Alex Len has surgery on his OTHER ankle...

[Phrazbit]

http://arizonasports.com/41/1648163/Phoenix-Suns-rookie-Alex-Len-undergoes-ankle-surgery

Now has stress fractures in both feet...

I think my grade of our draft just dropped another notch.

 

[JS22]

Little concerned, definitely.

But I have to trust this training staff until they give me a reason not to.

"As a precautionary measure, our medical staff determined that it would be prudent to perform surgery on Alex Len's right ankle at this time," said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. "That surgery was successfully completed this morning. As part of a routine evaluation, our medical team identified the very beginnings of a stress fracture in Alex's right ankle even though Alex was entirely asymptomatic. We expect him to be available to begin the season."

 

[Cheesebeef]

Whoa...this is the GOOD ankle? Oh boy.

 

[Neo]

Looks like we drafted the reincarnation of Curtis Borchardt.

 

[SirStefan32]

This is not good.

 

[HooverDam]

uggggggggggg passing on McLemore was already driving me insane. If Len ends up being Sam Bowie health wise, its really going to be annoyed.

Why the damn do you draft the injured, white, non all conference Center when you've got a super athletic guard with a sweet stroke on the board? Ming boggling.

 

[Dalbrin]

I hate to say I told you so, but...

 

[Superbone]

I hate to say I told you so, but...

I hate to say it, but you're way premature. If he's ready to start the season, fantastic. Glad they caught it early.

 

[Mulli]

The good news is he only has two.

 

[Dalbrin]

I hate to say it, but you're way premature. If he's ready to start the season, fantastic. Glad they caught it early.

So how many times are this guy's bones going to have to crack just from carrying his own weight before it's not premature anymore?

First he was going to be ready for training camp, now it's the start of the season. I'm sure if he ends up missing the season or something we'll still have to listen to BS about how the Suns PR team knows better then us.

 

[Mainstreet]

Does it say anywhere they have put pins are screws in the ankles? To operate they must be doing something to strengthen the ankles other than to put it in a cast.

 

[Superbone]

So how many times are this guy's bones going to have to crack just from carrying his own weight before it's not premature anymore?

First he was going to be ready for training camp, now it's the start of the season. I'm sure if he ends up missing the season or something we'll still have to listen to BS about how the Suns PR team knows better then us.

If he misses the season, congratulations. You win.

 

[Dalbrin]

It wouldn't be anything to celebrate. I don't like the idea of the Suns wasting a number 5 pick more then anyone else does. I just didn't understand the unmitigated optimism surrounding a very large twenty year old who already has stress fracture issues.

And I don't think he'll miss the entire season due to injuries. If I had to put a number on it, I'd guess between 33 and 50 percent of games.

Everyone will clap and cheer over a 5/5 season and proclaim that next year, when he's even taller and heavier, he'll be better.

 

[sunsfan88]

It wouldn't be anything to celebrate. I don't like the idea of the Suns wasting a number 5 pick more then anyone else does. I just didn't understand the unmitigated optimism surrounding a very large twenty year old who already has stress fracture issues.

And I don't think he'll miss the entire season due to injuries. If I had to put a number on it, I'd guess between 33 and 50 percent of games.

Everyone will clap and cheer over a 5/5 season and proclaim that next year, when he's even taller and heavier, he'll be better.

What's wrong with being optimistic? We have been whining and complaining for the last 3 years, now we finally have a new GM, new HC, and we will trust them to make the right choices until they prove us wrong.

McDonough isn't some guy off the streets. He has a very qualified resume and he said that he's been watching and scouting Len for quite sometime and that Aaron Nelson and the Suns med staff gave Len the ok when he came in for a physical before the draft.

If Nelson thought that Len is fine, then I'm willing to trust him until proven wrong.

Its a good thing they did this now and got it out of the way so now he can play his rookie season without having any hiccups along the way (barring another injury).

 

[Phrazbit]

Does it say anywhere they have put pins are screws in the ankles? To operate they must be doing something to strengthen the ankles other than to put it in a cast.

Well, its bone surgery, unless their goal was to set a bone and then immobilize it (which I doubt is the case since stress fractures are non-displaced) then I'd think they put a bit of hardware in.

I'm no doctor but I've dealt with more than my fair share of broken bones... I just dont what other type surgery they would have done on the bone.

 

[95pro]

We don't know if medical staff knew about both stress fractures before draft day. Our med staff is great but picking players with known issues and relying on our medical staff to put players on the court isn't wise. What if they fail to get Len on the court? Then there goes one of our major selling points.

 

[Phrazbit]

If Nelson thought that Len is fine, then I'm willing to trust him until proven wrong.

