Oct 22 2009
Player Preview: LaMarcus Aldridge
Now I ain’t sayin’ she’s a gold digger.
Sixty-five million over the next five seasons. Listen, I’m not saying he’s a gold digger. Okay, maybe a little bit, but he’s worth it. Right? Right? I’ve been on board with him signing for 90% of the max contract since the summer, but actually seeing the numbers in front of me, a guy who has yet to make an All-Star game (though according to him, he missed it by one person last year) getting that much money brings up nasty memories of Darius Miles and Theo Ratliff. Let’s just be thankful for Paul Allen’s Money.
So, LaMarcus himself? He’s going to be great this year, and he’s made serious strides in the past year. After relying on an albeit good fadeaway jumper every single possession for the first half of last season, he learned that he can pivot towards the basket and became the offensive beast down the stretch that we all knew and loved. He was the reason the Blazers were one of the most dominant teams in the NBA over the last two months. Like we’ve heard his whole career, he has the potential to be the best player on the team, it’s just a matter of will it happen.
Well, it’s not happening this season, but he’ll be an even more valuable contributor than he was the year before. As much as anyone, he’s been given a supreme vote of confidence. There’s less competition for his starting spot than there is for Brandon Roy’s, and he’s now one of the most expensive players in the NBA. He knows he needs to earn that money. And he will take responsibility for it.
Addendum: Travis Outlaw’s new quote won’t be “Let’s agree to disagree.” It will be stumbling through a bathroom, barfing a torrent of rose petals, then falling to the ground. When he looks over, he will see a bowie knife. He stands up, looks in the mirror, and proceeds to cut open his abdomen, as even more rose petals tumble out. He reaches in and pulls out a tiny rodent demon. He places said demon on the bathroom counter, and then pulls out a tiny demon-sized bowie knife from the handle of his bowie knife. He gives the knife to the demon, and then the demon commits seppuku.
Not really a quote, but if that’s what needs to be done for Travis to play defense and learn how not to step on the three-point line, I’m for it. Who has the mushrooms?
Read the other player previews!
Read Juwan Howard’s/Dante Cunningham’s preview
Read Martell Webster’s preview
Outlaw would have a demon that tiny and adorable…