Yeah, that thought crossed my mind. Ironically this may be a good thing for the Blazers long-term. It decreases Matthews' value as a free agent this offseason. On the flip side, if Afflalo steps into the starting role and plays well, it increases his value. But I always figured there was no way Portland would hang onto both guys this summer. Short-term, the Blazers are in trouble. Sure, Matthews was probably the one starter they could afford to lose(assuming you had to pick one) since Afflalo is available off the bench. But it hurts their 3-point shooting which is a big part of their game. And it definitely affects their defense and depth. And no, I don't feel any sympathy for the Blazers team. They've been very fortunate with injuries the last year and a half. Even Aldridge's torn ligament in his left hand is one he's been able to play with. Now they get to experience the misery nearly every other Western Conference contender's been dealing with this season(aside from the Warriors who've been just as lucky).
He's a really nice player for Portland and wore Harden like a cheap suit in the playoffs, huge loss for them.
If it's torn achilles, then there's no bright side for long term, he won't be the same player. I don't even know what they should do in this case. They probably have to let him go. He's probably going to need much of next season to recover.
hate playing against this guy, nothing but respect for his game hope for his sake he is able to recuperate..its a tough road back Spoiler ...would have had him way up the list of off-season targets for this team (no matter how unrealistic).
too bad for him……he was one of those guys who worked hard his rookie year to improve his game and become a legit starter literally out of nowhere
Huge loss for Portland. He is very valuable in the playoffs for his defense and can shoot the lights out of the ball. Hate to see that happen to any player.
He can come back from a torn Achilles. He may not be the same player defensively, but I don't see why that injury will suddenly make him a worse shooter which is the primary role he fills for the Blazers. As for what the Blazers should do, a lot of that will depend on what Afflalo does in his absence. If he steps up and essentially replaces Matthews, it's probably better to try to resign Afflalo and let Wes go. If Afflalo can't hack it....well, I don't know what they do at that point.
That's horrible though, my initial thought was how people will use it as an excuse but knowing how hard he works, how he gave Harden great fits, how awesome Blazers have been, how unfortunate they have been as an organisation, you can only empathize.
Horrible news. If anyone understands injuries, it's the Blazers and the Rockets. Both teams are cursed. Hopefully he makes a solid recovery and can at least be some what of the player he's been for them. Great defender and boy can he shoot. I'm interested to see how Portland deals with this injury, especially come playoff time.
It probably can make him a worse shooter. It would probably affect jumpshots, not so much free throws / set shots. You don't elevate as high, you don't get to your spots as quickly. You get worse looks. Your hands are still the same, but you now have the defender a few inches closer than in the past. Anyway, regardless, shooting alone is not all that valuable. There are lots of really good shooters sitting deep on benches or outside the NBA. You have to also defend, or you have to bring more than just shooting on offense, especially be able to put the ball on the floor and get around people. Not knowing how he will do all these things after recovery, it's going to be tough for the Blazers to sign him. I think he's just not going to get any deal next year, until around mid season, when playoff teams will start calling him. I do hope I'm wrong though and he gets some contract, it's really a shame to see this happen during contract year, especially when he's been underpaid.
A cheap suit that didnt fit. This is prolly where his achilles troubles began: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mvm27iqYtls" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I don't like injuries taking contenders out of the hunt, but you won't see me sending flowers to Matthews any time soon.
I empathize with Portland. Having just been through Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, this has got to hurt. It's not entirely unlike what we're going through with Dwight after Yao and McGrady. I wish Matthews the best of luck - but I also hope we get to face them in the playoffs now.
never want to wish in jury on any player. hopefully he can recover from this. tough loss for portland. afflalo was a huge pickup. he's not as good as Matthews but a solid option and they could be a lot worse if they didnt pick him up.
