Aldridge: It's wrong for Warriors to have 4 All-Stars to Spurs' 1
The San Antonio Spurs have never been the NBA's flashiest outfit, which is perhaps why, despite setting a new benchmark for sustained excellence every season, they've never sent more than two players to an All-Star game.
This season, despite posting the league's second-best record and point differential behind only the Golden State Warriors, they're just sending Kawhi Leonard. The Warriors, meanwhile, saw 80 percent of their starting lineup selected for the midseason showcase, in Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson.
Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who'd been an All-Star in each of the past five seasons before this one, doesn't think that's fair.
"I'm older, so I'm not going to come home and be mad or anything," the 31-year-old told The Vertical's Michael Lee. "But I do think that it was wrong for Golden State to have four (All-Stars) and we're a few games behind and only have one. It is what it is. I'm in this position and I'm going to enjoy my break and just come back fresh."
Aldridge signed with the Spurs as a free agent two offseasons ago, a move that forced him to transition from the iso-heavy possession sponge he was with the Portland Trail Blazers to being a more fluid, cog-in-the-wheel kind of contributor to complement Leonard.
"It was very difficult, because I couldn't be the guy that I've been my whole career," he told Lee. "It was very difficult to adjust from being who I was to who I am now. Now, I'm fine. I do what I'm asked to do. I rebound, take shots every now and then. I'm not really asked to be that guy that I was, so I just play the role that they want me to play. Play defense. Do pick-and-pop when they need it, and other than that just play off Kawhi."
The move has produced more wins for Aldridge, but less eye-popping numbers, which perhaps hurt his All-Star case this year. He's averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, his lowest such numbers since his rookie season 10 years ago. It's unclear whether he feels the greater injustice is the paucity of Spurs All-Stars or the glut of Warriors All-Stars, but in any case, Aldrdige says he's happy playing for a team that goes about its business quietly.
"I always love not being in the spotlight, because to me, it's better to be quiet and focus on things to be better at, and have guys not be praised and have all that hoopla around them, so guys don't start feeling themselves," he said. "I'm happy with us being under radar and having Pop always being unsatisfied with everything we do. It definitely keeps us humble and working hard."