Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge will have surgery on his right hip and miss the rest of the NBA season -- and probably his chance at securing an Olympic team spot.
Aldridge has a tear in the labrum of the joint and will need arthroscopic surgery to repair it, Trail Blazers executive Chad Buchanan said Thursday.
Aldridge, a first-time All-Star this season who averaged a team-high 21.7 points with eight rebounds in 55 games, was among the 20 players named as finalists for a spot on the US men's basketball team for the London Olympics.
However, it was not clear if he would even be ready to play again by the time the US must name their final 12-man squad on June 18.
"LaMarcus' priority is that he's 100 percent healthy going into training camp this fall and we all feel this is the best course," Buchanan said. "He's had an All-Star year and his long-term health is the most important thing to consider."
Aldridge is the second player named to the 20-man roster of candidates for the Olympic team to be injured. Veteran Chauncey Billups of the Los Angeles Clippers has been sidelined by a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.
Portland has not been eliminated from NBA postseason contention, but they are 4 1/2 games out of the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference with seven games remaining.
Source: AFP American Edition
