LaMarcus Aldridge postpones thumb surgery, will return to action
By Hayden Kane
LaMarcus Aldridge will postpone thumb surgery and return to action for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night as the NBA schedule gets more intriguing.
In terms of assessing talent at the power forward position across the NBA, one can only hope that we have reached the point where LaMarcus Aldridge is no longer flying under the radar or considering to be a guy who is “underrated.”
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Aldridge has been so good for so long that we should have reached the point where he is appropriately rated as one of the best big men in the league. The Blazers certainly know how dominant their 8th-year power forward is. Along those lines, they received some outstanding and perhaps unexpected news on Saturday afternoon.
Out since January 19th, Aldridge was originally expected to miss six to eight weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Instead of undergoing that surgery now and missing such a big chunk of the 2014-2015 season, however, Aldridge will play on and have the operation at another time. The University of Texas product will return to action on Saturday night.
The news was announced by the team.
BREAKING: LaMarcus Aldridge (ligament tear left thumb) puts surgery on hold; will play tonight versus Washington.
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 24, 2015
Starting with Saturday’s game against the Wizards, the Trail Blazers start a tough stretch of their schedule against opponents from this year’s bizarre-o version of the Eastern Conference. That includes games on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks. For a first place Portland team, this pleasant surprise comes at an especially good time.
Aldridge is averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. When he is on, Aldridge seems like he is impossible to guard. He brings the ability to beat opponents in a variety of ways, whether it be with mid to long-range jumpers or moves near the basket.
How much his offensive production is impacted by this thumb injury should be interesting to see. Surely a lot of thought and evaluation went into the decision to let Aldridge postpone the injury, especially considering the fact that he might play for months and months through the injury.
One presumes, after all, that the Trail Blazers would only allow for this course of action if it left open the possibility of having Aldridge available for the entirety of their remaining schedule, including the playoffs.
With this decision, LaMarcus Aldridge and the Trail Blazers remain one of the top stories in the NBA this season.