Brandon Roy informed the media recently that he no longer has any meniscus remaining in either of his knees. This came after the Blazers played the Lakers and Ron Artest decreed to the media after the game: “I’ve played against Brandon Roy a lot of times. He wasn’t himself.”

After reading this, I immediately asked myself: Does this mean Roy has any game left in his knees? He has already had his knee drained multiple times this year, and countless other times during his career.

In total Roy has had 4 knee surgeries during his career, with two per knee. Two of his surgeries occurred as a Blazer; one procedure in 2008 and another procedure in 2010. That is a lot of surgery to have done at the age of 26. The

Roy missed significant time last year, and forced his way back into the playoffs, where he was blatantly not at his regular level of play, and the Blazers were ineffective and not long for the playoffs.

My primary concern now is Brandon Roy might not be long for the NBA. This is devastating news considering the failure of Greg Oden and the fact that Roy has a max deal contract and might not be able to play it out.

If Roy’s injury gets any worse the Blazers roster and cap room might crippled equivocally as Roy’s knee.

Roy will have to take medicine for the remainder of his career in order to reduce and monitor the swelling in his knees. In the short term of his life, he might be able to play, but the side effects of these anti inflammatory medicines force Roy into being monitored by doctors to insure his liver and kidney functions are not damaged.

Roy has had 2 prodedures on each of his knees.

I have pondered what a meniscus injury might mean to a player’s career regarding Chris Paul’s knee, and the same applies now to Roy, but even Roy’s scenario is worse as his knee has zero meniscus remaining. There is no existence of a degenerative condition that will gradually lead to bone on bone contact in Roy’s knee. Roy’s knee is currently bone on bone. Oh yeah, and let me reiterate that Roy has had 4 surgical procedures to his knees. Bad situation.

The former Rookie of the Year and three time NBA All Star whom the Blazers have relied heavily on during offense sets, designed strictly for Roy to capitalize on his ability to go one-on-one, will have to reinvent his game to remain effective for a legitimate chance at a prolonged NBA career.

Aaron Brooks of the Houston Rockets has been on the record stating he will likely miss four to six weeks of action due to a severely sprained ankle. This could be very bad for the 1-5 Rockets who are now facing a potentially devastating amount of time without their “most improved player” from last year now sidelined.

4-6 weeks fellas...

Kyle Lowry figures to step in and assume the majority of the minutes at the point while Brooks recovers, but with the Rockets thin at the Point, things are looking grim in Houston. However, Lowry is also recovering from injury at the moment, so it is uncertain what impact he might have.

Brooks was building on his breakout season and was posting 16.4 points and 5.4 assists per game.

Ishmael Smith will be thrust into prime time NBA action, ready or not, and try to help the Rockets stay afloat. Smith had 6 assists November 7th against Minnesota, another team thin at the point (even more ridiculous when you take consider how many PGs David Kahn drafted and signing Luke Ridnour), but Smith only connected on 3-11 shots, and is shooting .250 from the field for the season.

Houston looks to be facing grim times ahead if they can’t figure out a way to win without Brooks.

Rodney Stuckey of the Detroit Pistons collapsed after suffering from a seizure during a timeout with 2:30 remaining in the 3rd quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to television commentators, Stuckey experienced a “violent seizure” and according to those who watched as it happened, it was a very serious and frightening matter.

The game ceased for 12 minutes as medical staff members who were on the scene treated him. He left the arena on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask, and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation and testing.

Stuckey missed 2 games earlier this season in November because he experienced dizziness, which, after the seizure tonight, likely could have been the precursor to this seizure. It is hard to imagine the two occasions are unrelated.

Stuckey is the future of the Detroit Pistons. (Credit: picapp.com)

If these occurrences are related, which makes more sense then them not, it blows my mind that the testing and monitoring of Stuckey’s health didn’t probe deeply enough to find any potential future health problems or risks that might have caused this.

The scarier question to ask is whether or not doctors possessed knowledge of such risks for Stuckey but allowed him to play anyway. Even worse is the possibility that doctors simply didn’t fully grasp the seriousness or true natureof his condition until now.

Stuckey is unquestionably the face of the Pistons franchise moving into the future. He is your ideal guard, standing 6’5″ and 205, possessing the ability to score and distribute. He is also considered the least likely Piston to be traded, as Joe Dumars absolutely loves him.

One thing is certain for the Pistons future: this matter is very serious, and the future is murky at best right now.

I sincerely wish my best to Stuckey and his family and my thoughts and prayers go out to them. I hope that Stuckey receives the proper medical care and treatment he needs to full recovery and that he can make his way back on the court after doing so.

