LaMarcus Aldridge Would Be The Best Replacement For Blake Griffin
By Keith Rivas
If LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin were to swap teams it would benefit the Western Conference, the league, and more importantly both players on a personal level
We may not have learned everything there is to know about free agency from the frantic 2015 deadline trades, but we did learn something and that something needs to be addressed in the coming off-season.
Both the LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers served as major disappointments in their respective playoff performances, but there is a quick and easy way to fix that moving forward.
All they’ve got to do is swap Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
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Did I just say that?
You bet I did.
But I’m not just saying it to say it or to be cool, there’s an actual breakdown and reason for it, so hear me out.
Aldridge has been searching for the right fit ever since he came into the NBA almost a decade ago.
He’s putting out 24 points and ten rebounds per outing (that’s a double-double), and did so alongside young gun Damian Lillard who is still, in many ways, trying to get the doubters and haters out of his shopping cart.
Griffin, on the other hand, has been looking for the right big man combo to go with his emphatic style down low.
Who, in contrast, averages 21 points and 8 rebounds per contest.
Not too shabby.
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It seemed often times like DeAndre Jordan was the right man for that job but as we saw in the series against the Houston Rockets that Clippers saw fall out of the sky, it’s not always peaches ‘n’ cream with professional basketball.
Keep in mind that the Clippers had a 3-1 series lead and Blake Griffin was a major part of that advantage.
The sheer fact that Griffin wasn’t able to rally the troops alongside Chris Paul when his team needed him most exposed the most important x-factor of them all in a potential trade scenario like this — experience.
Griffin has half the experience of Aldridge’s eight and in a swap Aldridge would be a hundred times more productive and reliable with the rest of the roster the Clippers have in place.
You have to also consider the fact that Chris Paul’s patience and Doc Rivers’ job both hang in the balance heading into next season.
The Clippers are going to have to handle a way healthier Lakers team, a Finals participant in the Golden State Warriors (with pretty much everyone back in town and ready for another deep run), and of course they’re going to have enough on their plate just dealing with themselves.
I wouldn’t exactly be able to sleep to good at night knowing my season could’ve gone where no other group in my franchise’s history has gone before but it all fell apart — the worst part being that the collapse began back home at Staples Center.
The Rockets found a way to will themselves to triumph in Game 7 back in Houston and finished off the Clippers who clearly wanted an end to the match up.
And if the Clippers struggled with the Rockets — the West’s second-best team — with their current lineup, how do they expect things to be different next season with the same guys?
Especially if you’ve got the Warriors in your way once you get past Houston.
See, it’s not even so much about the stats as it is about the experience.
Bottom Line: A swap like this brings hope to both ball clubs
Chris Paul seems like he’s still trying to adjust to the huge expectations of a team and city like Los Angeles and could use someone at his level to help level the playing field in critical moments like closing a series out.
Because the last thing Clippers nation wants to see is another epic fallout unfolding before their eyes.
And you know it’s the truth.