FanPost

Lamarcus Aldridge: The hero San Antonio needs, not the one we deserve

If Lamarcus Aldridge ever has a chance to read this, I have two words for him: Thank. You.

Last year, you were the bane of every Spurs fans existence. We criticized your every move and lamented what a waste of money you were. We opined for trades that wouldn’t have come close to replacing your true value. Thankfully, Pop was smarter than us.

When the draft came and went and Aldridge wasn’t traded for rights to a top prospect I think a majority of us fans fretted over what would happen this season with the disgruntled, aging star.

In hindsight, we should not be so surprised with LA has transformed into.

Thank you, LA. For giving Tim Duncan a shot at a championship in his final season. In basketball, nothing is guaranteed. What would have happened if a 55 win Spurs team went into the 2015-2016 season with the gang another year older and no Lamarcus Aldridge? We wouldn’t have won 67 games. And we were a few calls from beating the Thunder in a season where they were arguably the most talented team (a sentiment shared by the 73 win Warriors). We didn’t win a title, but LA gave us a chance.

Thank you, LA. For not making a bigger spectacle of your disgruntlement during the 2016-2017. For the most part you quietly played a smaller role while Kawhi emerged into a Jordanssque game-changing Force.

And thank you, LA. For putting this team on your back and getting us into the playoffs in what could have been a throw away year had it happened to any other team.

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