Its a good thing they did this now and got it out of the way so now he can play his rookie season without having any hiccups along the way (barring another injury).

Well, it sounds like this injury caught Nelson and the staff off guard.

I seriously hope he turns out fine, but two stress fractures, one of them coming in just day to day life, not on the court... I think most teams would have red flagged him (including us) if they'd known a second one was coming.

 

[sunsfan88]

Well, it sounds like this injury caught Nelson and the staff off guard.

I seriously hope he turns out fine, but two stress fractures, one of them coming in just day to day life, not on the court... I think most teams would have red flagged him (including us) if they'd known a second one was coming.

I think they only did this surgery as a precaution to make sure that nothing happens during his rookie season.

This what McD said about Len's injury problems a few weeks ago.

When general manager Ryan McDonough met with the media on draft night, he addressed the ankle issues.


“I don’t know how much you can answer this,” I asked him, “but just that foot injury and being a big guy — that’s generally a bigger concern — do you know anything about feeling good that that’s not a longterm issue?”


“I would say short answer, ‘Yes,’” McDonough responded. “Our medical people, who are some of the best in the league, took a close look at it and studied it. And we’re confident he won’t have issues going forward. So I guess I’ll just say we would not have drafted him if we thought it was a significant medical risk.”

Read more: http://valleyofthesuns.com/2013/07/...ht-ankle-surgery-suns-announce/#ixzz2YsGAgFZB
​

I'll hold him to that last line he said. They wouldn't have drafted him if they thought he was a significant medical risk.

 

[Dalbrin]

How good of a physical could it have been? Remember, his OTHER ankle is fractured as well, so he didn't get this new one from playing ball.

Optimism is fine. Ignoring facts on the table, like being prone to stress fractures just because it sucks to be disappointed on draft day, is what I find a little silly. I'm reasonably optimistic about Goodwin and that bulldozer type we took in the second.

Also, both Hornacek and McD have been assistants. They've never had the big job. Some players make good coaches, others don't, and while Hornacek was a great player and seems to be a nice guy there's nothing to indicate yet that he's going to be a great or even decent coach.

Same with McD. He made a pretty good trade to get Bledsoe, but even with that the reason everyone is high on Bledsoe is his potential, not his on court performance. The only other thing McD has done as the man in charge is to draft a gimp with the number 5 pick. Bledsoe is going to have to be really good, or there are going to have to be other good moves, to wash that out.

 

[tobiazz]

All they can really do is operate, fill him with calcium, give him a balanced weight training regimen, and limit his minutes for at least this season. Of course, Len needs lots of minutes to reach his potential.

I was really hoping the Suns would pick up a second pick in the mid first round to get one of the many backup centers available. I suppose they can just throw a PF in at C.

 

[Dalbrin]

"And we're confident he won't have issues going forward."

Issues, like say, getting a stress fracture from just walking around in everyday life?

 

[Phrazbit]

I think they only did this surgery as a precaution to make sure that nothing happens during his rookie season.

This what McD said about Len's injury problems a few weeks ago.

This surgery was done because they found the beginnings of another break, you dont operate on bone unless there is something wrong. I like that they were proactive but you dont grab a scalpel unless there is something to fix.

I'll hold him to that last line he said. They wouldn't have drafted him if they thought he was a significant medical risk.

A statement made before they had any idea he was going to develop problems in his "good" ankle without even stepping on a court... Which says to me that they would have probably red flagged him had these issues come to light a mere 3 weeks ago.

 

[sunsfan88]

This surgery was done because they found the beginnings of another break, you dont operate on bone unless there is something wrong. I like that they were proactive but you dont grab a scalpel unless there is something to fix.


A statement made before they had any idea he was going to develop problems in his "good" ankle without even stepping on a court... Which says to me that they would have probably red flagged him had these issues come to light a mere 3 weeks ago.

But as another poster said above, maybe the Suns already knew about this back then too.

The Suns pride themselves on getting players with injury trouble and treating them to a level where they can play good basketball without worry.

The Suns just said themselves that this is just a precautionary surgery. I'll give them the benefit of doubt and trust that they know what their doing until they prove me wrong.

“As a precautionary measure, our medical staff determined that it would be prudent to perform surgery on Alex Len’s right ankle at this time,” said Lon Babby. “That surgery was successfully completed this morning. As part of a routine evaluation, our medical team identified the very beginnings of a stress fracture in Alex’s right ankle even though Alex was entirely asymptomatic. We expect him to be available to begin the season.

 

[Dalbrin]

You're welcome to believe the Suns' PR team. None of us can see the future. We'll see who is right.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

It certainly isn't something I want to be hearing, but the training staff knew about his issues before the draft and drafted him anyways. Point being that I will trust that they know what they were doing untill proven otherwise.

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