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NBA 13/01/2014, 02.10

LaMarcus Aldridge wants to stay long-term with Portland

He wants to re-sign

NBA

LaMarcus Aldridge doesn't want to leave Portland. The forward would love to stay with the Blazers and re-sign with the franchise, as he said to Portland Tribune.

Per Portland Tribune, "I'm in the best place I've been at, both physically and mentally," Aldridge says, relaxing on a bench at the team's Tualatin training facility after a recent workout. "Last season, I felt stronger physically than I'd been, the result of a lot of weight training. Then over the summer, I didn't do anything but work on my skill level.

"I feel smarter (as a player) now. When you've been in the league eight years, the game makes more sense to you. I've heard guys say that when you get older, the game slows down for you. I feel that's where I'm at now. The game isn't moving fast. I know what I want to do, and I do it. Having the teammates I have now helps me do that."

Aldridge is at peace now with his situation in Portland, a far cry from where he was at the end of last season, when the Blazers semi-tanked their way to a 13-game losing streak and a 33-49 record.

At the time, much was made of Aldridge's desire to leave the city and move on to where he had a better chance for success in the playoffs. After seven seasons, he felt he had given his all to help make Portland a winner. The future didn't look rosy to him. He felt a change of scenery might be best-suited for both sides, since the Blazers would surely land major talent in return.

"I've been here a long time now," he says earnestly. "I'm coming up on some (franchise career individual statistical) records. I never used to pay attention to those things, but I've been watching it more this year. I'm the No. 4 scorer now. That's cool. To leave a legacy with one team and win a championship here and to be here my whole career, that would be great."

The biggest part of that is the potential to win a title.

"This team is good," he says. "We can get better. This summer, we can reassess what we have and add things we need. If not this year, in the next couple of years, this team can win a championship."

For the first time, Aldridge is thinking he'd like to sit down with Olshey and negotiate a contract extension.

"I would like to re-sign here," he says. "If they want to talk about it, I would talk about it. They haven't yet, but I'm looking forward to the chance to do that."

If Olshey is prepared to make that happen, he's not revealing it to the media.

"When the appropriate time comes, which is not now, that is a conversation that will happen between (owner) Paul Allen, myself, LaMarcus and his agent (Arn Tellum)," Olshey says. "It's not a conversation that's going to play out in the media in January."

O. Cauchi

O. Cauchi

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