Deandre Ayton's Ice-Based Absence Sounds Silly, but It's No Laughing Matter

In the world of sports, injury reports are usually as exciting as reading the phonebook. The information could be incredibly important—a star player returning from the sidelines can change the course of an entire season—but no one is going to be blown away by a list of names and body parts.

On Wednesday, though, Portland Trail Blazers big man Deandre Ayton proved to be a rare exception to the rule. While he was ruled out of the club's date with the Brooklyn Nets for a seemingly benign reason ("Not With Team") the surrounding context sounded like something ripped from a bad comedy movie.

First, we heard that Ayton was ready to play but couldn't make it to the arena. Later in the evening, we got a bit more context. He was unable to leave his neighborhood due to ice, and even the Blazers couldn't get him out.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Again, that sounds like something you might encounter in an old Adam Sandler movie or an episode of The Simpsons. Some wacky situation—maybe the freezer door stays open overnight or there's a strategically placed leak that freezes a lock shut—creates a small but impassible patch of ice. And try as everyone might, there's no way to escape.

The idea of Ayton, a 7-foot-tall professional athlete, being unable to leave his neighborhood, also sounds comical. How could he, combined with some external help, not be able to leave his neighborhood?

Well, in reality, things aren't a laughing matter.

As laid out by Oregon Live, Portland has been battered by a winter storm, which coated the city in ice. On Wednesday, the outlet cited multiple deaths, more than 165,000 people without power, plenty of fallen trees and 67 visits to the emergency room for cold-related conditions. This wasn't some silly little situation where the big man couldn't figure out how to get around a tiny patch of ice. It was a massive problem.

But if numbers don't help connect the dots, social media can provide a more tangible touchstone. The internet was filled with videos and photos of the ice in question, underscoring just how difficult it was to move around.

There was a silver lining for Ayton and the Trailblazers, though, at least from a purely sports-related perspective. Portland mounted a fourth-quarter comeback and beat the Brooklyn Nets thanks to a last-second Anfernee Simons jumper.

Portland next takes the court on Friday night when the Indiana Pacers come to town. Hopefully that time, combined with some (mildly) warmer weather, will give everyone an easier commute...Ayton included.