There are plenty of people who believe that LaMarcus Aldridge had made up his mind about joining the San Antonio Spurs long before he took meetings with other teams. That may have been the case, but it hasn’t made adjusting to a new city any easier for the top prize of the 2015 free agency class.
Aldridge, who spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, recently told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News that he has been overwhelmed by his latest career choice.
“I don’t like change,” Aldridge explained. “That’s been a little bit difficult for me, trying to get used to a new city. I got lost like twice yesterday. That’s not fun.
“In the end, it should be great for me. Right now, it’s been tough because everything is so new.”
Aldridge is completely unfamiliar with the area surrounding his new home, which is an unfamiliar feeling in and of itself. He described himself as “mentally drained” after weighing his options earlier this summer and said he has found himself wandering around the streets of San Antonio not knowing what he’s doing.
“I don’t know where to go, I don’t know where anything is,” he said. “It’s like being a rookie all over again.”
Fear not, Spurs fans — Aldridge is spending plenty of time on basketball. The 6-foot-11 forward has studied a ton of film to get a head start on learning Gregg Popovich’s offense, and he is excited about what he sees.
“I see a lot of easy shots,” Aldridge said. “Pop’s really good at misdirection, and the team is so unselfish that the ball moves around.”
Aldridge could have ended up even further from the Portland area had this Eastern Conference team not blown its chance. He may be feeling uncomfortable in a new city, but the potential of the 2015-2016 Spurs roster has to help alleviate that homesick feeling.
H/T Ball Don’t Lie