Shaquille O’Neal of the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a severely sprained thumb during the first half against the Boston Celtics, and did not return.

This is a huge blow for the front court of the Cleveland Cavaliers, leaving them depleted in the middle.

Shaq has been a force for Cleveland of late. (Credit: picapp.com)

The injury occurred after O’Neal pump faked Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who then jumped into the air, slapped at the ball, connecting with Shaq’s hand and forcefully bending his thumb backwards.

Shaq immediately made his way to the locker room, and did not return. Here is a clip from TNT showing the injury:

It is unknown how much time Shaq might miss, but the initial prognosis by teams Doctors reported that although x rays were negative for any fractures, they did reveal a severe sprain.

Expect O’Neal to miss some time as his thumb recovers. At least now he has a legitimate excuse for his horrible free throw shooting. Who knows, maybe he starts making more if he is luckily “injured” into being a better shooter.

Cleveland has already been against the ropes since the All Star weekend, having gone 1-3 since returning to the court.

With Zydrunas Ilguaskas gone because of the Antawn Jamison trade, and unable to rejoin the Cavs for 30 days, Cleveland has just encountered a devastating loss.

Shaq had been playing rather well for Cleveland this month, and the Cavs are now left searching within themselves to step it up without a big in the middle.

Marcus Camby became the latest casualty to join the Portland Trail Blazers walking wounded, spraining his ankle after playing 5:13 minutes of the first quarter.

Camby now joins Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla as the latest Blazers center to succumb to an injury. Perhaps there’s a curse against the Blazers center position? Did Greg Oden’s nude photos cast some sort of karmic spell against them?

The Blazers have had incurred more injuries this year than (roughly) the majority of the league combined.

Portland's playoff chances ride on Camby's recovery (Credit:Yahoo Sports)

Fortunately Portland was playing against the atrocious New Jersey Nets, and could have won the game regardless if they had a center on the floor or not. No seriously, Brandon Roy and 4 NBA D League players could potentially overthrow New Jersey.

The 37-year-old Juwan Howard was again summoned back into the middle, and finished the game with 9 points and 5 rebounds in 25 minutes.

There are pressing issues Portland now faces. They looked to secure a playoff spot with the acquisition of Camby. The trade was made to fill the middle knowing Howard can’t last 25-30 minutes on a nightly basis at age 37.

The good thing the Blazers can hope for is Camby living up to his reputation for being a warrior and battling through injuries and continuing to play. Depending on the severity of the injury, Camby should return to the lineup earlier than predicted.

He will likely strap on the tape, and grind out some tough, much needed minutes to help the Blazers. After having suffered on the Clippers for the past two years, any hint at a playoff birth is motivation to fight past a gimpy ankle endure.

Ultimately, the Blazers season now rides on Camby’s resilience.

Josh Howard’s season went from bad to worse after viciously tearing his ACL tonight against the Chicago Bulls, ending his season. Howard was playing his third game with Washington after recently being the centerpiece acquired by Washington in the blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Wizards finished the game victoriously over the Bulls, 101-95.

Howard was thriving and playing basketball with a new resurgence after changing scenes, upping his average or 12 points as a Maverick to 17 as a Wizard. He was emerging as the 6th man for the new-look youth movement Wizards.

Howard's knee sprain did not look nice. (Credit: NBA TV)

It’s unfortunate he tweaked his knee the way he did tonight. But after a season involving firearms, breaking up the core of large contracts for salary cap alleviation, nothing surprises me at this point. Just another “bad break” in Washington, no pun intended (well, of course there is a little pun intended).

For those who have not yet witnessed this, be warned, it is a sure-fired stomach turning type injury. Howard’s knee turns outward in a fashion that defies what the leg is anatomically designed to do.  Simply put, this had to hurt a lot.

Lets hope that if Howard’s season is over (very possible) he doesn’t resort to medical marijuana for his form of pain relief. Due to the freakish nature of the video, I deem this injury Shaun Livingston light:

Brandon Roy re-aggravated his hamstring injury during his return from a 12 game absence. After the Blazers acquired Marcus Camby to replenish their depleted frontcourt, things were starting to look good for salvaging the season, and making a push at deeper run in the playoffs.

Roy has stated today he will play on Friday, but should he?

Roy can play through pain, but rest is the only way to heal a hamstring. (Credit: picapp.com)

Now that Brandon Roy, the team’s heart and soul, faces the possibility of an extended absence, the Trail Blazers must have concerns about their chances finishing the season strong.

