Favors to have back surgery; recovery is typically 1 to 4 weeks

Heard from a good source that he was having surgery for his ailing back. Just wanted to pass along the news.

Ouch. This team is so unlucky. I guess we get to see more of Hayes if that’s any consolation.

It's gotta be the below sea level atmosphere. This ain't normal. Guys come down here and become instantly broken.

Favors ability to be a walking double double is the difference in this team having any shot at the playoffs. Which is still fully in reach.

To be optimistic, not a lot of time being missed and tbh, Jax getting more run is a plus.

It's so obvious to me that the health issues stem from the pace that we've been playing at in relation to how short the NBA offseason is. How long were players working out at the facility before preseason began? 1-2 weeks? It's unsustainable to run at such an absurd amount while not focusing on it in the offseason.

Take a look at the top 5 teams in pace of play: Bucks, Timberwolves, Rockets, Nets, Pelicans.
Of those teams:
Middleton out with a lower leg injury,
Gordon, Gerald Green, Nene all out with leg injuries
Levert thumb injury
Pelicans injuries are well documented (a majority of which have come in transition plays)

The only team in the top 5 to have any injury luck is the Timberwolves. I think that should at least in part be attributed to the out of shape bodies, the reckless style of play of transition basketball, and the increase in the amount of possessions.

A lot of injuries are obviously based on luck, but there's a clear correlation between pace of play and injuries. Then when you take a look at guys like Durant and Cousins tearing the achilles in past years, I'm not sure how we can continue to ignore that data.

I don't recall the Nash/Stoudemire/Marion/Barbosa Suns coming down with injuries, and they were an older, faster team team playing deep into the playoffs.

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Originally Posted by SoCal4Pels

I don't recall the Nash/Stoudemire/Marion/Barbosa Suns coming down with injuries, and they were an older, faster team team playing deep into the playoffs.

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That's because even with an elite training staff, this team is still cursed.

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Originally Posted by SoCal4Pels

I don't recall the Nash/Stoudemire/Marion/Barbosa Suns coming down with injuries, and they were an older, faster team team playing deep into the playoffs.

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That team ran at a pace of 95.9, which would rank last in the NBA behind the Nuggets at 98.5. Teams are running more now than at any time in NBA history. It's not a coincidence that lower leg injuries are on the rise.

For reference, the Pelicans are currently 5th at 105.5. And Gentry has repeatedly stated that he wants to be even faster. My stance is that he's pushing these players too hard for their capabilities given the relatively short offseason after the FO and roster overhaul.

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

That team ran at a pace of 95.9, which would rank last in the NBA behind the Nuggets at 98.5. Teams are running more now than at any time in NBA history. It's not a coincidence that lower leg injuries are on the rise.

For reference, the Pelicans are currently 5th at 105.5. And Gentry has repeatedly stated that he wants to be even faster. My stance is that he's pushing these players too hard for their capabilities given the relatively short offseason after the FO and roster overhaul.

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I think you combine pace with the lack of structure on offense and they create a dangerous situation for our players. A lot of our injuries stem from out of control landings and plays (Favors landed awkwardly while going for an offensive rebound). Pace and free flow offense is fine as long as it is controlled chaos. We are just chaotic

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Originally Posted by JJackisangry

I think you combine pace with the lack of structure on offense and they create a dangerous situation for our players. A lot of our injuries stem from out of control landings and plays (Favors landed awkwardly while going for an offensive rebound). Pace and free flow offense is fine as long as it is controlled chaos. We are just chaotic

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It’s exactly what it is.

1 to 4 weeks for back surgery?
That's an interesting timetable.

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

Take a look at the top 5 teams in pace of play: Bucks, Timberwolves, Rockets, Nets, Pelicans.
Of those teams:
Middleton out with a lower leg injury,
Gordon, Gerald Green, Nene all out with leg injuries
Levert thumb injury
Pelicans injuries are well documented (a majority of which have come in transition plays)

The only team in the top 5 to have any injury luck is the Timberwolves. I think that should at least in part be attributed to the out of shape bodies, the reckless style of play of transition basketball, and the increase in the amount of possessions..

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I think you're being a little hyperbolic here. Yes, we've had some serious serious injury trouble, but as you say, the Wolves haven't really had any and both the Nets and Bucks have had really only one injury, which is entirely standard for any team, playing any pace. So 3 out of the top 5 teams in pace are either uninjured entirely, or not particularly injured compared to the rest of the league.

