Zion injury update?! {edited" Torn meniscus - out 6-8 weeks}

[Pelicanidae]

I mean, it's 'serious' to the degree that it's structural.

But as far as structural knee injuries go, this is about as minor as it gets, from what I can gather.

It's the sort of thing that isn't really likely to change his ability very much, or take him out of hundreds of games or anything like that.

Hate to sound like a broken record but: Russell Westbrook tore his meniscus in the 2013 playoffs. In the 6 seasons since, he has played over 400 games, and has averaged 26/9/10, made 5 all-star teams, and won an MVP award. His athleticism has begun declining, but really that's due to age since he's over 30 now, but for several years after the injury he was still the most explosive guard in the NBA, and he's probably still top 5 despite the decline.

Tearing a meniscus does not doom anything, inherently.

[13 - 3]

New on https://t.co/eAm93BKSY6: Understanding Zion Williamson's Lateral Meniscus Tear: https://t.co/CfCb6zl9Lf

— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) October 21, 2019

[WildlifeAirGrp]

To quote the infamous Bobby Hebert: Yeah, No !

No, you're right.

[stormcenter]

Anyway you slice it this terrible news for him and the franchise.

We just never ever catch a break with injuries. Let's just hope it's not like Davis.

[Eman5805]

It is what it is.

You only get maybe two seasons of hyperathletes jumping all over the court anyway. Sooner or later, every single high flying player grounds their game except for special moments.

LeBron did it. Jordan did it. Kobe did it. Vince Carter did it.

Zion will be back. He'll look normal. But we already know he's going to evolve his game over time.

[Pelicanidae]

It's funny how our number 1 overall pick has just sustained an injury that will take them out possibly until Christmas, and the most frustrating and annoying thing about the entire situation is still the media and talking heads. It's a truly astounding ability of theirs to consistently be the most irritating parts of any discussion, regardless of how awful the discussion itself may be.

For example: just seen David DuFour (writes for the Athletic, does some pods, etc) say on twitter that Zion should be sat until February and that he needs to lose 30lbs.

Wonder how David DuFour has access to Zion's medical records, knows his weight, and knows what his goals should be? Bonkers.

[13 - 3]

(Crazy theory)

Is Alvin Gentry destroying good talent?

(End crazy theory)

Discuss

[Tinman]

No, you're right.

Yeah, I see where you're coming from, but I dont understand !

[new city champ]

As I posted elsewhere, I'm almost as heavy as Zion and have had two meniscus tears while playing sports. Opted for a scope after the first one six years ago. Recovery was minimal and I had no problems for years while still being active in a variety of sports, including basketball. The second one (same knee) was last year and I didn't want any more cartilage removed so I opted for rehab without surgery. Recovery was much slower (closer to 6 months vs 6 weeks with surgery), but it eventually healed up and I was able to resume playing a variety of sports, recreationally. Not the same, of course, but I'm also much older and don't have a personal medical team. But again, I'm just about as heavy and my knee has held up well despite the stresses. So I throw that in for what it's worth.

[Eman5805]

Which is the better option? When I hear debridement, I think they're cutting out the messed up bits and stitching it back together. But I've also heard they removed the whole thing. Which...isn't the better move? Would Zion be able to come back sooner if they removed it? Or is repairing it the better move?

[Pelicanidae]

Which is the better option? When I hear debridement, I think they're cutting out the messed up bits and stitching it back together. But I've also heard they removed the whole thing. Which...isn't the better move? Would Zion be able to come back sooner if they removed it? Or is repairing it the better move?

From the article posted above:

A meniscectomy, or removal, is the more common of the two procedures and is often accompanied by a shorter recovery window. Following a meniscectomy, players can often return to activity within six weeks [...]

In contrast, an arthroscopic meniscus repair has better long-term results though the recovery time following surgery is often much longer. Recovery following a repair is often measured in months not weeks.

Given that the initial estimated timeline is six-to-eight weeks and the term debridement, it seems as though Williamson underwent a meniscectomy rather than a true repair.

So it would seem that he's undergone a removal, not a repair, given the timeline they've announced. According to a quick google, meniscectomies include partial removal, and since Zion had a knee scope and the term ''debridement'' has been thrown around, I think that what this means is that they're removed the damaged part, cleared out the debris, but not removed the entire thing.

Edit: just to confirm, I am not a doctor or a healthcare professional in any way so this is far from authoritative, it's just what I can gather. Could easily be wrong.

[SoCal4Pels]

Which is the better option? When I hear debridement, I think they're cutting out the messed up bits and stitching it back together. But I've also heard they removed the whole thing. Which...isn't the better move? Would Zion be able to come back sooner if they removed it? Or is repairing it the better move?

Depends on a wide range of things. Typically, if possible, they will try to repair it. If part of the meniscus is 'frayed', more than a clean tear, then they will typically clean it up by removing the frayed bits. Either scenario can be 'better'; if there is very minimal fraying that can be cleaned up, that is good. If it is a clean, small tear that can be repaired, that is also good. If it is a large tear with frayed edges and pieces hanging off and can only be partially repaired, that is worse. Also not the best if there is a large amount of fraying that must be removed.

