mediocre man

http://www.nba.com/blazers/


Pretty good news for the Blazers. Just about the time that Magloire, Randolph or Raef get traded we will get Aldridge. The article did say "back on the court", which leads me to believe that he won't be in "playing shape" until December sometime.

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HispanicCausinPanic

That's really unfortunate, I was looking forward to watching him play.

RedHot&Rolling

I look at it as a positive - it allows him to watch professionals practice and prepare and avoids the immediate disappointment when he doesn't become the starter right away. Also, legitimately, gives Magloire and Raef more PT. Can you say possible showcase???!!!

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rtg

Not a good start missing the start of his rookie year.

furball

Something tells me drafting Aldridge over Morrison is going to really going to bite us in the ***. He is going to be rookie of the year while Aldridge is probably going to be on the injured list to start the season, miss all of training camp, and then have to battle Zach, Raef, and Jamaal for playing time. I just don't think this pick was smart.

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wastro

We can't judge this kind of thing until both Morrison and Aldridge develop (or in either case, don't develop). Aldridge was picked as a project, while Morrison will have an immediate impact on a young Bobcats team. No one realistically expects Aldridge to contend for ROY this year or even fight for a starting position; instead, the idea is that he'll improve enough over the next year or two or three.

KP and Co. have done their homework, no doubt about it. I have faith in the braintrust running the organization right now, so all we can do is wait to see who becomes the better, more complete player in time.

JFizzleRaider

Just because Morrison makes a larger impact this year doesnt mean he will end up the better player.

Once again, getting Aldridge and Roy IMO is better than Morrison and Roy.....you get a great swingman in Roy and a potential game changing big man in Aldridge, both Nate type players

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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.

But everyone else is right. You've gotta think long term. What Aldridge and Morrison do over the next two seasons doesn't really matter. It's what they do in the 10 season that follow those akward early years that people will remember.

Do we remember Damon for his first ROY season with the Raptors? No, we remember him for the next ten mediocre seasons he played here in Portland. Are people gonna remember Ben Wallace and Kevin Garnett for not doing so well at the beginning of their careers? No, they're gonna remember them for the years of all-star level play.

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Anonymous Gambler

I bet you that Aldridge is back ahead of schedule. From all accounts, he's a hard working guy.

Regarding the Stache v Aldridge. I'm not worried. Stache may get more accolades early by uninformed people who don't realize basketball is played on both sides of the court- i.e. what's the point of scoring 18 points, if you give up 25? However, Aldridge will in due time be vastly superior.

It's_GO_Time

Maybe waiting 5-10 years to oficially decide whether the Blazers made a good pick in Aldridge is the fair thing to do. So we all can know the answer then. Until then, we will just have to guess based on what has occured so far.

And so far I would say even the Blazer management would say this is not a good development. Maybe he bounces back and we never hear of any shoulder problems again . . . or maybe this is the start of a chronic shoulder probelm. But surgery before the season starts and missing the start of the season is not a good start for the the #2 draft pick.

Public Defender

Allow me to be the only one to counter furball's prediction with one of my own. The Blazers and Blazer fans will look back to taking LaMarcus Aldridge over Adam Morrison as a good move. While Morrison will be a very good player, so will Aldridge - but at positions that are harder to fill.

As for the surgery - it is disappointing, but I think they're doing the right thing by nipping it before it gets out of hand.

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Boob-No-More

It was a surgical repair of a minor ligament tear. It was largely done as a preventative measure - fix it now so it doesn't get worse later. This is not the type of injury that's likely to recur and absolutely not an indication of a "chronic shoulder problem". It's not like he had a torn rotator cuff (which is a tendon, not a ligament which heals much faster) - and even that can be surgically repaired (but the surgery is more extensive and the rehab much longer).

The Blazers have a lot invested in this young man. They are not in a "win now" situation where they need Aldridge performing at his top level in early Novemeber, (or anytime this season) to compete for the title. He is their big man of the future. They knew that when they drafted him and nothing has changed that. They are going to do everything they can to insure he has a long, healthy career. That's why they elected to do this surgery now. It was the right decision, and anyone who thinks being sidelined during September and October of his rookie year is a major setback needs to get a grip on reality. As for those using this to validate their disappointment that we took Aldridge over Morrison - Morrison's diabetes is much more likely to be a long term concern than Aldridge's minor ligament tear.

BNM

P.S. I wish Adam Morrison nothing but the best (except that he goes 0-17 everytime he plays against the Blazers) and hope he can overcome his diabetes to have a very long and successful career. I do like his game (at least on offense) and especially his effort and passion. I just think long term, Aldridge was the better choice for the future of this organization.

Boob-No-More

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

ebott

That's my problem. Not every draft has a 4/5 prospect that's worth a top pick. This might just be the case with Aldridge. This could very well be a situation like the 1998 draft . The Clippers and Nuggets went for big men in Kandi and LaFrentz and in doing so let a number of (what in my oppinion are) better players go by them.

In this situation I don't so much care that we specifically took Aldridge when we could have had Morrison. It's just that in general when you take a questionable big man instead of a back court player that's proven to be more productive it can come back to bite you.

Then again, this draft pretty much sucks. Other than Roy, Aldridge and Morrison I'm not saying anybody that makes me go "I want that guy on my team."

And the way that Pritchard talks about Aldridge's talent makes me think they really took him because they thought he was the best guy available. I'm just so so so powerfully against drafting based on need that the idea we did so can't help but scare me.

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