Skip to main content

Celtics aren't immune to the soft-tissue injuries plaguing the NBA


We are not talking about broken bones here, but rather damage to muscles, tendons and ligaments. This concerns the soft-tissue injuries plaguing not only the Boston Celtics, but the entire NBA this season. All of the quotes are from a revealing article by uproxx.com's Katie Heindl

Marcus Smart just returned from such an injury - a grade one calf sprain. On the surface, that doesn't sound serious, but it can be. That type of sprain involves actual tearing of muscle tissue. And Brad Stevens has gone on record as hoping Jaylen Brown's knee soreness is "not something long-term".  And then we have Kemba Walker's knee issue which was treated via stem cell therapy. What is going on?

Within the NBA’s first month of the 2020-21 season, four injuries had players officially out for the season and seven were serious enough that players were forecast to return sometime in mid-March

It’s these kinds of soft tissue and tendon-based injuries that are currently proliferating in the league.

I advise my followers to read Heindl's entire article, but here is a quick breakdown of possible culprits in the steady increase in these types of injures:

1.) "Short pre-season"

2.) "Rapid deconditioning" of athletes due to COVI-19

3.) "Fatigue" 

4.) Too-rapid a "return to regular gameplay following injury"

5.) Increased "pace" of the game

6.) "Packed game schedule influenced by broadcast opportunities"

7.) "Shift in how the game is packaged, pushed and consumed"

8.) "High impact, high-loading of muscles"

That's it in a nutshell. The "high impact, high loading" described by Heidl was not nearly as prevalent in the 60's and 70's. I never remember seeing 6'5" John Havlicek or 6'4" Sam Jones dunk the basketball. The Bill Russell/Wilt Chamberlain matchups saw a lot of above-the-rim action by both centers, but it was so unusual the press would often use it in a full article.

The pace of the NBA game has soared, as have the superior athletes with their high-flying acts. But high-level athletes lose conditioning quickly, and a short-pre-season and COVID protocols have taken a toll. 

Although not an indictment of the NBA itself, Heindl's article does point a finger in that direction - as I do. The League has become big business - meaning a lot of money. 

"...we can remind ourselves not to lose the gruesome shock of a muscle unraveling, or the agony in someone collapsing to the floor only weeks after they set a confident foot on it for the first time. To remember that the league is a structure only as strong as the bodies supporting it, like tendons fixed to bone until it breaks."

In the battle of morality versus money, there at least has to be a balance between the two. Without healthy versions of Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown, the Boston Celtics have little chance at a Title this season. And if NBA  continues to see its stars fall at an alarming pace, the league's future is in jeopardy. Watch for my next article on the subject.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on four occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Did the Celtics Kevin McHale really have a wingspan of 8-feet?

According to many sources, the Celtics Kevin McHale did indeed have an estimated wingspan of 8-feet. One of those sources is Wikipedia, as seen below: Kevin McHale American basketball player DescriptionKevin Edward McHale is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wikipedia Born: December 19, 1957 (age 61 years), Hibbing, MN Wingspan: 8′ 0″ Height: 6′ 10″ Spouse: Lynn McHale (m. 1982) NBA draft: 1980, Boston Celtics (Round: 1 / Pick: 3) Hall of fame induction: 1999 Number: 32 (Boston Celtics / Power forward, Center) Kevin was listed at 6'10" tall when he was drafted with the 3rd pick in the 1980 draft. Red Auerbach, in yet another heist, brought in both McHale and center Robert Parish (via trade) prior to the Celtics' 1980-81 Champion

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

 As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo