When is Isaac Returning? Ruled out for the entire 2021-2022 season

[PrimeThyme]

I'm going to dabble in some speculation here, but I don't think he suffered a setback.

I personally think he's mostly healed from the initial knee injury and everything now is centered on getting his body, if possible, in a state that can handle the rigor of the NBA.

They have one more shot at this and aren't rushed to get him back on the court. It's no different than the Zion situation, IMO, who's primary issue isn't so much his foot, as it is getting his body in a state that can handle consistent NBA minutes. I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason.

Everyone following that situation is left scratching their head as well, but I think NBA teams just can't outright come out and state that this is what's happening.

That's my theory, at least. How I feel about it, is another question. The extension will be seen as a big stain on Weltman's legacy (depending on the protections) if he suffered setbacks, or sits out the entire season then gets injured again.

[basketballRob]

I'm going to dabble in some speculation here, but I don't think he suffered a setback.

I personally think he's mostly healed from the initial knee injury and everything now is centered on getting his body, if possible, in a state that can handle the rigor of the NBA.

They have one more shot at this and aren't rushed to get him back on the court. It's no different than the Zion situation, IMO, who's primary issue isn't so much his foot, as it is getting his body in a state that can handle consistent NBA minutes. I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason.

Everyone following that situation is left scratching their head as well, but I think NBA teams just can't outright come out and state that this is what's happening.

That's my theory, at least. How I feel about it, is another question. The extension will be seen as a big stain on Weltman's legacy (depending on the protections) if he suffered setbacks, or sits out the entire season then gets injured again.

I agree with this theory. Weltman confirmed this is what they were doing in the press conference.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Def Swami]

I'm going to dabble in some speculation here, but I don't think he suffered a setback.

I personally think he's mostly healed from the initial knee injury and everything now is centered on getting his body, if possible, in a state that can handle the rigor of the NBA.

They have one more shot at this and aren't rushed to get him back on the court. It's no different than the Zion situation, IMO, who's primary issue isn't so much his foot, as it is getting his body in a state that can handle consistent NBA minutes. I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason.

Everyone following that situation is left scratching their head as well, but I think NBA teams just can't outright come out and state that this is what's happening.

That's my theory, at least. How I feel about it, is another question. The extension will be seen as a big stain on Weltman's legacy (depending on the protections) if he suffered setbacks, or sits out the entire season then gets injured again.

I agree with this theory. Weltman confirmed this is what they were doing in the press conference.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

Even if that's the truth, to use 2 full seasons to get a player ready for NBA basketball after an injury that takes 12 months doesn't really bode well for the player.

[Magic_Kingdom]

I'm going to dabble in some speculation here, but I don't think he suffered a setback.

I personally think he's mostly healed from the initial knee injury and everything now is centered on getting his body, if possible, in a state that can handle the rigor of the NBA.

They have one more shot at this and aren't rushed to get him back on the court. It's no different than the Zion situation, IMO, who's primary issue isn't so much his foot, as it is getting his body in a state that can handle consistent NBA minutes. I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason.

Everyone following that situation is left scratching their head as well, but I think NBA teams just can't outright come out and state that this is what's happening.

That's my theory, at least. How I feel about it, is another question. The extension will be seen as a big stain on Weltman's legacy (depending on the protections) if he suffered setbacks, or sits out the entire season then gets injured again.

I agree with this theory. Weltman confirmed this is what they were doing in the press conference.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

I’d be willing to accept this if they hadn’t just signed him to a multi-year extension and if they had been more forthcoming about this plan from the beginning. The first we even heard of it was at about the 15-month mark, well past the normal recovery time. Isaac hasn’t said anything about this plan that I know of. And it’s the same exact thing Weltman said after all the injuries Isaac had in his rookie season.

Isaac is getting $17.4 million this season on a contract they just signed him to. If this theory is correct, they signed him to that 4-year deal knowing that he would spend at least 25% of the contract term not playing basketball and just getting his body in shape. So essentially they knowingly invested in a defective product. I guess if you like a player enough you might do that, but at this point what are you basing your evaluation on? The way he played 3 years ago when he averaged 11 ppg and 6 rpg?

[PrimeThyme]

Even if that's the truth, to use 2 full seasons to get a player ready for NBA basketball after an injury that takes 12 months doesn't really bode well for the player.

It doesn’t, but the multiple longterm ankle injuries in HS/NBA, the meniscus injury, and then the last catastrophic knee injury didn’t bode well for his future either.

