Il?t Jlortlanh (Observer
A p ril 18. 2012
Page 5
Blazers’ Star Out for Season
LaMarcus Aldridge to undergo hip surgery
(AP) — Trail Blazers for
ward LaMarcus Aldridge will
have surgery on his right hip and
miss the rest of the season.
The team said Thursday no
d ate has b een set fo r the
arthroscopic procedure, which
will repair a slight labral tear.
Aldridge says he has had pain
for about two weeks and is un
sure how the injury occurred.
"I'm just happy we know what it
is now and we can move for
ward," said Aldridge, who trav
eled to Vail, Colo., last week for
a closer look at the injury.
Aldridge is averaging 21.7
points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 as
sists this season while shooting a
career-high 51.2 percent.
The 6-foot-11 power forward
in his sixth year called the tear
"minor", and said he was being
proactive in having the proce
dure. Aldridge had surgery to
repair tom cartilage in his left hip
when he was at Texas in 2005.
He said that injury was much
more severe.
"LaM arcus' priority is that
he's 100-percent healthy going
into training cam p this fall and
we all feel this is the best
course," Blazers acting g en
eral m anager C had Buchanan
said in a statem ent. "He's had
an A ll-Star year and his long
term health is the m ost im por
tant thing to consider."
Aldridge is a finalist for the
U.S. men's basketball team that
will play in the London Olym
pics. He told reporters on Thurs
team has seven games remain
ing.
The Blazers have gone 8-8
since McMillan's firing under
interim coach Caleb Canales,
who has been juggling his line
ups to give younger players a
look. Portland was coming off a
118-110 victory over Golden
State on Wednesday night.
"I'm very d isa p p o in te d ,"
Aldridge said. "I feel we have a
really good group of guys here. I
feel like everybody's getting be
ing. I feel we're starting to find a
really good rhythm together. So
it's definitely hard to do right
now."
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Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, left, looks to
pass against Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby during the
first quarter o f their NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore.,
Monday, April 9, 2 0 1 2 (AP Photo/Don Ryan).
day that he was unsure if he'd be
recovered in time to play, and
wouldn't rush his rehab.
Aldridge's surgery is the lat
est blow to the Blazers in what
has been a turbulent season.
Before it started, Aldridge had
to undergo a procedure to treat a
heart condition that kept him out
of training camp. On the same
day that his procedure was an
nounced, All-Star guard Bran
don Roy revealed that he was
retiring because of problems with
both his knees, and the team said
that form er No. 1 draft pick
Greg Oden had suffered a set
back in his recovery from knee
surgery.
The Blazers struggled in the
lockout-shortened season, and
the team dismissed popular coach
Nate McMillan at the NBA trade
deadline. Two starters, Marcus
Cam by and G erald W allace,
were traded, and Oden was
waived on the same day.
Although Portland has not
been eliminated from the play
offs, they are 4 1/2 games out of
the eighth and final playoff spot
in the Western Conference. The
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