Portland Trail Blazers: Orange Alert
By Steve Krebs
Talk about Murphy’s Law! After escaping a knee injury to Wesley Matthews a week ago, now it seems LaMarcus Aldridge is set to miss significant time (6-8 weeks) with a torn ligament in his thumb, which now leaves the Portland Trail Blazers in a state of orange alert.
Portland has been nothing short of resilient in the face of adversity, also known as injuries over the course of the season — but due to the severity, and the player, this quite possibly could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Although the information available on the status of this injury was extremely obscure over the last few days to say the least, Damian Lillard had this to say about the level of concern for Aldridge following the injury on Monday; “It’s a huge concern of ours, obviously with him being our best player. But like I’ve said, it’s not like we can not go out there and not play the next game, so guys just have to be ready to step up.”
It will truly take a leap up now, instead of a step!
Can The Trail Blazers Stay Afloat With Another Hit To The Frontcourt?
Offense — Possibly, if we were talking about Meyers Leonard. But losing LaMarcus puts a tremendous strain on the offensive scheme, considering a large part of the plays that Portland chooses to run is through him.
Wing shooters are going to receive more pressure because, let’s be honest, Chris Kaman does not require double coverage at this point in his career (not sure if that has ever really been the case). Pick-and-pops will also be a lot less effective due to the fact Kaman moves at about half the pace, and is not as effective shooting the ball from the same distance as Aldridge.
Portland will have to depend on the backcourt being able to keep the ball moving to create open shots, or create opportunities on their own (which obviously increases the chances of turnovers and bad shot selection).
Defense — This is where the largest dilemma lies, because of the injuries to Robin Lopez, and Joel Freeland, Portland is practically naked in the frontcourt now that Aldridge is out for a substantial period of time.
If the opposition elects to penetrate into the paint, attacking the rim in an attempt to create fouls, and is successful, well, coach Stotts might have to grab a pair of shorts and switch out his wing-tips for some Clyde Drexler Kangaroos.
The 44.8 points in the paint per game Portland is allowing opposing teams have been well documented, and that number is about to drastically increase even more now that there are only three guys on the whole team who can play the four or the five, without going so small it becomes advantageous for their opponent.
It’s not going to be a fun time in Rip City when it becomes impossible to keep anyone from scoring at will in the paint.
Above all, unless the offense steps up big time, and Thomas Robinson, Meyers Leonard, and Chris Kaman can play aggressive defense without picking up fouls, things could get ugly in a hurry.