Weltman, and most of us, knew what we were signing up for. His future, in many ways, rides on the bet he made on Isaac, who as we’ve seen can be one of the more impactful players in the league when healthy.

This is it for Isaac. His NBA future depends on how he is able to rebuild himself through the course of this rehab.

I just hope he’s fully dedicated to basketball. All reports suggest he is, but he’s got a lot of other things going on off the court as we’ve seen the last few years. It’s hard to tell where his priorities are.

[basketballRob]

I'm going to dabble in some speculation here, but I don't think he suffered a setback.

I personally think he's mostly healed from the initial knee injury and everything now is centered on getting his body, if possible, in a state that can handle the rigor of the NBA.

They have one more shot at this and aren't rushed to get him back on the court. It's no different than the Zion situation, IMO, who's primary issue isn't so much his foot, as it is getting his body in a state that can handle consistent NBA minutes. I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason.

Everyone following that situation is left scratching their head as well, but I think NBA teams just can't outright come out and state that this is what's happening.

That's my theory, at least. How I feel about it, is another question. The extension will be seen as a big stain on Weltman's legacy (depending on the protections) if he suffered setbacks, or sits out the entire season then gets injured again.

I agree with this theory. Weltman confirmed this is what they were doing in the press conference.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

Even if that's the truth, to use 2 full seasons to get a player ready for NBA basketball after an injury that takes 12 months doesn't really bode well for the player.

Pretty sure it's been 15 months.



Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Def Swami]

I agree with this theory. Weltman confirmed this is what they were doing in the press conference.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

Even if that's the truth, to use 2 full seasons to get a player ready for NBA basketball after an injury that takes 12 months doesn't really bode well for the player.

Pretty sure it's been 15 months.



Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

2 full seasons is a response to PrymeThyme's theory, "I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason." If he were truly to sit this one out, he would have missed 2 seasons of basketball.

[Knightro]

If the Magic's front office knew Isaac was also going to miss all of this season after missing all of last season and they still willingly signed him to that extension...

That is tough to justify.

[RookieStar]

Guys... if history is to be any judge, especially our FO's history....

Expect JI to be back somewhere near-ISH AS-break. Just enough to get us excited and hopeful ( whether irrational or not ) for next season BUT not significant enough to damage our draft status.

I mean, remember that season when our young, potential all-stars, ( especially breakout-in-waitng AG ) finally clicked at the end of the season and we just missed the POs by a few games? We thought AG-EP-Vuc-JI was ready to take us into the promise land next season.

Then we had last season when after the major trades, we saw the potential of Cole,Chuma and Rook of the month RJ just oozing with potential along with our two top picks.

SO yeah... after AS break we saw JI in minutes restrictions and might see us win a few games but not significant enough that we won't be picking in say... top-8?

[pepe1991]

What's the point of sitting him out if he is healthy?
Once you are fully healed from injury you can only work yourself into basketball shape. And than what? Sit and do nothing while running treadmill in empty arena? It's not like he will found new passion for powerlifting and arrive next year at 245 pounds looking like prime David Robinson.

Also not playing him this year won't change probability of him getting hurt next year. We can sit him whole this year and he can fall from altar first day of next season.

It's such a silly concept. We don't want him to get hurt again, so we wlil sit him healthy, and next year we will also suck so we can also sit him again for that year ?And in third year of his $80M contract we might actually start to use him? Or maybe not, we best save him for contract year ?

Guy is our Haslem. You need to google every once in a while to figure is he still even alive. And than you have that "ooh... so he is still in nba? Whaatt?" moment.
136/342 games played. 206 out of 342 games inactive.

[basketballRob]

What's the point of sitting him out if he is healthy?
Once you are fully healed from injury you can only work yourself into basketball shape. And than what? Sit and do nothing while running treadmill in empty arena? It's not like he will found new passion for powerlifting and arrive next year at 245 pounds looking like prime David Robinson.

Also not playing him this year won't change probability of him getting hurt next year. We can sit him whole this year and he can fall from altar first day of next season.

It's such a silly concept. We don't want him to get hurt again, so we wlil sit him healthy, and next year we will also suck so we can also sit him again for that year ?And in third year of his $80M contract we might actually start to use him? Or maybe not, we best save him for contract year ?

Guy is our Haslem. You need to google every once in a while to figure is he still even alive. And than you have that "ooh... so he is still in nba? Whaatt?" moment.
136/342 games played. 206 out of 342 games inactive.

