Portland Trail Blazers: How Do Roy and Aldridge Compare to Rip City's Finest?
There have been some great players to ever set foot in the Rose Garden. But now that LaMarcus Aldridge has almost become the franchise player for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Brandon Roy is showing shades of his All-Star caliber self, how do the dynamic duo match up with some of Rip City's finest?
Buck Williams
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Position: Forward
Height.: 6'8"
Weight.: 225 lbs
Years as a Blazer: seven (1989-96)
Statistics in Portland: 10.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, .550 field goal percentage
Buck Williams was a three-time member of the All-NBA Defensive team, twice on the first team. He led the NBA in field goal percentage twice and led Portland in all seven of his seasons with the team. He's the team's all-time field goal percentage leader at 55 percent and ranks fourth overall in rebounds. He's also third in offensive boards.
Rasheed Wallace
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Position: Forward
Height.: 6'11"
Weight.: 230 lbs
Years as a Blazer: eight (1996-2004)
Statistics in Portland: 16.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Arguably one of the most volatile, hostile players to set foot on an NBA court, Sheed was always able to back up his trash talk. An underrated post player, Rasheed Wallace bullied players in the post and spread the court with his knock-down shooting ability.
Sheed shot 33 percent from three for his career but was 41 percent in his '98-'99 season with Portland. He finished his career in Boston, but a big chunk of his 15,860 points, 7,321 rebounds and 1,445 blocks came from his time in Portland.
Mychal Thompson
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Position: Forward/center
Height.: 6'10"
Weight.: 226 lbs
Years as a Blazer: 8 (1978-1986)
Portland Stats: 16.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.6 apg
One of the best players to ever put on a Trail Blazers jersey, Mychal Thompson is the franchise leader in both blocks and defensive rebounds. He was the first player to ever score 40 points in a game (for Portland) and was an 18 and 10 guy every night.
Thompson was a great mid range shooter, but it was his basketball I.Q. that got him drafted No.1 overall in the 1978 NBA Draft. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in his first game, and the rest was history.
Maurice Lucas
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Position: Forward
Height.: 6'9"
Weight.: 218 lbs
Years as a Blazer: five (1976-1980, 1987-1988)
Statistics in Portland: 15.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Maurice Lucas was known as Portland's "Enforcer." He was a three-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA second team in the '77-'78 season. Lucas was a two-time All-NBA defensive team member and was named to the first team in the '77-'78 season as well.
"The Enforcer" recorded three 20-point 20-rebound games, and his number, which, ironically, is 20, is retired. He is now an assistant coach with the Blazers.
LaMarcus Aldridge
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Position: Power Forward
Height.: 6'11"
Weight.: 240 lbs
Years as a Blazer: five and counting (2006-2011)
Statistics in Portland: 17.3 ppg 7.5 rpg 1.0 blkpg
2010-2011 Statistics: 21.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.2 blkpg, 1.0 stlpg
A bitter-sweet season, LaMarcus Aldridge broke out as the Trail Blazers' No. 1 option when Brandon Roy underwent double-arthroscopic surgery midway through the 2010-2011 season. The biggest All-Star snub this year, Aldridge put the team on his back and carried them to the sixth seed in the Western Conference where they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the first round.
L.A. honed his mid-range jumper and has an unparalleled post-up game. He averaged a playoff-high 20.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals per game against Dallas, but his efforts weren't enough to put the Blazers over the hump.
Aldridge has become one of the more dominant power forwards in the NBA, finding his name in the same conversation as players like Zach Randolph, Amar'e Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki. With the growing inconsistency in Brandon Roy's play, Aldridge seems to be Rip City's franchise player for the time being.
Brandon Roy
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Position: Guard
Height.: 6'6"
Weight.: 211lbs
Years as a Blazer: five and counting (2006-2011)
Statistics in Portland: 19 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.0 stlpg
Best Season: 2008-2009; 22.6 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 stlpg
Brandon Roy was Portland's superstar. Drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft, Roy began his Rip City career and left his mark in Trail Blazer history. Roy was named an Rookie of the Year—among Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks as on of the only three Blazers to win that award—and is a three-time All-Star. He scored a career-high 52 points in the 2008-2009 season.
