Gallinari second-guesses first knee procedure

Danilo Gallinari regrets the surgery process he went through. (USATSI)

Denver Nuggets' forward Danilo Gallinari injured his ACL back in April of 2013, right before the Nuggets hit the playoffs. Instead of an ACL reconstruction, Gallinari had the ligament repaired through something called the "healing response" performed by famous knee surgeon Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colorado. Because Gallinari didn't completely tear his knee, this process was supposed to be a less invasive procedure for bringing the Italian forward back to the court quickly.

Unfortunately, it didn't work and in January of 2014, Gallinari had reconstructive surgery. He missed the entire 2013-14 season as the Nuggets missed the playoffs. Sportando tells us Gallinari says he regrets the decision to go to the Steadman Clinic and have that procedure. He will write about it in a book someday but says it was a mistake to go to the clinic.

“I feel great. I am ready to return seven months after my last knee surgery. I had a few contact practices in Milan. Now I have to re-gain confidence and be ready. I will need to be patient because after more than a year without basketball you have to work also on the mental aspect. But I want to be a better player than before the injury” said Gallinari. “Steadman? It is clear that if I could go back, I would not go to Steadman Clinic.

I will write a book on my last year and half with some things never told. But it is better not to talk about that. I just say that one month after my surgery, Steadman said that he would not work anymore. I made a wrong choice but he was considered one of the best surgeons and his clinic was within a hour's drive from Denver. Now I see what happened to Giuseppe Rossi, Westbrook, Vonn and many other maybe not famous that went to his Clinic.”

Russell Westbrook famously injured his meniscus in the 2013 playoffs when Patrick Beverley collided with him near the sideline as Westbrook was calling a timeout. He had his knee surgery to repair the torn meniscus at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, only to need surgery in October of 2013 to repair a loose stitch. That would be the Westbrook reference Gallinari is making in that quote.

According to a paper published by Dr. Steadman in 2006, the "healing response" procedure has a success rate of 77 percent, which Gallinari wouldn't be included in. They opted for a quick repair instead of a reconstruction because of the lack of tearing in Gallinari's ligament, but he probably would have returned to the floor some time in the 2013-14 season had they just done the reconstruction right away. While Derrick Rose had a reconstruction after his injury in the 2012 playoffs, he didn't end up playing until the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Iman Shumpert had reconstruction after his torn ACL on the same day as Rose and returned in January of 2013.

Gallinari was an important part of the Nuggets' success after being one of the centerpieces of the deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in 2011. The Nuggets lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round in the 2013 playoffs, and won just 36 games in 2013-14 after suffering injuries throughout their roster during the season.

(H/T - Will Carroll for information on Steadman process)

Topics: Carmelo Anthony, Danilo Gallinari, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Patrick Beverley, Russell Westbrook, Denver Nuggets, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Pacers’ Ian Mahinmi says shoulder injury ‘not as bad as everybody thought’

Ian Mahinmi was forced out of FIBA World Cup action for France with a shoulder injury that was expected to sideline him for at least 2-3 months.

A week later, however, Mahinmi seems to believe that it wasn’t as serious as was first diagnosed, and that he’ll be back on the court in a matter of weeks.

From Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports:

“No surgery, no injections,” Mahinmi told VigilantSports.com Thursday. “So it’s not as bad as everybody thought it would be.

“Obviously there’s a healing process and then treatment, and then I have to get strength back in my shoulder. Then, I’m good to go.”

While Mahinmi did not provide a timetable, he hopes it will only keep him away from basketball activities for a few weeks.

The Pacers have enough problems, obviously, after losing Lance Stephenson in free agency, and Paul George to an injury that will force him to miss all of next season.

Mahinmi’s role on the team isn’t nearly as substantial, but he is a capable backup big man who can spell Roy Hibbert at times, and averaged 16.2 minutes per game last season.

The Pacers will take any good news at this point, and this is certainly that where Mahinmi’s status is concerned for next season.

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Sherman asks, Rodgers admits Pack avoided CB

On our Thursday Night Live pregame fantasy show -- you can watch every week right here! -- we had a caller ring in and ask if we thought Richard Sherman would get in "an altercation" on Thursday night. No idea how many points he gets for altercations in his IDP league, but we didn't expect anything NFC Championship Game-level serious out of Sherman.

