LaMarcus Aldridge Makes Spurs Championship Favorites Again

Since July 1, no free agent has commanded more attention than power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. The former Portland Trail Blazers star provides a very intriguing skill set and a rare versatility as a scorer, which had many teams vying for his services.

One team has won the Aldridge sweepstakes, and they’re a championship favorite—again—because of it.

Aldridge took to Twitter to announce his decision:

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Aldridge agreed to a four-year deal worth $80 million.

Welcome to title town, Mr. Aldridge.

Since 1999, the Spurs have won five championships and made six NBA Finals appearances. Tim Duncan has been the steadying force at power forward, winning two regular season MVP and three Finals MVP awards along the way.

The hope in San Antonio is that Aldridge can follow in Duncan’s footsteps as the franchise player down low.

Duncan, 39, is still an elite defender whose All-Defensive Second Team appearance from 2015 establishes as much. His current skill set is adequately suited for the center position, which is where he’s likely to play next season with Aldridge at the 4.

Between Duncan’s defensive prowess and offensive fundamentals, the Spurs have been terrorizing teams down low for almost 20 years.

What Aldridge brings to the table is offensive versatility. He can dominate teams from 16-to-23 feet, is a proficient scorer with his back to the basket and has even developed 3-point range.

Standing at 6’11” with a 7’5″ wingspan, Aldridge is a Sky Hook away from being the complete offensive package.

For his career, the 29-year-old is a four-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA honoree. He famously scored 40-plus points in consecutive games during the 2014 NBA Playoffs before he and the Trail Blazers fell to the Spurs.

In 2015-16, Aldridge will look to do something he’s never done before: get past the Conference Semifinals.

With Aldridge and Duncan at the 4 and 5, the Spurs boast one of the best on-paper interior duos in the NBA. Both players are dynamic and fundamentally sound offensively, but the true intrigue is in Duncan potentially helping help Aldridge live up to his defensive potential.

If anyone can get the most out of Aldridge’s elite body type, it’s Duncan and Gregg Popovich.

Speaking of defense, Aldridge will join forces with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Kawhi Leonard. Leonard also has a Finals MVP award to his name, which has resulted in some stunning career comparisons.

Leonard, who just signed a big long-term contract of his own, is one of three players in NBA history to win both Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon make for good company.

With a rising (super?)star and an established force in Aldridge, the Spurs can match star power with other Western Conference powerhouses. They also have multi-time champions at multiple positions, as well as hungry and selfless veterans.

Through all of this, it hasn’t even been acknowledged that Tony Parker is still active and superb.

Parker is a six-time All-Star and former Finals MVP who, at 33 years old, still has plenty left in the tank. Injuries have hurt Parker in recent seasons, but having a contemporary star to defer to should make life significantly easier.

Watching the pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop games with elevator screens from Aldridge and Duncan should be a thing of beauty.

The roster includes three stars in Aldridge, Leonard and Parker. It also features an All-Defense mainstay with offensive consistency in Duncan, a future Hall of Famer in Manu Ginobili, a revered 3-and-D player in Danny Green and a plethora of depth.

Throw in one of the five greatest coaches in NBA history and two Finals trips in the past three seasons, and it’s not hard to peg San Antonio as a championship contender.

It’s far from a guarantee that San Antonio will win it all when Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and many others are all still around. This is the ultimate combination of fit and star power, however, and that’s what makes this so intriguing.

One of the greatest coaches of all-time now has two modern stars to pursue a championship with. Watch out.

Next: Where did Aldridge rank amongst the Top 25 NBA Free Agents?

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