Philadelphia 76ers Fans Learned Healthy Does Not Mean Playing Time
By Bret Stuter
Philadelphia Perception Problem
It was clearly due to a Philadelphia perception problem. But whose perception? And on the same subject, which side needs to fix things the most?
Well, let’s start with the players. Their hands are tied. This is their future, and in spite of medical evidence supporting cautious protocols, most players want to compete. Let’s also wash the hands of the head coach. Brett Brown works with one of the most constrictive minutes allotments on any NBA roster and makes it work. He never shows any signs of dissension, and only rarely let’s a “its tough to do” slip into social media.
Too Hot, Too Cold, Never Just Right
There is always a risk of too much or too little details in injury reports. If too little information is given, there is a risk of underestimating the down time for the player. If too much information is shared, there is a risk of overestimating the down time for the player. Ultimately, it is virtually impossible to share injury reports that give everyone just enough information.
On the other hand, medical science has developed a wide array of methods designed to heal a professional athlete. To a lay person, healing simply means getting back to a minimal level of functionality. To the NBA player, healing is comprised of three stages:
Stage I: post op recovery,
Stage II: Rehab,
Stage III: Full strength can play.
When quoted on recovery time, oftentimes the initial assessment cites the medical healing, which usually only extends to stage II. Keep in mind, once an athlete is cleared to resume training, it can still be months to rebuild strengtho to endure competitive play.