UConn's Mamadou Diarra underwent surgery Monday to repair a torn meniscus...

[AdamaNation]

Whaley seemed to hit a wall around February. Before that, the eye test definitely supported BPM. He was doing really impressive things defensively that gave me hope he could be a really dynamic player on that end.

He's certainly not a player I rule out, but his statline over his last 10 or 11 games has to be the worst I've ever seen from a UConn player getting regular time. He scored 10 points, got 8 rebounds, and dished 3 assists total over his last 101 minutes. I don't even know how that's possible, he was making Terrence Samuel look like basketball Jesus. It's possible that DO might have been as bad or worse and I'm almost positive Ollie trotted them out there together. Last year's team was truly special.

In fairness everyone seemed to hit a wall in February. I keep thinking kwintin may surprise some as he seems to be putting in the work but we keep forgetting the sophomore Whaley. This is still a very young and raw team. Whaley may be the guy.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Sarcasm?

No. I really have no idea on the recovery time and how it relates to a basketball player. My brother tore his meniscus and was back to normal about two months later.

 

[Scrutineer]

Having had multiple meniscus tears I think the situation is actually the opposite of what you postulate. I believe a tear in the white zone is simply snipped out. There is no blood supply for the meniscus to heal so the damaged portion is removed. This comes with a short recovery time, however, will likely predispose the patient to a higher risk of arthritis etc,,, in the long run. He probably has a tear in the red zone that can be repaired but this takes time.

What you say makes sense. I just copied the WebMD summary which didn't explain it the way you did.
I knew there was a circumstance where they just cut out the torn part and get the player back sooner and also knew the better repair (as you said red zone) was the one that takes much more recovery but is better for the player for the long term, especially his life after sports.

 

[Scrutineer]

Better he gets it fixed now over mid-season. Diarra will be a good piece for this team in the future.. Its not that big of a hit people are making it out to be..It is not like we just lost Carl Malone at the 4.

This allows Whaley and a few others room to grow.. I have a lot of faith in Whaley in his jr and sr years.. We are now going to have more time to invest in him.

Even more true for Karl Malone.

 

[Scrutineer]

That might be, but I'm talking more about what he was on the court and how people responded to him on this forum as a result. If he would be a different player with better coaching, we didn't get to see it.

Similar things could be said about Yakwe. He'll finally get quality coaching and a better team. Also, he dealt with injuries over the course of his career at St Johns.

Back to Brimah, how many UCONN centers would he have started over in the last 20 years or so?

Brimah wouldn't have started over any would he?
Maybe people here saw more of his summer league games, but the two or three in which I saw him it seemed just like his UConn days. Opponents were pushing him away from the basket, he took nice long strides from one end to the other and he looked lost on offense. Two years post college and he didn't look appreciably better and certainly didn't dominate.

 

[Stainmaster]

Brimah wouldn't have started over any would he?
Maybe people here saw more of his summer league games, but the two or three in which I saw him it seemed just like his UConn days. Opponents were pushing him away from the basket, he took nice long strides from one end to the other and he looked lost on offense. Two years post college and he didn't look appreciably better and certainly didn't dominate.

You would've started Phil Nolan/Tyler Olander/whomever we threw out there last year over Brimah?

 

[mauconnfan]

He should be an upgrade over Onuorah, at the very least. I liked the addition because he adds a different dimension to the team. Whether that will be worth his weaknesses elsewhere, I'm not sure.

He averaged 4.1 blocks per 40 minutes as a freshman, which is a lot. But then he dropped to 3.8 as a sophomore and 2.7 last year. Comparatively, Brimah averaged 5.0 blocks per 40 minutes for his career, never dipping below 4.3 in a single season. He was also a far more effective rebounder and offensive player than Yakwe. Given how this board treated Brimah, I'm not sure a poor man's version of him is going to inspire a lot of confidence.

We're really banking on on him returning to where he was as a freshman if he's going to be a useful player, and even then, I don't know what role a 6'7 shot blocker who doesn't do much else is on a college team. My guess is that Hurley sees value in his versatility.

Ok I can't resist champs sorry. If Yakwe is a poor mans version of Brimah it's a bad add period. The hope is he can actually body up and guard people in the inside while blocking a few shots. And offensively the kid averaged 7 points a game his freshman year in the Big East I'm guessing at the worst if he's healthy and the piece Hurley is hoping, their offensive comparison is at least a wash. The hope is his injuries and being buried by Mullin was the reason for his decrease in all stats while Hurley can find the kid who looked very promising as a freshman and not the poor mans AB.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

4-6 MONTHS??? For a meniscus? I thought 4-6 weeks was more likely than months, but i'm no ortho.

That really sucks for the kid, hoping he's back by winter break.

From what I gathered in 2016 (when I tore my meniscus while reffing an AAU tourney), I asked my PT guy about this since Derrick Rose had the 4-6 month one.

it's a different surgery for the same injury. I forget the technical details, but us "normies" dont' need that one because we don't put the same kind of stress on the knee as athletes (obviously).

BTW, also fun, supposedly it is typical for people who think they just have "creaky knees" to have a meniscus issue.

yeah, I ask weird questions like that while getting worked on. lol

4-6 months for a repair, where you put stitches in the meniscus to get it to heal, 4-6 weeks if you trim out the torn pieces. Those are the typical ranges. The meniscus heals slowly when repaired - stress it too early and you’ll pull the repair apart.

 

[BlueMAB]

4-6 months for a repair, where you put stitches in the meniscus to get it to heal, 4-6 weeks if you trim out the torn pieces. Those are the typical ranges. The meniscus heals slowly when repaired - stress it too early and you’ll pull the repair apart.

appreciate the explanation!

