No, that was not a gale blustering through Portland Tuesday.
That was the collective sigh of relief given by fans upon hearing that LaMarcus Aldridge was not going to join the notorious Blazers infirm.
The power forward had X-rays taken of his right hip after Monday’s 15-point loss to the Kings. Those came back negative. Aldridge then had an MRI Tuesday. That, too, came back negative — although it did reveal a contusion in the hip.
He is probable for Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics.
Aldridge was named Western Conference Player of the Week Monday after leading his team to four consecutive wins while averaging more than 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Sacramento, however, limited the 25-year-old to nine points on 4-of-14 shooting — marking just the third time Aldridge was held to single-digit scoring this season.
Aldridge is averaging 21.1 points and 8.8 rebounds on the season and is the primary reason the Blazers have gone 15-8 without Brandon Roy in the lineup.
As a freshman at Texas, Aldridge had surgery on his left hip to repair torn cartilage.
Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Dante Cunningham are the only three Blazers to have played in all 46 of the team’s games this year.
Andre Miller missed one due to a suspension, Nicolas Batum one due to a shoulder injury, and Rudy Fernandez two because of back problems.
Marcus Camby’s 39 games played is the next highest amount, although he’ll be sidelined with a knee injury until early-to-mid February.
Roy is out indefinitely with knee problems of his own, although he expressed a desire to return this season when meeting with media Thursday night.
Greg Oden and Elliot Williams, meanwhile, will miss the remainder of the season with knee injuries.
