The San Antonio Spurs announced on Saturday that LaMarcus Aldridge will be out indefinitely after experiencing minor heart arrhythmia. In a statement released early Saturday, the team has determined that Aldridge would be out of action "until further tests and examinations are completed." Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich kept it short when discussing the state of the five-time All-Star forward, saying, "He'll be out for an indefinite period of time, and that statement says everything."
Back in 2007, Aldridge was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which is "an extra electrical pathway between your heart's upper and lower chambers (that) causes a rapid heartbeat," according to the Mayo Clinic. The diagnosis resulted in LaMarcus missing the final nine games of his rookie campaign, and a couple additional contests of the following season when the condition cropped up again.
With just 18 games remaining until the playoffs, the Spurs are sitting comfortably in second place in the Western Conference and set themselves up in a nice spot where they can afford to lose some games, and sit their veteran players. However, Aldridge's condition goes well beyond basketball. LA needs to think first and foremost about his health, as well as life after playing in the NBA.
As for Pop, he doesn't seem to care where the team ends up in the postseason. “We don’t try to catch anybody,” he said, perNBA. “We just play. Where we end up, we end up." Hopefully, Aldridge can get back out there by the time the playoffs roll around.
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