If your pace proposition was correct, you'd expect to see a big drop-off in injuries when looking at the slowest teams as well. Let's look at the 5 slowest teams:

1- Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac injured (day by day)
2- Sacramento Kings: Marvin Bagley fractured thumb, De'Angelo Fox missing a month with severe ankle sprain, Caleb Swanigan injured ankle (day by day)
3- Denver Nuggets: No Injuries
4- New York Knicks: Reggie Bullock cervical disc herniation, out indefinitely, Elfrid Payton hamstring injury out unknown, Mitchell Robinson ankle injury (day by day)
5- Indiana Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon out for back spasms, Jeremy Lamb day to day with ankle injury, TJ McConnell day to day with a groin strain, Edmund Sumner out 3 weeks with fractured hand

So it doesn't seem like playing at a snail's pace is really helping avoid injuries either. The Magic are mostly okay and Denver are fine, but the Knicks, Kings, and Pacers are absolutely hammered right now. Not as bad as us, sure, but worse than the Bucks, worse than the Wolves, and worse than the Nets.

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Originally Posted by JJackisangry

I think you combine pace with the lack of structure on offense and they create a dangerous situation for our players. A lot of our injuries stem from out of control landings and plays (Favors landed awkwardly while going for an offensive rebound). Pace and free flow offense is fine as long as it is controlled chaos. We are just chaotic

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Yep this is an additional point I was trying to get at. The style of play is completely reckless and clearly resulting in injuries. There needs to be an adjustment, at the very least until these players figure each other out.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

If your pace proposition was correct, you'd expect to see a big drop-off in injuries when looking at the slowest teams as well. Let's look at the 5 slowest teams...

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Well stated.

Not to denigrate the original poster's attempt to explain injuries, but there is no specific NBA numerical pace threshold where the human body begins immediately falling apart once beyond it. Sometimes occurrences are random and unexplainable; an uncomfortable circumstance for the way our minds evolved, and is also what gives rise to religion and conspiracy theories: a need to replace frightening randomness with an explanation. /philosophy hat off

I could be wrong. It could have something to do with the newness of the team and getting to know each other. I haven't looked at all the other team's injury stats and compared it to the structure of their offense/defense and how long the team has played together.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

So it doesn't seem like playing at a snail's pace is really helping avoid injuries either. The Magic are mostly okay and Denver are fine, but the Knicks, Kings, and Pacers are absolutely hammered right now. Not as bad as us, sure, but worse than the Bucks, worse than the Wolves, and worse than the Nets.

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Yea my main point is that theres a correlation. Im not at all saying that pace is 100% to blame. Its probably not even 50% to blame; however, my focus is mainly on the leg soft tissue and ligament issues. Of the bottom 5 teams you mentioned, none have players missing with knee injuries, and the only player missing games due to a soft tissue is Elfrid Payton with the hamstring.

Additionally, while the Kings might have the second slowest pace in the NBA, DeAaron Fox plays just about as reckless as anyone.

I just want the Pels at more of a controlled choas, whereas right now I think their play is purely chaotic. I have no medical background, so please take my posts with a grain of salt. These are just observations based on Ball, Hart, and Ingram all being injured on plays in transition.

That's fine. This season is all about player development. All the injuries give the organization all the excuse they need to play rooks big minutes, develop them, and lose games. Hopefully this also allows us to get him back on a cheaper deal for a couple years while Jaxson continues to develop.

More Jax is TIGHT

Guess it’s time to unleash Zion!

To be clear Gentry talked about how Favors was dealing with back spasms last season too. So this isn't an issue of something developing here. He already had something he was dealing with but appears to fully fix it might now require surgery.

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Originally Posted by kinglio21093

That's because even with an elite training staff, this team is still cursed.

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No such thing as curses. Just negatively skewed perception.

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Originally Posted by Mythrol

To be clear Gentry talked about how Favors was dealing with back spasms last season too. So this isn't an issue of something developing here. He already had something he was dealing with but appears to fully fix it might now require surgery.

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Predispositions and the like are part of it, but Favors reaggravated whatever was bothering him when he went for that rebound. I’m willing to bet the house that Zion got that injury when he went for that spectacularly risky inbound grab. We need to be a bit more in control of ourselves on the floor. There are obviously things you can’t control, but we put ourselves in these situations at times.

Kavell Bigby Williams, come on down!

Ryan Anderson got waived. In case anyone cares.

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Originally Posted by new city champ

Kavell Bigby Williams, come on down!

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Why? Melli's capable of playing minutes at the stretch 5, we can just feed Hayes 30 minutes a night for development and Okafor should be back soon.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Why? Melli's capable of playing minutes at the stretch 5, we can just feed Hayes 30 minutes a night for development and Okafor should be back soon.

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Melli can’t defend anyone on the court. Especially, not the paint. It can’t hurt to swap Bigby with Zylan, who has done nothing. I’d swap Gray with Adams too