Are the Celtics being truthful about KG's injury? If so, is he definitely done?

[Roy Hobbs]

Some interesting quotes are coming out from medical professionals about the extent of KG's injury.  First, the Globe ran the diagnosis by two orthopedic surgeons, and they weren't buying the strained tendon theory:

[Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an orthopedic surgeon who previously was team orthopedist for the Philadelphia 76ers] said Garnett's symptoms and the projected length of his recovery do not seem consistent with the diagnosis. . . . [A]nother orthopedic specialist speculated that the star player may be suffering from something more severe: damaged cartilage, perhaps, or a floating chip that might be lodged in a recess of the tendon.

"I'd say it's not likely" that it's a damaged popliteus tendon, said Dr. Riley Williams, the New Jersey Nets' team physician and an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. "It's such an unusual diagnosis. It seldom occurs in isolation."

DiNubile theorized that high-tech medical scans may be failing to identify the true source of the damage.

"He's probably having a meniscus tear they're probably not seeing," DiNubile said, referring to the cartilage that acts like a shock absorber in the knee. "I can tell you it's not a strained tendon. A strained tendon would not give you the swelling and the ongoing symptoms. That's not a strained popliteus tendon."

Now, from SI.com:

The Celtics have maintained that Garnett's injury, which they have called a strained popliteus tendon that is located deep inside the back of the knee, will prevent him from playing at all in the postseason. But SI.com contacted five trainers from different NBA teams, all of whom said they believed that Garnett could potentially play if Boston advances in the playoffs.

"I was really surprised when they announced he was done," said one trainer. "If that really is his injury, he could definitely be back on the court."

All five trainers agreed with what Celtics coach Doc Rivers has publicly stated: the surgery Garnett will undergo in the offseason to remove bone spurs from his knee has nothing to do with the tendon that has forced him to sit out for 25 games this season. . . .

The fact that the Celtics are ruling Garnett out for the postseason makes several trainers wonder if the injury is more serious than they are letting on.

"There's probably a tear there," said one trainer. "I have a hard time seeing how a player with the pain tolerance of Garnett isn't able to play with a strain. Especially when you consider he has missed so much time with the injury already." . . .

Lastly, assuming the injury is just a strain, here's what one  trainer had to say:

Said a trainer, "It's unlikely he can cause more serious damage to the knee by playing. It's just a matter of how much pain he can take."

Link.

So, are the Celtics being truthful?  Is KG's injury worse than the team is letting on?  Are they being purposefully coy, or is this potentially a misdiagnosis?  Is there any chance KG  will come back?

I feel as though the team was overly optimistic with its original  statements, and rather than give the team (and potentially fans) false hope, they're going to assume the worst, while hoping for  the best.  *If* the team got the diagnosis right, I think there's a good chance that KG is back.

[RebusRankin]

I'm still hoping they're projecting doom and gloom and that he can return later. Can you imagine its the ECF in Cleveland and 8 minutes into game one, KG rips off his suit to reveal his uniform and walks to the scorers table.

[johnnyrondo]

I'm still hoping they're projecting doom and gloom and that he can return later. Can you imagine its the ECF in Cleveland and 8 minutes into game one, KG rips off his suit to reveal his uniform and walks to the scorers table.

Like a wise man once said (not sure who ) Anything's possible right?

[orrzor]

Well it's easy to second guess, but none of those people quoted have direct access to KG. I don't buy that Doc has some strategy to surprise our opponents, and release KG on an unsuspecting opponent. I think Doc is being 100% truthful when he knew KG could not run watching him on Thursday. And all the other players have pretty much said they saw KG could not play. Whatever KG has, he is almost certainly not going to play more this season.

[D Dub]

Well at least two things are clear;
1- his injury is serious enough to keep him out of games he really should be playing
and
2- his injury isn't serious enough to warrant immeadiate surgery, they're waiting until the summer.


Given that, I think the only way we see KG this postseason is if we end up in a Game 7 on the road.  I can see him then getting shot to the moon on cortisone and giving it a go.

[kenmaine]

I don't know, but it's probably best to just enjoy the games and let the KG thing play itself out. It's safe to assume that the C's medical team has some idea what they're doing.
I could speculate like everyone else, but mostly I really hope KG can come back next year fully healed. He's just a pleasure to watch, besides being a great, great player.
And giving up on KG's season doesn't equate to giving up on the C's chances to win it all. Could still happen.