And we didn't get much of anything, really, except for Sherman -- who wasn't tested a single time in Seattle's 36-16 beatdown win -- going up to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the game.

As The Big Lead notes, Sherman has a question for Rodgers. The Seahawks cornerback has his back turned, but it appears he asked Rodgers a simple question:

"You avoided me didn't you?"

Rodgers had a simpler answer.

"Yup."

At least give Rodgers credit for being honest? The Packers' game plan -- completely different from 2012's approach -- was to throw Jarrett Boykin to the dogs and put him on Sherman's side. The idea is you nullify the defense's best weapon.

The problem is by doing that, you cut the field in half. So in effect the Packers schemed right into the Seahawks' plan.

When the Packers put Jordy Nelson against Sherman in 2012 (primarily, anyway) Nelson was completely washed out. He was productive Thursday, but it's difficult to open up your offense when you limit the quarterback's options to half the field by not throwing at one guy the entire game.

Refusing to test Sherman tells you exactly how the Packers -- and the rest of the NFL -- feel about the Seahawks corner. Rodgers' acknowledgment should tell you even more.

NFL Hot News

Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch rushes for more than 100 yards, 2 TDs in win



The Seattle Seahawks' offensive domination of the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football began with RB Marshawn Lynch and ended with Lynch. He ran tough, fast and smart. Lynch carried the ball 20 times, rushing for 110 yards and two TDs. He remains a key piece of the offense and looked in midseason form.



If you drafted Lynch as your RB1, he certainly looks like he'll live up to those expectations. The Packers' defense didn't look great at all, but Lynch was clearly dominant in the running game, regularly breaking tackles while running tough up the middle. He is a must-start in all formats and has another juicy matchup against the San Diego Chargers in Week 2.

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Austin Rivers: Growing pains over, ready to ball

Austin Rivers wants to prove himself. (USATSI)

New Orleans Pelicans guard Austin Rivers has had a rough couple of seasons. Drafted 10th overall in 2012, he's averaged 7.0 points, 2.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game since then, shooting just 39 percent from the field and drawing criticism for his defense. He's watched his role diminish, been labeled a bust and been mentioned in trade rumors. Rivers did make some real improvements last year, though, and he said things are going to be different next season, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune's John Reid:

''I was constantly working the entire summer,'' Rivers said. ''I gained 10 pounds and I've got stronger in my upper body. This is my year.

…

''The growing pains are over and I went through everything, so I'm ready to ball,'' Rivers said. ''Our job is to be in the best shape we can be. We're just preparing to work and not worrying about what anybody says.''

…

''I've strictly worked on mid-range and getting my body stronger this summer,'' Rivers said earlier this week. ''I've got both of those things and I'm ready to prove and show people that this year.''

Being a mid-range threat would help, but Rivers really needs to work on finishing at the rim and taking contact. If he can do that with his added strength, and his 3-point percentage (.364 last season) stays respectable, he could earn some more playing time.

Those minutes won't just be handed out, though. It was always going to be tough for him when New Orleans added the ball-dominant Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans last summer to play alongside Eric Gordon. This offseason, the Pelicans added Russ Smith and Jimmer Fredette, as well as veteran swingman John Salmons. They don't necessarily need to be in the rotation, but they're guys Rivers will have to outplay. A strong training camp and preseason would help his cause.

Topics: Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Pacers’ Ian Mahinmi says shoulder injury ‘not as bad as everybody thought’

Ian Mahinmi was forced out of FIBA World Cup action for France with a shoulder injury that was expected to sideline him for at least 2-3 months.

A week later, however, Mahinmi seems to believe that it wasn’t as serious as was first diagnosed, and that he’ll be back on the court in a matter of weeks.

From Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports:

“No surgery, no injections,” Mahinmi told VigilantSports.com Thursday. “So it’s not as bad as everybody thought it would be.

“Obviously there’s a healing process and then treatment, and then I have to get strength back in my shoulder. Then, I’m good to go.”

While Mahinmi did not provide a timetable, he hopes it will only keep him away from basketball activities for a few weeks.

