OAKLAND, Calif. _ The NBA's favorite parlor game will soon end. Within the next week, more clarity should emerge on where Kevin Durant will sign as a free agent.
Once that parlor game ends, though, another one might begin that yields even longer speculation than Durant's pending free agency. The topic: How will Durant recover from a surgically repaired right Achilles tendon?
"I have a lot of faith in the man as a player and a person," Dominique Wilkins told Bay Area News Group. "He's definitely going to do the necessary thing to get back. He loves the game too much."
Wilkins' words bear significance beyond his playing credentials as an NBA Hall-of-Famer and high-flying dunker. Wilkins is the lone player in NBA history to play better after suffering an Achilles injury. After collecting two NBA titles, two Finals MVP's, one regular-season MVP and 22,940 points, why should Durant's recovery become any different?
"It's going to come down to how hard you are willing to work to get back," Wilkins said. "This injury takes a lot of patience. But I think Kevin Durant is going to be fine. He's one of those superstar players that will not let this obstacle hold him back."
Based on an informal sampling among outside medical doctors, there are varying obstacles that might greet Durant. They all stressed they do not have access to Cousins' medical records, but they anticipate Durant will face various speed bumps that will be more difficult to navigate than persistent double teams.
Dr. John D Kelly IV, professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, said "this could very well be a career-killer" because of an anticipated decrease in jumping ability, especially if Durant returns earlier than the projected year-long absence. According to a 2013 study published by the American Journal of Sports Medicine, 37 out of 43 NBA players that had a major Achilles injury between 1988 and 2011 showed "a decreased level of performance. The other six did not return to the league. Dr. Douglas Cerynik, CEO of Stabiliz Orthopaedics and co-author of the study, also sensed Durant "might be limited" with his lateral movement and jumping.
"It's hard to predict," said Dr. Paul Cammack, an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in foot and ankle surgeries at Twin Cities Orthopedics. "We have a lot of professional athletes who come back from that injury and are able to play at a high level again. Are they the same afterwards? I would say that's the exception and not the rule that they get back to the same level they were at before. There are those that do, but it's going to be a challenge, for sure. It's going to be tough to overcome. He's got a long road ahead of him."
Wilkins navigated that road just fine, though.
When Wilkins ruptured his right Achilles tendon nearly midway through the 1991-92 season, he faced immediate skepticism on if he would ever remain one of the NBA's best players. Not only did Wilkins return in nine months. He increased his scoring average from 28.1 points per game to 29.9. Wilkins eventually played seven more seasons and landed two more All-Star appearances. As Wilkins said, "I used all of that as fuel to prove them wrong."
Wilkins has often spoken about his recovery with other NBA players that injured their Achilles, including when Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins spent last year rehabbing his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon. Wilkins has not talked with Durant, though, since he ruptured his right Achilles tendon against the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Durant has been kind of busy. He had surgery two weeks ago in New York. He has since mulled his free-agency future. Should the two connect, though, Wilkins plans to offer pragmatic feedback about the upcoming workload and an optimistic view on the outcome.
"There's no doubt in my mind he's going to do the necessary things to get back," Wilkins said of Durant. "He is a guy who is a star player in this league. Star players and great players find a way."
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