Can the Portland Trail Blazers survive playing without two starters for an extended period?
Late Monday night in the Pacific Northwest, the Blazers announced that CJ McCollum's foot injury -- previously reported as a sprain -- was in fact a rare hairline fracture of the lateral cuneiform in his left foot. He'll miss at least the next four weeks before being reevaluated.
McCollum's injury on Saturday night came two days after Portland lost starting center Jusuf Nurkic to a fractured wrist that will also sideline him an extended period. Without both players, the Blazers lost at home to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday afternoon, dropping them to 8-6. After falling to the eighth seed in 2019-20 because of injuries, is Portland looking at a similar fate this season? Who could the Blazers add to help replace Nurkic and McCollum? Let's break it down.