Blazers' Festus Ezeli has left knee injection, out 6 weeks
Portland's new center will miss the beginning of training camp
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Portland Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli had an injection in his left knee on Tuesday, and he'll miss the start of training camp. From the Trail Blazers:
Portland Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli had his left knee injected with a bone marrow aspirate concentrate and Orthovisc today in Chicago.
The injection, performed by Dr. Brian Cole, is intended to alleviate pain and improve function.
Ezeli will be sidelined for six weeks.
Ezeli's two-year, $14.7 million contract with the Blazers raised eyebrows, especially in a market where Timofey Mozgov got four years and $64 million from the Los Angeles Lakers. If Ezeli was willing to sign up for two years on the cheap, then it seemed like there had to be serious concerns about his knees. He missed the entire 2013-14 season recovering from right knee surgery, and he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in February, which caused him to miss most of the second half of last season and limited his effectiveness when he returned.
This injection, then, indicates that Portland was indeed worried about Ezeli's left knee. If it was causing him pain, then it was smart to do this now rather than during the season.
When Ezeli returns, he will not necessarily be given minutes to play himself back into form. Mason Plumlee will likely be the Blazers' starting center, and Ed Davis, Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh will all be battling for playing time behind him. This isn't an Andrew Bynum-in-Philadelphia situation just yet, but do not be surprised if it takes Ezeli a little while to get healthy and earn a spot in the rotation.
