MAVS NEWS:

[DallasMaverick]

The Historical Precedents
When 7-footers suffer foot stress fractures and bone spurs early in their careers, outcomes generally fall into two categories:
1. The Success Stories (Full Recovery & Longevity)
Brook Lopez: Suffered recurring foot stress fractures and underwent multiple surgeries early in his career. Thanks to surgical hardware and biomechanical adjustments, he went on to play 15+ high-level seasons and became a champion.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: Missed almost two full seasons early in his career due to repeated foot fractures. After reconstructive surgery, he adapted his game, played 13 seasons, and became a two-time All-Star.
Joel Embiid: Missed his first two full NBA seasons due to a navicular stress fracture in his foot, but went on to win an MVP.
2. The Cautionary Tales
Yao Ming & Bill Walton: Both had their careers cut short by recurring stress fractures. However, both suffered fractures specifically in the navicular bone (the top of the foot's arch), which has notoriously poor blood flow and struggles to heal under immense weight.
What Determines Lively's Long-Term Outlook?
1. Bone Location & Surgical Cleanup: Removing the bone spurs eliminates the mechanical pinching inside the joint. As long as the initial stress fracture isn't in a low-blood-flow zone (like the navicular), the bone itself can heal permanently once fully stabilized.
2. Patient Rehabilitation: Lively taking a slow approach—refusing to run or jump until the foot feels 100%—is actually the best indicator for his long-term health. Rushing back on a stress-fractured foot is what usually triggers career-altering secondary injuries.
3. Modern Sports Science & Custom Orthotics: Unlike big men in the 1990s or 2000s, today's players benefit from 3D-scanned custom insoles, advanced footwear design, and load-monitoring tech that redistribute impact force away from sensitive bones.
The Bottom Line: At 22 years old, his body has strong healing potential. While the recurring surgeries are a red flag for his current contract timeline, medically there is no reason he can't return to full explosive strength and play a 10+ year career—provided the Mavericks don't rush him back onto the floor.

What no one seems to acknowledge is that his “slow” recovery is actually what is required and is not a sign that its worse than feared, but that he is following proper protocol.

Don’t need no stinking medical staff!!

[KillerLeft]

Not a warning really, and if it is a warning it isn't aimed at anyone in particular, but the tone of the board is showing signs lately of taking a turn towards the personal attack...nothing crazy, so far, but I think maybe this is a good time to remind everyone that it's ok, when you've read that opinion you don't like, to just breathe and let it pass by you every now and again.

[cow]

KL is too small to guard against my Naji Marshall love.

[Chicagojk]

not sure what this means......

https://x.com/dlee4three/status/2080031505623978281

[windjc]

I checked for you my friend, he played 98 games in last 3 years and RIGHT NOW he can't even run.

There is nothing to be optimist and indeed they drafted a player in that position.

But miracles happen so we can continue to pray.

If he has a successful career I don’t think it’ll  be a miracle. But thank god we have a doctor like yourself to give us all the facts.

[Scott41theMavs]

If he has a successful career I don’t think it’ll  be a miracle. But thank god we have a doctor like yourself to give us all the facts.

He's more of a doctor than what Masai has evidently hired so far!! (good grief, please end this pain)

[windjc]

He's more of a doctor than what Masai has evidently hired so far!! (good grief, please end this pain)

Do you honestly think there is no medical staff involved in offseason workouts?

[Scott41theMavs]

Do you honestly think there is no medical staff involved in offseason workouts?

As far as we know, it's the old staff. That's almost worse than no staff.

[OldMavsFan]

The Dallas Mavericks medical and performance staff features recent key leadership changes including Jana Austin as head athletic trainer and Geoff Puls as head strength and conditioning coach, following the April 2026 dismissal of director of player health Johann Bilsborough. [1, 2, 3]
Leadership and Training Staff
Jana Austin: Head Athletic Trainer (promoted from assistant athletic trainer).

Geoff Puls: Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.

[Scott41theMavs]

The Dallas Mavericks medical and performance staff features recent key leadership changes including Jana Austin as head athletic trainer and Geoff Puls as head strength and conditioning coach, following the April 2026 dismissal of director of player health Johann Bilsborough. [1, 2, 3]
Leadership and Training Staff
Jana Austin: Head Athletic Trainer (promoted from assistant athletic trainer).

Geoff Puls: Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Are those folks top five in the business? If not, better make some hires, Masai.

[DallasMaverick]

Are those folks top five in the business? If not, better make some hires, Masai.

Hmm. What data would you use to determine whether a staff group was top five?

Number of injuries a team experienced over a season?

That seems impossible, because there are so many variables at play. Pace. Defensive philosophy and assignments. Altitude. Whether Dwight Powell’s face gets in your way.

How about recovery time after injury?

