Leap Year - The Kemba Walker Thread III

[chabber]

Doesn't surprise me, I kinda thought he messed it up. I don't remember which game it was. Dude is a warrior for sure.

[JDR720]

yes. could be a big problem.

[HornetJail]

Same knee he had surgery on a year ago... Wonder if it's related or it just happened during the stretch run and just didn't tell anyone. If he's been playing on a torn meniscus it explains why he looked completely drained in game 7.

We rode him too hard this season.

[chabber]

Honestly, Kemba blows my mind in general with the little amount of injuries he has. Has anyone ever noticed how his foot looks completely sideways on the ground when he's doing certain crossovers or step backs? I don't even know how it's possible. It's got to be hell on his joints/knees.

[JDR720]

so. Kemba has knee problems, MKG has general injury problems, Nic has foot problems, Lin has ankle problems, Al has fat problems, Cody has shoulder problems.

pretty soon we will have to buy a 2nd D-League team for injury replacements.

[qiantom]

Coach has to manage minutes better.

[PG13]

so. Kemba has knee problems, MKG has general injury problems, Nic has foot problems, Lin has ankle problems, Al has fat problems, Cody has shoulder problems.

pretty soon we will have to buy a 2nd D-League team for injury replacements.

And Lamb has brain problem.

Not surprised by Kemba's injury, watchung the way he played and the heavy minutes he played. wish him a full speedy recovery.

[Joest2003]

Dude is a warrior. But it has to be very minor for him not to have missed any games or anything. He will be fine.

[fatlever]

Spencer Percy ‏@QCHspencer 32m32 minutes ago

Source tells me that Kemba tore the meniscus in his left knee sometime around a month ago and decided to play the season out w/ injury.

Spencer Percy ‏@QCHspencer 25m25 minutes ago

Source went onto state that it was a "pain tolerance" factor after the left knee meniscus tear. Doing further damage wasn't the fear.

Spencer Percy ‏@QCHspencer 24m24 minutes ago

Multiple meniscus tears for Kemba's left knee now. Question is when will this wear and tear start affecting his explosiveness?

[BatumtheGlue]

And a lot of us didn't realize that he played through injury. He is the true wolverine. Come back stronger Kemb!

[fatlever]

A source familiar with the situation told the Observer Walker’s surgery was more elective than something urgent. It was intended to relieve pain and wear and tear going forward.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nba/charlotte-hornets/article76518672.html#storylink=cpy

[bws94]

Lin did mention in a playoff interview of guys like Kemba, Marvin and Cody playing through a lot of pain. We knew about Cody. We find out about post-game Cliff comments on Marv's elbow, which we knew about but not how serious it was and now Kemba's knee about a week later. I really thought Kemba didn't show the effect of his injury in most games. Yeah, game 7 he did and game 6 took a lot out of him. The guy is a warrior.

[fatlever]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nba/charlotte-hornets/article76587142.html

[Eoghan]

Clifford is the best coach ever, he's basically the Sierra Mist of coaches. So far be it for me to criticize him but when Kemba is shooting like garbage or the game is way, way outta hand (like playing the Warriors at home) it would be nice if Coach didn't run Kemba into the ground futilely.

You would have persuaded me if you called Cliff the Fresca of coaches.

Nuh uh, there's nothing diet about Clifford's coaching. All the flavor and all the calories of set in stone rotations and uncompromising defensive schemes.

Randy Wittman is the Fresca of coaching.

[euphorbus]

It's really hard to believe that Coach Clifford refused to cut back on Walker's minutes even though he had a severe injury the last month of the regular season--one that required surgery after the playoffs, and on the same knee and injury as the previous season. The man has no conscience.

Walker tied LeBron James for fourteenth in minutes per game this season. I warned that an injury was likely to happen, the way the coach was using up both Walker and Batum without the slightest care for their long-term health. Eighty-two games in six months is more than the human body was meant to withstand, but especially if you are playing 35.6 minutes out of every 48, or 35 minutes in the case of Batum. It's the Tom Thibodeau school of coaching.

[kinein]

I'd like to see Kemba play in a system where he doesn't have to log 40+ minutes every game. I bet his numbers would surge.

