SPURS’ ALDRIDGE ADJUSTING
Star balancing selflessness, aggressiveness
There is, it turns out, a place that exists between uncomfortable and comfortable that is not the former but also not the latter.
LaMarcus Aldridge is there right now, somewhere on that path from Point A to Point B and hell- bent on getting there in this new life as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
After working his way through the weirdness— wearing an NBA jersey other than a Portland Trail Blazers one for the first time since he entered the league in 2006 and having all that history come rushing back when he saw a recent Blazers-Sacramento Kings game on the Spurs’ locker room television before the game — the Spurs’ latest project went back to work on a tricky task.
This is about Aldridge learning to be his aggressive, ball- dominant self in the context of a system that has long been known for balance and selflessness.
For the four- time All- Star, this blending of styles has been a mental game of sorts. It was one thing when coach Gregg Popovich and his crew told him during the free agency process in July that they didn’t want him to change, but it’s yet another to put that plan into action. Truth be told, it will likely never be easier than it was in his opener because of who didn’t take part: No Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili or Boris Diaw, meaning Aldridge could conceivably have his run of the place.
“They’ve been trying to get me to ( be aggressive), and now I’m just getting back to it because I didn’t want to come in being aggressive and then be too aggressive,” Aldridge said. “I think it’s better to be passive ( at the beginning) and then kind of get into it more, so they’ve got me back to ( thinking), ‘ You’ve got to still be yourself, but take the good pass andmake the great pass,’ and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Rest assured, some Spurs fans in San Antonio will remain skeptical of this marriage until the wins start piling up.
While the Aldridge addition ( along with that of David West and the re- signing of Danny Green) made San Antonio the offseason champion, the question of fit and whether he might be frustrated by the Spurs’ way was front and center during that late- summer downtime when such answers are unattainable. Aldridge’s honesty during an interview with USA TODAY Sports in July led to hours of scrutiny on a San Antonio sports talk radio show that includes former Spurs guard Antonio Daniels.
The center of the debate was this: “So I was like, ‘ Maybe I’m not a Spur, because I’ve been averaging 23 ( points per game) for the last three to four years, and maybe I don’t fit into y’all’s system of let’s all average 17 ( points per game),’ ” Aldridge had admitted saying to the Spurs during the recruitment process.
Yet as his longtime friend and Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka told him at the time, things have changed in San Antonio. Old hands Duncan, Parker and Ginobili need help of his kind more than ever before, and he now finds himself leading the way alongside 24- year- old small forward Kawhi Leonard. That new dynamic, as they see it, has led to an opportunity tailor- made for Aldridge.
“People told me that I’m not going to fit in because I’m ball- dominant, I’m a ball- stopper, so I’m not worried about that,” Aldridge told USA TODAY Sports. “I feel like if the Spurs didn’t feel like I fit in then they wouldn’t have gotten me. I think the things that they wanted was someone who could play in pick- androll. I do that. Someone who could score on the block. I do that.
“I can make the extra pass, which I’ve done. I think every guy on the team would say that I’ve made the extra pass more than I have probably inmy career.”
If anything, Green said, Aldridge might need to work on being more selfish.
“Be aggressive, especially for LaMarcus,” said Green, who has been with the Spurs since 2010 and signed a four- year, $ 45 million deal to return in July. “He’s used to making his moves. He knows where guys are when he was in Portland, and now he’s still getting used to where the double- team is coming from and where guys are going to be at for his outlets. He’s not used to that yet.
“( Aldridge and West) are trying to adjust, but they’re adjusting very unselfishly. From my perspective, I think they should be more aggressive, and make us adjust around them.”
By comparison, West’s challenge should be a breeze. At 35, having left $ 11 million behind in Indiana to sign a veteran’s minimum in San Antonio, he’s prepared any role. But Aldridge is 30, with many years ahead and no plans to lose his status as one of the game’s best.
“So far, I think he’s blending right in,” Green said. “Same high- character, highquality guy, similar personality to a lot of guys here. Very laid- back, very easygoing. Everybody here gets along, and I think that chemistry will continue to build and get better just like it was in the past. I don’t see any personalities here that will clash, so I think we’ll be good.”