Blazers notebook: Stress fracture lands Webster on injury list

PORTLAND — The list of wounded keeps piling up for the Portland Trail Blazers.

After losing starting point guard Steve Blake to a strained hamstring while forward Channing Frye remained on the sidelines recovering from surgery on his left ankle, small forward Martell Webster was added to the injured list on Wednesday after a stress fracture in his left foot was detected following Tuesday’s preseason game against Sacramento.

Webster played a team-high 26 minutes against the Kings, scoring 15 points while burying 5 of 8 shot attempts, and never showed signs of a problem.

In fact, many teammates in the Blazers’ locker room on Wednesday said they were surprised to hear about the injury earlier in the day.

But Blazers coach Nate McMillan said the team learned that Webster had been experiencing discomfort during training camp, and only brought it up to team trainers after Tuesday’s game. The injury was confirmed when Webster underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam and a CT scan on Wednesday.

“None of us knew about him experiencing pain,” said Blazers coach Nate McMillan. “What he thought was, it was just pain from running in training camp, and he played through it.”

More tests will be conducted today to determine the necessary treatment and project the time frame for Webster’s return.

The period Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez spent together on the Spanish national team is paying early dividends for the Blazers.

The two showed instant chemistry and energy in the Blazers’ preseason opening win over Sacramento on Tuesday, when Rodriguez set up Fernandez with two lob passes — one for a dunk, another for a reverse layup — while energizing a Blazers run to take the lead during the second quarter.

Rodriguez finished with 11 points and seven assists, while Fernandez added six points and five assists in his Blazers debut.

“To me, playing with him is great,” Rodriguez said. “I enjoy playing with him, and we know each other and have a lot of fun together.”

It’s a good sign for the Blazers: There is a strong possibility that Rodriguez and Fernandez will form the backcourt of the Blazers’ second unit when the regular season starts, and McMillan said he wanted to test that combination Tuesday night.

So far, he likes what he has seen.

“Last night, Sergio and Rudy, they were connected,” McMillan said. “Couple plays that they made, you knew that they knew each other and knew what to look for, and looked like they’d been together for a while.”

Blazers All-Star Brandon Roy sat out Wednesday’s game against Golden State, but not because of any health-related issues. McMillan said Roy had already done more than the team expected from him this early in the preseason after returning from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

The night off also gave McMillan a chance to evaluate Fernandez in a larger role.