[HoustonPelicans]

So December 2nd or December 16th. Knowing the Pels it'll probably be sometime after New Years.

[HoustonPelicans]

Best thing about this injury is that Jrue prepared this summer to go for MVP and if he has us in the playoffs by the time Zion returns and is averaging at least 23-25 ppg, 5-7 apg, 4-6 RPGs plus his defense. He could surely make a case. Considering 10 players on this team never been in the playoffs.

[bdnp1]

What’s crazy about this is that random guy on the forum knew all this way before anyone ,
And was right . Also just a topic for discussion , why can’t nba players use performance enhancing drugs for injury healing , imagine how much better the league would be if players could use ped for injury repair , durant would be back by this year and Zion would be out for a lot shorter .

[Pelicanidae]

What’s crazy about this is that random guy on the forum knew all this way before anyone ,
And was right . Also just a topic for discussion , why can’t nba players use performance enhancing drugs for injury healing , imagine how much better the league would be if players could use ped for injury repair , durant would be back by this year and Zion would be out for a lot shorter .

Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle told a joke in like, 2008 or something, where he said that there should be 2 Olympics: one where it's run like it is now, and another where everyone is allowed to use PEDs and roids and stuff. Cause that way, people who really just wanted to see the pure athletic skill could watch the normal Olympics, and the people who wanted to see someone run the 100m so fast that they disappear like the car from Back to the Future could watch the PED Olympics.

Perhaps it's time that we had a PED NBA.

[VooDooKnight]

I mean, it's 'serious' to the degree that it's structural.

But as far as structural knee injuries go, this is about as minor as it gets, from what I can gather.

It's the sort of thing that isn't really likely to change his ability very much, or take him out of hundreds of games or anything like that.

Hate to sound like a broken record but: Russell Westbrook tore his meniscus in the 2013 playoffs. In the 6 seasons since, he has played over 400 games, and has averaged 26/9/10, made 5 all-star teams, and won an MVP award. His athleticism has begun declining, but really that's due to age since he's over 30 now, but for several years after the injury he was still the most explosive guard in the NBA, and he's probably still top 5 despite the decline.

Tearing a meniscus does not doom anything, inherently.

WB weight vs Zion weight? Could this be a factor long term?

[VooDooKnight]

As I posted elsewhere, I'm almost as heavy as Zion and have had two meniscus tears while playing sports. Opted for a scope after the first one six years ago. Recovery was minimal and I had no problems for years while still being active in a variety of sports, including basketball. The second one (same knee) was last year and I didn't want any more cartilage removed so I opted for rehab without surgery. Recovery was much slower (closer to 6 months vs 6 weeks with surgery), but it eventually healed up and I was able to resume playing a variety of sports, recreationally. Not the same, of course, but I'm also much older and don't have a personal medical team. But again, I'm just about as heavy and my knee has held up well despite the stresses. So I throw that in for what it's worth.

Thanks for this insight. Helps my sanity.

[Pelicanidae]

prayers up for my brother ���� you’ll be back soon & better than ever ������@Zionwilliamson #SCBabies

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) October 21, 2019

This is the second time Morant has tweeted out support to Zion.

Good to see that rookie camaraderie.

[Pelicanidae]

WB weight vs Zion weight? Could this be a factor long term?

I mean sure, it probably could be a factor, but I wouldn't want to speculate too much on it. I'm not a doctor of any kind, so while I would assume that the weight plays into it, I can't say how much of a factor it will play.

[Pelicanidae]

Basically, I'm just going to assume that Zion will be absolutely fine until I see evidence to the contrary. If he comes back and looks really odd, or can't move without pain, then there's concerns, but otherwise I'm taking this as a worrying but not long-term damaging setback.

[PelKing]

Well, this is what I was worried about. I seriously think they should sit him the entire season. Better safe than sorry. This basically the future of the franchise. Can't risk it.

[jdmcuc]

Well, this is what I was worried about. I seriously think they should sit him the entire season. Better safe than sorry. This basically the future of the franchise. Can't risk it.

Am I missing something? it's just a torn meniscus right? Rod Artest came back in 8 days from a torn meniscus. Most players recover 100%. Relax everyone wtf

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6000 using Tapatalk

[AusPel]

Well, this is what I was worried about. I seriously think they should sit him the entire season. Better safe than sorry. This basically the future of the franchise. Can't risk it.

Agreed. This is year one of what is hopefully a 15 year career. There is no need* to rush him onto the court before he gets his body right. I just watched a video on delayed gratification and this certainly applies here.

*I understand there is a lot of money at stake by him missing time though

[Pelicanidae]

Agreed. This is year one of what is hopefully a 15 year career. There is no need* to rush him onto the court before he gets his body right. I just watched a video on delayed gratification and this certainly applies here.

*I understand there is a lot of money at stake by him missing time though

There's no universe where a torn meniscus is a sure fire season ending injury though. It's not rushing him back on the court: the recovery time for his procedure is 6 to 8 weeks. Even if they said ''screw it'' and gave him 10 weeks to recover, and then held him out another month just for rehab and conditioning, he'd still be back before all-star break. Him being back by Christmas isn't rushing, it's literally the normal recovery time for a procedure of this kind; in fact, it's even on the generous end of that recovery time, he could be back sooner.