Clifford plays his studs super long minutes because he doesn't trust the bench. And that is a problem that some have contrasted with how Steve Kerr approaches the game.

Because Kerr has the most reliable backups in the game. Ezeli is always going to bring defense and rebounding. Livingston is a steady defender, great mid-range game, and good passer. Igoudala is a do-it-all guy that will always contribute somehow. Even if part of their games are off, they are able to contribute in other ways. And even if those games are out or don't play well, they can come out with Varejao, Speights, Barbosa, Ian Clark, Brandon Rush...


Our bench is headlined by a super streaky PG in Lin, more highly inconsistent guys in Kaminsky, Lamb, and highly one-dimensional players like Al, Daniels, Hansbrough and everyone else was straight up useless. When they're on, they're on, but they cannot be relied on anywhere close to the level GS's second unit is relied on.

and that Goldenstate bench could get to the playoffs on their own, Igoudala is Starter Calibre, Livingston so is Ezeli, Barbosa, Varejao, Speights, Clark, Rush. Most teams in the NBA and a larger part in the East would find themselves below the standings if the warriors was just the bench.

What people may not know is Livingston was destined to be an elite nba star, ELITE, until his gruesome horrific injury. He's managed to not only make a come-back but build upon it, becoming an excellent guard in the league.

How many teams have players like this in their locker-room
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPR9s0pIFUA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZusxcEvIIQ - you can google or youtube his injury if you never saw it.

[fatlever]

We are very familiar with Livingston here in Charlotte. He was originally scheduled to play college at Duke, here in NC. He was being considered for the Bobcats first ever pick back in 2004 before we traded up to #2 to get Okafor. He wrecked his knee here in Charlotte in a game vs the Bobcats. He also later played for the Bobcats for a season. The Bobcats were one of the first teams to give him legitimate minutes upon his return from the injury.

[BigSlam]

We are very familiar with Livingston here in Charlotte. He was originally scheduled to play college at Duke, here in NC. He was being considered for the Bobcats first ever pick back in 2004 before we traded up to #2 to get Okafor. He wrecked his knee here in Charlotte in a game vs the Bobcats. He also later played for the Bobcats for a season. The Bobcats were one of the first teams to give him legitimate minutes upon his return from the injury.

My recollection was that Childress was going to be our pick?

And while he blew his knee out in a game against us, it was in LA (not Charlotte).


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[Diop]

We are very familiar with Livingston here in Charlotte. He was originally scheduled to play college at Duke, here in NC. He was being considered for the Bobcats first ever pick back in 2004 before we traded up to #2 to get Okafor. He wrecked his knee here in Charlotte in a game vs the Bobcats. He also later played for the Bobcats for a season. The Bobcats were one of the first teams to give him legitimate minutes upon his return from the injury.

My recollection

yeah but that was during the drinking years wasn't it?

[fatlever]

We are very familiar with Livingston here in Charlotte. He was originally scheduled to play college at Duke, here in NC. He was being considered for the Bobcats first ever pick back in 2004 before we traded up to #2 to get Okafor. He wrecked his knee here in Charlotte in a game vs the Bobcats. He also later played for the Bobcats for a season. The Bobcats were one of the first teams to give him legitimate minutes upon his return from the injury.

My recollection was that Childress was going to be our pick?

And while he blew his knee out in a game against us, it was in LA (not Charlotte).


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

I stand corrected about the location of the Clippers/Bobcats game, thanks. Point remains similar, that most of us long time Bobcats fans were watching that game when it happened.

As for Childress and Livingston in the 2004 draft, we knew Bernie liked Childress but it wasn't until afterwards we learned just how much. Turns out Bernie was concerned about drafting a high school player to be the face of an expansion franchise, thinking the burden would be too much for a player that young. I agree that had we stayed at #4, Childress was probably the pick. But Livingston was definitely in consideration for the #4 pick along with Childress and Ben Gordon. Livingston had been projected in our draft range for weeks leading up to the draft so we had all done our homework on him and were very familiar with him as a player, which was the point I was making.

The biggest point of all of them was the fact that he played here for a season. LOL. That would be like someone coming here 5 years from now to tell us we should watch Jeremy Lin, completely forgetting that he played a season here (at least).