Robin Lopez active Tuesday – Trail Blazers practice notes
By David MacKay
Robin Lopez went through the Portland Trail Blazers practice on Monday and will be a game-time decision for Tuesday’s matchup with the Utah Jazz. Head coach Terry Stotts indicated that Lopez did well and should see the court if everything goes according to plan, though Lopez has some rust to knock off after missing seven weeks of action while recovering from a broken hand.
“[Lopez] practiced today. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and if everything goes well, he should be active,” Stotts said. “He’s been anxious to get out there and he’s been making good progress and ramping up things, but this is the first day that he had contact. He’s tough on himself. I think he would have liked to play better, but it was good see him out there with the guys.”
Teammate Wesley Matthews is eager to have Lopez back in the lineup because of the intangibles he brings to the team.
Oct 9, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) and guard Wesley Matthews (2) exchange a laugh during the first quarter of the game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
“He’s been working hard. I know this has been a tough time for him. Obviously it’s been a tough time for us not having him on the court, but he’s been working and he looked good out there,” Matthews said. “What RoLo does doesn’t always show up in the box score, but you can’t measure it. His tenacity and his effort and his will, just his IQ. He’s a huge piece of this team.”
The Trail Blazers have struggled in Lopez’s absence, most recently losing eight of their last 10 games. Matthews stated that the team is not gutting out winnable contests like they did in the first half of the season, but he believes that they will work back into form.
“We’re just not winning. We won ugly games, we won pretty games, we won games we weren’t supposed to win, we won games we were supposed to win. We just won. No matter what, we found a way to get a victory. We were a team that was pretty to watch and not fun to play against, and that’s what we have to get back to. And we will.”
Despite the Trail Blazers’ rough stretch, Lopez feels that his teammates have stepped up admirably to fill his shoes. They should continue to contribute well upon his return.
“I’ve always thought we had a very deep team,” Lopez said. “A lot of guys played great games and it’s difficult not playing consistently in the NBA, but I think it’s a testament to how well people have played when their names have been called.”
When asked about how he spent his time off, specifically Super bowl Sunday, Lopez was in good, albeit cynical spirits.
“I didn’t watch [the Super bowl], I watched the Puppy bowl. The Super bowl is too commercial. Actually, I’m going to stop watching the Puppy bowl, because that’s too commercial too. I’m going to watch the Kitten bowl instead.”
It is nice to see Lopez nearing a return. The Trail Blazer may need his services against the Jazz, who beat the Western Conference leading Golden State Warriors by double-digits in their last game. Their trio of big men, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, and Enes Kanter can be a lot to handle. Check in tomorrow to see if Lopez suits up.