An early exit

LaMarcus Aldridge is retiring, immediately. His heart issues are back.

Aldridge was recently added to the Buy-a-Championship roster of the Brooklyn Nets. He played five games for Brooklyn. But alas, he won't be part of that juggernaut going forward.

The no. 2 pick in the college draft, he played his first eight years as a pro here in Portland, mostly for Nate McMillan but for a couple of years under Terry Stotts. The Blazers were not good during most of that time. I believe they won a grand total of one playoff series in the time LaMarcus was a Blazer. He left in 2015.

L.A. is an enormously talented player, but for whatever reason, there was never great chemistry on his teams. He seems like a humble guy, and he was never comfortable taking a high-pressure shot at the end of a game. That said, he was a seven-time all-star, and he retires with nearly 20,000 points and more than 8,000 rebounds in the best league in the world. He logged more than 35,000 minutes on the NBA floor.

Let's hope his health issues are brought under control, and we get him back in town somehow for a celebration of his amazing skills.