From what Welman said that in addition to the injury they were working on balancing out his body. If one side of your body is bigger than the other it could be a root cause of an injury. It's possible that he couldn't work on all those muscles until the injury healed.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Def Swami]

What's the point of sitting him out if he is healthy?
Once you are fully healed from injury you can only work yourself into basketball shape. And than what? Sit and do nothing while running treadmill in empty arena? It's not like he will found new passion for powerlifting and arrive next year at 245 pounds looking like prime David Robinson.

Also not playing him this year won't change probability of him getting hurt next year. We can sit him whole this year and he can fall from altar first day of next season.

It's such a silly concept. We don't want him to get hurt again, so we wlil sit him healthy, and next year we will also suck so we can also sit him again for that year ?And in third year of his $80M contract we might actually start to use him? Or maybe not, we best save him for contract year ?

Guy is our Haslem. You need to google every once in a while to figure is he still even alive. And than you have that "ooh... so he is still in nba? Whaatt?" moment.
136/342 games played. 206 out of 342 games inactive.

From what Welman said that in addition to the injury they were working on balancing out his body. If one side of your body is bigger than the other it could be a root cause of an injury. It's possible that he couldn't work on all those muscles until the injury healed.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

That's pretty much what the rehab after any ACL repair is about.

[Flannerz]

At this stage I'd be surprised if Isaac even had two legs!

[basketballRob]

What's the point of sitting him out if he is healthy?
Once you are fully healed from injury you can only work yourself into basketball shape. And than what? Sit and do nothing while running treadmill in empty arena? It's not like he will found new passion for powerlifting and arrive next year at 245 pounds looking like prime David Robinson.

Also not playing him this year won't change probability of him getting hurt next year. We can sit him whole this year and he can fall from altar first day of next season.

It's such a silly concept. We don't want him to get hurt again, so we wlil sit him healthy, and next year we will also suck so we can also sit him again for that year ?And in third year of his $80M contract we might actually start to use him? Or maybe not, we best save him for contract year ?

Guy is our Haslem. You need to google every once in a while to figure is he still even alive. And than you have that "ooh... so he is still in nba? Whaatt?" moment.
136/342 games played. 206 out of 342 games inactive.

From what Welman said that in addition to the injury they were working on balancing out his body. If one side of your body is bigger than the other it could be a root cause of an injury. It's possible that he couldn't work on all those muscles until the injury healed.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

That's pretty much what the rehab after any ACL repair is about.

Isaac needed more work than the average player on his balance. He always seemed to play off one leg. All his dunks looked awkward.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[yoyojw17]

He's gonna come back with tree trunks for legs! Indestructible knees and ankles! he'll probably come back in the best shape of his life. lol.... We can hope. and if that's the case... ensuring the long-term health of a possible star player is the primary focus.

[swarlesbarkley]

What's the point of sitting him out if he is healthy?
Once you are fully healed from injury you can only work yourself into basketball shape. And than what? Sit and do nothing while running treadmill in empty arena? It's not like he will found new passion for powerlifting and arrive next year at 245 pounds looking like prime David Robinson.

Also not playing him this year won't change probability of him getting hurt next year. We can sit him whole this year and he can fall from altar first day of next season.

It's such a silly concept. We don't want him to get hurt again, so we wlil sit him healthy, and next year we will also suck so we can also sit him again for that year ?And in third year of his $80M contract we might actually start to use him? Or maybe not, we best save him for contract year ?

Guy is our Haslem. You need to google every once in a while to figure is he still even alive. And than you have that "ooh... so he is still in nba? Whaatt?" moment.
136/342 games played. 206 out of 342 games inactive.

Yeah at some point you hit the point of diminishing returns on keeping a player out. Especially with JI's contract. One can argue it makes sense for a guy like Zion who has an opportunity to be a generational talent - but for JI? Dude is a solid role player when healthy and most likely nothing more at this point. What's the point in balancing out his body for 2 years in order to be the 3rd best player on your team? Yuck.

[basketballRob]

What's the point of sitting him out if he is healthy?
Once you are fully healed from injury you can only work yourself into basketball shape. And than what? Sit and do nothing while running treadmill in empty arena? It's not like he will found new passion for powerlifting and arrive next year at 245 pounds looking like prime David Robinson.

Also not playing him this year won't change probability of him getting hurt next year. We can sit him whole this year and he can fall from altar first day of next season.

It's such a silly concept. We don't want him to get hurt again, so we wlil sit him healthy, and next year we will also suck so we can also sit him again for that year ?And in third year of his $80M contract we might actually start to use him? Or maybe not, we best save him for contract year ?

