Kemba Walker to Boston

Sprowl

mikey lowell of the sandbox
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Yeah, I don't know how CBS can say that there's nothing "structural". From my experience of other people getting it, Synvisc (Synvisc-One) is given when people have chronic knee problems and stretching or PT stops helping. Of note, the injection isn't a long-term solution as even the FAQs for the drug says it lasts about six months. https://www.synviscone.com/what-is-synvisc-one/synvisc-faqs

Maybe someone else knows this but I had thought someone told me that they could only get a limited number of shots (2 or 3) but I can't find any confirmation of that on the internet.

At any rate, while I'm sure a lot of NBA players get this, Synvisc doesn't address any underlying problem and from what I understand simply delays knee surgery (See, e.g., https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4687851/).
Mike Lowell got a shot of Synvisc in 2010 when his hip started locking up on him after hip labrum surgery in 2008. For Lowell, it was pretty much the last option, and he retired at the end of the season.

Lowell will take a few days to weigh his options with Dr. Brian Kelly, the surgeon who performed his hip surgery in 2008. He said cortisone was likely to be a more viable option than the synthetic lubricant Synvisc, which Lowell said “gives you about three days of puppy love.’’
Let's hope Kemba Walker gets more than puppy love out of this.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Kyrie
Klay

Kemba (?)

Curse of the 2011 "K draft" seems to be working its evil powers. Secular prayers up for Kemba. And get out the bubble wrap for Kawhi?
 

128

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Did not realize this until I read it today in a Herald article on Kemba:

He averaged 75.6 games over his eight seasons in Charlotte and played 322 of 328 possible games over the last four.
 

Jimbodandy

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Glad we got Mike Lowell's diagnosis.

Like cortisone and meniscus cleanups, Synvisc treatment doesn't tell us much per se and has a wide outcome set. And on this team, Kemba sitting a few games also tells us little.

Kemba not sitting a few games after a drain would confirm that shitheads are running the team, so at least we have that.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Like cortisone and meniscus cleanups, Synvisc treatment doesn't tell us much per se and has a wide outcome set. And on this team, Kemba sitting a few games also tells us little.
Well, it tells us that Kemba has some sort of osteoarthritis and that he's going to need future injections to get through his contract.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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It does? Is that being reported? Apologies if I missed that.
From FAQs on Synvisc-One: https://www.synviscone.com/what-is-synvisc-one/synvisc-faqs

What is SYNVISC?
SYNVISC is a viscosupplement injection that supplements the fluid in your knee to help lubricate and cushion the joint, and can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief with three injections.
When should I consider SYNVISC?
SYNVISC is for people with knee osteoarthritis who have not received enough pain relief from diet, exercise and over-the-counter pain medication. If you’ve tried these options and are still feeling knee pain, tell your doctor and ask if SYNVISC or Synvisc-One® (hylan G-F 20) could help.
 

NomarsFool

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Just because Synvisc is indicated for osteoarthritis, and Kemba is taking Synvisc, doesn't mean that Kemba has OA.
 

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory

bsj

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Tremendous article by Adam. I've been a Kemba fan since his UConn days. He always showed up and balled out in the biggest games. I was looking forward to watching him in the playoffs this year.
As a Syracuse Big East fan at the time, i was most assuredly NOT a Kemba fan....but loved his game, and he became, in Charlotte, my favorite non Celtic player.
 

InstaFace

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That 2011 draft class had some crazy swings in value from pick to pick. Top players by VORP:

1. #15 Kawhi Leonard, 35.7
2. #30 Jimmy Butler, 29.7
3. #1 Kyrie Irving, 29.2
4. #9 Kemba Walker, 27.5
5. #16 Nikola Vucevic, 17.7
6. #60 Isaiah Thomas, 16.5
7. #11 Klay Thompson, 14.2
8. #19 Tobias Harris, 13.8
9. #38 Chandler Parsons, 10.8

That's wilder than most in recent memory. Usually about half of the top 10 becomes some sort of a useful player. To have more than one second-rounder end up among the best picks (including #60 for crying out loud) is just weird.
 

BigSoxFan

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That 2011 draft class had some crazy swings in value from pick to pick. Top players by VORP:

1. #15 Kawhi Leonard, 35.7
2. #30 Jimmy Butler, 29.7
3. #1 Kyrie Irving, 29.2
4. #9 Kemba Walker, 27.5
5. #16 Nikola Vucevic, 17.7
6. #60 Isaiah Thomas, 16.5
7. #11 Klay Thompson, 14.2
8. #19 Tobias Harris, 13.8
9. #38 Chandler Parsons, 10.8

That's wilder than most in recent memory. Usually about half of the top 10 becomes some sort of a useful player. To have more than one second-rounder end up among the best picks (including #60 for crying out loud) is just weird.
I need to brush up on VORP because I have absolutely no idea how Klay could be behind IT and Vucevic.
 

