Aldridge Wants to Stay in Portland
Franchise player LaMarcus Aldridge is saying that he’s willing to give the Portland Trail Blazers a chance to rebuild around him.
In separate interviews with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports and Chris Haynes of Comcast Sportsnet, Aldridge touched on a few topics including how he felt frustrated after last season and how the Blazers’ off-season moves has him convinced that they are going to be playoff contenders in the upcoming NBA season.
Early in the off-season, reports said that Aldridge’s camp arranged a meeting with Portland General Manager Neil Olshey to discuss several trade scenarios. Among the rumoured deals were for other big name superstars like Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Joakim Noah.
"I was a little disappointed (at season's end). Probably a little overly emotional about it. But everything is looking good," Aldridge said. “"I did the whole rebuilding thing. I want to win. I told him let's get better this summer. I think (Olshey's) done that."
Among the deals done by Portland were the acquisitions of center Robin Lopez, forward Thomas Robinson and veterans Mo Williams, Dorell Wright and Earl Watson. Among the core holdovers from 2012’s roster are Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum.
“Playoffs. I think if we can put the pieces together, we're definitely a playoff team. It'll be tough, but I think we got the guys that can get the job done.” The 28-year-old forward added when asked of their goals for the next season.
Led by Aldridge’s 21.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, the Blazers ended up at 11th place in the Western Conference last season, missing the playoffs for the second straight year.