Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge will be out of the lineup and is expected to be out six to eight weeks after tearing the radial collateral ligament in his left thumb.
The Blazers' big man suffered this injury when guarding Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the second quarter in Monday's game. On Thursday he has an MRI and it showed the tear in his thumb.
The Blazers is having a great season so far holding on the third seed in the Western Conference. If everything goes according to plan, Aldridge should be back by March. That is still a long way to go without your top player and as a result they could drop in the standings.
His presence could be used as the Blazers are going up against some tough competition. They are going to face Memphis twice, Dallas twice, Houston twice and the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the Trail Blazers plan on staying where they are in the standings, guys will have to step up.
With Aldridge going down this does not help their problems on the frontline. Robin Lopez is recovering from a hand injury and Joel Freeland is also recovering from a shoulder injury, so even before Aldridge went down they were thin up front. Expect Chris Kamen and Thomas Robinson to get more minutes.
He talked to doctors on this injury and it was revealed that he will have surgery:
"We just talked to the doctors and they didn't feel the risk was going to be worth the reward," he said. "It could be worse on the back end, or I could even wait two weeks and try to play and not end up playing anyways. So we just felt like, to us, the right thing to do is take care of it now."
With this injury in mind, Aldridge will miss the All Star, Game, which will be on February 15th in New York. Had he not been injured, this would have been his fourth appearance in the All Star Game.
If things could get any worse the Trail Blazers, small forward Nicolas Batum left Thursday's game against Boston with a wrist injury. He will also get an MRI. With all of these injuries the players will have to try to hold the fort down until players start to return to the lineup. The Blazers have lost five of their last six games, and that needs to change or else they will drop in the standings quickly.
In his ninth season Aldridge is averaging 23.5 points and 10.4 rebounds. He is a double-double player and his ability to stretch the floor and the size he gives up front will be missed.