Euclis20

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I need to brush up on VORP because I have absolutely no idea how Klay could be behind IT and Vucevic.
NBA advanced stats are lacking when compared to baseball, but when basically all of them are down on a player like Klay (relative to his peers who, at a glance, aren't as good) it's worth looking into why. He's always been an ultra efficient scorer, but not quite at a volume high enough to make up for his lack of pretty much all other basic stats. 19.5 PPG is nice but hardly amazing, and his other stats (3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, .9 steals, .5 blocks) are pretty mediocre for a guy averaging 33 mpg. His defense is good but not great. Just looking at his stats page in comparison to hot shooting 2 guards in the recent past, he's more similar to [occasional all star] Allan Houston than [hall of famer] Ray Allen.

Not that any of this is fair, but it's no mystery why the advanced stats don't think he's a superstar. His basic stats (outside of 3 point shooting and ppg) are below average for a shooting guard playing 30+ mpg.
 
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Mueller's Twin Grannies

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At least this layoff is giving his knee time to heal. If the season hadn't been suspended and the Celtics were eliminated in the first or second round because he couldn't play at even 80% effectiveness, there would have been no end of finger-pointing at the Celtics brass, Stevens, and Walker himself for the decision to have him play in the ASG under the coach (who may have started getting death threats) of the defending champions and the likely chief obstacle in getting to the ECFs or potentially past them depending what happened with Milwaukee. This way it's going to be forgotten about.
 

oumbi

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Since I prefer not to pay to read the article, would you be able to provide us with some of the key points?

thank you.
 

InstaFace

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Since I prefer not to pay to read the article, would you be able to provide us with some of the key points?

thank you.
Sure. Though I'd be equally happy to give you (and others here) a 30-day guest pass for the Athletic.

So much has shifted since the last time Walker addressed the Boston media, back in March. Most of the changes have been bad or even devastating, but Walker can attest that the NBA hiatus wasn’t all bad. Bothered by an injured knee, he didn’t like how he was playing before the break. All the time off could save him.

“It was super important for me,” said Walker, back at the Celtics practice facility Wednesday on the first day of mandatory workouts. “I really, really needed to get that break.”

During the rush of an 82-game season, players never get such a long period of time to recover. If the schedule had pressed on like usual, Walker would have needed to push his banged-up body through pain. He would have needed to recover on off days after playing 32 or more minutes per game. He would have needed to beat up his knee regularly in hopes of building back his normal strength and quickness. He would have been under immense pressure, knowing he needed to be himself by the postseason, but without much time to regain his normal form. He would have been trapped in the NBA grind.

Instead, the NBA grind stopped abruptly. If there was any benefit to such a long pause in the league’s schedule, it was that players received time to rest their bodies. Walker went home to live in Charlotte, N.C., with teammate Grant Williams. They worked out regularly, but Walker got almost four months to strengthen his knee without all the pounding of typical NBA duties. Players all over the league benefited from the time away, but Walker in particular needed it.

Now, he says, he’s back to himself. “I’m ready to go,” Walker said. “I’m definitely ready to try and expand my game to higher levels so we can just be a better team. Especially the way I ended the season, I wasn’t really happy with the way I was playing. So I’m excited.”
(...)
Though some players feel concerns about the NBA bubble in Florida, Walker emphasized confidence in the plan the league has put forth. As a single man with no children, he may not be impacted by bubble life as much as some other players. For him, a chance to spend up to three months with the rest of the Celtics – and hardly anybody else – actually sounds appealing.

“All I do is stay in the house anyway, so there’s nothing wrong with me staying in a room,” Walker said. “So I’ll be fine, me personally. I’m actually looking forward to it just because I’m ready to play basketball. I’m ready to enjoy myself and I think it’s going to be a pretty good setup out there as well so that we can have fun whenever we’re not playing basketball.”
(...)
“We’re just looking forward to going out there and just handling our business,” Walker said. “We’re working hard right now. Guys worked hard over the quarantine to keep in shape and keep their bodies in shape. So we’re going to be ready to go for sure.”
Grant Williams must be a hell of a conversationalist.
 

