Aldridge confident in ‘value’
LaMarcus Aldridge didn’t come to the Nets to make it “The Big Four.”
But he isn’t looking to lead the bench mob, either.
In his first comments since surprisingly choosing the Nets over the Heat, Aldridge explained how he and the team see eye-to-eye on his ability to stretch the floor as a 3-point shooting center who can open driving lanes for Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
“I’m not here to be an All-Star,” Aldridge said after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to bring value, try to bring the things I’m good at, and trying to help this team win. I’m not worried about being an All-Star anymore.”
A short time later, however, Aldridge halted his own introductory news conference after 12 minutes. Not exactly typical of a role player.
“If you could start, you’re always going to want to start,” Aldridge said. “I think anyone that’s competitive will say they want that and you’re going to fight for that, so I’m definitely trying to do my job and hopefully I get it. As far as minutes, I think if you go out and you compete and you do everything you can, everything is going to be fine. And we’re all here to win, so it’s not about that.”
Durant, who hasn’t played since Feb. 13 with a hamstring strain, took a break from berating actor Michael Rapaport over social media the last three months to recruit Aldridge. James Harden and others chimed in, but Aldridge and Durant both are Texas alums who missed being college teammates by one season.
“You’re listening to teams and listening to players telling you what they want, and Brooklyn made it known right away that they were very interested,” Aldridge said. “KD hit me quick and said definitely come here. It was just waiting it out, weighing my options, and then I just ended up coming here. It’s a pretty good team, and I definitely think I can help.”
The Nets are more than a “pretty good team.” They have the best championship odds in the Eastern Conference after adding Aldridge and Blake Griffin after their contracts were bought out by the Spurs and Pistons, respectively. Now, it’s up to coach Steve Nash to juggle egos.