TUALATIN - Portland Trail Blazers backup center Cody Zeller will undergo surgery Friday to repair a broken nose suffered during Monday night’s 121-107 loss to Golden State at the Moda Center.
“His joint was flat, all the way flat, crushed,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said following Wednesday’s practice. “They tried to get it to where they could set it and it didn’t work out. He has to have surgery on it.”
The injury occurred late in the third quarter when Warriors forward Andre Iguodala accidentally banged his right elbow down onto Zeller’s face after dunking the basketball.
“Just unlucky, too,” Billups said. “On a play like that. I felt bad for Cody.”
Zeller, on the other hand, was all smiles outside of the team’s practice facility talking to someone. Zeller’s nose certainly was swollen but he was in good spirits.
“I’m okay,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”
Billups said Zeller would get fitted for a mask but didn’t know how long he would be out. Billups said he hoped the injury wouldn’t prevent Zeller from playing in the regular-season opener on Oct. 20.
“I know what I hope but I’m not sure,” Billups said.
In Zeller’s absence, Billups said that backup power forward Larry Nance Jr. would become the backup center and that starting power forward Robert Covington could also see time at center behind starter Jusuf Nurkic.
The only other real possibility on the roster is Marquese Chriss, who is signed to a non-guaranteed contract.
In 12 minutes on Monday, Zeller put up eight points and seven rebounds.
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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