WATCH: LaMarcus Aldridge talks rivalries and nickname for Lillard-Matthews duo on Dan Patrick Show
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7z2OzPclzY&w=560&h=315]
Following last night’s loss to the Minnesota Timbewolves, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge joined the Dan Patrick show.
Aldridge and Patrick discussed his favorite match-ups in the league and Paul Allen’s yacht.
Towards the end of the interview, Aldridge asks Patrick about using the nickname “Rain Brothers.” Patrick then gets “a little too swagged out” by trying to call them the RainBroz.
But good stuff from Patrick as always with Portland’s All-Star big man.
Things also get a little uncomfortable for Aldridge when Patrick intimates that LA would want to play for his hometown Mavericks after he talks about his rivalry with Dirk Nowitzki.
Good stuff.
Here’s the full transcript:
DP: LaMarcus Aldridge of my Portland Trail Blazers. Do you watch football LaMarcus?
LA: Yes I do.
DP: Favorite team.
LA: Dallas Cowboys.
DP: I figured that. If they lose how does that effect you?
LA: I could be a little grumpy, you know. That’s my team. And I’ve been riding with them through all the tough years. So when they lose it’s a little tough for me at times.
DP: How old were you in the glory days back in the early 90’s?
LA: I was young. I remember my Grandma being a hardcore Cowboys fan. So it made me be a Cowboy fan. So every Sunday we’d be at her house and she’d cook for the games. And I just remember how crazy she was so I just followed in line.
DP: Favorite cowboy?
LA: Tough. I mean Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders. How can you not like those guys?
DP: Can you see yourself having the personality of a Deion Sanders playing basketball? Or Michael Irvin?
LA: In what way? I score so in what way?
DP: Just being that type of guy like “notice me” you’re pretty much I show up, I do my job. Deion and Mike they wanted to say, I’m doing my job, notice me.
LA: Yeah I’m definitely not that type of player. They were good enough. They won games, they won championships, so why not? But I’m definitely different than them of course.
DP: You’re 29? Where did it go LaMarcus?
LA: I don’t know I woke up one day and I was 29. I wish I could get some of those years back.
DP: Are you a young 29? Or an old 29?
LA: I’m a young 29. I actually shaved my beard off. I’m a real young 29 right now.
DP: Now you look 28?
LA: Now I look 22.
DP: The last time you were on I asked if you were ever on Paul Allen’s yacht. Have you ever been on the team owners yacht? Have you gotten a chance to yet?
LA: Yeah. He a few years back he was getting it serviced in San Francisco so we got a chance to walk on it and take a look at it and saw how he kind of how he lived. It was amazing. It was like having Ritz-Carlton Trump on the Water.
DP: What’s the most impressive thing about that yacht?
LA: I hope I don’t get in trouble. It was the bottom floor had a little lounge room. And the floor was made of glass where you can see the water. So like if he’s in the caribbean or somewhere he can see the fish going by his feet as he walks on the glass.
DP: Is there a disco down there?
LA: Nah, it was definitely 2000’s. It wasn’t 90’s down there.
DP: LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers forward joining us Dan Patrick Show. Anthony Davis. What’s different about Anthony Davis? You faced him a couple of weeks ago.
LA: Just his mindset. You know. I think the USA basketball changed his mindset and feel more dominant. Take on the challenge of leading a team. I thought that was a good experience for him in the USA basketball games. I think he’s kept the same mindset going into the season. He’s got a coach that’s great that’s always believed in him. And tried to instill that confidence and mindset into players as he tried to do with me when he was in Portland. I think between playing USA basketball and having Monty Williams on his team I think that’s what’s different.
DP: Give me the guy you can’t wait to play against. Whether it’s because you know you’re going to school him or it’s going to be a great match-up. Bird and Magic always had it. Everybody seemed to have their rivalries there. So when LaMarcus Aldridge gets ready for a big match-up, who is that guy?
LA: As you get older, those match-ups kind of fade a little bit. Those guys you wanted to play against get a little bit older. Things change. That’s tough. Maybe Dirk because he plays for my hometown. He’s definitely going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s won a championship and made big buckets. I think he’s a big time player. Every time I play against Dallas it’s always fun because guarding him is such a challenge because he takes tough shots. And he makes the game so much easier of this teammates so maybe Dirk.
