2024 NBA Draft Thread

[NASpurs]

CIA POP making up a fake injury as a smoke screen to select him with the 8th pick /blue font

[z0sa]

Was pretty obvious they're hiding something after his injury.
Journalists reported he'll need a surgery right away, his team made a statement that he won't.
Damn, no chance Wizards take him now.

I knew instantly this was more serious than a mild sprain. I've worked with both mild and severe sprains, and you can about walk off a mild one unless you're aging or have the pain tolerance of a toddler. Two weeks, max, you're back in action at 99%+.

I wonder how torn his ACL is. A partial tear can be almost nothing and heal essentially on its own or just about as severe as totally tearing it. At 19, with multiple injuries already in his history, I'd consider him damaged goods and wouldn't risk anything in the lottery on him.

[itzsoweezee]

I knew instantly this was more serious than a mild sprain. I've worked with both mild and severe sprains, and you can about walk off a mild one unless you're aging or have the pain tolerance of a toddler. Two weeks, max, you're back in action at 99%+.

I wonder how torn his ACL is. A partial tear can be almost nothing and heal essentially on its own or just about as severe as totally tearing it. At 19, with multiple injuries already in his history, I'd consider him damaged goods and wouldn't risk anything in the lottery on him.

I thought it was the opposite for acls? Even a partial tear means a major surgery. Isn’t that what happened to Kawhi?

[PhantomDashCam]

Ball has cartilage and meniscus gone, leaving bone on bone.
That’s very different from a ligament injury, which is totally repairable in today’s medical world.

You understand that Ball’s injury is meniscus, the cushion between the upper and lower leg bone, right? That’s totally different from a ligament injury. Dejounte had a completely torn ACL, which is more serious than an MCL, and he recovered and became an All Star. Bertans tore the same ACL twice, and hasn’t had any effects since.

Lonzo has been dealing with multiple meniscus injuries for years and regularly had procedures done, his condition became so bad that he recently underwent a meniscus transplant in hopes of playing again. There are 2 types of meniscus surgeries: removal of the torn meniscus portion (meniscectomy) or repair of the torn meniscus. The former's recovery time is faster than the latter (think Embiid recovery time vs Vassell's) but can have long term effects on the knee, as you're removing part of the tissue that helps keep the knee's stability by absorbing and redistributing weight and avoids bones from grinding against each other. In time that ac ulates and can affect cartilage as well, with recurring injuries and surgeries that lead to bone on bone knees (Lonzo Ball, Brandon Roy). That is worse than your typical ACL tear.
PS: not health professional, just read up on it.

The reason I brought up Ball was not to compare the injuries (as of posting, we still didn’t know what Topic’s injury was, severity etc. (that too has to be a red flag)), but the chain of events that lead to where Lonzo Ball is today.

Doctors, Agents, Organisation Key Personnel, Family etc.
They can all have different opinion's too - See Nephew.

I’m sure everybody thought in the beginning “modern medicine”…

Questions need to be asked such as:

Was Topic rushed back from his first injury? Is their an injury history?
Had he been dealing with discomfort before? Playing hurt? etc.

And that too can be contentious and unsatisfactory for a team betting on its improvement by betting on you, long term via the draft.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Derrick Rose came back, although as a different player, and Ball is still young, but yeah if he can't make it after this year, you probably call it a career (or sign in the ABA League).

Derrick Rose was an MVP before the injury. He was a quality back up afterwards. Lonzo Ball isn't starting from MVP-caliber.

[z0sa]

I thought it was the opposite for acls? Even a partial tear means a major surgery. Isn’t that what happened to Kawhi?

It truly depends on the severity of the tear of the ligaments and if there was secondary injury to their cartilage, which is why I'm wondering how bad it really is. Also, I'm not sure what the care plan would be considering a professional sports player - I've never had a pro as a patient. I'd bet you're right in that, pros would typically require surgery but I wouldn't be able to comment.

Partial tears are pretty rare, at least in my experience. Usually it's the whole she-bang and there's no knee stability at all, or it's mild and you just take ibuprofen, rest and wear a brace if necessary. In a young person's case, I'd say a partial strain is ok news - obviously no injury is good, but it's better than a complete tear. Takes months to recover from that, and yes, surgery would definitely be in order if it's on the severe. Maybe someone with a bit more ortho experience could comment further.

[baseline bum]

Damn can this draft get any tier? First Dillingham comes in at 164. Then Sheppard measures with a 6'3.25" wingspan. Now Topic with a torn ACL. What next? Castle's car gets T-boned driving to a workout?

