The Portland Trail Blazers blew out the Dallas Mavericks last night, but by now most of Rip City has heard the news about Wesley Matthews. After he collapsed on the court during the third quarter, Matthews was given an MRI which confirmed what he and the Blazers thought.
Wes ruptured his Achilles tendon, and he’s done for the season.
Writing this about an hour after learning the news, it’s hard to keep my composure right now. Matthews made himself a key player on a contending team by dint of pure will and hard work; if there’s such a thing as a self-made NBA player, Wes is it. Unfortunately, you can be as diligent and careful about your body as anybody, but an Achilles injury is as random a thing as there is.
You can rupture it simply by missing a stair, or stepping off a sidewalk wrong. With the running and jumping an NBA player does on a nightly basis, or the cutting and digging in with the cleats football players do, that risk is always there.
Matthews and the Blazers were simply unlucky, and if you know anything about the franchise’s history, bad luck is pretty much the Blazers’ thing.
ESPN’s J.A. Adande wrote a couple great pieces about the Blazers after Jerome Kersey‘s passing. Adande wrote about their connection to Portland, and their star-crossed history, and about how Portland “deserved” a team that was successful. Terry Porter was quoted saying the city treats former players, particularly greats like Porter, “like sons.” I’m also reminded of Grantland’s Bill Simmons jokingly calling Blazer fans “soccer moms” a couple years ago, poking fun at that dynamic.
Porter also was quoted asking whether the Blazers are basketball’s version of the sad-sack Chicago Cubs, and with all that’s happened since Portland won its only title in 1977– Bill Walton’s feet crumbling, Bowie over Jordan, the Bad Boy Pistons winning the 1990 Finals, Magic Johnson upsetting the 1991 Blazers in his last great basketball moment in Los Angeles, Jordan’s Shrug Game, the Jail Blazers, Oden over Durant, Brandon Roy’s knees dissolving … Porter may well be right.
In the coming weeks, the big picture views will take over, both for this season and beyond. Matthews says he can be good to go in time for training camp, but it’s also just as likely that he’s done until early December.
He’s also a free agent after the year; any team that signs him to a big contract does so knowing he might not be available for the start of the season, and that he might not be the same rugged defender. His shooting will always be there, but no one will know how well he can move on the court until he’s ready to move.
Arron Afflalo, acquired to serve as a sixth man, will now have to start, with veteran Alonzo Gee, a solid defender, getting more minutes. CJ McCollum also will be called upon to soak up minutes at the off-guard spot, and we might see the Steve Blake-Damian Lillard backcourt combo reintroduced as well, though the defense will suffer badly if those two are out there together.
If the market for Matthews is light enough, Blazers GM Neil Olshey might accomplish yet another coup by resigning both Matthews and Afflalo after the season. Afflalo will get a golden opportunity to endear himself to Rip City the next couple months, and after being a somewhat transient player during his career, maybe the nine-year veteran will grow to like the way we treat our Blazers, and at least exercise that player option.
If Matthews isn’t quite the same player after his Achilles rupture, the Blazers might end up needing Afflalo more than they ever thought.
The most famous player to suffer an Achilles rupture was Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas, who was the point guard on the 1990 team I referenced above. The situations aren’t really the same, thanks to modern medicine and because Thomas was a 13-year vet when he got hurt, but Thomas’ Achilles rupture ended his career.
That’s the type of injury Matthews will have to overcome. I’m not dumb enough to bet against the Iron Man, and I’ll be keeping him in my thoughts as the Blazers push on. On the court, the Blazers have a five-game winning streak, with big victories against Western Conference rivals. Off the court, it’s been a horrible week.
Keep your head up, Wes. Just like Terry Porter says, Rip City will always love you like a son.
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