LaMarcus Aldridge Wants Jamal Crawford to Play in Portland

Jamal Crawford is a wildly popular free agent among recruiting NBA stars this offseason/lockout. LaMarcus Aldridge tells the Oregonian that he desperately wants Crawford to sign with the Blazers: “When Aldridge played with Crawford during Kevin Durant’s charity game in Oklahoma City last month, Crawford expressed a desire to play for the Blazers. Aldridge didn’t merely embrace the idea, he lobbied for the move on Twitter, writing: ‘Rip City when (Crawford) come play in my game we need to make him feel at home so he will sign with us!’ The Blazers and then-GM Rich Cho tried to trade for Crawford at the trade deadline last season and Aldridge remembers hearing rumors about the move at the time. So he asked Crawford if they were true. ‘He said, ‘Yeah,’ and that he would love to come play in Portland,’ Aldridge said. So Aldridge is drumming up support. ‘I’m not being bashful,’ Aldridge said. ‘I would love for him to come play in Portland. I put it out there so he knows I’m serious. If he really wants to do that, I wanted him to know I’m behind it. He’s a really good player. He doesn’t mind coming off the bench. Or starting. He can bring a different dynamic to the team. He’s great at pick and rolls; he’s a really good shooter. When I get double teamed, it would leave him open in the corner.'”