LaMarcus Aldridge Postpones Surgery on Thumb
LaMarcus Aldridge has opted to temporarily postpone surgery on his injured thumb, and will return to the lineup for the Blazers' game against the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Continue for updates.
Aldridge Waits On Surgery, Will Play vs. Wizards
Saturday, Jan. 24
According to the Blazers' Twitter feed, LaMarcus Aldridge will play tonight against the Wizards:
Aldridge Tears Ligament in Thumb, Will Need Surgery
Thursday, Jan. 22
Although the Portland Trail Blazers entered Thursday's NBA action sitting in second place in the Western Conference, their playoff standing might be on shaky ground after an injury to LaMarcus Aldridge.
The team announced that Aldridge tore the radial collateral ligament in his left thumb and will have surgery to correct the issue. He could miss anywhere from six to eight weeks of action:
The three-time All-Star said he's not sure when the surgery will occur but that it shouldn't be too long in the offing, per Mike Richman of The Oregonian:
John Hill of The Columbian had more from Aldridge via YouTube:
Aldridge originally hurt the thumb in what was a 98-94 win over the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 19. Although the initial X-rays were promising, further examination revealed the extent of the problem.
Rotowire's Jeff Stotts provided some context for Aldridge's injury, making the comparison to the Lakers' Nick Young, who had the same surgery on his right thumb in October:
Tas Melas of The Starters tried to put the injury in more pragmatic terms:
Before play began Thursday, the Blazers were 31-12 and leading the Northwest Division, with the hard-charging Oklahoma City Thunder in second at 22-20. With the team losing four of its last five games, it wouldn't be a shock for Portland to drop below the fourth seed and possibly out of a playoff position altogether by the time Aldridge returns.
The 29-year-old leads the team in scoring average (23.2 PPG) and rebounds (10.2 RPG). With Robin Lopez still nursing a hand injury, the Blazers are getting awfully thin inside.
The spotlight will now be on Thomas Robinson, the team's backup power forward. The former fifth overall pick is averaging 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 11.7 minutes a night.
There's no question that Aldridge can't return fast enough for the Blazers as they look to remain in the top eight.