Again, so many variables that are outside the control of the Medical staff. Like, the physiology of the player involved. Would the Portland staff back in that time have been blacklisted forever because of Greg Oden? Or the staff that treated Sam Bowie - did they ever find work again?

Okay, how about just sheer reputation. XYZ writer believes that the Raptors medical staff is the best in the NBA.

Maybe they got that reputation because they’re really nice, and communicate well, and give great sound bites when interviewed. But how can you know if they’re actually “better” than anyone else?

Maybe you determine quality by how much they get paid. So the $500k doctor is twice as good as the $250k doctor. Except it doesn’t really work like that. Maybe the more expensive guy is just a better negotiator and self-promoter.

My contention is that actual, measurable data to differentiate medical staffs will be exceedingly difficult.

[KillerLeft]

I've heard Stein field "medical staff" questions all summer, and invariably he offers some version of "what's the difference? It's not like we've ever heard of any of those guys anyway." Which...that's true, actually, and I wonder how common it is for a team to publicize the members of their medical staff in any way. So in a sense, I kind of get it.

But, if Ujiri has screened the medical staff, kept who he wants to keep and replaced the ones he doesn't and NOT let us know, I kind of think that's a mistake in this very specific and unique situation. For one thing, despite taking Casey Smith for granted, we've all known his name for like a decade or more, so we're used to having a name and a face to put on that role regardless of how most teams handle it. Also, he should know that the incompetence of the Mavs' medical/training staff over the past two seasons has been one of the more visceral complaints in the Mavs fan community. Probably 2nd, after only the Luka trade.

I'd think they'd be a little more proactive about assuaging people's concerns, even if it's BS. If for no other reason, just to make the questions stop.

[SleepingHero]

The Dallas Mavericks medical and performance staff features recent key leadership changes including Jana Austin as head athletic trainer and Geoff Puls as head strength and conditioning coach, following the April 2026 dismissal of director of player health Johann Bilsborough. [1, 2, 3]
Leadership and Training Staff
Jana Austin: Head Athletic Trainer (promoted from assistant athletic trainer).

Geoff Puls: Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Honestly call me a degree whore, but Jana Austin only having a masters should not be the head athletic trainer. I need a doctorate in either medicine or physical therapy for that kind of position.

Seems like a massive oversight.

[Tyler]

Stein just said on DLLS that he has been told that "a buyout to sign someone to a 2-way is not permissible." So if Dallas wants to buyout Seva's Russian contract, they'd have to sign him to a standard contract and add him to the main roster. I imagine that could change the calculus.

[KillerLeft]

Stein just said on DLLS that he has been told that "a buyout to sign someone to a 2-way is not permissible." So if Dallas wants to buyout Seva's Russian contract, they'd have to sign him to a standard contract and add him to the main roster. I imagine that could change the calculus.

Well, that is pretty interesting. Something doesn't add up.

[Tyler]

Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine)
@MavsFilmRoom Which means he would have to buy himself out and/or extricate himself from his contract in Russia some other way -- with no money contributed by Dallas -- to eligible for a two-way.

If the Mavericks participate in a buyout ... it has to result in a standard NBA contract.

[Smitty]

Stein just said on DLLS that he has been told that "a buyout to sign someone to a 2-way is not permissible." So if Dallas wants to buyout Seva's Russian contract, they'd have to sign him to a standard contract and add him to the main roster. I imagine that could change the calculus.

And for those reasons, I’m out.

Worthy of a two-way based on the few summer league games we got to see, but not ready to contribute or play NBA minutes ahead of anyone already on the roster.

Once again, I’m aligned with FGump. Don’t start his clock yet. Draft and stash. Let him develop more elsewhere.

[Tyler]

If Seva is determined to come to the NBA, I wonder if he could negotiate his own buyout on a payment plan. For example, I remember Yao Ming agreed to pay a certain percentage of his NBA salary back to his Chinese team. Not impossible, but also not common or simple.

[Chicagojk]

Not really bad news IMO.   I do think it would be great to get him out of that Russia league.  I don't believe the competition is very good.   Maybe a Europe team can buy him out??? Not sure how that would work as they may prefer an older American player as an international. Maybe Mike can use his connections to find a place for him.

[Scott41theMavs]

And for those reasons, I’m out.

Worthy of a two-way based on the few summer league games we got to see, but not ready to contribute or play NBA minutes ahead of anyone already on the roster.

Once again, I’m aligned with FGump. Don’t start his clock yet. Draft and stash. Let him develop more elsewhere.

I’ve already said it - his BBIQ, defensive awareness, and court vision are already NBA ready enough to be 10-15 in the pecking order on an NBA main roster. I realize that’s the extreme position here, but I also know what the &@#% I saw in summer league play. 

Signing him to the main roster would be the right move, and allow him to continue to develop in the *correct* context. But it is hard to see how there’d be room for him.