Category: Portland Trail Blazers Blog

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned rookie forward Luke Babbitt to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.

Babbitt, 21, has logged six points, four rebounds, a blocked shot and 30 minutes over eight games with the Trail Blazers.

Babbitt becomes the 14th NBA player assigned to the D-League this season.

Portland acquired the University of Nevada product from Minnesota in a draft day trade on June 24.

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Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will undergo microfracture surgery on his left knee Friday and will miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season, the Trail Blazers announced this evening.

Dr. Richard Steadman will perform the surgery with assistance from Trail Blazers orthopedic surgeon Dr. Don Roberts at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo.

Oden, 22, has been sidelined since fracturing his left patella in a Dec. 5, 2009, game vs. Houston. A recent MRI showed damaged cartilage to the surface of his femur, and his current injury is unrelated to the fractured left patella.

Oden previously underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Sept. 13, 2007.

He holds career NBA averages of 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.43 blocked shots in 82 games over parts of two seasons from 2008-09.

Jason Quick of the Oregonian reports:

The news, Blazers fans, is not good. Brandon Roy is experiencing swelling and discomfort on his left knee. This is the knee that was operated on in August 2008, not the right knee that was operated on last April.

Roy is concerned about what is going on inside the knee, which he says has been drained of fluid twice this season. His concern is strong enough that he wants a second opinion.

So today, general manager Rich Cho will cart some extra luggage on an already scheduled flight to Los Angeles. Before Tuesday, Cho was planning to fly to Los Angeles with injured center Greg Oden and soon-to-be-operated on guard Elliot Williams. Now, he will also be packing all the “film work” taken on Roy’s knees.

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed forward/center Sean Marks, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Marks (6-10, 250) holds career NBA averages of 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.2 assists over 10 seasons with Toronto, Miami, San Antonio, Phoenix and New Orleans. He appeared in 14 games for the Hornets in 2009-10, averaging 0.7 points and 1.6 rebounds.

The first New Zealand native to play in the NBA, Marks, 35, played collegiately at California.

He will wear jersey No. 4.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Considering who is available out there, Marks is a good addition. He’s a versatile big guy who can fit in pretty easily.

Portland Trail Blazers center Fabricio Oberto has announced today that he has retired from the game of basketball due to recurrent palpitations related to a prior cardiac condition.

Oberto experienced lightheadedness and dizziness during the first half of Portland’s game at Milwaukee on Nov. 2.

“I made this decision to put my health and my family in front of basketball,” said Oberto. “It was a tough decision to make after playing for so many years, but it was the right one.”

In his sixth season in the NBA, Oberto appeared in each of Portland’s first five games, averaging 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.0 minutes.

“We want to thank Fabricio for his professionalism and hard work during his short time here,” said Trail Blazers General Manager Rich Cho. “It’s unfortunate to lose him, but we respect his decision to do what’s best for his health and his family.”

A native of Las Varillas, Argentina, Oberto played four seasons for the San Antonio Spurs (2005-09), winning an NBA Championship as the starting center in 2007, before spending last season with the Washington Wizards.

Oberto, 35, ends his career with NBA averages of 3.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 14.5 minutes in 336 games (128 starts).

A veteran of international play, Oberto was a member of the Argentine National Team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, took home the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won the silver medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championships.

The Trail Blazers roster currently stands at 14 players.

Trail Blazers guard Elliot Williams will undergo surgery to repair a dislocated right patella, the Trail Blazers announced today.

The injury occurred Wednesday, Nov. 3, during court conditioning drills at the team’s Practice Facility. Williams will be re-evaluated after surgery but will likely miss the rest of the regular season.

Portland selected Williams with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft. He has not appeared in a game for the Trail Blazers this season.

Williams, 21, posted averages of 17.9 points (45.9% FG, 36.6% 3-PT, 75.8% FT), 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.32 steals in 34 games (all starts) as a sophomore at Memphis in 2009-10, earning All-Conference USA First Team and Conference USA Newcomer of the Year honors.