DJnVa

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https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/brad-stevens-downplays-worrying-about-kemba-walker-all-star-goes-through-lengthy-workout
“With regard to Kemba getting back into it, I think ‘worrying’ is a strong word,” said Stevens. "I think there’s a lot more to worry about in the world right now so, when he gets back, we’ll get him as acclimated as we can. I don’t think it’ll be as fluid in our first scrimmage, or whatever the case may be, as maybe three weeks from now. But there’s time to do that. He practiced the first 50 minutes of today’s practice, so he’s done a lot more over the last few days.”
 

NomarsFool

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I am feeling a bit concerned that after a considerable layoff, he is still having knee issues. I have no idea when next season is supposed to start, but I'm feeling pessimistic that his knee will get better in the offseason if it didn't get better over the 'covid break'.
 

Euclis20

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I am feeling a bit concerned that after a considerable layoff, he is still having knee issues. I have no idea when next season is supposed to start, but I'm feeling pessimistic that his knee will get better in the offseason if it didn't get better over the 'covid break'.
If he's still having knee issues now there's little doubt they will persist through the remainder of this season and the playoffs. I'm not ready to say it won't improve with a real offseason though (even an abbreviated one). He may have avoided surgery since March because of the uncertainty of when we would restart, and if there is surgery that could help that would have him out for a few months, he's more likely to take that risk in the offseason and miss the start of next year, as opposed to having it this spring and missing this year's playoffs.

I agree that if all he does is rest and rehab, I can't see it getting better by next year.
 

NomarsFool

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My good friend who's an orthopedic surgeon once told me "never have surgery unless you can absolutely avoid it" :) So, it's also worrisome that he'll need surgery as my general perception is that once you start cutting you keep on getting cut.
 

128

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My good friend who's an orthopedic surgeon once told me "never have surgery unless you can absolutely avoid it" :) So, it's also worrisome that he'll need surgery as my general perception is that once you start cutting you keep on getting cut.
Let's hope Kemba is like Russell Westbrook, who's had numerous knee operations but is still an athlete NBA player.
 

bakahump

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I love Kemba, But I am beginning to muse "Would it be better to Keep Hayward or Kemba".
 

InstaFace

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JCizzle

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Kemba will play tonight, sit tomorrow vs Nets.

https://dknation.draftkings.com/nba/2020/8/4/21354780/kemba-walker-injury-news-status-update-celtics-vs-nets-lineup-minutes-restriction
Seems not unlikely that we'll be punting that game. We're going to be on the back half of a back-to-back, while the Nets will not be. Might be a game where Brad treats it like preseason, gives the deep bench some run, and just works on some stuff, with less emphasis on winning.
Nets played (and beat!) the Bucks today. Might be a pretty ugly game overall if everyone's legs are tired.
 

lovegtm

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Kemba really looks like a different guy out there from Feb/March. He's utterly critical if they want to have a chance against Milwaukee.
 

bigq

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Kemba really looks like a different guy out there from Feb/March. He's utterly critical if they want to have a chance against Milwaukee.
Wasn’t he fighting through an injury in the February/March timeframe? It’s not really clear to me if he is injury free now or if his minutes limitations are a result of an abundance of caution.

Agree with your comment that he is super important to this team making a deep run.

I would say health in general is key for the team. If Kemba, Hayward, Brown and Tatum are all healthy and firing on all cylinders this team is tough to beat.
 

lovegtm

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Wasn’t he fighting through an injury in the February/March timeframe? It’s not really clear to me if he is injury free now or if his minutes limitations are a result of an abundance of caution.

Agree with your comment that he is super important to this team making a deep run.

I would say health in general is key for the team. If Kemba, Hayward, Brown and Tatum are all healthy and firing on all cylinders this team is tough to beat.
Yeah, sorry, I should have been specific: he was definitely limited by injury then, and he looks to have all of his pop back now. Hopefully the knee can stay strong.
 

BaseballJones

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Wanamaker just stands there and watches his big man get roasted by Kemba Fkn Walker. Not his finest moment.
They had all the time in the world to quickly switch back. Atrocious coaching and defensive execution by Pitt. And a great call by Calhoun, who knew that Pitt would switch, so he made sure he got the matchup he wanted. Still, what a move by Kemba and after all that, he still had to make the shot. Of course, he did.
 

scottyno

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In a million years kyrie never would have had the same thoughts as kemba regarding that kemba is just the gatekeeper for the cs now until tatum and brown are ready to take over as the new leaders.