International Prospect: Davis Bertans

[Bruno]

For the moment, I haven't seen a reliable source telling exactly which cruciate ligament he tore. It could be ACL and/or MCL and/or PCL. It's not known whether or not he will need surgery.

I guess that, if Partizan is fine with it, Spurs would like to do the surgery and/or rehab themselves. That's what Spurs did with Sanikidze and Denmon.

[Bill_Brasky]

That sucks.....dude blew his knee out in the last game of the season....

[yavozerb]

:/ Honestly, I think the Spurs still should sign him. A year with the medical staff and learning from the sidelines should still do him some good.

Let it go..There was always a small chance of him coming over even healthy. Gonna be a minimum of 2 years for him to come over in my opinion and if he progresses from this injury a more realistic window is 3-4 years. This sucks cause I really wanted to see him this summer but the fact that he is still young helps him out alot.

[elemento]

Feel bad for him. Hopefully he can have a good recovery. I still expect him to be a Spur someday.

[Bruno]

Various reports are now saying it's the ACL and that he will have a surgery in about a week.

Bertans' reaction to his injury:

[Robz4000]

Sucks. Was hoping to ser him come over soon. Luckily ACL injuries aren't the end of the world injuries like they used to be.

[smaka]

Note that he had problems with his knees before, when he played in Union Olimpija. When he grew he also gained wieght which caused him problems with knees. I know it's too early to say anything about it, but what if it shows up his knees really are injury-prone?

[bluebellmaniac]

Well, having him for next season is out. Let's talk long-term future.

If the Spurs want to be cheap, they may as well let Bertans rehab on Partizan's dime and not theirs. However, the Spurs have to hope that Bertans can get the same medical treatment as he could get here. More than that, the Spurs have to trust that he wouldn't be rushed back too soon and do even worse damage to his knee. If the Spurs have doubts and believe in his long-term potential, it may be worth it to bring him over on a three-year deal and let him rehab with the Toros and learn the system in a big red-shirt year. That could be a waste of a roster spot though.

Bertans is still 6-9/6-10, so even if he loses a good deal of athleticism, he should be able to get his shot off, which is really the most important part of his potential NBA game. His defensive potential may drop a lot now, which does hurt his chances of staying on the floor, but I think he'll be fine provided he recovers correctly. The real question (that anyone can control) becomes if Bertans should try to bulk up and play the four now that he's probably lost some quickness. He has the height for it, but he doesn't really have the frame. Worse case, he could still be a Novak-like player with a lot of work.

The FO has a good history of taking care of our stashed players when they are injured. I'm sure it will be no different with Bertans. As Bruno said, we'll no doubt work with his team and decide on the best possible path for his recovery and long term good. That is a great thing about the Spurs.

[smaka]

So a torn right ACL it is...

Partizan mt:s Belgrade paid a high price for its victory over Crvena Zvezda Telekom in Game 4 of the Serbian League finals. Promising forward Davis Bertans suffered a knee injury, and after further evaluation, the club announced Friday that Bertans tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He is expected to undergo surgery in the coming days.

"It is a difficult situation", said Partizan head coach Dusko Vujosevic. "Davis took it pretty hard, but I am sure he will come out of this even stronger. Our club is behind him."

The estimated recovery time from such an injury is at least six months, which means that Bertans could miss the entire 2013-14 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season. Bertans (2.05 meters, 20 years old) just completed his second season with Partizan. He averaged 6.6 points on 47.1% three-point shooting in 10 Euroleague games last season, including a season-high 17 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting against FC Barcelona Regal. His numbers jumped to 9.8 points on 44.6% three-point shooting in 28 Adriatic League games.

http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/114323/180

[Seventyniner]

Javtokas part II? I hope not...

[sasffl]

Why do the overseas suffer so many injuries... They're just unlucky, so are spurs

[exstatic]

Javtokas part II? I hope not...

Uh, Bertans didn't get ed up in a motorcycle accident. Not the same thing at all.

[Seventyniner]

Uh, Bertans didn't get ed up in a motorcycle accident. Not the same thing at all.

I meant that it's possible to draw some parallels. Promising European play followed by a possibly career-altering injury. For Javtokas, it was because he got hurt so badly it materially affected his game. For Bertans, he could make a full recovery, but is going to lose precious career development time.

[exstatic]

I meant that it's possible to draw some parallels. Promising European play followed by a possibly career-altering injury. For Javtokas, it was because he got hurt so badly it materially affected his game. For Bertans, he could make a full recovery, but is going to lose precious career development time.

ACL tears are almost routine, these days. He'll be fine. It's much better that he tore a ligament that his meniscus. The recovery time is longer, but the recovery is complete. Once you start shaving or removing meniscus, the clock starts on knee degradation and arthritis.

They didn't know if Javtokas would ever play again. One if his leg bones was literally shattered. It really isn't even comparable.

[Seventyniner]

ACL tears are almost routine, these days. He'll be fine. It's much better that he tore a ligament that his meniscus. The recovery time is longer, but the recovery is complete. Once you start shaving or removing meniscus, the clock starts on knee degradation and arthritis.

They didn't know if Javtokas would ever play again. One if his leg bones was literally shattered. It really isn't even comparable.

Point taken.

[ivanfromwestwood]

acls are over rated. ask Blair

[BackHome]

Well there goes him playing in the summer camp or being signed by us this year.

[smaka]

http://kosarka.si/foto-davis-bertans-bo-operiran-v-zda/

Bertans will have surgery in USA, as this article states. The coach of Partizan said that Bertans will have discussions with the Spurs before his surgery in USA.

[Spurs for life]

DB‏@DBertans_442hI'll be back sooner than you think #comeback pic.twitter.com/XNVk1IKIIR

[ace3g]

DB @DBertans_44
Just landed in Minneapolis... Few more hours and I'll be in San Antonio!!! #LongDay

[Bruno]

Nice to see Spurs managing the surgery.

Players are now recovering way better than a decade ago from ACL surgeries. With Spurs at the helm, it's quite sure he will get the best surgeon possible to do that surgery.

[CGD]

Wonder if this suggests he may come this year after all?

[exstatic]

Wonder if this suggests he may come this year after all?

Uh, no. The EARLIEST he could come back would be 6 months, around Christmas. More likely is nine months. That would be only a few weeks before the playoffs. The Spurs will pay for and manage his surgery, but they will not pay for him to take up a roster spot and salary space just to rehab for almost the whole season.

[ace3g]

[BackHome]

So we won't even look at this kid until two years since he will be out a whole year and I would want to see him play and stay healthy for a whole season.