Yes, the game was an early one. Of course, Brandon Roy missed his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. Yet this game falls under the category of a missed opportunity.
The Blazers fell to the Gilbert Arenas-less Washington Wizards 97-92 and LaMarcus Aldridge could’ve done something about it.
I’ve heard that Aldridge isn’t back to 100 percent from his ankle injuries. He’s not healthy, right?
In this game he played 43 minutes. He scored nearly at will in the late third quarter, and he rebounded the ball fantastically on the offensive side of the ball.
He had great stats.
But Aldridge wanted no part of the action in the late fourth quarter.
This is a big story.
The great folks at BE wrote about Portland’s deficiencies defensively, but the bigger story to me was Aldridge’s unwillingness to seize the spotlight Monday.
Portland’s season has bordered on Shakespearean drama thus far. Despite the loss of their two centers and two dynamic forwards the Blazers have stemmed the temptation to slide toward mediocrity.
In fact they’ve excelled.
Brandon Roy leads the charge – but the tonic that mesmerizes the rabid Blazers fanbase is how the Blazers embody the definition of a “team.”
Roy is the superstar, but he leads an ensemble worthy of the big stage. Aldridge is supposed to play the role of wingman. He’s done an adequate job of filling that role thus far, but that sense of urgency just simply isn’t there – especially late in games.
Aldridge doesn’t “bring it” for an entire game, and his opponents take note of that.
About a week ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers came to Portland and the Blazers had a typically great effort that led to defeat. They fought back into the game when the outcome seemed decided. Yet, there’s one play that sticks out in my mind.
Lamarcus Aldridge corralled an offensive rebound with nothing but Anderson Verajao and a couple feet of air between the Blazers and a one possession game. Aldridge declined to put his considerable offensive skills to the test, and passed up the shot. The Blazers didn’t score on that possession, and ultimately fell to the Cavaliers.
The Blazers need a second option to show up consistently in the fourth quarter, or else Brandon Roy’s burden grows. Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, and every other role player will play a role, but only one player holds the key to the elusive “second banana” moniker. That’d be LaMarcus Aldridge.