Gordon Hayward fractures ankle minutes into Celtics debut

Gordon Hayward fractures ankle minutes into Celtics debut

VIDEO OF THE PLAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRe-AdlD4uQ


Chris Forsberg ESPN Staff Writer

CLEVELAND -- Celtics forward Gordon Hayward was stretchered off the floor in Cleveland after suffering a horrific-looking ankle injury little more than five minutes into his Boston debut Tuesday night.

The team later announced that Hayward fractured the ankle.

Hayward's left leg bent awkwardly as he landed under the Celtics basket with 6 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter. Teammates and Cavaliers players, including LeBron James, rushed to check on him as he was stretchered from the court.

   NBA players send support to Gordon Hayward after scary injury

   NBA players tweeted their support for Gordon Hayward, who suffered an ugly-looking injury in the first quarter of his Celtics debut.

Hayward's left ankle turned at such an odd angle that teammates stood in shock as he motioned for help from the sideline.

Cavaliers guard Dwyane Wade knelt with his hand on his head nearby as team doctors attended to Hayward. Shell-shocked Celtics players huddled, with Kyrie Irving burying his head in the chests of teammates Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum.

Fans gave Hayward a standing ovation as he was taken from the court with his entire left leg immobilized in an air cast. He was immediately taken to the Cavaliers locker room for more evaluation. James and former Celtic Isaiah Thomas, who recruited Hayward to Boston over the summer, went into the Cavaliers locker room where he was receiving medical attention from both teams.

Players across the league immediately reacted on social media to the injury, including Paul George, who broke his leg in a gruesome injury in 2014.

Added Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team was readying for its season opener against the Rockets: "It was terrifying. The whole coaches' office was just devastated watching it. It just shows the fragile nature of what we do."

The Celtics signed Hayward to a four-year, $128 million contract in July, the first of two All-Stars they acquired this summer after acquiring Irving in a trade with the Cavs.

Hayward's arrival reunited him with his former Butler coach Brad Stevens.

112288

Chris Forsberg @ESPNForsberg
about 15 minutes ago
Brad on Hayward: "I really feel for him." Said it's a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia. He's being flown to Boston for further tests.



bob
MY NOTE:  the broken tibia is actually a good thing, although it is low on the leg and isn't so good.  Much better than a broken ankle.  The dislocation might be ok depending.  We might have gotten a small break,  pun intended, here



.

Dr. Chihlas: Optimistically Hayward back by end of season

http://www.nbcsports.com/boston/

Ouch.

Really hard to watch - and wishing him a fast recovery. He will be fine in the long run, but a big big setback for this team.

First my son lost his guy IT, then he went out and got a Gordon Hayward haircut last week. Poor kid is learning some hard lessons at 3 years old.

[size=55]Report: Gordon Hayward to have 
[size=55]surgery on ankle fracture Wednesday in Boston[/size]

[/size]




By: Jared Weiss | 55 minutes ago
Gordon Hayward will have surgery on his dislocated ankle and fractured tibia at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston Wednesday, reports Michael Wilbon of ESPN. Hayward was brought to the hospital last night after a MedFlight from Cleveland Tuesday night, as confirmed by WBZ Boston.
Hayward suffered the gruesome injury just over five minutes into his Celtics debut Tuesday in Cleveland, after making a twisted landing coming down from an alley-oop when his foot got pinned under his body and his ankle snapped.
Hayward spent over five minutes on the ground as the medical staffs from both teams reset his ankle as soon as possible to prevent further neurovascular damage. Hayward was examined in the Q arena facilities throughout the rest of the game before being taken by ambulance to a MedFlight to return him to the Celtics’ hospital partner in Boston.
The Celtics publicly announced the injury was a fractured ankle and coach Brad Stevens later described it as a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia, the larger weight-bearing bone in the leg that connects to the ankle. The extent of the injury significantly hinges on potential soft tissue damage to the main ligaments in the ankle and blood vessels in the area.
While this injury has been widely compared to Paul George’s shin compound fracture in 2014, the joints and ligaments involved with the ankle can make this a much more complicated injury, as detailed by InStreetClothes.com.
A further update on Hayward’s prognosis is expected when Brad Stevens addresses the media Wednesday afternoon.

bob



.

If there is no ligament damage a return this year is possible. If there is ligament damage this could be career threatening. I think its as simple as that.

Here is the link referenced in Bob's earlier post:

http://instreetclothes.com/2017/10/17/understanding-gordon-haywards-gruesome-ankle-injury/

UNDERSTANDING THE EARLY NEWS ON GORDON HAYWARD’S GRUESOME ANKLE INJURY

Post By: Jeff Stotts Date: October 17, 2017 Category: NBA, Understanding...
The excitement of Opening Night in the NBA quickly faded as Celtics forward Gordon Hayward suffered a traumatic leg injury just minutes into the first game of the season. Hayward was immediately tended to by the Boston medical team as players from both teams averted their eyes from the gruesome scene.

Footage of the injury showed Hayward’s left ankle violently twisted at an unnatural angle, indicating a dislocation of the ankle. ESPN reports the dislocation was reset on the court. A quick reduction is important to minimize any potential neurovascular problems. It can also provide pain relief for the injured individual. Further testing performed in the arena confirmed these speculations and revealed a fractured tibia. According to NBC Sports Boston reporter A. Sherrod Blakely, Hayward was transported by Medflight back to Boston and is expected to undergo surgery shortly.

Determining how long Hayward will be sidelined is difficult as injuries of this magnitude rarely have a good comparison, especially in the NBA. Initial associations to Paul George’s gruesome leg injury during the summer of 2014 are natural but the two injuries are drastically different. George’s injury was an open fracture of both the tibia and the fibula. Though a rod was eventually inserted to stabilize the fracture site, the break actually occurred in a favorable location. By breaking the bones near the mid-shaft, George was able to avoid extensive ligament and tendon damage.

However, it is unlikely Hayward was as fortunate. His break occurred at the distal end of the tibia, a site that serves as an anchor site for multiple ligaments. Furthermore, it is rare that a dislocation occurs without some level of ligament or soft tissue damage. Damage to the articular cartilage of the talus must also be considered.

Surgery to fix the area will likely involve surgical screws and a plate, not a rod. These implants help stabilize the injury site as the associated ligament damage heals. Any complex ligament injuries may need to be surgically addressed as well.

The closest comparable injury in the InStreetClothes.com NBA Injury Database occurred during the 2006-07 season when 76ers forward Shavlik Randolph suffered a broken and dislocated left ankle. The injury occurred in practice and wasn’t televised but the scene was reported as “gruesome.” Randolph underwent surgery later that day and missed the remaining 68 games of the season.

More information will surface following Hayward’s surgery that could help establish a more definitive timeline. For now, a prolonged absence for the All-Star forward is unavoidable and the Celtics will be forced to proceed without their key free agent signing. Boston plays Wednesday at home against the Bucks.



Hopefully the fact that they were able to reset it on the court will minimize long term damage, but that must have been incredibly painful also.

Here is a video to an orthopedic surgeon discussing the injury:

https://sports.yahoo.com/orthopedist-details-whether-gordon-hayward-163634618.html

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/gordon-hayward-ankle-injury-and-road-to-recovery-as-explained-by-a-medical-expert/