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The operative phrase here is "with plenty of time to spare." The Blazers and LaMarcus Aldridge had been working on an extension, the second of the big two the Blazers needed to lock up to ensure stability in their young, contending core (the other being Brandon Roy). The two had until October 31st to get a deal done in order to avoid Aldridge becoming a restricted agent next summer.
There had been rumors that Aldridge was unhappy about how long it was taking, given the Blazers' hyper-eager approach to Roy's five-year, $80 million deal. With Oct. 31 just 10 days away, the clock was ticking. Both sides were confident a deal would get done, but you couldn't blame Blazers fans for getting nervous.
Well, it's Miller time, baby. Not ... Andre Miller ... like the beer ... because Aldridge has a deal, according to ESPN. That snappy wrap-up did not go as well as I planned. Let's move on.
Chad Ford at the four-letter fleet is reporting it's a 5-year, $70 million deal, with incentives to push it to $80 million. Now comes the fun part, trying to figure out if Aldridge is underpaid, overpaid, or paid precisely what he's worth. One comparison would be Joe Johnson's last deal with Atlanta, which was same years, same money. Steve Nash's first contract with Phoenix was five years, $65 million. Blazers Edge reports the deal puts it at about 90% of the max.
An outstanding characteristic of Aldridge is his talent level. He's just a talented power forward. Tall guys that can shoot from range tend to be pretty valuable in the NBA. But you have to think much of this extension is also based on what the Blazers expect from him. And that's got to be something which isn't talent-based, but work-ethic related.
When I broke down an average night from Aldridge last season, I commented on how active he was on defense, but how he didn't commit to the most difficult tasks. He's got to commit to rebounding and his down-low game for the Blazers to reach the elite. Even with Greg Oden, Aldridge needs to be a physical force. Nothing dominant, just an improvement. Considering how far Aldridge has come from where he was coming out of Texas, this is well within reason.
The preseason started rocky for the Blazers, what with Andre Miller's stress over starting and all, but getting Aldridge inked puts them back on track. The Blazers are being careful with what they commit to long-term, and are locking up the sure things on their team. And they're sure Aldridge has the talent to be a star on a championship team.
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