Western Notes: Aldridge, Wolves, Kings

LaMarcus Aldridge averaged more than 20 points per game in each of his final five seasons with the Blazers, yet even though he is scoring only 15.8 points per game for the Spurs, San Antonio is delighted with how the offseason acquisition has started to gel with his new team, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes.

“It’s difficult to do in your first year,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, per McDonald. “A lot of guys take a whole year to get used to us. He’s been remarkable in catching on this quickly.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • While Wolves owner Glen Taylor has said interim coach Sam Mitchell has this season to prove himself, Mitchell doesn’t concern himself with the job’s labeling or his future beyond 2015/16, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays. “My job is to coach the team and do what I think is right to do,” Mitchell said. “I don’t worry about whether I’m going to be here or not. My job is to teach these players to the best of my ability so that whoever is coaching this team, whether it’s me or anybody else, at least these guys have any idea how to play.”
  • DeMarcus Cousins‘ interaction with George Karl still remains as an interesting topic because of their rocky relationship over the summer, so it was not surprising that Cousins was asked about his high-five to the Kings coach following Karl being called for a technical foul Saturday, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. “I’ve told y’all before, honestly, it’s not about that,” Cousins said. “As long as we’re on the same page and have the same goal on a nightly basis, that’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter if we’re friends or whatever the case may be. It’s about winning games; that’s all that matters.”
  • In a chat with readers, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that he believes the Mavs will make a trade before the deadline, though he does not necessarily think it will be a significant one.
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