Blazers Bet Season on Half-Healthy LaMarcus Aldridge and Saturday NBA Takeaways
Just when it looked like the Portland Trail Blazers' season would be engulfed by question marks and a potential slide down the Western Conference standings, star forward LaMarcus Aldridge made the boldest of choices.
Word came down just before 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon from the Blazers that Aldridge would forgo surgery on a torn left thumb ligament and gut out the remainder of the season like the true ironman he is:
"Meant the world to me because it takes so much more responsibility off me personally," point guard Damian Lillard said of Aldridge's decision, per The Oregonian's Jason Quick. "But I think it means more to the team because he's our best player and he's pushing himself through pain for the sake of the team. In a day where professional sports can be really selfish, I think this decision is selfless to the 100th power."
In the grand scheme of things, it's a decision that falls on the higher end of the risk-reward spectrum. Aldridge was slated to miss six to eight weeks before making a healthy return for the Blazers' stretch run.
But now, the questions that were destined to muddy Northwest waters have shifted shape.
Although he acquitted himself nicely by scoring 26 points on 9-of-22 shooting while pulling down nine rebounds in Portland's 103-96 victory against the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, it wasn't hard to glean what a more limited Aldridge will have to offer the Blazers moving forward.
The scoring will be there. Since the injury isn't to his shooting hand, the mid-range dependability that's become synonymous with Aldridge's game will continue making him one of the league's deadliest catch-and-shoot, post-up and face-up weapons.
As Synergy Sports Technology pointed out, Aldridge has also been downright dominant working out of the low blocks this year:
"LaMarcus Aldridge ranks 2nd in the NBA in post scoring behind only Al Jefferson at 7.9 points per-game.
— Synergy Sports Tech (@SynergySST) January 25, 2015"
However, it's fair to question what he will bring to the table defensively in the weeks ahead.
Adjusting to life with a heavily wrapped left hand, it wasn't hard to see Aldridge approaching one-on-one matchups below the free-throw line with a tentative mindset.
As ESPN Insider's Kevin Pelton noted, Aldridge's defensive dexterity may well be hindered as he seeks to avoid inflicting further damage:
The Columbian's Erik Gundersen reinforced that notion with a first-half observation of his own:
It's only natural for Aldridge to embrace that approach. He's already taken one giant leap by abstaining from surgery, so it would be foolish to take unnecessary risks with the threat of further injury looming.
But ultimately, the effect his presence has on Portland's approach—both mentally and physically—is nearly impossible to quantify. And, boy, did the Moda Center crowd appreciate the lift he provided.
For the Blazers' sake, they'll just need to hope a steady dose of those chants drowns out any potential adversity, as the team delicately balances on a title-contending seesaw in the months ahead.
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Detroit Is Collectively Holding Its Breath
A 101-86 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks is merely secondary to the injury suffered by Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings late in the third quarter of Saturday's Central Division clash.
Defending an inbounds pass, Jennings crumpled to the ground after suffering an apparent non-contact injury to his left leg. Trainers assisted him off the court and escorted him back to the locker room in a wheelchair.
According to The Detroit News' Vincent Goodwill, the official severity of the injury remains unclear:
Head coach Stan Van Gundy added the following, according to Pistons.com's Keith Langlois:
But as Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported, the team is fearing the worst:
Losing the red-hot Jennings would be a major blow to Detroit's postseason hopes. Since the departure of Josh Smith, Jennings had been averaging 20 points and 7.2 assists while shooting 44 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three.
Assuming he misses extended time, D.J. Augustin would fill in as Detroit's primary floor general. So far this season, the Pistons have been 4.7 points worse per 100 offensive possessions with Augustin on the floor, per NBA.com.
However, as we saw throughout last season with the Chicago Bulls, Augustin is fully capable of filling a starting void with his steady three-point stroke and deft drive-and-kick capabilities.
The Truth Continues to Set Washington Free (From Three)
The Wizards may have dropped their second straight game, but Paul Pierce joined one of the NBA's most exclusive clubs by banging home three triples against the Blazers.
Per Bleacher Report, Pierce is one of four players in league history to drill at least 2,000 threes over the course of his career:
And thanks to CSN Northwest's Jabari Young, here's a great visual summary of every three Pierce has made since entering the league:
In the loss, Pierce finished with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting (3-of-4 from three), six rebounds and two assists.
The Knicks Are Fallible After All
It was fun while it lasted.
After improbably capturing three straight wins, the New York Knicks fell back to earth in a 76-71 slog against the Charlotte Hornets.
On the bright side, Tim Hardaway Jr. showed signs of life, compiling 25 points, six rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes. According to The Wall Street Journal's Chris Herring, it was the first time in Hardaway's career that he had met those box-score benchmarks:
With Carmelo Anthony receiving the day off to rest, Lance Thomas (16 points, eight rebounds), Langston Galloway (11 points), Jason Smith and Lou Amundson joined Hardaway in the starting lineup.
New York is now 0-11 this season when Anthony sits. It wasn't pretty.
Kemba Walker (knee soreness) sat as well, which opened the door for Brian Roberts to lead the way with 17 points and three dimes. Al Jefferson (nine points) and Lance Stephenson (six points, four assists) came off the bench once again.
The Sixers Offense Is in Dire Straits
The Memphis Grizzlies throttled the Philadelphia 76ers, 101-83, in a contest that served as a microcosm of the Brotherly Ballers' myriad struggles on offense this season.
Already dead-last in the NBA with an offensive rating six points lower than the next-closest team, the Sixers have now failed to crack 100 points in 21 straight games.
Coincidentally, the last time the Sixers dropped 100-plus was back on Dec. 13 in an overtime thriller against Memphis.
The Grizzlies coasted behind 18 points from Jeff Green and another 17 from Zach Randolph, while Vince Carter cracked double figures for the eighth time this season with 13 points off the pine.
Hello? Brooklyn?
Philadelphia—Brooklyn sees your offensive ineptitude versus Memphis and raises you with a total stinker against the Utah Jazz.
Walloped 108-73, Brooklyn shot 38.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three. The Nets were so bad in the first half that they drew comparisons to Klay Thompson for all the wrong reasons, as noted by the NBA on TNT:
According to the YES Network's Jeff Quagliata, Brooklyn has been historically incompetent of late:
The Jazz deserve credit for a nice, well-rounded effort, though. Rookie Dante Exum remained hot in his starting role, tallying 13 points and four assists, while fellow Aussie Joe Ingles poured in 16 points and a team-high five assists.
Gordon Hayward torched Brooklyn's shoddy perimeter play on both ends, racking up 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals while shooting 10-of-14 from the field.
Let's just say that 2011 Deron Williams blockbuster isn't looking so good for the Nets right now:
