LaMarcus Aldridge

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Casey Holdahl

While The Blazers Balcony and Brief Case SHOULD be the top podcasts in your hearts, there's no lack of great NBA interviews to consume these days. Case in point: the latest "All The Smoke," hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, whose guest this week is former Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

The whole episode is worth watching but the parts about his career in Portland, his relationship with Brandon Roy and Damian Lillard and his eventual exit to San Antonio, which are probably of most interest to Trail Blazers' fans, starts around the 30 minute mark. Some very interesting perspectives and stories from Aldridge, who could be a pretty tough nut to crack during his playing days but has really opened up in his retirement.

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LaMarcus Aldridge Discusses Career, Relationships with Roy and Lillard On 'All The Smoke'

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Aldridge on Portland: 'I Have Nothing But Love For This City'

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It's been a while since we checked in on NBA.com's weekly "Race To The MVP Ladder" rankings, so let's catch up on where LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard stack up among the most valuable players in the NBA this season.

Aldridge comes in at No. 6 this week, a four-spot improvement from last week ...

After taking the first two games this season, the Trail Blazers could clinch the season series with the Thunder by winning tonight's game, always a nice ace to have up your sleeve in case the Western Conference playoff race comes down to tiebreakers. Portland, as we saw on Sunday versus the Grizzlies, needs Aldridge to beat the best teams in the league, and with the way Westbrook has been playing, the Thunder certainly qualify as one of the best right now.

Aldridge is ranked behind Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague at No. 5 and ahead of Golden State guard Klay Thompson at No. 7.

As for Lillard, he comes in at No. 9 this week, two spots lower than last week ...

Wednesday night's performance was a step in the right direction for Lillard and Wesley Matthews, both of whom have experienced minor lulls in their three-point shooting percentage since the start of February. But both players, particularly Lillard, have tried to attack the basket more often while waiting for the three ball to come back around, so it's not all bad.

Lillard is ranked behind Grizzlies center Marc Gasol at No. 8 and ahead of Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry at No. 10.

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Aldridge, Lillard Keep Pace In NBA 'Race To The MVP' Rankings

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TUALATIN -- After missing Sunday night's game with a sprained right thumb, everyone in attendance for Wednesday's practice wanted to know one thing: LaMarcus Aldridge's status for Wednesday night's nationally-televised contest versus the Spurs at the Moda Center (tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm on ESPN, KGW and 620 AM). And in no uncertain terms, the 6-11 power forward said he would be suiting up to play against his idol Tim Duncan and the rest of the reigning NBA Champions.

"I practiced the last couple days," said Aldridge, who was on the court shooting prior to Sunday night's game. "I did some stuff yesterday, did some things together. It feels better so I’ll be out there tomorrow."

Aldridge not playing in Sunday night's loss to the Grizzlies came as somewhat of a surprise, as it was not know that the four-time all-star had sprained his right thumb during the Feb. 20 loss to the Jazz in Salt Lake City. Aldridge scored eight points in the first quarter of that game, but finished with just 14 points on 16 shots, perhaps due to the injury to the thumb on his shooting hand, which he said he felt instantly.

"I felt it right when I did it in the game," said Aldridge. "That’s why I was kind of mentally out of it the last game after that happened in the second half because I was just wondering if it was something serious. It was hurting instantly and then after the game it was just swollen."

Of course, Aldridge is already playing through a torn ligament in his left thumb, prompting Aldridge to joke with reporters at practice on Wednesday that "I don't have any more thumbs to get rid of." And while the injuries are obviously unrelated, the team felt it was best to take a cautious approach to the right thumb sprain, even after x-rays and MRIs came back negative.

"I think it got smacked or something in the game," said Aldridge. "It was just pretty tender. And it was swollen, so wanted to be safe with it. I already have the one injury on one hand, I didn’t want to make this one worse. So I played it safe and I feel better now."

The team is still being as cautious as they can with Aldridge -- he only did light running and shooting during Tuesday's practice -- but after a couple of days of light duty, he's determined to give it a go Wednesday in an important game against a team jockeying for Western Conference playoff position.

"When I first did it, it was pretty bad, so I thought it was something serious," said Aldridge. "But now it’s not as bad anymore so I feel good about taking those days off."

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Aldridge (Right Thumb) Will Play Wednesday Versus Spurs

LaMarcus Aldridge had been a mainstay of the NBA.com "Race To The MVP" ladder for much of the season, rising to as high as No. 3 to start 2014 after leading the Trail Blazers to one of the best records in the NBA. Aldridge held the three-spot for a month before the first signs of a groin injury that would sideline the three-time All-Star took a bite out of his effectiveness.

He fell out of the Top 10 completely after the All-Star break as he struggled to find his rhythm after the groin injury, just as the Trail Blazers struggled to win close games against playoff-caliber teams. So by time his lower back was contused in the March 12 loss to the Spurs, Aldridge was already out of the MVP conversation.

But seeing how bad the Trail Blazers could be without Aldridge seems to have reminded people just how good he has been this season. After losing three-straight games with Aldridge on the bench, included a 30-point blowout loss to the Bobcats and a double-digit loss to the Orlando Magic, the 6-11 power forward returned to the lineup and almost instantly turned the team's fortunes. Since his return in the March 27 game against the Hawks in Atlanta, the Trail Blazers have rattled off four-straight wins and look like the team that some considered, at least at one point earlier in the season, as a darkhorse to win the Western Conference.

And the MVP ranking has taken notice. By virtue of righting the ship at just the right time, Aldridge returns to the MVP Ladder this week, coming in at No. 8 ...

When the Blazers went 4-1 without Aldridge after the All-Star break, you heard whispers here and there that maybe the team could actually be better without him. But the way the team struggled in their second stint with Aldridge on the injured list was definitive proof that this team goes nowhere without their best player. It also proved his qualifications as an MVP-caliber player this season.

Aldridge is ranked behind Golden State's Stephen Curry at No. 7 and ahead of New York's Carmelo Anthony at No. 9.

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LaMarcus Aldridge's Triumphant Return To the NBA.com MVP Rankings

You can listen to the podcast on Soundcloud or you can subscribe and listen to the Rip City Report on iTunes.

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Podcast: Rip City Report, Episode 12

A quiet day at the team's facility in Tualatin with the Trail Blazers holding practice at home for the first time since leaving for a five-game road trip on March 6. Not too much to report other than Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts saying that LaMarcus Aldridge, who suffered a lower back contusion in the March 12 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio, will be out for Tuesday's game against the Bucks at the Moda   Center. Stotts also said Aldridge will likely be questionable for the upcoming game on Thursday against the Wizards.

"We'd like to get him back as soon as he's ready," said Stotts, "but we want to make sure he's ready to go. When he's ready to play, he'll play."

The initial prognosis was that Aldridge would sit out the games against the Pelicans and Warriors, after which he would be re-evaluated. Aldridge only stopped using crutches Sunday and has not practiced since the injury, so news that he will miss his third-consecutive game and possibly another after that is not all that surprising.

“I landed on my right side on my back," Aldridge said at the team's shootaround in New Orleans last Friday. "When you walk, the back on your right side moves, so it was just painful. That’s why I’m not back walking yet because I have that contusion on the right side of my back, which makes it painful to walk.”

The Trail Blazers are 5-2 this season with Aldridge on the bench. He missed five games immediately following the All-Star break with a strained left groin. Dorell Wright has started in Aldridge's place in those seven games and is averaging 8.9 points on 54 percent shooting from the field and 52 percent shooting from three, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a starter.

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Aldridge Out Versus Bucks, Questionable Versus Wizards

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