LaMarcus Aldridge was actually counted on the San Antonio Spurs after the playoffs and was about to leave. But then the turnaround took place – LMA even extended its contract. Suddenly, almost everything seems to have turned out well. Is the effect real? On Saturday night, the Spurs will compete against Magic (at 1am in the LEAGUE PASS).
Gregg Popovich is usually not someone who complains publicly about his players. Jokingly perhaps, as in the old days when he sometimes claimed that the unpredictable game of Manu Ginobili drove him mad, but rarely meant seriously, but rather – with the Spurs one can probably say this – lovingly and familiarly. Or he criticizes collectively – “We’ve defended shit” and the like.
In the course of the Conference Finals 2017 this was a little different. After game 2 against the Warriors, LaMarcus has to score for us. He must not hesitate. He refused to throw in the first quarter. He can’t do that. He has to score points. He has the responsibility to do better in the third game,”said Popovich, shouting unusually detailed.
The words were all the more effective because they applied naturally. The Spurs had lost Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker was also injured. So everything looked at Aldridge – but he couldn’t deliver. He scored an average of 15.5 points (41.3 percent FG) in the series and got 5.8 rebounds. His net rating was -31 (!), he could not prevent the sweep (of course).
Aldridge didn’t look like a star anymore, on the contrary. And the fact that Popovich showed his frustration with LMA so openly made it quite clear that he would not have a great future in San Antonio. He would have had a player option for 2018/19, but it smelled like a trade – even if that’s not really typical of Spurs-.
And the Spurs tried, too. Especially around the draft they are said to have made Aldridge “very available”, as it was called at that time – in the deep draft they wanted to get a lottery-pick somehow. However, there was no team biting to get the 32-year-old, who is considered to be a very individual man. Why should I? Everyone had seen his performances in the Conference Finals.
And so they waited. Nothing happened. The Spurs had a quiet and sometimes confusing summer, in which they let the young Jonathon Simmons and Dewayne Dedmon go without value for money, but extended them with Oldie Pau Gasol for a lot of money and got Rudy Gay. And Aldridge? He stayed in the squad and somehow hung in the balance.
At the training camp, Aldridge then told us that he was frustrated and unhappy in San Antonio, but had now spoken to coach Pop. Ten days went by, until San Antonio on the 16th day. On October 1, the company announced that the contract with Aldridge had been extended. By 2021, the Big Man at the Alamo will have collected 72 million dollars.
What were the Spurs thinking? This question was not only raised by Twitter, but according to ESPN insider Zach Lowe, it was even raised by various franchises in the league. There was no pressure of time, and both parties seemed to be particularly satisfied with the partnership.
LMA doesn’t get any younger either, so a huge increase in performance is usually not to be expected. He didn’t feel so comfortable here, and 98.75 percent of that is due to me. I tried to change it,”Popovich said.
“I tried to make him another player. I think it made him feel uncomfortable and didn’t have self-confidence on the court. That’s why I told him we’re doing it differently now – and it was my fault, not his.”
It may sound a little strange under the impressions of the last playoffs, but Popovich’s thought is not absurd – Aldridge’s game is more based on finesse than physics, so his prime doesn’t have to be over. Maybe he can really improve again if the Spurs use his strengths a little more purposefully.
Especially since it’s not the case that LMA has forgotten basketball or is no longer a productive player. His stats are no longer at the level of Portland times, but that’s also due to the system and less playtime. And 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds are a lot, but not bad numbers. Especially since the Spurs work well with Aldridge. Pretty outstanding, actually.
In the last two seasons, San Antonio has won 67 and 61 games – twice in a row 60+, never before in franchise history. In 2015/16, they achieved the second-best net rating in NBA history, 11.5 in 2015/16 – better than that of the 73-win-warriors.
Page 1: The Conference Finals and Trade Rumors
Page 2: The road to reparation
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