So, about that knee...

by Mike Prada on Nov 19, 2007 12:57 PM EST in Injuries

Obviously, we were a bit naive to expect this problem to just go away.

The team got the day off, but Arenas is going to rest his surgically repaired left knee one more day with the expectation that he will be raring to go tomorrow night against Philadelphia. The key will be how Gilbert feels on Wednesday against Charlotte on Wednesday. His scratch on Saturday was totally unexpected.

This raises the question of whether this "wait and see" approach is more effective than just shutting Gilbert down for a longer period, with the expectation that he'll be fully healed once he comes back. And it's a tough one to answer. On the one hand, if Arenas is shut down for a while, our guys are going to know what new roles are expected of them, instead of being left in the dark until before tipoff. On the other hand, Arenas' injury doesn't exactly lend itself to a prolonged period of rest, and there's always the possibility that opponents will adjust more easily than we do to Arenas' absence.

It's not an easy question to answer. Personally, I think the Wizards are handling this the right way, but I can see the counterargument. It's early in the season, but we can't expect the rest of the team to play like they did against Portland every night.

Where do you stand? Would you keep monitoring Arenas like this, or would you put him on the injured list once and for all?

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monitor

If the docs say he has to rest it, I'll be fine with that. But he got the MRI, it showed nothing, and he already had the whole summer to recover from the surgery. I'm just not sure if we put him on the injured list what the timetable would be. I also think it's a little better making teams prepare for Arenas and then switch to AD instead than letting them prep for the wizards without Gil.

Tough situation, for sure. This team is traditionally pretty bad on the back end of back-to-backs anyway. If we're often without Gilbert as well, that's going to be a lot of L's.

by sierradave on Nov 19, 2007 1:51 PM EST reply actions

6th man?

I also agree that the Wizards have handled it well to this point, but if his knee keeps flaring up like this than maybe it might be worth considering a role as 6th man for a little while. I think I'd rather have 25 good minutes out of him every night than 40 average minutes two-thirds of the time.

But I'm not a knee surgeon so maybe that's not an option or maybe Gil wouldn't be comfortable taking it, who knows.

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by Jake Whitacre on Nov 19, 2007 2:23 PM EST reply actions

I'd sit him down

Granted, it's not clear how much that would help...but knee injuries are so tricky (and lateral quickness is so essential to Gilbert's game) that I'd be safer rather than sorry with the current (and potential*) franchise player.

* And speaking of Gil's unclear future, wouldn't it be nice to know what the Wiz have without him on the floor? The win over Portland was nice, the collapse at the end of the season, not so much. Obviously, everyone wants him back, but if he sat for a while, would be more obvious how far/close the Wiz kids are.

by crucifictorious on Nov 19, 2007 2:35 PM EST reply actions

Monitor The Knee

Yes, a large part of the recovery process is physical....but a large part is also mental.

So yes, rest Gilbert when his knee needs it. But, it still needs to work and gain strength through physical activity.

Gil can be in the gym/weight room doing activities all day...but he really knees to be on that court (as the doctors allow and as he feels he can) to gain that playing-time confidence.

So in the end, I don't think the answer would be to not play him at all.

truthaboutit

by Kyle Weidie on Nov 19, 2007 3:53 PM EST reply actions

keep him in

don't put him on the injured list. let him take it as he goes. if he needds to rest on the latter half of back to backs in the early part of the season, I think that is ok.

by iwatchthenba on Nov 19, 2007 5:14 PM EST reply actions

Very Difficult to Speculate

I'm not sure how serious the tear to Gil's meniscus was, only he and the team doctors know enough details to have a truly educated opinion. That said, it seems to me that the extended rest Gil got from the last month of last season throughout the off-season hasn't made enough of a difference. He may need to play in order to truly evaluate how capable his knee is of holding up to the rigors of his game. I trust that the team doctors will continue to evaluate Gil's knee throughout the season and will recommend shelfing him if it gets any worse.

As for the Wizards game strategy, I think it's best to continue playing Gil as much as they can. Even when a little gimpy, Agent Zero can still have a big positive impact for the Wizards. The second half in Minnesota on Saturday was a perfect example.

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Nov 20, 2007 10:29 AM EST reply actions