Minutes before tip-off of the Trail Blazers match up against the Boston Celtics, Portland announced that the diagnosis of LaMarcus Aldridge’s thumb injury was a little worse than thought.
Portland Trail Blazers PR tweeted, “MRI confirms Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge has a radial collateral ligament tear in left thumb. He will undergo surgery; out for 6-8 weeks.”
Losing one of the best players in the league is a tough hurdle to overcome for any team, however with the injuries to Robin Lopez and Joel Freeland, it magnifies the absence of the two-time All-Star.
Sitting at 31-13, up by 8 games in the Northwest Division and sitting at 3nd in the Western Conference, you would think the mood in Rip City would be a little more optimistic. However, after losing 5 out of 6 and losing the franchise’s best player, panic is widespread.
Young players like Meyers Leonard and Thomas Robinson have had more chances to contribute and prove themselves recently. Their progression has been obvious. But at this point of the season, there is no time for any player to prove themselves or develop. It’s crunch time. Being without Aldridge for 6-8 weeks is a difficulty for the team. And if they have any shot of staying in contention in the Western Conference, these young guys need to step up and become significant contributors for a depleted frontcourt.
If Aldridge were to miss the entire 8 weeks that would be 21 total games, just over 25% of the season!
The next two months are going to determine the fate of this group. Either the young guys step up and continue to win games, or we could be looking at a very important final stretch to the season that could determine whether the Blazers make the playoffs or not.
A lot of the emphasis will be put on Aldridge’s replacements, Leonard and Robinson, but just as much emphasis should be put on the starting lineup to step up and win games.
At halftime of Thursday’s game, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum combined for 2 points. With that type of production, this team could very easily find themselves sliding down the standing quickly. Now with Batum reinjuring his shooting wrist, there is even more uncertainty surrounding his status and the status of the starting lineup moving forward.
Basketball is a team game and with or without Aldridge, the team will put 5 games on the court at all times. Stotts will have his work cut out for him while the top three big guys on the roster are sidelined. The way that Stotts and his coaching staff game plan and set the rotation will tell you a lot about their trust in the unproven guys on the roster.
Despite the anxiety and uncertainty of what will come in the next couple weeks, there is still a lot to be optimistic about. The Blazers have an 8 game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the division; they sit in 3nd in the West. It’s not quite time to throw in the white flag.
Plus, with the shooters on this team and the smaller lineups that will ensue in the following weeks, the Blazers will be playing a very exciting brand of basketball with a lot of outside shooting.
It’s time to sink or swim. I think they will fare well. No need to buy Leonard or Robinson any water wings, or a life jacket for CJ McCollum or Will Barton. These guys will be just fine.
My prediction (if Aldridge were to miss 21 games) is that the Blazers win 10 games and fall to the 6th or 7th seed in the West. Aldridge will be back in time to help the Blazers battle to get back into contention for home-court advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs.
Stay tuned for my Part 2 of my Consistency article from last week that will cover the front office consistency that has buoyed and bolstered this organization in the past couple years.
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