LaMarcus Aldridge – decision to play revives All-Star potential
Three days. Three short days is all the longer we must wait to find out the NBA All-Star fate of LaMarcus Aldridge.
Yet after the roller coaster of emotions the team and fans experienced over a four day span last week, it seems unfathomable that we would live in a world where Aldridge would be left off of the West’s roster even in a year of stacked talent in the front court.
Wednesday, the extent of his thumb injury was unknown as the swelling had yet to subside and the Blazers suffered a five point defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns.
Thursday we watched as sloppy shooting and untimely missed free throws led to Portland’s demise. News broke before the game that Aldridge would miss up to two months after surgery, and concern grew that such losses would become the norm.
Then came Saturday, when Aldridge decided to postpone surgery on the torn ligament, and instead compete with his thumb heavily taped for the remainder of the season. He delivered a dominant performance at the most crucial point in the Blazer’s season to date, securing a much needed Portland victory.
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As a city we went from worried, to panicked, to slightly relieved in less than a week, all based on the decisions of one man. Aldridge could have woken up on Saturday to notice a reduction in swelling and improved mobilization in his thumb, and still elected to have surgery and nobody in Portland would have questioned his decision.
However; he rejoined his teammates and made an emphatic affirmation that he is one of the truly elite players in the league. Whether or not he deserves to be in the All-Star game is a rhetorical question at this point.
Determining who deserves to be an All-Star after the fan votes are cast is always a hotly debated topic. The coaches will decide who makes the final cut, but no matter how you slice it, Aldridge should be on their short list of players to send to NYC. There are several ways to measure a player’s All-Star merit.
Some individuals take the stance that statistics are the only parameter that needs to be taken into account. Aldridge ranks 6th in the league in scoring and 11th in rebounds.
Others argue that you need to be part of a successful team in order to be considered. Check that one off the list as well with the Blazers ranked third in the highly competitive Western Conference.
An even more critical observer would argue that a player’s health during the first half of the season is important in deciding who to include in the All-Star game. By this line of thinking one could knock big men Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, and DeMarcus Cousins, for missing more than one quarter of their team’s games.
Finally, there is how much a player has meant for their team’s success. All that is required to see the vast impact of Aldridge’s game this year is to look at the games against Phoenix and Boston last week. Add those to the ugly picture of what the Blazer’s season would look like without Aldridge on the floor, and his true value becomes quite apparent.
There is little doubt in my mind that Aldridge deserves to be an All-Star this year, and his decision to play through pain to ensure his team’s continued success has removed doubt from many others.
When mid-February rolls around, Portland would gladly let NYC borrow Aldridge for the weekend, but only to give them a taste of what we have been privileged to witness in the Rose City for the better part of a decade.