Lamarcus Aldridge held off making a decision as long as he could, likely buying the Spurs time to free up cap space in one of the most tumultuous free agency openings ever. The 6’11 Dallas native heads close to home, signing a reported four year deal worth more than $80 million. The Spurs are adding the power forward to an already stacked lineup, that should open the season as favorites, even ahead of the reigning champion Golden State Warriors. Having already resigned Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Manu Ginobili and most recently signing David West, Aldridge will enter as a core piece of San Antonio’s offense and big man rotation, especially if Tim Duncan opts to return. With such overwhelming talent, Gregg Popvoch, the consensus best coach in the NBA, will have his team right back where it belongs, at least the Wester Conference Finals.
The duo of Aldridge and Duncan will harken back to the late 90’s when David Robinson roamed the paint as a part of San Antonio’s twin towers. The game has changed and post play may not be as vital as it once was, but rest assured, the Spurs will force teams to adjust to them, not the other way around. With superlative perimeter shooting from Danny Green, pick and roll play from Tony Parker and the continued emergence of Kawhi Leonard as one of the best players in the NBA, the Spurs will have a buffet of weapons at their disposal. This is as much a coup for San Antonio as it is for Aldridge. When the opportunity arose to play for the best coach in the NBA, within one if it’s best organizations, whose system will feature your strengths, Aldridge was left with no choice. The basketball decision was obvious, nevertheless Aldridge’s departure leaves the Portland Trailblazers decimated. The team began shipping out role players and held fast to it’s last remaining commodity, resigning a very good Damian Lillard to a massive contract. Portland must now begin the rebuild process with little of value, other than the young point guard from Oakland.
Aldridge was considered one of the most “gettable” free agents on the market. But was he really ever? The Lakers attempted to lure in the biggest fish in the sea, but Aldridge was reportedly not impressed with the “basketball” portion of LA’s sales pitch. Lamarcus already has a home in LA, he’s got that covered. When it came to selecting a team, the one offering an aged Kobe Bryant as it’s number one attribute, never had a chance. With the Spurs, Aldridge is presented the possibility of jumpstarting his career on the fly, landing feet first into a dream scenario for one of the league’s most underrated players. The NBA is on notice, the already strong West just got that much stronger.
