The Philadelphia 76ers fans are beset by medical updates that are benching key players. But the role of Dr. David T. Martin is not what you think it is
In case you were not aware, the health of the Philadelphia 76ers players rests in the hands of Dr. David T. Martin. As a matter of fact, Doctor Martin has been an extremely busy man this season. The Philadelphia 76ers opened the year with injuries and minutes restrictions to a number of key players. In fact, rookies Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, second year player Jahlil Okafor, former Philadelphia 76er Nerlens Noel, veterans Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless, and Gerald Henderson have all spent time with Martin this year.
On one hand, the Philadelphia 76ers fans are gun shy. Each medical update has come at the expense of this season. The news about Ben Simmons foot needing additional healing time has prompted fans’ discouragement. On top of that, the team followed up on that by announcing that Joel Embiid’s knee is more serious than originally thought, and he would be out for the rest of the season.
On the other hand, some interpret the recent news as an unprecedented spike in fragility of Philadelphia 76ers players.
I’m here to debunk that.
Basketball Is A Grueling Contact Sport
Before we proceed, we need to clarify our assumptions. The NBA is a contact sport. Despite the belief of finesse and agility, the big bodies bang hard in this sport. Hard contact with other bodies, and hard contact with hardwood floors. That happens repeatedly over the course of one NBA game.
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As a matter of fact, there are 82 NBA games per team per season. There are many more summer league games, preseason games, practices, and more. Long tiring seasons, frequent competition, and strong-bodied athletes increase the chances of some freakish landing, hit, or tumble with injure a basketball player where they can least afford it -troublesome foot bones or soft tissue.
And that brings us to this, so let’s clarify one final matter.
Doctor David T. Martin is a world renowned expert in the field of sports medicine and sports science. He has devoted his life to research “best practices” for the correction, diagnosis, treatment, key indicators, nutrition, hydration, and sleep needs for professional athletes.
World renowned.
What does that NOT mean? He cannot prevent injury. Dr. Martin will not fast track a half-assed recovery plan. He will not ignore or overlook diagnostic tests that suggest further tests, examinations, and determinations are needed.
What Good Is He?
MAN, I’m so glad you asked!
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The roster of the Philadelphia 76ers is young and talented. But we’ve just discussed just how grueling the sport can be. So what can a team do?
Hire Dr. David T. Martin.
Doc Martin does not shake a stick nor prescribe two aspirin and tell players to call him in the morning. He makes every full faith effort to restore a player to a level of health before an injury or accident occurred.
To put in another way, imagine you are camping, and you want to restore a campsite to the condition it was in before you got there. That takes a lot of work. You clean up, rake, reset, replace everything. If you burned firewood, it means chopping more. If you placed a tent, it means filling in holes made by tent stakes.
Restoration does not come easily, nor quickly. Medical science is not perfect. Diagnostic tests do not have 100% accuracy results. Athletes rarely arrive to the NBA 100% fit. Old nagging injuries flair up.
Trust The Medical Process
Let’s define the role of Doctor Martin. The Philadelphia 76ers have been dealing with a wide host of player injuries. But nearly all were present prior to encountering Martin. We will save Ben Simmons’ foot and Joel Embiid’s knee for the next slide.
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When veteran Jerryd Bayless or Nerlens Noel have recurring injuries, Martin does not fix the player well enough to play. He fixes the player well enough to enjoy a long NBA career. That difference seems to be ignored by a fan base that wants top players on the basketball court as quickly as possible.
We can pay a little now, or pay a huge amount later.
On one hand, athletes want to compete. Joel Embiid wants to play. Ben Simmons wants to play. On the other hand, keep in mind medical treatment historically asked a player “can you play?”. Yes was a certainty, and a player would grind out on a bad wheel until the player’s career ended prematurely.
Fan mentality is rooted in that old-school “play when you’re hurt” tough mindedness. Sure, it makes sense in an NBA Championship to put it all out there on the basketball court. But when the team has won more games by the All-Star break without two starters and the team is in better position to land a top NBA Draft pick than make a playoff appearance?
Why? Just why?
As a matter of fact, it makes zero sense. No reward. Huge risk. In conclusion, Avoid.
Back To Embiid and Simmons
The future is now. The future is now?
The future is Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Impatience is our enemy now. Long distance runners know the key to win races at those lengths must set a pace and stick to it. The team, and Joel Embiid, has attracted more than their share of vitriol in the patient quest to see Joel Embiid play.
The only way to “shut up” the trolling was to get Joel Embiid onto the basketball court.
Now, the team, fans and players must endure that resurgence of vitriol once more.
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Both Simmons and Embiid are important players to the Philadelphia 76ers. When Ben Simmons suffered a Jones fracture to the fifth metatarsal, the team knew the rehabilitation would be long, and complex. Feet do not receive good blood supply. Therefore, healing a foot as good as new requires vigilance, patience, and the courage to delay game play to extend healing to full.
So too with the knee. A meniscus is that cartilage shock absorbing cushion between the upper and lower leg bones. Any flaw today remains in the future. Fixed today simply takes it back to where it was.
And that’s why it’s SO IMPORTANT TO FIX YOUNG PLAYERS TODAY. Doctor Martin is not creating billable hours here. He is being incredibly meticulous because any errors now just magnify over time.
Next: Stop Calling Joel Embiid the Next Greg Oden
So it’s time to stop blaming the medical staff of the Philadelphia 76ers and accusing the players as fragile. It’s actually time to ask more relevant questions. Why aren’t other NBA teams being more cautious?