Robert Williams Ruled Out Thursday For 'Injury Management' Because Time Is A Flat Circle

Death, taxes, and Robert Williams III appearing on an NBA injury report with the phrase "injury management" attached to his name. The Portland Trail Blazers center has officially been ruled out for Thursday's game, according to Underdog NBA.

At this point, Williams sitting out for maintenance is less of a breaking news update and more of a scheduled programming block. You could set your watch to his injury updates, assuming your watch also randomly stops working for weeks at a time.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Robert Williams (injury management) ruled out Thursday.'"

When the guy actually laces them up, he is a genuine problem in the paint. He hovered around 7.5 points and 8 rebounds per game in his limited 2023-24 action, proving he can still anchor a defense, clean the glass, and catch lobs with the best of them.

But availability is the best ability, and Williams has treated the basketball court like a timeshare. For anyone looking at Thursday's slate, his absence means a massive hole in the middle of the Portland rotation that completely changes the rebounding math.

Opposing big men usually circle this exact scenario on the calendar. Without Williams lurking around the rim to swat shots into the third row, the paint opens up significantly, making interior props a lot more interesting for whoever the Blazers are playing.

Portland will have to shuffle their frontcourt minutes to survive the night. Until Williams can string together a few months without his knees requiring a load-management summit, expect these random Thursday absences to remain a staple of the Blazers' season.