Kyrie Irving will tomorrow undergo a minimally invasive procedure

http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/pressrelease/kyrie-irving-injury-update?sf185346040=1

The Boston Celtics announced today that guard Kyrie Irving will tomorrow undergo a minimally invasive procedure to alleviate irritation in his left knee. Further information will be provided following tomorrow’s procedure, and the team will have no further comment until that time.

Kyrie Irving to undergo 'minimally invasive procedure' on knee

WEEI Scott McLaughlin

We now know the next step for Kyrie Irving's injured left knee, although we still don't know how much time he will miss.

The Celtics announced Friday that the star point guard will undergo a "minimally invasive procedure to alleviate irritation" on Saturday. They did not announce a timetable for his return and said more information will be provided after the procedure.

Irving had screws inserted in his knee in 2015 after he suffered a fractured kneecap in the NBA Finals. The expectation has long been that he would eventually need surgery to have those screws removed. It's unclear if that's the procedure Irving is undergoing Saturday, but given that surgery is expected to come with a lengthy recovery, it would seem that a "minimally invasive procedure" would be something less than that.

Irving, who turned 26 on Friday, leads the Celtics in points (24.4), assists (5.1) and minutes (32.2) per game this season.

112288

Depends on how you define "minimally invasive".  Taking screws out is "minimally invasive as you are not reconstructing the knee nor the ligaments.

Besides this is the time to do an operation that will take a lengthy time to heal. March thru September = 6 months.


112288

Having had 3 knee surgeries, 1 minimally invasive (arthroscopic), I've always believed that minimally invasive means someone else's knee.

If they're removing screws, that may not be too bad. I'm not sure what else one would have done to relieve irritation, unless perhaps it's trimming up a meniscus tear. Even that comes with some level of rehab and time off the court. I've had irritation relieved by draining and cortisone. Not fun, but at least not surgery, and you're back in action fairly soon.

They also now do deep tissue ultra-sound to help with recovery and the associated soreness. If Irving can't get away with that and rehab, and it's other than those screws, there must be some damage in there. That could shut him down for a while.

Just a guess based on all of that, but I wouldn't count on Irving for an early playoff series.

I no longer feel we are "a lock" for the #2 playoff spot.  Kevin Love is back for Cleveland and the Pacers are also playing well.  The Magic Number is 6, there are only 11 games left and we are playing some tough teams.



bob


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Current projection is for Kyrie to miss 3-6 weeks.  That is the rest of the season and the first round, at least.


bob


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Scott Souza @Scott_Souza
about 29 minutes ago
The fear with Kyrie Irving was that "minimally invasive" procedure would reveal a more significant issue. According to C's that didn't happen. Barring a setback in recovery no reason to expect he won't play again this season, nor is there a reason to shut him down for the year.
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bob
MY NOTE: Good news!


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They removed a wire inside Kyrie's knee which they felt was causing the discomfort. The knee cap is in good shape structurally sound, so they are reporting. 3-6 wk window.
This puts them already in the playoffs.

Here's what this is about:

In 2015 Kyrie fractured the middle-third of his patella, his knee cap.  If you remember, that's why he missed the playoffs vs GSW that year (Kelly Olynyk "took out" Kevin Love in our series with them).  As part of the operation to repair that they installed a "tension wire", which wraps around the patella and keeps it together while it heals.  Over time it can degrade and cause irritation, which it did and has.  That is what was removed in this procedure, the tension wire.  Reports are there are no other complications or issues other than the now-gone tension wire.

Why this wasn't removed 2 summers ago during the off-season I have no idea.  If I know it can degrade over time the team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, should have.

3-6 weeks rehab.  That means early playoffs to perhaps conference finals.

The work out sessions with Hayward, Irving, Theis and Smart will be epic.  If Jaylen was out longer they'd be a playoff-capable team.


bob


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Chris Forsberg @ESPNForsberg
about 2 hours ago
Celtics return timelines (based on team estimates): Jaylen Brown (concussion) - Sunday Kyrie Irving (knee) - 3-6 weeks (April 14-May 5) Marcus Smart (thumb) - 5-7 weeks (April 27-May 11) Gordon Hayward (ankle) - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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bob



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Can we hold down the fort in the 1st round till the cavalry returns? Maybe.


KJ

k_j_88 wrote:Can we hold down the fort in the 1st round till the cavalry returns? Maybe.


KJ

I fully expect the Celtics to keep winning games regardless of who plays.

At this point we have seen how this team plays through adversity.  We have a marvelous coach.  This team never makes excuses.  This team never quits.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/938577/Boston-Celtics-news-Kyrie-Irving-injury-knee-surgery-playoffs-postseason-NBA

"KYRIE IRVING will likely never be the same player again after undergoing knee surgery at the weekend. That’s according to Dr. Selene Parekh, an orthopaedic surgeon and a professor at Duke University."

And a doctor who is not even treating him feels qualified to make that prediction??

Steve,

Yeah, it makes me wonder too.

Kyrie did only play 11 games in college at Duke due to a toe injury. Even if this doctor treated him then, he was looking well south of his knee.

Duke has a leading medical school, but I think you might have to actually see the patient, or at least his MRI, to make a diagnosis.

Regards

Every one is an expert, don't you know? I pay no attention to these kinds of reports, he is probably from Cleveland!!!

A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakely
about 3 hours ago
Kyrie Irving undergoes successful surgery today to remove two screws in his left patella. "The surgery went exactly as planned, and we expect Kyrie to be fully healthy for training camp in the fall." - #Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge.

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bob


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Well....that is good news. Now on to the playoffs and the future. I am looking forward to see what some of these young players can do for us, it will be a hard road.

