Things had been going so well for the Portland Trail Blazers over the last year and a half, there was bound to be a bump in the road at some point. It appears they’ve now hit it.
The team announced tonight that All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge will be out for six to eight weeks after tearing a ligament in his thumb during Monday night’s win over Sacramento. The team’s leading scorer (23.2 PPG) and rebounder (10.2 RPG), Aldridge’s injury leaves a massive hole in the Blazers’ frontcourt as they look to maintain their 31-12 start and protect their No. 2 overall seed in the Western Conference.
The burden for scoring will now shift even more to Damian Lillard, who has taken yet another impressive leap forward this year and looks like a legitimate superstar every single night. In terms of the replacements in the paint for Aldridge, it’s going to have to be handled by committee. Dorell Wright, Thomas Robinson, Chris Kaman, Joel Freeland, and Meyers Leonard will all continue to share Aldridge and Robin Lopez’s minutes while the usual starting frontcourt duo nurses themselves back to health.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com
[via Trail Blazers]
