LaMarcus Aldridge has been an absolute beast lately. As if setting a career high 40 points wasn't enough against the best team in the league, the San Antonio Spurs, he had to best himself once again and set a new career high of 42 against the best defensive efficiency team in the league, the Chicago Bulls. Aldridge has shouldered more weight since Roy's injury than he had in his entire career before that point. Aldridge is legitimately playing on an elite level, giving a glimmer of hope to Blazer fans about our future.
But he still isn't an all star. Unfortunately for Aldridge, the Blazers played 26 other games with Roy before his injury and Aldridge was, well, his usual self. And although since Roy's departure Aldridge's destruction has stretched across the league, those first 26 games count too.
Let's take a look at the three people that Aldridge deserved consideration over:
Blake Griffin: This one is the biggest stretch of the three so I will start here. Griffin averages more points, rebounds, has a higher PER, true shooting percentage and is capable of putting every single human on a poster at any point. The only argument here is that he plays for a worse team. This is true, but selecting the guys second in the league with double-doubles on a team with 19 wins is not out of the question. Did I mention that he's a human highlight reel? Tough case to argue for Aldridge here.
Kevin Love: Okay, so Kevin Love was the commissioner's choice to replace Yao Ming. Kevin Love leads the league in double-doubles and has posted 38 consecutively. He also was the first player in almost 40 years to post a 30 point and 30 rebound game, since Moses Malone. Yes, you read that correctly. No, he's not capable of Earth-shattering dunks and highlights like Griffin, but he's an incredibly adept player who makes few mistakes. And, honestly, the All Star Game is about the fans, and don't you think that Love launching full-court outlet passes to Durant, Westbrook and Griffin would be fun to watch? Me too.
Tim Duncan: The case of Tim Duncan is weak. It is non-existent. As a player, Aldridge should be in the game before Duncan. But, unfortunately, the NBA developed a habit of selecting players to All Star games as a career reward, and considering Duncan is arguably the greatest power forward ever, he fits into this category. I am not saying I like it, because I frankly think it is foolish. But I understand that that is just how the NBA and the coaches operate when it comes to selecting bench players. It also doesn't hurt Duncan that the Spurs have the best record in the league currently.
Many analysts and fans claim that the Aldridge snub is terrible. Some have ventured as far to say it is one of the worst snubs of all-time. I can't say that I agree with this assessment though. Aldridge is playing outstandingly, but the first two make strong claims for all star bids, and Duncan basically earned a free pass to the game (whether you agree with it or not). I'm not too worried though; I suspect Blazer fans will see Aldridge in the game next year and many more to come.
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