Losing Patience in the Rose City

Now I am a Portland Trail Blazers so it does pain me to think about the "what could have been" team. I am talking about the team led by Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden. Well, Brandon Roy's knee troubles ruined his promising and electric career. Greg Oden has been out of the league for almost 4 years now and is attempting to come back from his ridiculously fragile knees. There is only one piece that remains from Portland's "Rise With Us" campaign and his patience waning.

LaMarcus Aldridge has been a centerpiece for the Portland Trail Blazers franchise since getting from the Chicago Bulls from a draft day deal in 2006. Since then there has been tremendous growth in his game to where he has been named an All-star the past two years. It is safe to say, Aldridge has entered the prime of his career. This leads into my main topic about him losing his patience in Portland.

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When athletes hit the prime of their careers, they begin to contemplate what kind of legacy they will leave behind. People in Portland will remember Aldridge but that's pretty much it. If you take away his personal career bests, Aldridge has not accomplished much for and with the Blazers franchise. All he has to show for are three playoff appearances with each ending in a 4-2 series loss. It's safe to say he is aspiring to do more and to have more opportunities to do more in the postseason.

The Blazers are in what they call a "re-tooling" session. However, I believe Aldridge sees this as much more than a "re-tooling" session. Lets call it what it really is:  it is a rebuilding session. Damian Lillard was great last year but you cannot expect him and Aldridge to contend for a title until at least another three seasons (if they're lucky). The Blazers do not have a deep bench and their young bench players are just that: young players with potential. It will take at least another two years to see if each young gun can reach its potential. To sum it all up, the Blazers would be asking Aldridge to suck up at least another two years of mediocre play. I do not think he can wait for this. He has waited long enough.

For all of you Blazers fans who think Aldridge is stupid for wanting to leave, here is my response: Portland is not that much of a dream location either. I am not being mean, just truthful. You have to be from the Northwest to think of it as a dream spot. Aldridge is from Texas. For him, Texas or a bigger city like Chicago might be more enticing to him.

Before you say I am full of crap, here is a good hint to what Aldridge is thinking. He did not renew any of his sponsorships with Portland-based companies. He is tired of waiting and either wants Portland to do something drastic to put them into title contender or give him a fresh new start with a contending team. Let me be honest here:  the Blazers are not going to be title contenders until at least 2016. For this reason, I do not believe the 28 year old (turning 29) LaMarcus Aldridge will not be in a Blazers uniform beyond the 2013-14 season.