Known primarily for his mid-range game, B-Roy was Portland's go-to guy until his career was sidelined by knee injuries and arthroscopic surgeries. He is in the process of getting back to his All-Star form once again, but Roy's name will be etched into Rip City history for years to come.
Geoff Petrie "The Original Trail Blazer"
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Position: Guard
Ht.: 6'5" | Wt.: 205 lbs
Years as a Blazer: six (1970-76)
Statistics in Portland: 21.8 ppg, 4.6 apg
Rip City's first draft pick, Geoff Petrie is considered the original Trail Blazer. He was a two-time All-Star and was the 1971 co-Rookie of the Year with Boston's Dave Cowens. Petrie was the owner of the single-game scoring record in Portland for 22 seasons.
Petrie is sixth all time in Portland scoring and fifth in assists. He is now the GM of the Sacramento Kings and won Executive of the Year in the '99 and '01 seasons.
Terry Porter
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Position: Guard
Ht.: 6'3" | Wt.: 195 lbs
Years as a Blazer: 10 (1985-95)
Statistics in Portland: 14.9 ppg, 7.0 apg, 3.5 rpg
"The King of Threes," Terry Porter is the Portland Trail Blazers franchise leader in assists (5,319) and made three-pointers (773). He's second in franchise history in points, with 11,330, and steals, with 1,182. Porter was a two-time NBA All-Star in '91 and '93 and was the only player to lead Portland in assists for five consecutive seasons, including a team record 10.1 assists in the '87-'88 season.
Porter holds the Blazers record for points in a quarter with 25. He has the second-most assists in a game in franchise history with 19 and has seven triple doubles, tying him at second-most in Rip City history. He also won the Walter J. Kennedy Citizenship Award after the '92-'93 season.
Bill Walton
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Position: Center
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 225 lbs
Years as a Blazer: five (1974-79)
Statistics in Portland: 17.1 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 2.6 bpg, .674 shooting percentage
Bill Walton led the 1976-1977 Portland Trail Blazers to their only NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. He was named the Finals MVP, as he led the Blazers to an NBA Championship. Walton was the only player to be name the NBA MVP in 1978. He also was named to the All-NBA first team that season.
Walton was a two-time All-NBA Defensive team first team player and a two-time NBA All-Star. He led the NBA in rebounding and blocks in the '76-'77 season and shares the franchise record for block in a game (nine) and rebounds in a regulation game (26). He was named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1933.
Clyde the Glide Drexler
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Position: Guard
Height.: 6'7"
Weight.: 222 lbs
Years as a Blazer: 12 (1983-95)
Statistics in Portland: 20.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 5.7 apg
Clyde the Glide finds himself atop all other players in Portland Trail Blazer history. Drexler is the franchise leader in points, rebounds and steals, and he's second to Terry Porter in assists. He has a franchise best eight All-Star appearances and 21 triple-doubles—another franchise best. Drexler was selected to All-NBA teams four times and averaged 27.2 points per game in the 1988-1989 season.
Clyde is one of five Blazers to score 50 or more points in a game. He's the franchise playoff leader in every stat except three-pointers and blocks. Drexler scored 25 points in the 1992 All-Star Game—another franchise high—and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
On the Outside Looking in
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Gerald Wallace: 26 games—15.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, two steals and 0.7 blocks per game. It might be a bit early to start etching his name into Blazer history, but if he continues to do what he's doing, he could make his way up the list in a hurry.
He's had a 40-point game as a Blazer already and has proven to be an integral part of this franchise going forward. Wallace is a lockdown defender and can knock down the occasional three-pointer, but he gets the majority of his buckets by attacking the paint and getting to the foul line.
