LaMarcus Aldridge to have season-ending hip surgery
Bummer news came out Thursday afternoon from Trail Blazers headquarters in downtown Portland as news broke that All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge would sit out the remanding of the season and will undergo a hip surgery.
Aldridge sat out in yesterday’s home win against the Golden State Warriors to a sore hip and got an MRI done a few days ago, the results came back and found a labral tear on his right side that will require arthroscopic surgery. With seven games left on the Trail Blazers schedule as the Dallas Mavericks visit the Rose Garden on Friday and 4.5 games back for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, it’s pretty safe to say that the Blazers hope for a late playoff push is all but over. At least it gives Aldridge plenty of time to heal and get into beast shape for training camp and be ready to go for next season.
Aldridge’s 2011-2012 NBA season comes to a bittersweet close. He finally got his spotlight as he has fully certified himself as the star of the team and was named an All-Star for the first time in his young career. As Brandon Roy retired from the game of basketball before the season started and Greg Oden was let go at the trade deadline, Aldridge is the staple of Portland’s core and will look to spend this season rebuilding around him and Nicolas Batum.
According to the press release by the Trail Blazers, Aldridge “averaged a team-high 21.7 points to go with 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.93 steals, 0.82 blocks and 36.3 minutes in 55 games (all starts). He shot 51.2 percent from the field and 81.4 percent from the foul line, both career highs.”
After he was left off the ballot for the All-Star reserves last year losing to Kevin Love, Aldridge made a promise to himself and his mother that he would prove himself worthy and came into the 2011-2012 season as the number one offensive option and further improved his playing from last year. He represented Portland in Orlando as the first Blazer to do so since Brandon Roy in 2009.
The second pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, the 6 ft 11, 240 lb power forward out of Texas will finish his season with plenty of highlights such as hitting a game-winning jumper in overtime to beat the Mavericks and grabbing a career high 23 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors. The press release also notes that Aldridge “currently ranks eighth among league leaders in scoring, 14th in field goal shooting and 25th in rebounding. He is the only NBA player averaging at least 21 points and eight rebounds while shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.”
Although the window for the postseason is more than likely closed, it gives Aldridge plenty of time to be ready when training camp starts in the fall. It is unclear if this hip surgery will damper Aldridge’s chances of competing with the USA Men’s Basketball Team during the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He was currently in position to claim the final spot but it will be seen if he will be ready for the summer games.
From the Portland Trail Blazers:
“Portland Trail Blazers forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right hip to repair a labral tear and will miss the remainder of the season, it was announced today by the team.
“In his most recent MRI, and following further evaluation, it’s been determined that LaMarcus has a slight labral tear and will require arthroscopic surgery,” said Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan. “LaMarcus’ priority is that he’s 100-percent healthy going into training camp this fall and we all feel this is the best course. He’s had an All-Star year and his long-term health is the most important thing to consider.”
Dr. Marc Phillipon will perform the surgery at a date to be determined.
A first-time NBA All-Star this year, Aldridge averaged a team-high 21.7 points to go with 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.93 steals, 0.82 blocks and 36.3 minutes in 55 games (all starts). He shot 51.2 percent from the field and 81.4 percent from the foul line, both career highs.
Aldridge currently ranks eighth among league leaders in scoring, 14th in field goal shooting and 25th in rebounding. He is the only NBA player averaging at least 21 points and eight rebounds while shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.”
photo courtesy of nba.com/blazers
Nicholas Filipas