DP: Do you wish you were playing for the hometown team?
LA: You did not just say that.
DP: What did I just say?
LA: Woah. Woah buddy. I’m in Portland, man.
DP: Did I just tamper?
LA: Yes.
DP: My bad. I thinking that maybe privately one day you would want to go back home to play or something like that. I don’t know, I just thought that.
LA: I’m in a Blazers uniform that’s all I’m worried about.
DP: Okay, alright. My bad. I was thinking out loud and I should have just kept my thoughts to myself.
LA: That’s okay. When I see you I’m going to kick you.
DP: Golden State, best team in the league right now?
LA: They’re playing like it, you know. If they are winning games and play it like it there is no right for me to say they’re not. So, they’ve been playing great. They’ve had the Splash Brothers playing at a really high level. I saw Green had a big game the other night. Great teams or good teams, they have players play every night. I think they’ve rotated guys has high scorers between the Splash Brothers, Green and Speights. I think Golden State is playing great this year.
DP: Is Steph Curry the best player right now? Is he MVP?
LA: I haven’t really watched them play. We’ve had a crazy schedule so normally when I weigh in I’ve seen that guy really play. I see he made the game-winner of course he’s playing on a high level but I can’t say if I feel like that because I haven’t really watched him play this year.
DP: Does it bother guys, you don’t play with a lot of emotion, so if I’m playing against you, you don’t change too much do you?
LA: I think people on the court think differently. I definitely talk more on the court. Whether it’s to my teammates, to myself or my opponent if they are talking trash to me.
DP: But whose talking trash to you?
LA: Nobody anymore.
DP: Who did talk trash to you?
LA: I don’t know.
DP: Oh come on. Give me one name.
LA: In my younger days it was KG.
He does that to everybody.
Exactly. You find guys that might be feeling good cause they had a good game and they might come into your arena feeling like they are better than what they are and they talk trash> I can;t think of any right now. Then I talk trash back. I do show emotion. I think my teammates see it. When we’re losing we need to be better, I yell or I talk but I think to the outside public or the people watching they don’t see a lot of emotion.
DP: How’s my guy Damian Lillard doing?
LA: He’s doing good. He carried us last night. Wasn’t enough cause pretty much everybody else had an off night. He didn’t. He’s growing. He’s definitely grown at that position and making everybody better. I think it’s tough when you can score as easy as he can to think he’s grown a lot in that position of knowing when to make guys better and when to take his shot. I’ve seen that more this year than last year. He’s really grown in being that point guard that can do both things.
DP: It’s great to talk to you again. Keep stirring it up. And good luck to your Cowboys if they make it to the playoffs.
LA: I have a question real quick. So I heard around my locker room that you have the Splash Brothers so what do you think about Damian and Wes being the Rain Brothers? Live in Portland, it rains. It’s not too hot, just think about it for me.
DP: See when you make it rain though, it’s a different thing though.
LA: You’re making more though. When you’re making it rain you’re really making the 3. So just think about it. Rain brothers.
DP: How about the Rain Bros?
LA: That sounds better. More cool. I didn’t think you’d be more cool than me but I figured that out that you are more cool than me.
DP: Why don’t you work that in and just say these are the Rain Bros.
LA: Like a rainbow? Or like rain bros as like bros cool?
DP: RainBros like a rainbow.
LA: I know that.
DP: How about we put a Z on the end of Bros. Broz. How about that?
LA: You’re just trying to get too swagged out. Bring it back down a level.
DP: I keep it real by keeping it real LaMarcus.
LA: I see. Thanks for having me too.
Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen is the Trail Blazers beat reporter for The Columbian. He's a graduate of the Allen School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in addition earning a degree in Spanish. He's covered the NBA for four seasons. You can also occasionally find his work on ESPN.com's NBA section for their TrueCities series. He also fist-bumped with Kanye West once. Follow @BlazerBanter on twitter for more Blazers and NBA news.