The Pacers have enough problems, obviously, after losing Lance Stephenson in free agency, and Paul George to an injury that will force him to miss all of next season.

Mahinmi’s role on the team isn’t nearly as substantial, but he is a capable backup big man who can spell Roy Hibbert at times, and averaged 16.2 minutes per game last season.

The Pacers will take any good news at this point, and this is certainly that where Mahinmi’s status is concerned for next season.

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Hornets rook Vonleh has sports hernia surgery

Rookie Noah Vonleh is out 6-8 weeks after surgery. (USATSI)

The start to Charlotte Hornets' rookie Noah Vonleh's career may not happen right away when the 2014-15 season begins. The team announced Tuesday that the No. 9 pick out of Indiana in the 2014 NBA Draft suffered a sports hernia in a recent workout and underwent successful surgery to repair the injury. He's expected to miss 6-8 weeks as he recovers from the surgery.

From the Hornets:

Charlotte Hornets forward Noah Vonleh underwent successful surgery today to repair a sports hernia suffered in a recent workout. The surgery was performed in Charlotte by Dr. B. Todd Henneford. Vonleh is expected to miss approximately 6-8 weeks.

The start of training camp is about a month away for all teams around the NBA, and the start of the regular season is eight weeks away. With Vonleh just joining the league and looking to be a part of the core of the Hornets' bright future, you can't expect him to just be thrown out into his rookie season coming right off the injury because the season starts. Assuming he isn't ahead of schedule for the time frame presented by the team, he'll be cleared to play around the time the season is ready to kick off.

The Hornets will want to make sure their young big man is properly healed and conditioned to start off his career and attempt to contribute to a playoff team just a season ago.

Topics: Noah Vonleh, Charlotte Hornets, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Warriors sign James Michael McAdoo, Mitchell Watt

James Michael McAdoo went to North Carolina as a likely one-and-done player. He returned for his sophomore year and was viewed as a potential No. 1 overall draft pick. By the end of that season, his stock had fallen to mid-first round, and he returned to school once again.

Finally, after a lackluster junior year, McAdoo actually turned pro this year.

He went undrafted.

McAdoo caught on with the Warriors summer league team and – like Aaron Craft, who signed previously – drew a Golden State contract.

Warriors team release:

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard Aaron Craft, along with free agent forwards James Michael McAdoo and Mitchell Watt to contracts, the team announced today.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:

Undrafted free-agent forward James Michael McAdoo signed a one-year contract paying the minimum with the Golden State Warriors, his agent James Tanner told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday.

Rusty Simmons of SFGate:

Each player’s contract is partially guaranteed, depending on how long he sticks with the Warriors.

Golden State has just 13 players with guaranteed contracts. So, there’s a chance Craft, McAdoo and/or Watt, who went undrafted in 2012 out of Buffalo and has spent the last two years in Israel, could make the final roster.

Even if those three get waived, though, the Warriors could assign them to their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Any NBA team could sign the players, but Golden State would have an inside track on developing them.

McAdoo, particularly, has a lot of raw talent. So, keeping him close could pay off if he’s a late bloomer. Most likely, though, he’s an athlete who just doesn’t have NBA-level skills.

But he – and Craft and Watt – will get a chance to prove themselves in training camp. Afterward, they’ll continue on their NBA contracts or likely have D-League jobs waiting. And no matter where they begin next season, they’ll have whatever guaranteed money Golden State offered here.

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Report: Cowboys to sign Sam pending physical

Michael Sam could be starting the season on the Cowboys practice squad. (USATSI)

Jerry Jones didn't get Johnny Manziel, but it looks like he's going to get the only other rookie who can equal Manziel in hype: Michael Sam. According to NFL.com, the Cowboys plan on flying Sam to Dallas on Wednesday night to take a physical.

If Sam passes the physical, then the Cowboys will add him to their practice squad.

Sam, the NFL's first openly gay player, made it to the final round of cuts in St. Louis before being released on Saturday when the Rams had to trim their roster down from 75 to 53-players.

The seventh-round pick was one of the final five cuts made by Rams coach Jeff Fisher.

