The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Houston Rockets for two straight games, this time in the form of a 111-105 home victory thanks to a lopsided 34-15 fourth quarter. Portland now has the longest active winning streak in the NBA at five games. They've also won seven of their last eight, placing them firmly in the playoff conversation with a 9th-place Western Conference standing at 19-20.
The one downside to Portland's upset is the loss of valuable two-way center Robert Williams III, who exited the contest early due to a knee injury. Williams now joins what was already an extensive injury list for Portland. Unfortunately, it's also not surprising, considering his extensive injury history.
Time Lord has a reputation as one of the most injury-prone players in the association, exceeding 35 games in just two of his seven previous seasons. That stat alone should make Williams a trade candidate for the Blazers leading up to the Feb. 5 deadline. But other factors at play make trading him essentially a no-brainer.
After being relatively quiet in the previous seasons, the Blazers were expected to be active at the deadline, with Williams being their most likely trade candidate. He's not an ideal fit for their rebuilding roster at 28. They just took back-to-back centers in the draft, he's unreliable due to injury, and also he's on an expiring $13.3 million contract.
It remains to be seen how bad the injury he suffered in Portland's win over Houston truly was. But hopefully, Williams is able to recover before the deadline. This should be a wake-up call for Portland's front office that they can't invest in Williams for the long haul, and they would be better off trading him for something rather than letting him walk in free agency.
Admittedly, trading Williams would still leave the Blazers vulnerable in the frontcourt. Donovan Clingan has been great, but questions remain regarding Yang Hansen and Duop Reath's ability to make an immediate impact.
Still, Williams' latest injury, no matter the extent, should serve as the latest reality check that Portland can no longer rely on the player they previously made a key piece in their initial Jrue Holiday trade with the Boston Celtics.
When healthy, Williams has proven to be a strong fit with his two-way impact as a lob threat, rim protector, and versatile defender. Unfortunately, the Blazers can't consistently rely on Williams to be available, as evidenced by this latest injury.
With their latest first-round picks and Williams' expiring contract, this presents a golden opportunity for Portland to pull the plug on this experiment for such a talented but injury-prone player.