I also look forward to the day when the two best players on our team can step on the court together and lead this team to a bright new day!!

steve3344 wrote:https://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/938577/Boston-Celtics-news-Kyrie-Irving-injury-knee-surgery-playoffs-postseason-NBA  

"KYRIE IRVING will likely never be the same player again after undergoing knee surgery at the weekend. That’s according to Dr. Selene Parekh, an orthopaedic surgeon and a professor at Duke University."

And a doctor who is not even treating him feels qualified to make that prediction??

I listened to the video that up was embedded in the link and the Dr did not say he would likely never be the same player again.  The Dr actually suggested that removing the screws would be a good thing assuming there was no significant loss of cartilage behind the knee cap and even that can be addressed by stimulating bone growth.  

The Celtics said there was no structural damage and they know this because you can scope the knee and see if cartilage is missing.

I think he will be ready to go in 5-6 months which is more than enough time to fully heal.  Once the screws are removed it will take some time for bone to fill in the holes.

I still say the only minimally invasive procedure is a procedure someone else is having.

NY Agreed.

I know we have to report what is being released so we update everyone, but no doctor or spokes person from the Celtics will release bad news and tell the whole NBA world about Irving. Only time will tell with Irving and perhaps we should ask for Brooklyn's #1 pick back as Irving was damaged goods!

Thank God for Rozier..............he may be a better option then Irving at a cheap price that will allow us another Max Contract for a center.

112288

Time will tell but I think there is justifiable concern.

I am sure over the next few months we will get to read and hear how Kyrie is progressing.

112288  Unfortunately there are no do overs in this business.  And I agree that Rozier is a viable option and at less money.   That however is a bridge much further down the road.  My hope is both Hayward and Irving are in the starting lineup at the beginning of the 2018 season.

http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/misc-041618-irving-making-exciting-encouraging-strides-recovery?sf187105662=1



Irving Making 'Exciting' & 'Encouraging' Strides in Recovery



By Taylor Snow |  @taylorcsnow
Celtics.com



April 16, 2018




BOSTON – Kyrie Irving, just eight days removed from left knee surgery, walked crutch-less Sunday afternoon into TD Garden to cheer on his Boston Celtics for the first game of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Many fans and members of the media were surprised, not just to see the rehabbing point guard in the arena, but to see him walking around without a noticeable limp and without any type of assistive walking device.

It turns out, they weren’t the only ones who were shocked. Even C’s coach Brad Stevens raised an eyebrow at Irving’s mobility as he entered the packed venue to watch the Celtics take Game 1 over the Bucks, 113-107.

“The first time I saw him, when I saw him the other day he was walking around, I was surprised too,” Stevens recalled Monday afternoon in a conference call with the media.

Irving underwent season-ending knee surgery April 7 to remove two screws in his left knee that had been inserted after he broke his patella during the 2015 NBA Finals.

The All-Star point guard had previously undergone surgery March 24 to remove a tension wire in the knee in order to relieve some discomfort that he had been experiencing throughout some of the season. However, it was later discovered that the remaining screws developed a bacterial infection that would call for another procedure and force him to miss the remainder of the season.

It will likely take Irving four to five months to recover from the operation, but seeing him up and about and back on the sideline so soon after the procedure was uplifting for Stevens.

“I had just got done literally 10 minutes ago talking to our training staff and the people who are working most closely with him, and they feel great about his early [progress] a week in, or whatever it is,” Stevens said during the call. “That’s exciting, that’s encouraging. Again, he’s going to make a full recovery. Now that the screws are out and now that you see his early progress, it is very good.”

In the meantime, Irving can still contribute to the team by being present on the sideline and offering support.

Even if he’s not on the floor, Irving’s presence alone is enough to give Boston a boost. He, along with fellow injured teammates Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis, were three of the loudest, most encouraging fans in the building Sunday afternoon, as they helped guide their teammates to a Game 1 win.

"No matter if you are playing or not, it is about camaraderie," said Celtics big man Greg Monroe. "When you see your teammates cheering for you, it gives me extra energy and I am pretty sure it has that effect on other people also."

Irving has also been lending a helping hand off the court. His replacement, Terry Rozier, paid him a visit two days before Game 1 to seek advice ahead of his first postseason start. Judging by the result, the visit seems to have paid off well.

“He made me feel comfortable,” said Rozier, who tallied 23 points, four rebounds and three over 40 minutes Sunday afternoon, while leading the C’s to an overtime win. “He’s a great guy, and whether it’s basketball talk, whether it’s joking around, he’s great at engaging with guys. He’s a great leader, and I know for a fact, even if I hadn’t reached out to him, I’ve got him in my ear. I’ve got him in my corner.”

The rest of the Celtics can say the same.

Irving should be in their corner – at the end of Boston’s bench at TD Garden – for the remainder of the Playoffs. Nothing – not even the fact that he’s just barely more than a week removed from surgery – will stop him from supporting his teammates from the sideline, as they look to make a lengthy postseason run.



bob


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So, what about Hayward, where was he? I thought it was kind of strange he was not there since they had said he was going to start travelling with the team soon.

Irving's recovery from having the two screws removed from his knee is not too terribly surprising, and really he only would have only expected an issue if something large had gone wrong when removing the screws. For the most part it is a very simple operation.

I had this done and was actually walking on it on the night of the surgery, but certainly not without a very noticeable limp. The limp pretty much disappeared over the course of one week. This is not to say that I am anywhere near tough, but rather that many doctors seem to much more encourage much sooner after surgery than in the past.

Irving should be 100% recovered from both of his spring surgeries by September, and if Hayward is also ready next season should be even better than this one.

Great news on Irving.