10-12-2021, 01:05 PM
(10-12-2021, 09:21 AM)michaeltex Wrote: I agree that Dirk seemed almost invulnerable to ankle issues. Often would continue to play, then only miss one (or none) games.
But wasn't it ankle/lower leg issues that derailed his last few seasons? Maybe a cumulative effect of a lifetime of running and jumping combined with multiple "minor" injuries?
But I'm no doctor and I haven't stayed at a HI Express for two years now.
It certainly adds up. Dirk underwent knee surgery in 2012 and honestly was never the same player afterwards. If I understand it correctly it wasn´t about any structural damage. More of a clean out (scar tissue, cartilage) after more than 15 years of pro sports. The knee surgery killed his lateral quickness and turned a once neutral/slightly positive defender into a liability.
The last ankle injury was very similar. Debridement. Cleaning out the joint. Dirk himself mentioned bone spurs as the main problem. Sadly it didn´t help. To quote Dirk "arthritis in every joint after 20 years in the league".
I guess in the big picture one could argue that being a pro athlet in a sport like basketball leads to degenerative injury issues.