The 6-5, 183-pound guard played his freshman year at Duke in 2008-09, where he averaged 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 34 games before transferring to Memphis.

The Portland Trail Blazers today announced plans to celebrate the life of Trail Blazers great Maurice Lucas throughout the 2010-11 NBA season.

The team will officially tip-off the season-long dedication to the “Enforcer” beginning with a moment of silence at the Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game Thursday night, November 4. Special team tributes honoring Lucas will be featured throughout the game, on Trail Blazers broadcasts and on a special tribute page on trailblazers.com.

Trail Blazers players will wear a memorial jersey patch for all games this season bearing Lucas’s jersey number No. 20. Replicas of the memorial patch will be available for fans to purchase beginning Thursday night at the Trail Blazers Fan Shop with proceeds going to The Maurice Lucas Foundation.

The team will also establish an award that will be given annually to a Trail Blazers player who best represents the true spirit of Maurice Lucas by being a Trail Blazer both on the court and in the community.

A public memorial service for Maurice Lucas will be held in the Memorial Coliseum on Monday, November 8th at noon. Doors will open at 11 a.m. The family has asked, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to the Maurice Lucas Foundation, supporting youth sports and cancer awareness. For more information on the foundation or to make a donation, please visit the following link: http://lucasswoopesbasketball.com/maurice-lucas/

Portland Trail Blazers legendary forward Maurice Lucas passed away today at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer.

Lucas was a central figure on the Trail Blazers 1976-77 NBA Championship team and averaged 15.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.72 blocked shots over five seasons (1976-80, 87-88) in Portland.

During Portland’s 1976-77 NBA Championship season, Lucas led the team in scoring (20.2), field goals made (8.0), free throws made (4.2), offensive rebounds (2.4) and minutes (36.2). In the 1977 Playoffs, Lucas led the team in scoring in eight of the 19 games and in rebounding twice.

“Portland and the NBA lost one of their greats today,” said owner Paul Allen. “Maurice Lucas was an amazing man and I count myself lucky to have known him. We all – players, coaches, the owner and the fans – were made better by having Maurice a part of our team, whether playing on the championship team or, most recently as an assistant coach.

“He was one of the greatest Blazers ever. I’ll miss him. I and the entire Blazer family send our condolences to his wife, Pamela, and their children,” added Allen.

A standout at Marquette University, Lucas led the school to the NCAA National Championship game in 1974. Portland acquired Lucas as the second pick in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft. He played 12 seasons in the NBA and four in the American Basketball Association.

“Words cannot express the magnitude of loss we feel tonight with the passing of Maurice Lucas,” said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. “The Trail Blazers family has lost our Enforcer, but for me personally, I have lost a brother.

“Maurice has left unforgettable fingerprints on every decade of Trail Blazers basketball, yet it is his booming personality, his warrior-like loyalty, and most of all, his undying love for his family, for the Trail Blazers, for his teammates, and for the city of Portland that we will all hold dearly in our hearts. On behalf of myself and the entire Trail Blazers organization, our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife Pam, sons Maurice Jr. and David, daughter Kristin and grandson Luke,” added Miller.

Selected to the All-Star Game in three straight seasons from 1977-79, Lucas is one of four three-time All-Stars in Trail Blazers history (Clyde Drexler, Brandon Roy, Sidney Wicks).

“We have lost a champion of a man,” said Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan. “Maurice was a great man and a great friend. He battled his illness like the warrior he was on the basketball court.

“We were so fortunate to have his influence on the young men on this team. He was my mentor, my big brother, and I always knew he had my back. He has left us far too soon,” added McMillan.

The Pittsburgh, Pa., native was named to the All-NBA Second Team and All-Defensive First Team in 1977-78. He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 1978-79.

Lucas most recently served as an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers for five seasons from 2005-10, and previously in 1988-89.

The Trail Blazers honored Lucas by retiring his uniform number (No. 20) on Nov. 4, 1988.