Damian Lillard has had a pretty great career so far, and it’s fair to say that a good deal of his individual and team success can be attributed to the presence of LaMarcus Aldridge. Lillard is of course no dummy, and now that he’s signed his extension, he’s flying to Los Angeles in an effort to convince Aldridge to stay with the team that drafted him, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
There’s yet another wrinkle, too, as the agent for Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, Aaron Goodwin, told USA TODAY Sports that his client is planning an impromptu visit to Los Angeles to try and convince his former teammate to stay. …The relationship between those two players has been a focal point of Aldridge’s possible departure from Portland, but Lillard is determined to send a clear message that theirs is a powerful pairing that should not come to an end.
It’s good to see that Lillard’s recruitment effort is more than a simple tweet.
We've built something great in #RipCity… Would love to continue that playing along side @aldridge_12 … Sure our team feels the same!
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 1, 2015
The Aldridge/Lillard tandem has been one of the most dangerous big/guard duos in the league ever since Lillard came into the league. However, as Amick touched on, Aldridge has always felt a little jealous of Lillard (and Brandon Roy before him), because he thinks the guard gets some of the attention and praise that Aldridge rightfully deserves. Making matters worse for Lillard is that most reports have Aldridge all but certain to leave the Blazers. Yet you have to admire the point guard’s effort. He knows how crucial Aldridge is to the team, and is going to do what he can to try and get him to stay.
(USA Today and Damian Lillard)
