The Trailblazers will be without starting shooting guard Brandon Roy for at least a week due to a plasma injection to his hamstring. He has played in 40 games (all starts) this season for the Trailblazers and he is averaging 38.3 minutes, 23.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Roy is the one player the Trailblazers just can’t afford to lose so they should ease him back giving him the proper time to heal. Steve Blake is likely off the trade block now because he will start in Roy’s place. He has played in 40 games (25 starts) for the Blazers this season and he is averaging 28.5 minutes, 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Rudy Fernandez will also likely see a bump in playing time while Roy is out of action. He has played in 26 games (0 starts) for the Trailblazers this season and he is averaging 22.7 minutes, 8.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Blake & Fernandez will likely do a good job for the Blazers but make no mistake this is not a playoff team without Brandon Roy, period.

The Trailblazers have lost starting center Joel Przybilla for the year due to a ruptured patella tendon and a dislocated patella (knee). He played in 30 games (9 starts) for the Trailblazers this season and he averaged 22.7 minutes, 4.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. The Trailblazers will probably get on the phones trying to make a deal with Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla both out for the rest of the year. Juwan Howard will likely move into the starting line-up for now. He has played in 22 games (0 starts) for the Blazers this season and he is averaging 13.1 minutes, 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Howard will likely wear out as he is a little long in tooth. Anthony Tolliver will likely back up Howard and he has only played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Blazers this season and he is averaging 2.0 minutes, 0.0 points and 0.5 rebounds per game. This is a big blow to the Trailblazers who will need to make a deal soon.

The Trailblazers have lost Rudy Fernandez for the next 4-6 weeks due to surgery he needed to relieve pressure on a nerve root in his lower back. Fernandez has played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Blazers so far this season and he is averaging 23.3 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. This will really hurt the Trailblazers as Fernandez brings a lot of offensive punch off the bench.

The Trailblazers have lost starting center Greg Oden for the rest of the season after he fractured his kneecap last night. He only played 4 minutes last night before injuring himself and he grabbed 3 rebounds while not scoring any points. This is a shame as Oden was really starting to show signs of being a impact player for the Blazers. Oden played in 21 games (all starts) for the Blazers this season and he averaged 23.9 minutes, 11.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game. In his three years with the Blazers has now played in 82 games (60 starts) in which he has averaged 22.1 minutes, 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. The Trailblazers really hold that they don’t have another Sam Bowie on their hands.

The Trailblazers have lost small forward Travis Outlaw for the next 6-8 weeks due to a stress fracture in his left foot. Outlaw has played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Blazers so far this season and he is averaging 21.0 minutes, 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Rudy Fernandez and Martell Webster will likely pick up the slack while Outlaw is out of action. Rudy Fernandez has played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Blazers so far this season and he is averaging 20.9 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Webster has played in 11 games (5 starts) for the Trailblazers this season and he is averaging 21.4 minutes, 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Look for Fernandez and Webster to play well while Outlaw is out of action.