Porzingis injury updates (Update: Dislocated Tendon)

[Birdman]

Sounds like he?s going to have legs & ankle injuries more in his career unfortunately.. lot of these very big men don?t last long

[liam]

Kornet's main job will be to keep Lively or Gafford off the boards.  They don't have a big who can score like Mobely or Turner. Offensively he'll be a pick and roll guy. So you lose a 3 point shooter without Porzingis, which means they'll have 4 guys out there who can make 3's vs 5.

Also keep in mind that he's playing bench minutes. He won't be out there with the game on the line. The only times all season where Kornet has been a liability is vs the top 4's or 5's who are scorers. And earlier in the playoffs he contributed enough offensively to offset whatever defensive problems he had.

Technically still 5 guys who can shoot 3s if you count the current starting 5. But yeah, minus KP off the bench then it's just Hauser and Pritchard in that core 8.

Joe should've used the bench more this year so he could trust them more than I think he does. I would not be afraid to play Q or X some. They are both more athletic than Luke. Q matching up against Lively would be fun to watch. If the 3s are falling in game 3 then it won't matter.

Not the ?Joe should?ve used the bench more? nonsense.  Tillman was acquired at the deadline and arrived hurt, while Q was a 2-way guy who a) was limited in the amount of games he was allowed to play because he was a 2-way, b) makes a ton of rotation mistakes and will get eaten alive by Luka, and c) wasn?t even playoff eligible until the last week of the season.

Luke will get minutes if KP can?t go, and we will win in 4 or 5, just like we would with KP.

You play those guys throughout the season in case they are needed.

[liam]

Svi is the best shooter we have on our deep bench.

[Birdman]

Porzingis should take the shot doctor gave to Luka before game 2

[Celtics2021]

Kornet's main job will be to keep Lively or Gafford off the boards.  They don't have a big who can score like Mobely or Turner. Offensively he'll be a pick and roll guy. So you lose a 3 point shooter without Porzingis, which means they'll have 4 guys out there who can make 3's vs 5.

Also keep in mind that he's playing bench minutes. He won't be out there with the game on the line. The only times all season where Kornet has been a liability is vs the top 4's or 5's who are scorers. And earlier in the playoffs he contributed enough offensively to offset whatever defensive problems he had.

Technically still 5 guys who can shoot 3s if you count the current starting 5. But yeah, minus KP off the bench then it's just Hauser and Pritchard in that core 8.

Joe should've used the bench more this year so he could trust them more than I think he does. I would not be afraid to play Q or X some. They are both more athletic than Luke. Q matching up against Lively would be fun to watch. If the 3s are falling in game 3 then it won't matter.

Not the ?Joe should?ve used the bench more? nonsense.  Tillman was acquired at the deadline and arrived hurt, while Q was a 2-way guy who a) was limited in the amount of games he was allowed to play because he was a 2-way, b) makes a ton of rotation mistakes and will get eaten alive by Luka, and c) wasn?t even playoff eligible until the last week of the season.

Luke will get minutes if KP can?t go, and we will win in 4 or 5, just like we would with KP.

You play those guys throughout the season in case they are needed.

How is he supposed to play Tillman ?through the season? when he literally had one healthy month of him?  Or Queta, who again wasn't on the roster for half of the games?  As was he played Queta over half the games he was on the active roster, and gave him over 10 minutes a contest.  He?s seen Queta, and the lack of confidence Joe has in him for the playoffs is because he?s seen Queta, not because he hasn?t.

[Neurotic Guy]

Sounds like he?s going to have legs & ankle injuries more in his career unfortunately.. lot of these very big men don?t last long

Yeah. To some extent this just about making it happen this year. Brad can get to work on strengthening the 5 in the off-season.  And if Al retires it?ll be a bigger task. 

Funny thing about Luke is I think he could be a good 3-point shooter if they decided that should be part of his game. For tomorrow I just hope he can use his length to cause some problems for Dallas in the paint. 

But I?m still hoping they can get something from KP.

[jambr380]

Can someone explain this injury though? I still haven?t seen how serious it is or if it?s something that can be played on or not.

Even from Doctors.

I mean apparently he played the 3rd and some of the 4th with this injury? And seems to be walking around fine.

From that medical article, it sounds like it's something that is often misdiagnosed.  Cited patients had lived with it for as much as nine months.  It's an injury that doesn't seem to get better on its own or with non-surgical treatments.

Can he play over the next couple of games? From what I've read, it's a risk, as it is possible that it would lead to more severe injury. But, if Porzingis can tolerate the pain and is willing to take that risk, who knows?

