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ing All-Star presence – even if his 21.8 points and 8.7 rebounds a game didn't technically warrant that distinction from the NBA. Against San Antonio in early February, Aldridge dropped 40 and 11 for the win. He then followed that up four games later with another W against Chicago, giving the Bulls 42 and eight. He's im- proved so much, so fast, that it's made one of the sports world's most knowledgeable and engaged cities all but forget their past woes and put their collective rain gear in Aldridge's corner. It has solidified Portland's hopes for the future not in lieu of their injuries, but in response to them.
"I don't know if I've ever seen or can recall a player kind of getting it in one instant like he did," says Quick. "I mean, something just clicked with him where he just blew up. And I think a lot of it did – when you look back at it now – it totally coincided with Brandon going out. For a variety of reasons that helped him kind of blossom."
"I think I've grown a lot of confidence in my game," adds Aldridge. "I always want to have the ability to do things that I've done, but I think this last season – you know actually having the opportunity to be the guy to step up and play a bigger role – I thought that was big. I always felt like I could do it, but actually doing it feels so much better."
What doesn't feel as pleasant, however, is Aldridge's exclusion in this past February's All-Star festivities – no, that still burns the fresh 26-year-old deep. L.A. served up an inside heater this season, while ultimately locking Portland down a playoff berth, and the selec- tion committee struck out looking.
"I felt like I've been on that brink of making it for so many years, but I felt like I really put in my time, and I thought I really earned it last season," says Aldridge. "And to actually not make it, that was like a slap in the face. So I think after that, I was just out to show the league and the world that they made a mis- take."
"I think a lot of people said it at the time," adds Quick. "It was one of the worst All-Star snubs in years. But, LaMarcus handled it very classy at the time.
OUT TO SHOW THE LEAGUE AND THE
I WAS JUST
WORLD THAT THEY MADE A MISTAKE."
"He, more than anybody I can think of, holds grudges and uses things to motivate himself. That's like one of the worst things for anyone to do – to doubt him or to criticize him or to snub him from an honor – because that is just going to make him work harder."
With great power comes the great responsibility of a Northwest nation waiting to explode into the playoffs with a Rip City exclama- tion point. It's been 11 years since PDX has seen its most beloved boys head past the postseason's first round. But behind their 6-11 front man, along with the relatively recent additions of Wesley Matthews, Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton, the Blazers have the lead pieces from which to build a new foundation around. One that is a little bit tougher, a little bit wiser and a lot more aware of the possibilities in front of them. It was the Blazers who gave the reigning world champion Dallas Mavericks their toughest postsea- son challenge in the Western Conference. And it is the Dallas native Aldridge who thinks things might have worked out a bit differently for Portland if they had moved past Dirk and Co.
"It didn't feel good to see them win because you feel like, 'Okay, if we could have beat them, then maybe that could have been us,'" says Aldridge, who put up nearly 20 and 8 in the six-game series against Dallas. "But, I felt like they played hard, they played together – I felt
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like they earned it. I was looking at it as if we would have beat them, then we probably could have won it all."
"I said it during the year: He was arguably the best power forward on the court," says Roy. "I mean, you had Dirk and guys like that, but LaMarcus held his own against everybody in the League. He not only held his own, he car- ried our team. Now the next challenge is to see how he responds after a big year. I think he'll do fine. His talent is at a high level."
What happens next for LaMarcus Aldridge in his adopted city remains solely with LaMarcus Aldridge – it always has. He's been working harder this past offseason; putting in extra work and developing a stronger inside game for whenever the NBA and the Player's Asso- ciation can agree to lift the lockout. If there is no agreement in time for a season, he's even
lightly entertained the thought of going overseas for a possible team- up with Nets point guard, and fellow Dallas product, Deron Williams. In mid-July he half-jokingly tweeted, "I wonder if D Will needs a big man to play with overseas?! Hmmm." Although, he admitted it's not something he's actively looking into at the moment.
Regardless of when the players find themselves back on an NBA hardwood, Aldridge will be ready. In his continuing maturation as a leader, and as a "legitimate No. 1" as Quick and much of Blazer Nation believes, he will need to continue moving forward in his development. The path of hesitancy and hiding behind Brandon Roy undoubtedly must be over in order for Portland to prosper. It's a tough assignment for anyone to have to shoulder the load of a franchise – but it's a challenge he's finally ready for.
"I think you take success with a grain of salt," says Aldridge. "I defi- nitely want to look at the season and be proud of my growth and look at what I did to be better, but also I'm not satisfied; I haven't done a lot of things I want to do."
Well, big guy, welcome to your chance.