[jackson_34]

On the Laker's Realgm board, there are still quite a few players who are calling the injury a bluff. They think KG may be trying to pull a Pierce. 

[BASS_THUMPER]

Given that, I think the only way we see KG this postseason is if we end up in a Game 7 on the road.  

ture..only if he is really needed but will he be able to play at a high level durng the playoffs?

if he cant play now he shouldnt be playing later.

[Hoops]

Well, if it's a misdiagnosis and a cover-up, that pretty much sucks.

If the Celtics are being coy, I wonder how they plan to capitalize on the mystery and intrigue? Sure, I can see a surprise entrance by Garnett providing a huge emotional lift at some point. But at what point do you bring KG back for maximum surprise and utility? Bring him back too early, and this game of charades and mystery doesn't have much value. Wait too long and they may be in a hole that's too deep for KG to dig them out.

Perhaps KG is making good progress on his recovery, but maybe the team needs to buy him just another week or so to get him back to 90-95% as opposed to 75%. Who knows.

If Boston is being sneaky about all this, I think the optimal time to bring him back would be Game 5 against Orlando (assuming Boston wins games 1 and 2 at home). If Boston loses either game 1 or 2, bring him back for the next game.  

I feel ok about discussing these bizarre hypotheticals given the mysteriousness of the situation, the lack of verifiable information, etc. At this point, there's not one person outside of KG's inner circle that can be 100% certain about KG's status for any game of the playoffs - from game 1 tomorrow to game 7 of the Finals (should we make it that far). It's nothing but question marks from beginning to end. It's really weird.

[banner17]

if he can not play now, and they know that he will not be able to play for the entire playoffs, then why isn't he going for the surgury now, so they can garentee he will be ready for next yr.

[D Dub]

Given that, I think the only way we see KG this postseason is if we end up in a Game 7 on the road.  

ture..only if he is really needed but will he be able to play at a high level durng the playoffs?

if he cant play now he shouldnt be playing later.

yeah, but why wait until summer for surgery then?  in a game 7, anything can happen and him just hitting a jumper or two could provide the lift we need. 

Two games max, then surgery.  That is the only conclusion I can come to as to why the surgery isn't scheduled sooner.

[greg683x]

If we are able to take Cleveland to a game 7 without KG, I'd play things out the way they are.  If we are able to push Cleveland 7 games without him we'd have to be playing great basketball.  The right move would be to not disrupt the chemistry and the flow of things by putting Garnett in the lineup for just one game and jumble the lineup.  Now if KG had been practicing the entire playoffs, has his legs back, and is in the flow of things thats different.  But putting a cold KG in for a game 7 after that we've made it that deep in the playoffs without him could be as much detrimental as it would be beneficial.

[timpiker]

I hate to say it but I think the C's are definitely not being truthful about this.  C'mon man.  KG's missed most of 2 months with "strain".  We're talking "strain", man.

Is he some kind of baby or something?  I'm as big a fan of KG as anyone but if I am led to believe by the C's for 2 months its really just a strain.  And this magnificent athlete getting tender loving care every day still cannot run without dragging his foot? 

They've lied and they continue to lie and they'll keep lying tomorrow.  KG is injured and it is not a strain.  The crime here is that he should've had surgery back in Feb so he'd be 100% in October.  But I have a feeling if they'd done it that way then the sell-outs would've stopped.

Oh yeah.  One more thing I want to bring up.  Maybe I shouldn't go here but I will.  Some trainers are saying its a strain and you can't do it anymore damage.  They say its just pain and what your pain tolerance is.  OK.  Take a cortisone shot or something.  What's the big deal?  I've taken cortisone shots 2-3 times in my life and its a miracle drug.  If you can't do yourself anymore harm then take it KG.  Geez.  Its the playoffs, man.

[moiso]

The above quote from the orthopedic surgeon makes the most sense to me- a tear that they are unable to see with the tests.

[celticinorlando]

honestly? i think Doc knows he can get by chicago and orlando without him...i think he is going to allow him to rest it for almost another month and see if he can come back