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Originally Posted by ebott
My worry is that they picked Aldridge because we needed a big man. But now we've got Joel back and we traded for Mags and LaFrentz (Granted we traded Theo for LaFrentz so maybe that move shouldn't count as adding a big man. I count it because I expected Theo to be injured most of next season.) so it's no longer a position of need.
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As the worst team in the league, the Blazers needed everything (big men, little men and in between men). They didn't draft Aldridge to fill an immediate need, they drafted him as the best long term 4/5 prospect in this particular draft. If there would have been an immediate impact type of player available at the second pick, they would have taken him regardless of the postion he plays. There wasn't. So, they took the best available long term prospect. There wasn't a player in this draft capable of instantly turning a cellar dweller into a contender. They have no such expectations for LaMarcus Aldridge, and even before re-signing Joel and trading for Magloire, I don't think they were counting on major contributions from Aldridge right away. They view him as a cornerstone of this team down the road when he, and their other young players are entering their primes and the team is (hopefully) going deep into the play-offs once again. By then, Jamaal Magloire and Raef LaFrantz will be long gone.
BNM