Scalabrine wrote:This has been a really rough injury for most. If it requires surgery then he's definitely out for the rest of this year and probably will miss a good chunk of next year too. If it just requires a shaving of it with rest and rehab, then he's gonna be out at least a month, but probably more given the nature of his game and his size. Here are a few recent examples of players with meniscus injuries.
James Wiseman tore his meniscus almost one year ago to the date and still hasn't played.
Jaren Jackson Jr was out for 8-9 months with his meniscus tear.
Al Farouq Aminu tore his meniscus and also needed about a year recovery and never really came back from it. He was only 29 and coming off his best season as a pro when he tore it so it's not like he was on his last legs or anything.
Colin Sexton tore his at the beginning of the season and missed the entire year after resting for a period of time with no luck
Zion Williamson tore his in 2019 and has had a myriad of complications, including knee swelling since.
Dean Wade JUST had surgery on it after hoping it would heal after a period of rest and is not deemed out for the season.
If you can find another example of a guy coming back sooner than I'd love to know but to me, all signs point to him not being back till mid May at the earliest, which is the start of the conference finals. Thats only if he doesn't have to have surgery, which I haven't even seen an example of.
Strictly going off of recent history of this injury, Its more likely that he's done for the season than he comes back. I have no idea the extent or location of the tear though so obviously cant say anything with any level of confidence.
bisme37 wrote:Woj says Rob will decide between two different options for surgery. One could have him back in 4-6 weeks, and the other would be definitely season ending. I'm assuming the 2nd one is the better long term option or of course you'd go for the shorter recovery time.
The options are basically removing the damaged part of the meniscus or trying to stitch it back together and let it heal. For a long time the former was done almost exclusively. Recently research on the importance of the meniscus and new techniques have made repair more possible, but it's still a minority procedure.
I tore mine and had it shaved in the past year. After a month I was cleared, but it took me a few months to feel normal and for extra post activity swelling to subside. And I'm not a large, explosive, world class athlete.
If I was a young, professional athlete, I would absolutely try to have it repaired. Depending on the shape, length, and position of the tear (the more blood gets to the area the better), the prognosis for repair is better/worse, and in a lot of those cases they will recommend taking out the damaged part as chances of success are relatively low. Newer research suggests that repairing is better whenever possible, though, long term and new techniques make it more possible for more types of tear than previously. I know that Williams must be desperate to get back with the team - esp given the run they're on now going into the playoffs - but he's 24 with a hopefully long career ahead of him. He needs to give himself the best chance he can to avoid chronic deterioration shortening his career. He also has access to world class doctors and cutting edge rehab tech. I hope he goes for the repair if it's at all possible.