Remember when Kevin McHale was able to tolerate the pain and played on that injured foot?  The med staff said there would be no long term damage - it was just a matter if he could take the pain.

The C's fired their team doctor that summer and McHale was never the same player.

Yeah.  If I'm KP, I get a second and third opinion. As we have seen recently with IT4 and Timelord, playing through pain in the playoffs isn't always worth it.

I don't necessarily disagree, but both players very much wanted to play. IT so that he could continue his amazing run and sign a max contract and Rob because he knew you only get so many chances at a ring. Here's what he had to say:

"I played in the Finals, homie," Williams said. "You win some, you lose some, but I don't regret my decision at all. I was 24 years old and my dream was to play in the Finals."

The Celtics didn't force those guys to play and they aren't going to force KP to play. It doesn't mean, however, that KP isn't going to make them let him play. He said after game 2, "I'll die out there."

[Roy H.]

Can someone explain this injury though? I still haven?t seen how serious it is or if it?s something that can be played on or not.

Even from Doctors.

I mean apparently he played the 3rd and some of the 4th with this injury? And seems to be walking around fine.

From that medical article, it sounds like it's something that is often misdiagnosed.  Cited patients had lived with it for as much as nine months.  It's an injury that doesn't seem to get better on its own or with non-surgical treatments.

Can he play over the next couple of games? From what I've read, it's a risk, as it is possible that it would lead to more severe injury. But, if Porzingis can tolerate the pain and is willing to take that risk, who knows?

Remember when Kevin McHale was able to tolerate the pain and played on that injured foot?  The med staff said there would be no long term damage - it was just a matter if he could take the pain.

The C's fired their team doctor that summer and McHale was never the same player.

Yeah.  If I'm KP, I get a second and third opinion. As we have seen recently with IT4 and Timelord, playing through pain in the playoffs isn't always worth it.

I don't necessarily disagree, but both players very much wanted to play. IT so that he could continue his amazing run and sign a max contract and Rob because he knew you only get so many chances at a ring. Here's what he had to say:

"I played in the Finals, homie," Williams said. "You win some, you lose some, but I don't regret my decision at all. I was 24 years old and my dream was to play in the Finals."

The Celtics didn't force those guys to play and they aren't going to force KP to play. It doesn't mean, however, that KP isn't going to make them let him play. He said after game 2, "I'll die out there."

Both Joe and KP have said it's up to the medical staff.  He won't be playing against advice.

[Roy H.]

He's officially listed as questionable, which is encouraging under the circumstances.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Whatever it takes....Shots, Pills, Tape....it's the [dang] Finals KP-!

McHale played on a broken foot

[liam]

Whatever it takes....Shots, Pills, Tape....it's the [dang] Finals KP-!

McHale played on a broken foot

He was never the same after that but he said he'd do it again. It's the finals! At least there will be no let down if KP can't play. The Celtics will come out a desperate team.

[celticinorlando]

Per Washburn:

Dr. Daniel Kharrazi, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai and former #Lakers consultant, told @BostonGlobe  he's seen a injury like Porzingis' once in 25 years. He was optimistic about Porzingis' ability to play:
"A lot of times the ankle and the tendon can be taped to allow play. There are even some braces that they can use that helps protect the tendon. I don?t think it?s something that he?s gonna make worse by just playing, especially if he?s just running up and down the court and even some lateral movements may be OK.

?This can be a repetitive issue if he has awkward landings or with his foot in certain positions that causes subluxation of the tendon. I don?t think it?s a season-ending injury. It is day-to-day and they have to reassess him. It?s something they?ll have to treat with either taping or bracing and then reassess to see if it?s stable enough for him to play.?

[CelticsWhat35]

He's officially listed as questionable, which is encouraging under the circumstances.

Wasn?t Jarrett Allen listed as ?questionable??

[tenn_smoothie]

I still think Boston is a better team than Dallas is even without him.

Something like this could bring Boston closer and more focused

One of the J?s has to go big scoring.

Everyone has to level up

Win without him and the series is over

Isn't this possibility the reason we acquired Tillman ?

And if Joe only had a month of a healthy Tillman to play, then play him some every game during that month !!
Doesn't require a genius to do that much. Of course, sometimes I think Joe is brain-dead, so there you go.

[Atzar]

Whatever it takes....Shots, Pills, Tape....it's the [dang] Finals KP-!

McHale played on a broken foot

It depends.  You can "man up" through some things but not others.

If he's physically capable of being effective and this is mostly just a pain tolerance thing, then sure, go for it.  But if he's limited, a 100% Kornet or Tillman may be more impactful than a 30% KP.  And I'd rather not gamble on his long-term health.  Significant lower-body injuries can become career-altering for big guys.