What's new
By:
Filters

Injuries and comebacks

nateboz

nateboz

Well-Known Member
I was talking with some buddies about this.
How many highly athletic NBA players have had injuries that last more then 1 full season and then come back to where they were?
More often the player regressed in a major way.
Do Favors or Burks really have a legitimate odds to become what they were?
 
I was gonna say Steph Curry. But apparently, apart from a single season, he's been an iron Man.
 
Siro said:
I was gonna say Steph Curry. But apparently, apart from a single season, he's been an iron Man.
Click to expand...

He counts for sure. He is being paid really cheaply because of it and I believe they were considering trading him. He only lost one season, but the problems started before that. Can't remember if it was the offseason or at the end of the previous season.

3 more names off the top of my head:

Ilgauskas
Grant Hill
Andrew Bogut
 
Cappy_Smurf said:
He counts for sure. He is being paid really cheaply because of it and I believe they were considering trading him. He only lost one season, but the problems started before that. Can't remember if it was the offseason or at the end of the previous season.

3 more names off the top of my head:

Ilgauskas
Grant Hill
Andrew Bogut
Click to expand...
Andrew Bogut's elbow injury was gruesome.
 
Cappy_Smurf said:
He counts for sure. He is being paid really cheaply because of it and I believe they were considering trading him. He only lost one season, but the problems started before that. Can't remember if it was the offseason or at the end of the previous season.

3 more names off the top of my head:

Ilgauskas
Grant Hill
Andrew Bogut
Click to expand...

Didn't he sit out the season more or less after they traded Ellis so they could lose out and keep the pick we were supposed to get?
 
nateboz said:
How many highly athletic NBA players have had injuries that last more then 1 full season and then come back to where they were?
Click to expand...
(my emphasis)

Cappy_Smurf said:
3 more names off the top of my head:

Ilgauskas
Grant Hill
Andrew Bogut
Click to expand...

Cappy, nateboz was talking about highly athletic players, guys, so Ilgauskas doesn't count. Hill wasn't ever near the same after his injury. Before, he was like a cross of Scottie Pippen and Lebron James, but less athletic and without a 3 point shot; afterwards, he was just a role player. Bogut wasn't athletic to begin with and, since his third season, was never really healthy.

I must say that Paul George's recovery has surprised me, but before his major injury, every season at least 20 percent of his shots came form less than 3 feet from the basket and last season only 13 percent came from the same distance. Perhaps he's settling for jumpers instead of driving.

I don't think Burks is capable of recovery. He was athletic before his myriad of injuries but wasn't Dwyane Wade-like athletic. Besides, his basketball IQ is clearly low - the guy has difficult even taking advantage of screens, for heavens sake! - and I think some mental adjustment has always to be made after a major injury to compensate for whatever is lost athletic. He clearly unlearned how to finish around the rim - has one of the worst percentages of the league from inside 3 feet - and unless he has the brains to change the way he moves and finishes, perhaps adding some sort of floater to his "repertoire", I don't see any hope of him becoming a good and efficient scorer.

IMO, Favors is never going to be an All-Star, as many predict two seasons ago, but I think he can come back to being a productive although (slightly) unreliable role player. He is not that smart of a player, but his outside shooting has been improving and he is clearly a hard worker. It wouldn't surprise me if he averaged 14 to 15 points per game next season. So, I think we can be realisticly hopeful about him. :)
 
Cappy_Smurf said:
He counts for sure. He is being paid really cheaply because of it and I believe they were considering trading him. He only lost one season, but the problems started before that. Can't remember if it was the offseason or at the end of the previous season.

3 more names off the top of my head:

Ilgauskas
Grant Hill
Andrew Bogut
Click to expand...

I was under the same impression. But looking at his stats, he only had a single injured season, where he played 27 or something.
 
nateboz said:
I was talking with some buddies about this.
How many highly athletic NBA players have had injuries that last more then 1 full season and then come back to where they were?
More often the player regressed in a major way.
Do Favors or Burks really have a legitimate odds to become what they were?
Click to expand...

