With LaMarcus Aldridge now a member of the San Antonio Spurs, the Portland Trail Blazers have plenty of reason to be salty.
Sure, they were able to re-sign Damian Lillard, but Aldridge is gone. So is Wesley Matthews and Nic Batum. It’s a totally different team, but maybe that’s for the better, at least according to the Oregonian who released a handful of slights directed at LaMarcus Aldridge.
Were they leaked by the Blazers? While there’s no proof of such, you’d assume the Oregonian got them from somewhere which include LaMarcus Aldridge having a fragile ego, being late for the team bus, flying home during playoff series’, being jealous of Damian Lillard’s spotlight and faking injuries to sit out.
But from the front office to the marketing department to the game-day support staff, there was a general exhaustion with Aldridge. Massaging an ego so often, for so many years, can take its toll.
If there was a nick, a bump, or a bruise, Aldridge always wanted an MRI, prompting one former staffer to quip it was a good thing owner Paul Allen was rich enough to cover the frequent expense.
Until this season, when he postponed a surgery on his non-shooting hand to help the Blazers make a playoff push, Aldridge was constantly looking for a reason to sit out games, particularly if it was after his status as an All-Star had been cemented that season.
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The Aldridge-Lillard tension was real … and created entirely by Aldridge’s insecurity. Lillard is bright and polite, and sensed Aldridge’s delicate ego. As a result, he always went out of his way to compliment Aldridge, and to trumpet that the Blazers were Aldridge’s team, Aldridge’s franchise.
Lillard’s public acquiescence was not enough for Aldridge’s camp. They felt the kid needed to bow to Aldridge in person. They wanted Lillard to say it to his face.
It certainly sounds a little like sour grapes – but they’re grapes that never would have been brought up had LaMarcus Aldridge re-signed with the Blazers. Alas, that’s not what he did and it’s open season on the NBA All-Star apparently.