Guy is our Haslem. You need to google every once in a while to figure is he still even alive. And than you have that "ooh... so he is still in nba? Whaatt?" moment.
136/342 games played. 206 out of 342 games inactive.

Yeah at some point you hit the point of diminishing returns on keeping a player out. Especially with JI's contract. One can argue it makes sense for a guy like Zion who has an opportunity to be a generational talent - but for JI? Dude is a solid role player when healthy and most likely nothing more at this point. What's the point in balancing out his body for 2 years in order to be the 3rd best player on your team? Yuck.

He was the second-best player before his injury and it's only speculation that he'll be less than what he was. He could end up being better.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Kent]

I'm going to dabble in some speculation here, but I don't think he suffered a setback.

I personally think he's mostly healed from the initial knee injury and everything now is centered on getting his body, if possible, in a state that can handle the rigor of the NBA.

They have one more shot at this and aren't rushed to get him back on the court. It's no different than the Zion situation, IMO, who's primary issue isn't so much his foot, as it is getting his body in a state that can handle consistent NBA minutes. I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason.

Everyone following that situation is left scratching their head as well, but I think NBA teams just can't outright come out and state that this is what's happening.

That's my theory, at least. How I feel about it, is another question. The extension will be seen as a big stain on Weltman's legacy (depending on the protections) if he suffered setbacks, or sits out the entire season then gets injured again.

I agree with this theory. Weltman confirmed this is what they were doing in the press conference.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

This is it right here, y'all.

He's being held out to strengthen his weak biomechanics which has led to repeated injury. It's that simple.

It's unprecedented, yes. But not all injured players have deep-set problems like JI clearly did.

Grant Hill comes to mind. If he were correctly diagnosed and given a proper strengthening plan, he wouldn't have reinjured himself and almost died. Better still, he wouldn't have been robbed of his prime -- on the Magic of all teams.

We gave him that extension because our FO invested in him because they believe in him. If we didn't, he goes elsewhere. WeltHam bet their chips on him and it's not that considerable of a bet considering we weren't going anywhere and aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I applaud the move, frankly.

I don't pretend to know JI will be an all star or superstar, but I do know that if we even think we have one in the making, we invest in him and do everything we can to see the investment pay off.

[swarlesbarkley]

I'm going to dabble in some speculation here, but I don't think he suffered a setback.

I personally think he's mostly healed from the initial knee injury and everything now is centered on getting his body, if possible, in a state that can handle the rigor of the NBA.

They have one more shot at this and aren't rushed to get him back on the court. It's no different than the Zion situation, IMO, who's primary issue isn't so much his foot, as it is getting his body in a state that can handle consistent NBA minutes. I'd guarantee he misses the rest of the season for that very reason.

Everyone following that situation is left scratching their head as well, but I think NBA teams just can't outright come out and state that this is what's happening.

That's my theory, at least. How I feel about it, is another question. The extension will be seen as a big stain on Weltman's legacy (depending on the protections) if he suffered setbacks, or sits out the entire season then gets injured again.

I agree with this theory. Weltman confirmed this is what they were doing in the press conference.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM Forums mobile app

This is it right here, y'all.

He's being held out to strengthen his weak biomechanics which has led to repeated injury. It's that simple.

It's unprecedented, yes. But not all injured players have deep-set problems like JI clearly did.

Grant Hill comes to mind. If he were correctly diagnosed and given a proper strengthening plan, he wouldn't have reinjured himself and almost died. Better still, he wouldn't have been robbed of his prime -- on the Magic of all teams.

We gave him that extension because our FO invested in him because they believe in him. If we didn't, he goes elsewhere. WeltHam bet their chips on him and it's not that considerable of a bet considering we weren't going anywhere and aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I applaud the move, frankly.

I don't pretend to know JI will be an all star or superstar, but I do know that if we even think we have one in the making, we invest in him and do everything we can to see the investment pay off.

I'm not sure the bolded part is necessarily true. If not extend JI, what would WeltHam do with the money? Top notch free agents aren't coming to Orlando any time soon - I viewed the extension more along the lines of thinking it's really the only option they have. Can't let him walk because when healthy he is a positive player on the floor but also not betting on him being a franchise player either.

[tiderulz]

He's gonna come back with tree trunks for legs! Indestructible knees and ankles! he'll probably come back in the best shape of his life. lol.... We can hope. and if that's the case... ensuring the long-term health of a possible star player is the primary focus.

except he isnt a star player. not even close