Roy didn’t sound optimistic (perhaps he was simply frustrated) regarding his injury, according to his statements available on blazersedge.com:

• Do you feel like this could be with you for the rest of the season?
• I think if this [pain] is with me the whole season then I don’t really have a shot at playing. This is bad. I don’t know. It’s something I have to talk to coach about. It’s to the point where I can’t play because it hurts too bad.
• Do you feel your season is in jeopardy?
• Yeah, I feel like that. I felt like that last night after practice, being on the bench. I talked to LaMarcus and he’s like ‘What do you do next?’ Me, I don’t know. I don’t know where to go. Two week stretches isn’t doing it. We don’t have that much longer in the season. I definitely feel like my season has been pretty messed up by this.
• Do you feel like this could be with you for the rest of the season?
• I think if this [pain] is with me the whole season then I don’t really have a shot at playing. This is bad. I don’t know. It’s something I have to talk to coach about. It’s to the point where I can’t play because it hurts too bad.
• Do you feel like things are set up now with Camby and you’re missing out?
• Yeah that’s something I definitely think about. We’ve got Camby. People expect me to play and I’m not able to. We still have a good team. With Marcus being able to come to this team we feel like we have a chance to make the playoffs. It’s tough for me, I’d like to be a part of it.

These are extremely alarming statements for Blazer fans. Apparently, Roy has contemplated shutting it down for as long as it takes to fully recover. Which can be a long period of time, I have discovered.

The bad news is that hamstring injuries, in general, take a longer time for the body to recover from. I decided to investigate this and found the following discouraging factors for Roy, courtesy of the University of Michigan and University of Iowa Health Care sites.

From the University of Michigan:

• How long will the effects last?
• The length of recovery depends on many factors such as your age, health, and if you have had a previous hamstring injury. Recovery time also depends on the severity of the injury. A mild hamstring strain may recover within a few weeks, whereas a severe injury may take 6 weeks or longer to recover. You need to stop doing the activities that cause pain until the muscle has healed. If you continue doing activities that cause pain, your symptoms will return and it will take longer to recover.
• When can I return to my normal activities?
• Everyone recovers from an injury at a different rate. Return to your activities will be determined by how soon your hamstring recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury has occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better. The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your normal activities as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury.

From The University of Iowa Health Care:

• There are 3 degrees of strains:
  1.    A slight strain or pull results in a sore muscle the next day. Walking or slow jogging is not inhibited and recovery time is 1 to 2 weeks.
  2.    A hard strain or pull occurs while exercising, as in sprinting. The exercise must be stopped right away. The muscle is tender and aches, and bruises may develop 3 to 6 days later. Bending the knee, walking, and jogging are difficult and recovery takes 3 to 4 weeks.
  3.    The most serious hamstring strain produces such severe pain that the person may collapse. Walking is impossible. Severe bruising occurs in 3 to 4 days. Crutches may be needed for a week or two and recovery can take as much as 10 weeks. Seek medical care for severe strains.

Based on how Brandon Roy has missed 12 games over the period of a month, it is a safe assumption that Roy’s injury is not a Grade 1 strain.

Since Roy played 15 minutes last night against the Clippers, it rules out the severity level of a Grade 3 strain. So lets assume Roy is back to square one, with a Grade 2 strain.

According to the University of Iowa, the estimated recovery time for a Grade 2 strain is approximately 3-4 weeks, which is the exact amount of time Roy previously sat out.

However, the University of Michigan states that if you had previously injured the hamstring, and be it somewhat severe in nature (I consider a grade 2 strain somewhat severe), it can take up to “6 weeks or longer to recover.”

This means his injury and aggravation compounds his recovery time. Not good.

A six-week absence, or longer, would render Brandon Roy out of action until early April, or later. With Marcus Camby aboard, the Blazers might be able to make the playoff push.

After all, the Blazers have been resilient in pushing through countless injuries this season, so to their credit, this is somewhat realistic.

They currently rank 8th with New Orleans, Memphis, and Houston trailing 3-4 games behind. The bad news (yes, there is more)? Portland is 5-7 during the 12 games without Roy.

Hopefully Marcus Camby will make a difference, and the Blazers hold off for the 8th playoff spot until Roy recovers.

That is of course, if they can find a way to be more optimistic than Roy was last night.

Lets just hope that Roy decision to play Friday doesn’t send him down the path of nagging and recurring hamstring injuries that last longer than this year.

Chris Paul is having knee surgery. The projected timetable for his return is varying based on which report you read, and the New Orleans Hornets must be concerned about their 2009-10 season being a wash.

Hornets fans already know this, but for those who do not follow them closely, you should take a closer look at rookie PG Darren Collison.

