SAN ANTONIO -- Arms folded with a foot propped against the doorway, San Antonio Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland waited for the last reporters to leave the locker room as LaMarcus Aldridge unlaced a pair of Air Jordans, laughing about learning from a scribe he'd made his sixth NBA All-Star Game.
As Engelland reached to extend a congratulatory handshake, you could almost see the relief wash over Aldridge.
In the midst of a transitional period in San Antonio, where future Hall of Fame point guard Tony Parker no longer starts, and questions abound over the franchise's relationship with star forward Kawhi Leonard and his return, Aldridge serves as a stabilizing force for the Spurs.