Spurs take powerful hit for season restart
Star Aldridge to miss playoff streak pursuit to recover from April shoulder surgery
SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs’ Orlando-based quest for a 23rd consecutive playoff berth will go on without LaMarcus Aldridge.
The 34-year-old big man has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his right shoulder in late April, the team announced Monday.
Initially, the club hoped Aldridge might improve in time to participate in the NBA season that is projected to resume in late July at the Walt Disney World resort in central Florida.
“We tried to take advantage of the hiatus period with rehab and him working to get back,” San Antonio general manager Brian Wright said Monday. “Unfortunately, it didn’t progress the way we all hoped.”
Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star, injured his shoulder in a Feb. 21 victory at Utah. Two nights later, he logged 21 minutes in a loss at Oklahoma City.
The Spurs shut Aldridge down for six games after that. He returned for a March 10 victory over Dallas, in which he scored 24 points with four blocked shots.
The NBA suspended the season the next day, when Utah center Rudy Gobert submitted a positive test for the COVID-19 virus.
In the month that followed, even with no basketball activity, Aldridge continued to report discomfort in the shoulder.
“The best pathway from there was the surgical procedure,” Wright said. “We decided to move forward with that and get him ready for next season.”
On April 24, Aldridge underwent an arthroscopic subacromial decompression and rotator cuff debridement to relieve pressure in the shoulder. The procedure was performed by Dr. Daniel Cooper in Dallas.
According to the Spurs, Aldridge is expected to be fully cleared for basketball activities in time for training camp to start the 2020-21 season.
He ends his fifth season with the Spurs prematurely, having ranked second on the team in scoring (18.9 points per game) and first in rebounding (7.4 per game) and blocks (1.6 per game).
Under the proposed roster rules, San Antonio would be allowed to replace Aldridge with an injury replacement player — either a G League, two-way or any player that was on an NBA roster during the season. The Spurs also have an open roster spot they can use to sign a player during the “transaction window” in late June.
Aside from Aldridge, Wright said all other players are expected to be available once the Spurs reconvene to ramp up for the restart of the season next month.
That includes Aldridge’s backup, 7-footer Jakob Poeltl, who was dealing with a sprained knee at the time the season was shut down.
“All of our guys are excited to get back in the gym and get going,” Wright said. “Obviously, being shut down the last few months has been tough in a lot of ways. We’re excited to compete and excited to go.”