It sucks to be the Clippers: Elton Brand ruptures his Achilles tendon.

[ziggy]

It sucks to be the Clippers

read it (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-brand4aug04,1,724268.story?coll=la-headlines-sports&track=crosspromo)

[dvdbumpus]

OW! Who else has had that injury? Also, how long will someone be out for that type of injury, and to what extent can it affect a players performance?

[Dead_Real]

Wow tough break (no pun) I heard it could take 8-12 months for someone to return from this injury if so the Clips are f**ked and should be in the lotto in the 08 draft.

[ziggy]

OW! Who else has had that injury? Also, how long will someone be out for that type of injury, and to what extent can it affect a players performance?
Dominique Wilkins had that injury back in the day, and he was never the same.

[timang]

oh God... :(

hope he gets well w/ that injury, sucks to see a great baller on the sidelines you know.

[Muttley]

An older fella that I play ultimate frisbee with popped both of his (playing softball of all things) last year, but is back running around again now. And believe me, this guy's in great shape for his age, but Brand being the athelete and all, I think he's got a better shot at rebounding from this (pun definitely intended).

So, hopefully Brand will recover. Any time a key player goes down like this, it can alter what little balance there is in the league, and is pretty unfortunate (not to mention painful and frustrating to the player!).

[dvdbumpus]

Wow, 8-12 months. I think we can safely assume that it'll be a Tim Thomas/Al Thornton battle for the starter's spot then at PF. Might they have to adjust their offensive scheme to account for him not being there?

[TheBeagle]

Wow, 8-12 months. I think we can safely assume that it'll be a Tim Thomas/Al Thornton battle for the starter's spot then at PF. Might they have to adjust their offensive scheme to account for him not being there?
I would say that this officially makes the Clips the Chicago Cubs of the NBA, but they're not even that relevant :-\ I still think Elgin Baylor is one of the better GMs out there considering the owner that he works for.

[tamburello]

I found a very interesting website about people who ruptured achilles tendon and recovered well. But this doesn't change that achilles tendon injury is one of the nightmares of any kind of sportsman.
http://www.achillestendon.com/InTheNews.html
Among them, I saw Vince Carter. He "strained" his achilles tendon, but this didn't affect him too much. But rupturing should definitely take more time.

This injury may worsen the carriers of the players who usually relies on their athletic abilities. Elton Brand is not that kind of player I think. And ESPN says:

Achilles tendon injuries typically sideline NBA players for at least a year, which would theoretically threaten Brand's availability for all of the 2007-08 season.

But ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that the Clippers have received a preliminary medical indication that Brand will be sidelined only six months. If so, Brand would be in line for a comeback in February.

In near past, Voshon Lenard had torn his Achilles in the first match of the 2004-05 season. He was said to miss at least 6 months, and returned for the last two matches of the season. Next year, he was given little playing time and consequently his career was practically over.

Why Achilles is so important?

A tendon is a band of tissue that connects a muscle to a bone. The Achilles tendon is the longest tendon in the body and runs down the back of the lower leg and connects the calf muscle to the heel bone. Also called the "heel cord'', the Achilles tendon facilitates walking by helping to raise the heel off the ground.