Well Favors had a bone bruise, hardly a career ending injury. Burks, though... IMHO is probably a great bench player
 
Definitely Shaun Livingston
And you can't forget Alonzo Mourning! They said his career was done. His number was retired . He received a kidney transplant and later came back to the heat in 2006 to win a championship.
 
Michael Jordan...probably the best example ever. Missed most of the 85-86 season due to a broken foot, came back to average 43 ppg vs Boston in the playoffs, the next season he averaged 37.1 ppg (highest of his career). Played six straight seasons of 80 games or more in the regular season after the injury season.
 
When burks played last year (after missing most of the previous 2 years) he was still the most athletic player on the jazz. He didn't showcase it as much since his minutes were way down and when he was in he was trying to play a role that doesn't showcase athleticism (stand around on the outside, pass the ball, shoot 3's).

I remember a dunk attempt over a guy (he missed it :( ) that was as athletic as anything he ever did when healthy. I saw multiple instances of him going up for rebounds and his head getting near the rim and grabbing rebounds over much bigger players.

If Burks is healthy this year his athleticism will be fine. He will still be the most, or 2nd most (mitchell), athletic player on the team. X will be faster and mitchell has a chance to be faster. Only mitchell has a chance of having a higher vert.
 
Speaking of athletic dudes Lebron is a true iron man. I don't think he's ever had a significant injury all while playing a ton of minutes since he was 18. Dude is a freak.
 
tonstermits said:
Speaking of athletic dudes Lebron is a true iron man. I don't think he's ever had a significant injury all while playing a ton of minutes since he was 18. Dude is a freak.
Click to expand...
Yep, that dude won the gene lottery. He could have chosen another sport as well to dominate, like football. He never even lifted weights until he was in the NBA. Not that he didn't work to get where he is at but any person if they had that kind of genetics would be a professional athlete.
 
Jabari Parker had that first ACL injury and was scoring 20 ppg for the Bucks until his second ACL injury.

Injuries are a wild card for sure, but we had 3 MAJOR players deal with injuries who returned again. We need 1 of them to stand out. Hood, Burks, Favors.

Favors looked to be good by the end of the season, so he has a full summer of prep (not just recovery).

Hood looked damaged at the end of the season, but he played through a ton of pain all year. He has recovery, but the biggest motivation IMHO because with Hayward's departure he has a chance to be the go to player and he likely won't get another chance like this in his career. If he performs, he will be our franchise player alongside Gobert. If he doesn't... When Hood wasn't on a back to back, he played really well and then he played really poorly when he tried to play through pain. I am optimistic on Hood.

Burks, well, Fish and I have real estate on that resort island. The guy has been 'healthy enough to play' since late February if memory serves me right. But then he never had a training camp and he has been out for most of the three seasons under Quin. So, assuming he was healthy by the playoffs (not a fair assumption) then we SHOULD have him in full health by training camp. It's just repetition in the system, gaining trust, etc. He will get his chances for sure and again, he could be 'the man' if he gets back to 2 years ago. I am bullish on these three. With Hayward out, they are going to be competing with a rookie for the big shots. Then again, Donovan, Exum, and Udoh may just beat them all out...
 
The Jazz Wonderbra said:
Burks, well, Fish and I have real estate on that resort island. The guy has been 'healthy enough to play' since late February if memory serves me right. But then he never had a training camp and he has been out for most of the three seasons under Quin. So, assuming he was healthy by the playoffs (not a fair assumption) then we SHOULD have him in full health by training camp. It's just repetition in the system, gaining trust, etc. He will get his chances for sure and again, he could be 'the man' if he gets back to 2 years ago.
Click to expand...

I don't think he was completely healthy when he came back, because if you recall he had those blood platelet treatments during the playoffs. He also did say in an interview that he found he wasn't able to get around people the way he used to. So, I think we won't know about Burks until the pre-season begins. No sense trading him. He has no value right now. And it would be stupid to waive him until we give him a chance to see what he can do, and if possible return to form and build on his experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top