Will the Portland Trail Blazers get Jusuf Nurkic back this year?

The Portland Trail Blazers’ injured big man Jusuf Nurkic has thus far been evasive when it comes to talking about his return to the court.

It was March 25, 2019. The Portland Trail Blazers were engaged in a brutal double-overtime game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Moda Center. With just under two-and-a-half minutes remaining, Jusuf Nurkic fell to the ground, his lower left leg twisted at an unnatural angle.

Replays show players on both sides quickly turning away, unwilling to look at the gruesome injury. The team’s broadcast crew made no attempt to show a replay. Stomachs turned all across Rip City as fans realized the vital big man was done for the season.

Nurkic suffered compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula, a complete break of both bones, similar to an injury suffered by Paul George in 2014, back when he was playing for the Indiana Pacers.

In that case, George returned to the court 8 months after his injury. It has now been 11 months since Nurkic broke his leg.

Naturally, they are different players with different body types. Even after reportedly losing 10 pounds during his rehab, Nurkic is around 270 pounds — 50 more than George currently weighs.

Back in January, Blazer fans rejoiced when video emerged of Nurkic engaged in practice. Damian Lillard noted that the big man had been a full participant for the first time. Hope sprang eternal.

A few days later we learned that Nurkic had suffered a calf strain during that injury, putting him back on the sidelines.

For over a week he disappeared from the Blazers’ bench. By all accounts, he has not returned to practice as a full participant.

Following Portland’s 106-100 loss to the Pacers on Thursday, Jason Quick of The Athletic (subscription required) cornered the Bosnian Beast in the Blazers’ locker room, asking him to give fans an update on his rehab. The reluctant remarks made by Nurkic were far from encouraging.

"“It’s hard to give hope because there is no dates (for my return), so it’s hard to talk about anything,” Nurkic said. “I have no dates, so all the rumors, they don’t make sense.”"

The Trail Blazers have been careful to avoid ever setting a timeline for Nurkic’s return.  Most rumors pointed to mid-February, or sometime after the all-star break. Both of those dates have come and gone, and it appears that a return is no closer to reality.

The reason given by Nurkic is that he hasn’t had a lot of chances to get on the court with the team.

"“All I know is I’m trying to figure out how I can get more practices, because we don’t have many practices,” Nurkic said. “That’s the only thing I can tell you. That’s the only reason I can come back: If I find somehow to practice.”"

Obviously, it’s hard to know if that excuse holds up without hearing from Coach Terry Stotts or General Manager Neil Olshey. NBA teams do practice less than they used to during the course of a season, and generally only hold walkthroughs and shootarounds while on the road.

The only person who knows if Jusuf Nurkic is ready is Jusuf Nurkic, and Portland is clearly not going to force him to come back before he’s ready.

Trade rumors aside, one might wonder if Olshey held onto Hassan Whiteside, knowing it might be longer than initially thought before his starting center returns. It’s also worth speculating whether, with just over 20 games remaining in the regular season, Portland might be best shutting down speculation and just saying Nurk is going to spend the Summer getting right and come back at full strength next season.

What say you? Should Portland put the rumors to rest and let Nurkic get himself right over another off-season, or would you like to see him come back, even if it’s just for the end stretch of the season?