GOD

What if Aldridge is as good as at pf/c as Roy is at sg/pg? My guess is that Aldridge is not as NBA ready as Roy but he is thought to be ready to contribute to a decent degree, especially against nonpower players like Ben Wallace or Shaq.

If Aldridge is ready to contribute in a meaningful way, Roy and Zach can keep up their production, Jack can play solid and Webster can provide a consistant deep threat, the Blazers could be much better this year then I thought possible. Also, Outlaw and Dixon playing great off the bench.

After the draft, I was okay with selecting Roy (I wanted Gay more), but I was real excited about Aldridge, as I thought LaMarcus had the ability to become a star in the league. Now if Aldridge pans out, I think the Blazers could be on the rise much earlier then many predicted. I can't wait till Aldridge can play.

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Blazer Maven

Aldridge will be as good a PF/C as Roy is at SG/PF, it will just take time.

What he can do right now is play the 5 in a small, fast lineup and be a threat to score from the 5 spot when the Blazers need a bucket.

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"Luck is the residue of design" - Branch Rickey

Xericx

when is Lamarcus going to be good to go?

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Establiiiishment...establishment...you always know what's best......

hasoos

I believe he has already started working out with the team some, and they expect him to be ready to get some playing time within 2 weeks.

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Hasoos

GOD

I agree. I think Aldridge will surprise many here wih how much he is able to contribute right out the gate. Especially when played in a lineup like that. He is used to a guard oriented lineup and plays real will in that type of situation. I just can't wait.

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BBert

I had the same thought. I just finished wading through the game thread. It struck me several times how most assessments of where we are and will be this season as a team made little or no mention of Aldridge -- just like most columnists when they evaluate our team. He's the forgotten man, and as M.M. quoted Lenny Wilkens as saying, he's supposedly the best big man in the last two drafts. It remains to be seen how long it will take him to get up to speed with the rest of the team, but surely he will be better than Ime and Travis, and both of those guys were integral to our win last night. I am just pumped about a future of Roy/Webster/Aldridge/Zach/Jack/Travis. Plug in Odem or Durant and hit the turbo switch to the playoffs. The one thing though is that Aldridge is projected to be a PF for at least two years before gaining the strength to play Center (if he ever does). In the meantime, if he can't earn some center minutes, he'll be relegated to backing up Zach.

Roy and Aldridge (and Sergio). Talk about a sweet draft!

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In KP I trust.

yuyuza1

I think that Aldridge will come out under the radar, and surprise some people. Although the only times I saw him play were games in the NCAA tournament, he seems exactly like what we need: a quick big man, with a decent J, who can also help on D. Last night, Coach used a successful lineup with Roy, Dixon, Ime, Outlaw, and Zach. I think Aldridge can be the center in that group, and Zach can slide down to the four. That is quick and potent team with numerous options on offense, that can create a lot of positive havoc on the floor for the blazers. Although I know that I will undoubtedly be dissapointed more than a few times this year, I cant wait. Can you tell that I'm excited?