UPDATE 8:12 pm: The Trail Blazers are now saying this is not a quadracept injury, not a hip flexor.
We’ll assume that is true, but I’m not sure it changes much. LaMarcus Aldridge will be out for a little while but the Trail Blazers need to let this rest because they don’t want this to linger into the season.
6:20 p.m.: It’s nothing major, but if it’s the kind of thing that lingers it could put a damper on the start of a Portland season that should be bright compared to recent years.
LaMarcus Aldridge has a hip flexor strain that could keep him out a few days at the least, reports Chris Haynes at CSNNW.com.“Anytime a player misses time because of an injury, it’s a concern,” (Portland coach Terry) Stotts told CSNNW.com. “But hopefully it doesn’t keep him out for an extended period of time. But there’s always concern when a player has an injury….
“I don’t know how long it’s going to be,” he said. “I don’t know even want to say if it’s a few days or weeks. It’s just too early to say.”
The injury came during a non-contact drill. While Aldridge did not participate in practice Thursday he was riding a stationary bike.
The All-Star forward averaged 21.1 points and 9.1 rebounds a game last season for Portland. While Damian Lillard grabbed the headlines, this team needs Aldridge to play well to reach the playoffs.
In other news on the Blazers injury front, Will Barton suffered a concussion when elbowed in the head by Meyers Leonard during a drill. He will not return to practice until he clears the league’s concussion protocol.
