One Fan's Desperate Attempt to Keep Free Agent LaMarcus Aldridge in Rip City
NBA free agency isn't just a stressful period for organizations facing the prospect of dramatic change. It's also a tenuous time for fans, who are generally left helpless as they watch their beloved teams move and shake from the sidelines.
But if one self-proclaimed superfan from the Pacific Northwest has her way, this summer won't follow that script.
As the Portland Trail Blazers prep to reside at the epicenter of the Association's signing period, JoAnna Wulffenstein is on a mission to convince LaMarcus Aldridge to stick with the only franchise he's ever known amid rumblings of a potential departure.
Using a grassroots approach, Wulffenstein, 31, has organized a Stay LA rally that will be held in Portland on June 28.
"I just want LaMarcus Aldridge to understand how important he is to the fanbase and to this city," Wulffenstein told Bleacher Report by phone. "I want him to understand how much we love him and how much we believe in him as being the piece to build around for our team to get to a championship.
"I'm just not going to let him go without a fight. So this is my way of doing everything that’s in my power as just one fan to try and convince him that this is the place for him to be and how much he means to the fanbase here."
A year ago, such a gathering would have felt unnecessary. Aldridge went on the record regarding his desire to wait until the summer of 2015 to sign a five-year max deal, but he was adamant about remaining in Rip City for the duration of his professional tenure.
Aldridge told The Oregonian's Joe Freeman as much last July:
"I want to be the best Blazer—ever. If I stay the rest of my career, I should be able to catch Clyde by then. I should be able to leave a mark on a big-time franchise that is going to be seen forever. And I will be able to say I played here my whole career. This city has embraced me and grown with me. I have so much history, it just makes sense to stay.
"
However, a season defined by relative underachievement—precipitated by Wesley Matthews' torn Achilles and Aldridge's bum left thumb—has seemingly dictated a shift in the big man's thinking as the July 1 start date for free agency approaches. With three weeks to go until agreements can be made official, Aldridge has been linked to the Dallas Mavericks and, to a lesser degree, the San Antonio Spurs, per Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher.
"LaMarcus feels, as all great players do, that wherever he goes, he'll have a great chance," a source familiar with Aldridge's thinking told Bucher. "But don't think about this as what makes the most sense. He feels he's been in Portland a long time and that maybe it's time for a change. That's what is driving this."
After Portland was bounced in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in its last five postseason appearances, Aldridge's willingness to explore other opportunities makes sense. The Blazers have advanced past the Western Conference quarterfinals once since he joined the team in 2006, and that conquest ended with an uneventful 4-1 semifinal loss to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in 2014.
For all of his individual success—and there's been plenty, including four straight All-Star appearances and residency near or at the top of several key categories on the franchise leaderboard—hardware has been elusive.
The question, then, is whether the Spurs, Mavericks or any other theoretical suitor will allow Aldridge to validate his storied career with a Larry O'Brien Trophy.
According to Wulffenstein, there's no place like home.
"I truly believe that if he looks at it from the perspective of the legacy he’s built here and the legacy that will continue to grow—instead of having to stay in someone else's shadow [in Dallas or San Antonio]—I think he'll stay here," she said. "I believed him when he said that he wants to be the best Blazer ever."
Nine years into his career, Aldridge can already stake his claim as one of the greatest players in franchise history. And in the thick of his prime going on age 30, you'll be hard-pressed to find many big men as versatile or refined as Aldridge.
| Points | 12,562 | 2 |
| Total Rebounds | 5,434 | 1 |
| Blocks | 658 | 4 |
| Player Efficiency Rating | 20.3 | 4 |
| Games Played | 648 | 4 |
Last season, he was one of three players—along with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins—to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. And, in typical Aldridge fashion, he was one of the few players across the NBA who remained efficient from the stigmatized mid-range dead zone.
"Right now, he's irreplaceable," Wulffenstein explained. "No one else on our team can do what he does, or be as consistent as he is, and that comes with the maturity he’s gained through nine years in the league. It comes from the familiarity of playing for this franchise for nine years, and I’m sure the relationship that he has with the front office.
"What he can do, with the shot he’s created that’s impossible to defend, with that really calm, quiet and strong leadership that he provides without being too showboaty or too expressive, I just think it's really important for us to have that kind of leader. Damian Lillard is also a leader for our team, and Damian is also pretty cool and collected. But he’s a little more expressive about it, and I think we need that more level-headed perspective that LaMarcus can give."
Those contrasting demeanors have made Aldridge and Lillard one of the league's most compelling one-two punches over the past three years. With the latter likely headed toward a gargantuan contract extension this offseason, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Aldridge's decision to return could solidify the future of the franchise for years to come.
Then again, there exists a reality wherein Aldridge bolts and Portland is left to persuade unrestricted free agents Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez to stick around as the franchise takes a step back to sculpt its identity around Lillard.
"I want Wes to know, if he starts an inkling of a rumor that he’s gonna leave, I'm gonna host another one of these [rallies], and it’s going to be called 'Wes in PDX,'" Wulffenstein said with a chuckle.
Given the franchise's recent history, it's easy to see why Blazers fans are being consumed by nerves with the start of free agency weeks away.
While superstars have come through the city before, the concept of a blue-chipper leaving in free agency is new territory for the fanbase. Brandon Roy never played long enough for that concern to crop up, and injuries prevented Greg Oden from reaching that level of stardom before he was waived. Zach Randolph and Rasheed Wallace were both traded, and in those cases, there was some semblance of a return on the team's investment.
But ultimately, the Stay LA campaign is designed to band fans together and give a voice to community members as a way to make a public overture.
Similar efforts have proved successful before, too.
Back in 2013, a group of Cleveland Cavaliers fans led by Josh Raggi and infamous court-stormer James Blair organized a "Come Home LeBron" rally that was held in November, in order to visibly show support prior to the summer of 2014.
"We want to make it clear we're not begging LeBron to come back," Raggi said at the time, according to the Plain Dealer's Jodie Valade. "We're trying to show him there aren't just a couple fans, there are many fans in Cleveland that want him back."
But as is generally the case with public outcries, Raggi and and his cohort of Cavaliers diehards were questioned on the grounds of their potential impact.
"You have to appreciate the effort of fans, though this probably isn't a fight worth fighting," Sporting News' DeAnte Price wrote.
That plan doesn't look so foolish now.
So while the fear of divergent paths developing starts to consume Rip City, Wulffenstein is hoping her efforts can keep Aldridge true to his word and infect the fanbase with optimism.
"I can't lose faith or hope that he'll stay here, because that would be accepting defeat," she said. "And I'm just not going to do that until the last paper is signed."
All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Alec Nathan covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AlecBNathan.
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