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Quick side note--not all meniscus tears need surgery. If you put 100 people without any knee pain over the age of 40 into a MRI scanner, approximately 40% would have a incidental tear of their meniscus. The meniscus degenerates over time any many times does not require surgery.

Yes, but with the caveat that the more active you are on it, the more likely you are to extend the tear by quick stops and starts, pivoting and cutting, impact (like landing from jumps).

Like in basketball.

 

[the Q]

4-6 months for a repair, where you put stitches in the meniscus to get it to heal, 4-6 weeks if you trim out the torn pieces. Those are the typical ranges. The meniscus heals slowly when repaired - stress it too early and you’ll pull the repair apart.

Thanks for the clarification, Doc!

 

[pj]

There were plentiful signs that the players weren't well nourished during KO's tenure. The frequent injuries, the failure to add muscle. They didn't have the nutrients they needed to repair and maintain tissue. I hope the new staff is tending to their diets.

 

[freescooter]

No. I really have no idea on the recovery time and how it relates to a basketball player. My brother tore his meniscus and was back to normal about two months later.

Recovery time is a function of the extent of the injury, the type of repair and the individual. I would assume in this case it’s a fairly serious tear and a major replacement/repair. Plus there is additional strengthening that a high level athlete will undergo that the average shmo won’t bother with. So he might be walking around and appear “fine” in say 3 months but need added time to strengthen the knee enough for play.

As for impact on the team we are thinner now upbfront but it’s unlikely that he was a critical guy at this point. More like a depth guy.

 

[HooperScooper]

There were plentiful signs that the players weren't well nourished during KO's tenure. The frequent injuries, the failure to add muscle. They didn't have the nutrients they needed to repair and maintain tissue. I hope the new staff is tending to their diets.

“We will build a 24-hour wellness program, where the time spent off the court and out of the weight room will be emphasized just as much as the time spent training,” he said in the statement. “We will be educating our team about how to eat, how to sleep, how to hydrate, how to recover -- establishing a game plan in all areas that can have a positive impact when it comes to on-court performance. There is a much greater commitment than just running and lifting. Ultimately, the tools we teach our players here will benefit them on and off the court, and long after their time at UConn.”

UConn Hires Performance Coach Known For Tripping NFL Player, Altercation With Diddy

 

[pj]

“We will build a 24-hour wellness program, where the time spent off the court and out of the weight room will be emphasized just as much as the time spent training,” he said in the statement. “We will be educating our team about how to eat, how to sleep, how to hydrate, how to recover -- establishing a game plan in all areas that can have a positive impact when it comes to on-court performance. There is a much greater commitment than just running and lifting. Ultimately, the tools we teach our players here will benefit them on and off the court, and long after their time at UConn.”

UConn Hires Performance Coach Known For Tripping NFL Player, Altercation With Diddy

Yes, I saw that, and it's very important. I hope they are following through in an intelligent, well-grounded way. It's an area where the scientific consensus is lacking, the government guidelines are flawed, and it's easy to go astray. But effort is the first step.

 

[UconnU]

“We will build a 24-hour wellness program, where the time spent off the court and out of the weight room will be emphasized just as much as the time spent training,” he said in the statement. “We will be educating our team about how to eat, how to sleep, how to hydrate, how to recover -- establishing a game plan in all areas that can have a positive impact when it comes to on-court performance. There is a much greater commitment than just running and lifting. Ultimately, the tools we teach our players here will benefit them on and off the court, and long after their time at UConn.”

UConn Hires Performance Coach Known For Tripping NFL Player, Altercation With Diddy

Is doing back flips off boats in the Hamptons part of the new program? I kid, I kid.

 

[intlzncster]

Yes, I saw that, and it's very important. I hope they are following through in an intelligent, well-grounded way. It's an area where the scientific consensus is lacking, the government guidelines are flawed, and it's easy to go astray. But effort is the first step.

True, there is not consensus, but but high end professional athletic trainers have it pretty well sussed out. What they do works, as the proof is in the pudding. Guys get much bigger, stronger, faster, quicker, etc...

 

[pj]

True, there is not consensus, but but high end professional athletic trainers have it pretty well sussed out. What they do works, as the proof is in the pudding. Guys get much bigger, stronger, faster, quicker, etc...

True ... though being well nourished enough to add muscle mass is relatively easy, that is a very simple tissue predominantly composed of protein and eating lots of protein with some other basics is half the battle. More complex tissues like joints (cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bone) for which the main nutrients are lacking in most people's diets, need more careful attention and effort. It's connective tissue where the injuries are usually concentrated, and that's not a coincidence. Just think about what people eat: "meat" which is muscle, they don't eat connective tissue which is only palatable after long cooking into soups and stews to make gelatin. They get the nutrients for muscle, it is the nutrients they never eat that are missing.

But since it's so easy to add muscle, it does suggest severe malpractice under KO's regime that the players didn't add muscle. I can't believe they weren't lifting. It's more likely there weren't tending to other ingredients of success.

 

[Scrutineer]

You would've started Phil Nolan/Tyler Olander/whomever we threw out there last year over Brimah?

I understand your point, but 20 years were mentioned, and my thoughts immediately went to past players rather than his contemporaries. While he may have been our best option during his time, it's doubtful he would have played much in the prior 16 or 17 years.

Of course, I may have unfairly overlooked Rakim Lubin (you know the guy who felt he was the next Charles Barkley).

By the way, did anyone watch Brimah's games in the summer league? After all the comments here about the former coach's failure to develop players it would be interesting to hear from knowledgeable people about how they think Brimah has progressed through two summer leagues and a year of pro ball here and in Europe. Purvis has seemed to develop but I don't know enough to say Brimah has or has not.