazers could benefit greatly from trading him for the right package.

I don't know what will happen, however it's no coincidence that these reports are coming out now, after several teams have expressed interest in him.

However, I do know that the reports aren't in line with anything Aldridge has personally stated.

[RaptorNews]

Whether or not this story is true, Im tired of any players insulting the hometowns of NBA fans as if there's five proper cities to live in in the entire country. Portland is a great city with great fans.

We get it: LA is fun to live in when you're rich. Maybe focus on your game and the millions of dollars, fan worship, and women throwing themselves at you, and it won't seem so bad in whatever other major city you have to "suffer" in until you retire at 36

Fact is if these cities can support a major NBA team, there is stuff to do in them - and if you can't find something fun to do with millions of dollars in Portland, maybe you should expand your idea of what " stuff to do" is.

[nomorezorro]

i mean, i assume the reporting about aldridge wanting out is accurate, and quick was probably right that all of the lease/endorsement stuff was related to that. my impression from reading the article is that the anecdote at the bottom wasn't the source for the reporting at the top of aldridge wanting out.

i do think that the wiretap story basically mangles the quick article, that aldridge almost certainly isn't going anywhere at this point unless the blazers are bowled over, that it's important to note that aldridge doesn't seem to be actually making his interest in a trade public and that the anecdote is probably more reflective of aldridge's frustration with quick pestering him than anything else.

that being said, 'this is why i hate portland' is a bad thing to have your star player saying on the record. as much rationalizing as you want to (and can justifiably) do, it's just not good.

[CB-Blazer]

Whether or not this story is true, Im tired of any players insulting the hometowns of NBA fans as if there's five proper cities to live in in the entire country. Portland is a great city with great fans.

We get it: LA is fun to live in when you're rich. Maybe focus on your game and the millions of dollars, fan worship, and women throwing themselves at you, and it won't seem so bad in whatever other major city you have to "suffer" in until you retire at 36

Fact is if these cities can support a major NBA team, there is stuff to do in them - and if you can't find something fun to do with millions of dollars in Portland, maybe you should expand your idea of what " stuff to do" is.

I agree, however:

I think the local media has been much more insulting to Aldridge than vice versa. LMA has always been a hard worker, never complains, active in the community, stays out of trouble.

The latest articles stating he wants out are a slap in the face, because the media has spun and sensationalized what Aldridge has said to get more readers/viewers.

I honestly wouldn't blame Aldridge if he wanted out. He has shown loyalty to this city, only to have some members of the media slap him in the face and twist his words to fit their agenda.

[nomorezorro]

also: defend the honor of portland all you want, but a black professional athlete from dallas not falling in love with the city is perhaps the Least Shocking Thing Of All Time

[CB-Blazer]

also: defend the honor of portland all you want, but a black professional athlete from dallas not falling in love with the city is perhaps the Least Shocking Thing Of All Time

Agreed, a tale of two worlds. I'm in Oregon and I don't love Portland

Also, it's kind of funny this "reporter" has been sitting on this nugget for several months, on to release it the night before the draft.

[Archerbro]

IMO Deng and LMA are similar caliber players (both low-level/fringe All-Stars) but POR already has a long-term SF in Batum. LMA's scoring is much more valuable to them, not to mention he's been in POR his entire career (worth something).

fringe all star?

He's shown in seasons with Portland adn in the west that he's on Bosh's level if not more.

LA doesn't get 0 points in a game 7 either.

[CB-Blazer]

IMO Deng and LMA are similar caliber players (both low-level/fringe All-Stars) but POR already has a long-term SF in Batum. LMA's scoring is much more valuable to them, not to mention he's been in POR his entire career (worth something).

fringe all star?

He's shown in seasons with Portland adn in the west that he's on Bosh's level if not more.

LA doesn't get 0 points in a game 7 either.

To be fair, Aldridge hasn't been in a game 7

[Donovangian]

It seems to me that people are significantly under rating Deng!

For the past 3 years Deng guards the best player on the opposing team every night. and the leagues best players right now all play small foward and shooting guard.
Lebron
KD
Kobe
Melo
Harden
George
Pierce
Igodala


Ranking the small fowards in the league he's what 5 or 6.
Lebron
Kd
Melo
Granger
Pierce

And four of those guys play in the east and he's still made the allstar team because coaches know what he can do.

The only reason the Bulls are considering trading DENG is because the emergence of Butler who they can get slighly less production at a third of the cost. but if they could move either of the two bad contracts in Boozer and Gibson then deng would not even be mentioned.

But as far as moving Noah? That's not gonna happen anyone who watches the Bulls play should understand why.

[Hangtime84]

I know teams want the Bobcats pick but essentially that could be LMA down the line all by itself. To ask for that Deng or Noah is bit silly IMO