Okur will have surgery for ruptured achillies

[TexFTW]

I thought that he was going to get injured while playing for Turkey during the World Championship this summer. Obviously he won't be playing for them now and that sort of buys him several months of much needed rest prior to preseason. Hopefully he won't gain a lot of extra weight and now he should have time to enjoy his daughter and come back extra motivated.

[BadabimBadabum]

it is official that he will be out for at least 8 months according to Turkish media. He will be in surgery in a few days. Probably he will miss the half season. Really bad blow for Jazz i hope this event make team get together and fight more. Okur will be missed.

[Neon Black]

...yes you CAN avoid those kinds of injuries by eating well...

Definitely a strong candidate for dumbest statement of the year award. Oh, darn you AK, if you only had eaten your porridge with organic non-sweetened apple sauce you'd be holding down the fort for us now. Curse your Russian barbaric love for sausages and gravy, you animal you!

Reality check: a strained muscle happens to the best of us.

Thanks for the "reality check", it's really helpful to have someone like you to determine the validity of my posts without making an actual argument.

Here's a reality check for you, big guy:

1. AK, on his official website, declared that "I don't really enjoy eating".
2. Because of the frequency of his injuries and his slim frame, the Jazz asked AK to "bulk up" last offseason...which he did, then subsequently lost all of the weight he had gained.
3. Look at him...dark rings around the eyes and thin...not a healthy thin; he's skinny even for a skinny person.
4. I'm not an organic food freak pushing a vegetarian diet. If anything he could use some meat.
5. Let's break down the frequency and nature of his injuries:

March 27, 2010 Left calf injury, day-to-day.
March 26, 2010 Missed 4 games (left calf injury).
March 19, 2010 Left calf injury, day-to-day.
March 17, 2010 Missed 2 games (left calf injury).
March 14, 2010 Left calf injury, day-to-day.
March 1, 2010 Missed 1 game (back spasms).
February 27, 2010 Back spasms, day-to-day.
February 26, 2010 Missed 2 games (back spasms).
February 22, 2010 Back spasms, day-to-day.
December 14, 2009 Missed 5 games (sore back).
December 5, 2009 Sore back, day-to-day.
December 4, 2009 Missed 1 game (back spasms).
November 30, 2009 Back spasms, day-to-day.
February 17, 2009 Missed 11 games (right ankle injury).
January 21, 2009 Right ankle injury, day-to-day.
December 5, 2008 Missed 2 games (right ankle injury).
December 2, 2008 Right ankle injury, day-to-day.
November 17, 2008 Missed 2 games (finger injury).
November 14, 2008 Finger injury, day-to-day.
April 2, 2008 Missed 2 games (right calf injury).
March 30, 2008 Right calf injury, day-to-day.
March 11, 2008 Missed 3 games (hip injury).
March 5, 2008 Hip injury, day-to-day.
February 6, 2008 Missed 1 game (flu).
February 4, 2008 Flu, day-to-day.
January 12, 2008 Missed 3 games (back injury).
January 4, 2008 Back injury, day-to-day.
April 16, 2007 Missed 5 games (left thumb injury).
April 11, 2007 Left thumb injury, remainder of the regular season.
April 9, 2007 Left thumb injury, sidelined indefinitely.
February 26, 2007 Missed 1 game (bruised left knee).
February 24, 2007 Bruised left knee, inactive list.
January 29, 2007 Missed 1 game (sprained right ankle).
January 27, 2007 Sprained right ankle, day-to-day.
November 24, 2006 Missed 5 games (sprained right ankle).
November 14, 2006 Sprained right ankle, inactive list.
April 19, 2006 Missed the last 2 games of the regular season (back spasms).
April 17, 2006 Back spasms, day-to-day.
March 3, 2006 Missed 1 game (back injury).
March 1, 2006 Back injury, day-to-day.
December 26, 2005 Missed 3 games (back injury).
December 20, 2005 Back injury, inactive list.
November 29, 2005 Missed 7 games (ankle injury).
November 14, 2005 Ankle injury, day-to-day.
April 20, 2005 Missed 14 games (left wrist injury).
March 26, 2005 Left wrist injury, injured list.
March 24, 2005 Left wrist injury, day-to-day.
February 23, 2005 Missed 1 game (sprained right ankle).
February 15, 2005 Sprained right ankle, day-to-day.
January 22, 2005 Missed 26 games (sprained right knee).
November 30, 2004 Sprained right knee, injured list.
January 26, 2004 Missed 4 games (ankle injury).
January 19, 2004 Ankle injury, day-to-day.
November 19, 2002 Missed 2 games (lower back strain).
November 15, 2002 Lower back strain, day-to-day.


Spasms, sprains, tweaks and bruises...almost all of them. The amalgamation of which totals a significant amount of games for the former all-star. So there you have it; I even broke my post down into separate points for you so you can deftly analyze each to determine how dumb they are.

[StocktonShorts]

We're treating this players as if they're all Honda lawnmowers: with some simple periodic maintenance they'll run forever and never breakdown.

In reality the human body is a very complex machine and each machine is unique. You can show that AK is more injury prone than another player based on games missed, but good luck proving why. Maybe it's just bad luck. Maybe it's genetic. Maybe it's conditioning or diet related.