"It was a football decision and it was no different than any other decision that we make," Fisher said after cutting Sam. "It was a football decision back in May to draft Mike. And once again, it's been all about football. I will tell you this: I was pulling for Mike. I really was. I don't say that very often, but Mike came in here and did everything that we asked him to do."

After being released, Sam went through waivers unclaimed, which made him free agent.

Jerry Jones was actually asked about Sam on Tuesday morning, but he declined to speculate on if the team might add him.

"I don't want to talk about available players," Jones told KRLD-FM, via the Dallas Morning News. "Not necessarily a player, but just available players. It's not good strategy. We've got competition out here. We've got a lot of reasons for not talking about maybes."

The Cowboys can use any depth they can get at defensive end. The team lost DeMarcus Ware to free agency and one of the players expected to replace him, DeMarcus Lawrence, was placed on short-term IR on Tuesday with a broken foot.

NFL Hot News

Steelers WR Markus Wheaton gets compared to WR Mike Wallace



The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a favorable view on WR Markus Wheaton, comparing him to former Steelers and current Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace. "The split end or 'X' position is the home-run hitter, the long-ball man. Think Mike Wallace. Wheaton does not have that kind of speed, but he's fast enough and seems to be a more accomplished route-runner than Wallace was in his second season."If the comparable measures are true, Wheaton could be in for a big season. Wallace put up some career highs in the same position for four years while playing opposite Antonio Brown.



While I don't think he has the raw talent of Wallace, it wouldn't be surprising if Wheaton went for 1,000 yards and 7-8 touchdowns this year. Wallace did that twice in four season with the Steelers. Wheaton's 12th-round ADP presents a great bargain and plenty of breakout potential.

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Lakers don’t use ‘stretch provision’ on Nash

The Lakers opted to keep Steve Nash for this season. (USATSI)

When the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to possibly bring in a big free agent or two for the 2014-15 season, Steve Nash's contract was a bit of a hurdle for the organization to overcome. He's due $9.7 million in the final year of a three-year contract with the Lakers, and without being able to trust his body will hold up one more season, the promise of improving the top end of the roster meant he was a candidate for the stretch provision.

This past weekend the deadline to use the stretch provision for this coming season passed, guaranteeing Nash won't be stretched for salary cap flexibility in possibly his final season in the NBA. The stretch provision would have paid Nash the money owed this season over the next three years instead of the $9.7 million this year. It would have lopped off roughly $6.5 million from the Lakers' cap for 2014-15. From the LA Times:

The deadline for the Lakers to use the "stretch" provision on Steve Nash passed over the weekend.

The 40-year-old point guard is heading into his third year with the team, earning $9.7 million for the 2014-15 season.

Had the Lakers waived Nash prior to September, they would have been able to stretch his salary over the next three years at around $3.2 million annually.

Because the Lakers missed out on the big name free agents like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James this summer, there wasn't a need to use the provision on Nash. They used their salary cap space on acquiring Jeremy Lin, re-signing Nick Young, and claiming Carlos Boozer off of amnesty waivers. They did their best to put together a competitive roster of veterans next season while leaving flexibility for big free agents in 2016, like possibly the pursuit of Kevin Durant.

Nash has been fairly brittle since leaving the legendary training staff with the Phoenix Suns and joining the Lakers via a sign-and-trade in 2012. He missed 32 games in the 2012-13 season and missed 67 games in 2013-14. He had only missed 10 or more games once in the previous 12 seasons prior to joining the Lakers, when he missed 20 games in 2011-12. Nash turned 40 years old in February.

Topics: Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Nick Young, Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Petteri Koponen, seven years after getting drafted in first round, still planning jump to NBA

Earlier this summer, the Mavericks were pressed to create cap space to sign Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris.

They renounced Vince Carter and Shawn Marion, but that still left everything tight. Another way to gain cap room would have been renouncing Petteri Koponen, the No. 30 pick in the 2007 draft who has yet to sign in the NBA and whose rights Dallas holds.

Thankfully for the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki accepted a below-market offer – even further below market than the below-market deal that was initially reported.

That allowed Dallas to keep Koponen, who represents a $911,400 cap hit (not actual money he’s paid but that counts against the cap).

Will it ever pay off with an NBA player?

