Practice Report: CJ McCollum breaks foot, out indefinitely
CJ McCollum breaks foot
Terry Stotts initially told the media following practice Saturday that CJ McCollum had sprained his foot and left practice early.
However, the Trail Blazers public relations department later announced via twitter around 4:30 this afternoon that McCollum sustained a fracture of the 5th metatarsal bone. The Trail Blazers announce that a date has not been announced for surgery. This is the same left foot and same bone that McCollum broke during his senior season at Lehigh which also required surgery.
The Trail Blazers added that a prognosis will not be made until after the surgery is done.
Dorell Wright (dislocated right middle finger), Mo Williams (right ankle) practice, Earl Watson (left calf) was limited and Will Barton (concussion) was out
Dorell Wright and Mo Williams were both participating in the end of practice scrimmage at the practice facility on Saturday. The ankle had been bothering Williams and he did take a couple of hard falls, but he did finish the scrimmage even though it went to overtime. Will Barton is still out due to NBA concussion protocols.
Stotts said that the team will evaluate what the best course of action will be regarding the injured players participation in fan fest.
“I don’t know if Earl will play,” Stotts said. He added that Williams “did more than we expected so we will see what his status is.”
The priority for Stotts is having players ready for their first preseason game on Monday.
Expectations for the Wells Fargo Fan Fest
The Wells Fargo Fan Fest at the Moda Center is the annual event which really kicks the Trail Blazers’ season into gear. It is a free event with general admission seating and doors opening at 5 p.m. for the intra-squad scrimmage at 6 p.m.
Stotts recognizes the events importance for the fans and the franchise but emphasized that he wants the team to get better.
“You know, it’s meant for the fans and that’s the first thing we want to get accomplished for the franchise. From a basketball standpoint, we want for the four quarters for the guys to play serious and competitive. You know, it’s not a Globetrotters game. We want to work on all the things offensively and defensively that we’ve been doing all week.
Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen is the Trail Blazers beat reporter for The Columbian. He's a graduate of the Allen School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in addition earning a degree in Spanish. He's covered the NBA for four seasons. You can also occasionally find his work on ESPN.com's NBA section for their TrueCities series. He also fist-bumped with Kanye West once. Follow @BlazerBanter on twitter for more Blazers and NBA news.