I think it's also a possibility that the extra weight (put on by God knows what means at P3 -- probably anabolics) has CONTRIBUTED to AK's injuries this year.

[Neon Black]

You're right, there's no way to prove anything. As fans all we can do is discuss an speculate, and it seems to me like AK has some health issues due to nutrition. I had a guy friend who for some reason hated eating, and he was always in and out of the hospital because of torn muscles and fractured bones. It was weird, and maybe my opinion is skewed because of that experience.

Either way, I hope AK heals fully - I was never questioning his dedication to the game, and if we could resign him at a fair price he could be a bargain of a player to have around.

[Ern III]

I don't understand the hate.

Enjoy watching Fesenko, aka a mobile big shot blocking center with no offensive game. Somehow I don't think that spells championship either.

What are we learning today, people? That Memo's offense is superfluous and we need a defensive big. You're not paying attention otherwise.

[Beto]

Just want to wish Okur a speedy recovery! Thanks for the heart you demonstrated throughout the season, especially towards the end of the season given your injuries. Good luck!

[Fido]

What are we learning today, people? That Memo's offense is superfluous and we need a defensive big. You're not paying attention otherwise.

That is pretty oversimplified. The offense did well but I don't think you can expect everyone to shoot at that percentage night in night out. I agree the team needs some defense but disagree that Memo is "superfluous".

[Ern III]

What are we learning today, people? That Memo's offense is superfluous and we need a defensive big. You're not paying attention otherwise.

That is pretty oversimplified. The offense did well but I don't think you can expect everyone to shoot at that percentage night in night out. I agree the team needs some defense but disagree that Memo is "superfluous".

Of course I can't, but better (than even G2) defense more consistently means that shooting at that clip isn't required on a nightly basis. While opposing teams aren't walking it in for layups, dunks and free-throws at the other end, you run the bulk of the offense through Deron (a more threatening and willing scorer than Stock) and Boozer, and as long as your wings/smalls are accurate from beyond the shadow of the bucket, those two have ample space in which to operate. It's exactly the same recipe that got us to the finals twice. Tonight was the perfect example, even if, as you say, the shooting was above any reasonable standard.

[dalekjazz]

This is terrible. I remember Felton Spencer was never the same player after he ruptured his achilles.

[kebutah]

Years ago this was a career ending injury. Now some people return but only a few play like they did before the injury. It depends on the tear itself and the surgery. We can only hope it all works out.

[HammerDunk]

Some of you are forgetting the stellar defense Memo played when AK was in and healthy. He doesn't do that well when he has to bear all the load of a shot blocker, but when the threat of AK is around, it helps his defensive game a ton! I am fairly sure that if we had AK and Memo, we would be leading the series 2-0 at this point.

[Batu7]

Memo risked missing the World Championships in his own country where he had a chance to be forgiven by his comrades, and now he's missing it. That's dedication for the Jazz right there. Normally I don't like him very much, but huge props.

[Rinaldi]

according to initial reports after the injury on a European website, he is expected to miss at least 8 months, which means he probably will be available only for the playoffs next year.

[qman]

8 months--- April is the 4th month so 8 months from now is December. In other words Memo would miss around half of the regular season.

[Ming Kong!]

8 months--- April is the 4th month so 8 months from now is December. In other words Memo would miss around half of the regular season.

Not even, season always starts in the week between October/November, basically through December 21 it would about 25 games missed, that's not even a 3rd of the season.

[Stretch82]

according to initial reports after the injury on a European website, he is expected to miss at least 8 months, which means he probably will be available only for the playoffs next year.

According to his doctor in Turkey Prof. Dr. Mustafa Karahan who is in contact with Prof. Dr. Charles Saltzman in Utah, Memo won't be able to play for 4-6 months. Sounds optimistic, but meh...

http://memo13.com/index.asp?id=21115

Memo's Report Following Operation

Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur's doctor in Turkey Prof. Dr. Mustafa Karahan made the following announcement after speaking in detail with Prof Dr Charles Saltzman who performed the operation ; "Mehmet Okur was operated on Tuesday 20th of April at the University of Utah Ortopedic Center by the president of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS). Prof. Dr. Charles Saltzman. When I first found out that Memo had ruptured his Achilles tendon there was some talk of having his foot in a cast for four weeks. After such a delicate operation we knew that aggressive rehabilitation was the most accepted modern post surgery treatment to a healthy recovery, and we immediately established contact with Prof Dr. Ned Amendola at the University Of Iowa who is one of the mot prominent people in this field . Dr Amendola suggested that instead of having Memo travel to Iowa, the operation be performed by Dr Saltzman a very prominent expert in this field at nearby University of Utah.
Both Dr. Amendola and Dr. Saltzman were very kind and helpfull in all aspects until the actual starting time of the operation keeping me posted for which I thank them. The left Achilles tendon which was completely ruptured and was reconnected by 4 stitches and support was provided by the plantarias tendon which is a smaller tendon. Memo will start rehabilitation approximately 10 days after the operation and absolute movement should be established within 2-6 weeks later. From my conversation with Dr Saltzman I personally believe that Memo's return to actually playing a game status should be somewhere between 4-6 months depending on how things go.".

[carrottop12]

I'd be fine with Memo taking the first half of the season off and returning after the Christmas roadie.

Give him some time, make sure he's completely healthy, and then let him work his way back in over the stretch run of the second half of the season.