Paul will lead his team from the sidelines until his knee recovers. (Credit: picapp.com)

When Paul went down earlier in November, Collison stepped in, leading the Hornets to a 4-3 record. He put up solid numbers, and his averages when starting are very good: 15.1 points, 7.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds.

It also can’t hurt Collison to have been Chris Paul’s understudy all year. That alone is a huge benefit boding well for his future as the interim starter for the Hornets.

The long term effects of this injury are unknown, as a long term prognosis has yet to be diagnosed. One thing is an absolute certainty: Chris Paul is the face of the franchise, and rushing him back under any circumstances is not worth the risk.

You want to avoid seeing Paul end up with a Michael-Redd-like scenario at any possible cost.

The Hornets backcourt will undergo some serious litmus tests in the coming days, as both starters will be rookies Collison and Marcus Thornton. Thorton has emerged as a valid scorer, and Collison is coming off 17 points and 18 assists in has last game.

Will these guys hit the rookie wall? We are getting to the point of the season where the rookies start to fall off statistically, so the timing of Paul’s injury could ultimately implode the Hornets if both Collison and Thornton run out of gas.

I think Collison is safe from the wall. He is a quality player, and he would likely be a starter on many other teams. However, since Paul was netting 38:42 minutes a game, Collison is essentially fresh enough to really come on strong during the second half.

I am high on Collison, and believe he will step up and produce in a  big time fashion for the Hornets. I just think that the second unit will be depleted to the point that the Hornets’ first unit will find themselves playing catch up every time they check back into the fray.

Get well Chris Paul, but please don’t rush back. No matter how good Collison plays, nobody will forget about you.

]]> http://protectthepaint.com/2010/02/01/chris-paul-injury-will-test-darren-collison/feed/ 0 http://protectthepaint.com/2010/01/13/blake-griffin-to-have-knee-surgery-out-for-season/ http://protectthepaint.com/2010/01/13/blake-griffin-to-have-knee-surgery-out-for-season/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:02:20 +0000 Adam Sedie http://protectthepaint.com/?p=3575

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that Blake Griffin will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his fractured patella. Griffin was slated to return this month but after increasing his rehabilitation workload he experienced pain, and it was then discovered that his knee cap was not healing as well as first anticipated.

Blake Griffin will have to wait until next year (Credit: ESPN)

Griffin had been running on an anti-gravity treadmill and using other sorts of futuristic rehabilitation devices, but unfortunately invasive surgery will be the only way to heal his ailing knee.

Griffin showed major promise during the preseason before succumbing to injury, but now joins the list of #1 draft pick disappointments for the Clippers. Perhaps the “Clippers Curse” is alive and well in this new decade. Griffin unfortunately also joins former #1 draft selection Greg Oden as recent #1 overall picks not playing in their first season due to injury.

The Clippers have been managing to play well without him this year, so at least he will not be bearing the brunt of bust chatter as Oden did. Besides, Clippers fans are used to this sort of thing by now. It is not like they passed on Michael Jordan, and drafted Sam Bowie.

Luol Deng has been on a tear of late, albeit playing with a fracture in his left thumb, shining brightly for an otherwise abysmal Chicago Bulls team. He has been putting up the numbers that were expected of him when he signed his 6-year $71 million contract.

Deng has been averaging 21.8 PPG, 8 RPG, and 3 APG over his last 5 games. His increased production has come at a strange time. It was announced yesterday that Deng has been playing the past week with a hairline fracture in his thumb that he sustained in practice.

Fortunately, the fracture is on his non-shooting hand. However, Deng states there are drawbacks in his game because he feels pain while dribbling or anytime he is grasping the ball:

“It hurts a lot. It affects me a little when I dribble and drive, but I want to play through it.”

Deng announced that he plans to play through the pain. This might not be the smartest move from a medical standpoint, his motivation for playing with the injury is justified after his leg injury and the bad rap the press gave him last year.

The injury was a fractured right tibia, and  his season as a whole was a disappointment for Chicago. He played 49 games and was shut down for the playoffs. Deng was unhappy people did not believe the severity of his injury.

The media’s mindset stemmed from the fact that after he was shut down for the year Deng was still able to play for Britian’s national team during the summer. Bad timing for him to get healthy when viewed through the looking glass of the media.

Dribbling is a painful process for Deng. (Credit: picapp.com)

This is likely a strong influence as to why Deng is playing through injury now. He wants to silence his critics while simultaneously proving his toughness. He is putting up solid numbers and making a healthy (no pun intended) contribution for the Bulls on a nightly basis.

Deng is the leading scorer for Chicago, and he is now leading the way with his toughness. If he helps the Bulls to some wins while battling through his painful injury, he might even win over some love from the media this season.