Marc Stein of ESPN:

Finnish point guard Petteri Koponen hopes to be playing in the NBA by the 2015-16 season.

Here at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Koponen told ESPN.com he intends to make the jump to the NBA after completing the final season on his contract with BC Khimki in Russia.

"I always said my dream is to play in the NBA," Koponen said. "Every summer we talk a little bit with Dallas to see what the situation is and what they think. I’ve got one more year left on my contract in Russia and then of course I would like to come over. I hope I get some options to go there and show I can play at that level."

Team sources say that the Mavs have not ruled out importing Koponen themselves in the future, but there was no discussion of doing so for this season with four point guards already on the roster: Devin Harris and Gal Mekel as returnees and Jameer Nelson and Raymond Felton as the newcomers.

Harris, Mekel, Felton (player option) and Nelson (player option) all have guaranteed contracts for 2015-16, so Koponen won’t necessarily fit any better in Dallas a year from now.

The Mavericks might look to trade Koponen’s rights – a task made easier by his comments here. If Koponen wants to jump to the NBA, Dallas might extract an asset from another team in a deal.

For now, Koponen remains an answer to a trivia question. Who are the only first-round picks prior to this season actively playing outside the NBA without ever signing in the NBA?

In addition to Koponen, the other two: Livio Jean-Charles (No. 28 in 2013 by Spurs) and Fran Vazquez (No. 11 in 2005 by Magic).

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Gronk says he’s ready; Belichick’s not so sure

It's still unclear whether Rob Gronkowski will play this week. (USATSI)

The Patriots kingdom must have rejoiced when tight end Rob Gronkowski declared on Monday that "I'm ready to go. I'll be playing" in Week 1.

Luckily for all the killjoys out there, coach Bill Belichick was around Tuesday to refute that report, saying a decision on Gronkowski's status has not yet been made.

"I'm glad that Rob's optimistic about his situation," Belichick told reporters. "With all due respect to Rob, I'm glad he feels the way he does, but in the end, we'll have to make the decision that we feel is best for the team and we'll do that as we go through the week."

Even if Gronkowski doesn't play this week, his rehab stint from a torn ACL has been nothing short of impressive, considering it's taken him about nine months to go from this to being ready to play (at least in his own mind).

To be fair, Gronkowski said he probably wouldn't take every snap this week but that he wanted to "just get out there, get my feet wet."

Instead, the fact he couldn't participate in preseason games might make it more difficult for Belichick (or the team's trainers) to play him in Week 1. That's what Belichick was implying when he had this rather insightful answer about how difficult it is to go into a game situation without having actually played in a preseason game.

"A player hasn't played in preseason, there's still game speed and game situations and all the communication that goes on in the game," he said. "That's just different in practice. You have to be ready to handle that and work with your teammates in those conditions and that kind of timeframe and those type of game situations that change so fluidly. ... Your mind has to transfer situations and transfer them very quickly because every play takes on a new down and distance or possibly field position.

"Players that aren't in the game need to be able to have that time on the sideline to make adjustments and be ready to anticipate things that are going to happen the next series and all that. You don't get good at those things with your teammates without being able to do them. It takes some time. Guys that don't play have to make that ground up."

All of which leads me to believe this: Gronkowski will play Sunday and probably play quite a few snaps.

NFL Hot News

Buccaneers RB Doug Martin may see more work in passing game



Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith has changed his opinion of running back Doug Martin as a pass catcher, according to ESPN.com. Smith, whose regime spent a third-round draft pick on RB Charles Sims in May, now believes that Martin is capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. The coaching staff in Tampa Bay believes Martin "used training camp and the preseason to show his versatility." With Sims out until at least Week 10, Martin will lead the Buccaneers' rushing attack and will be assisted by with RB Bobby Rainey and RB Mike James.



Martin's outlook has improved substantially in the last few weeks following the Sims injury. Now, with this news, Martin looks like an every-down back for the Buccaneers. And the recent addition of left guard Logan Mankins will improve the Tampa Bay line. Martin looks as though he'll approach RB1 territory just from sheer volume of touches. If your league hasn't drafted yet, Martin's well worth the second-round pick it'll take to get him -- if he's still available at that point.

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