TUALATIN, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers pressed forward at practice Tuesday without starting center Robin Lopez.
“It’ll be six or seven weeks ’til I’m on the floor again thanks to this bum hand,” Lopez said about his prognosis via Twitter.
Lopez also revealed he broke his third and fourth metacarpal.
A six-week timeline would put Lopez’s return during the Blazers’ late January East Coast road trip that begins in Brooklyn on Jan. 26. But it could also stretch into February which could mean an absence of 20-25 games.
When the Blazers face the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, it will be the first time in 107 games they will play without Lopez.
“This is kind of unprecedented for this team, ” center Chris Kaman said about the situation.
In uncharted territory, Blazers head coach Terry Stotts does not have a set plan. And he may not have one for the duration of Lopez’s injury.
“I told the players the starting lineup may not be set,” Stotts said. “The finishing unit may not be set and the rotation may not be set. It’s going to take a little bit of time to adjust to our new circumstances.”
Of course, Stotts would not commit to who would start in Lopez’s place after Tuesday’s practice.
“Whether it’s the bench rotation, keeping players fresh for the second half, I think there are a lot of factors rather than just what’s the best unit on the floor to start the game.”
Thomas Robinson, who played last night after not playing in 10 of the last 11 games, got a shot to finish last night’s game next to Aldridge. Joel Freeland could also see more time alongside Portland’s star.
“I would expect (Aldridge) to play with Thomas and play with Joel a little bit more, obviously more than he has in the past,” he said.
Freeland and Aldridge have only played 10 minutes together so far this season according to NBA.com. But Aldridge and Freeland played 421 minutes together last season. The Blazers outscored opponents by 6.1 points per 100 possessions with that duo on the floor.
Freeland says he’s used to playing a complimentary role in the front court alongside Kaman on the second unit.
“I don’t think it will be much difference compared to me playing with Chris to me playing with LA,” he said. “It’s going to be the same kind of focal point.”
Only Aldridge has a higher usage percentage, the percentage a player ends a possession with a shot, foul or turnover, than Kaman. At least statistically, it doesn’t appear the adjustment for Freeland would be too drastic.
Tuesday also marked the return of second-year guard CJ McCollum to practice. After meeting with doctors Monday night he was cleared and Tuesday was a step towards playing again.
“I assume I will be able to play in the game tomorrow,” McCollum said.
Stotts said that McCollum will “most likely” be available to play against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“He looked very comfortable out there, he shot it with confidence, didn’t look like he was shying away from contact,” Stotts said. “I thought for a first practice it was very encouraging.”
While McCollum was out and unable to do things with his dominant right hand until last week, he was forced to do things with his left hand.
“I missed a couple of left handed shots today but I’m not reluctant to use it anymore because I’ve been using it the last few weeks,” he said.