[Mr. Body]

Damn can this draft get any tier? First Dillingham comes in at 164. Then Sheppard measures with a 6'3.25" wingspan. Now Topic with a torn ACL. What next? Castle's car gets T-boned driving to a workout?

Dillingham was always listed at 164.

[drpill]

Dillingham was always listed at 164.

I've seen you mention this before but I don't think it's true. He's listed at 176 in multiple places even now -- including ESPN and the UK Athletics website.

[baseline bum]

Dillingham was always listed at 164.

Last time you said that I linked you the ESPN and University of Kentucky pages listing him at 176.

[ChumpDumper]

Dilly got pretty ripped at Kentucky. I think he can transition to putting on a little more bulk.

[The Truth #6]

CIA POP making up a fake injury as a smoke screen to select him with the 8th pick /blue font

Ha. Or Pop likes the injury so he can get over himself!

[Mr. Body]

Last time you said that I linked you the ESPN and University of Kentucky pages listing him at 176.

Okay fine. He sucks now.

[Bruno]

Last summer, Kentucky conditioning coach posted about Dillingham going from 155 lbs to 172 lbs:
https://www.aseaofblue.com/2023/8/31...-uk-basketball

Him being back at 164 lbs is puzzling.

[Mr. Body]

If Dillingham was 6'4" and 200lbs he's easily be number one and this draft wouldn't be considered a draft. A guy that size shooting 44.4% from deep and a 30% assist rate.

There are hundreds of taller players who don't do anything with that size.

And so instead you get him at a discount because like 2009 everyone is gonna overthink this.

[ChumpDumper]

Of all the outcomes for which we force ourselves to be hopeful, Dilly's putting (back?) on weight seems one of the more obtainable ones.

[spurraider21]

Okay fine. He sucks now.

not really addressing the claim that he was always listed at 164

[LeBowen]

I always hated when people obsess over listed weight.

We see how the kid looks. We see how he plays. (for better or worse)
How can him being listed at 164 instead of 176 or whatever change your perception?
It's not like he'd become a positive defender if he was listed at 176.
I'd even argue that him being listed at lower weight leaves more room for improvement.

[JPB]

I always hated when people obsess over listed weight.

We see how the kid looks. We see how he plays. (for better or worse)
How can him being listed at 164 instead of 176 or whatever change your perception?
It's not like he'd become a positive defender if he was listed at 176.
I'd even argue that him being listed at lower weight leaves more room for improvement.

Skinny shaming.

[drpill]

Dillingham has room to grow for sure. I'm not sure how much additional weight he can put on but added muscle will help him in the paint and on some defensive possessions. He's played against bigger and stronger people for years and knows how to get his shots off and isn't afraid of contact on drives. I don't see 164 vs 176 as an issue. The talent is there, it's obvious what he brings and what he lacks, he was always undersized so if you liked him before there's not much reason to change your mind, IMO.

[Mr. Body]

I always hated when people obsess over listed weight.

We see how the kid looks. We see how he plays. (for better or worse)
How can him being listed at 164 instead of 176 or whatever change your perception?
It's not like he'd become a positive defender if he was listed at 176.
I'd even argue that him being listed at lower weight leaves more room for improvement.

Yeah, it doesn't ing matter.

Every draft period people get obsessed over combine measurements. It's a way of making sense out of disorder. I get it. But so many athletic marvels get picked and fail because they suck. They can't play basketball. But even for the good players, a month from now no one's going to care.

To me it's the Jared Dudley Rule. Jared Dudley was slow as . Barely athletic. Was drafted 22nd in 2007. Dude played until he was 35 because he knew how to play basketball. Was he the greatest? No. Was he good and reliable? Yes.

Obv. Dillingham is not Dudley. But Dillingham doesn't change if he's 176 pounds or he's 185 pounds. He's still on defense, awesome on offense. What changed? Nothing.

[Extra Stout]

I question how much weight Dillingham can put on. His frame is so narrow that his shoulders have a hard time sticking out through the armholes of a tank top basketball jersey.

[Mr. Body]

Hot take that's not all that hot: whether Dillingham improves and gets better at defense will have nothing to do with his weight.

[exstatic]

Last summer, Kentucky conditioning coach posted about Dillingham going from 155 lbs to 172 lbs:
https://www.aseaofblue.com/2023/8/31...-uk-basketball

Him being back at 164 lbs is puzzling.

Not really. I know NBA players drop weight through the season, sometimes a lot. They have a hard time overcoming the calorie deficit.

[benefactor]

not really addressing the claim that he was always listed at 164

He never addresses anything. This is the same guy that said the Western conference was terrible this year