Thunder News: Roberson injury – players react, recovery time, moving forward

OKC Thunder in the news for January 28  mourns the loss of Andre Roberson and looks ahead to his recovery.

The OKC Thunder have experienced a season of gigantic fluctuations in ebbs and flows. Adversity or rather how a squad overcomes that adversity is what can build champions. And while it’s not a member of their star triad, the loss of Andre Roberson is no less damaging.

Witnessing Roberson’s leg buckle with no one close to him made it clear the injury was bad immediately. Certainly there will be ample discussion about the injury, officially deemed a ruptured patellar tendon. This because Roberson missed time (eight games) earlier this season with patellar tendinitis. Questions will be asked regarding how quickly Roberson returned from the tendonitis. Was Roberson rushed back too soon?  Could the OKC Thunder have done anything to  avoid it, or was it an inevitable outcome?

Further tests will reveal the severity which will allow for the team to provide more specifics on how long Roberson will be lost. Initial reports are he’ll be gone for the season.

With all due respect to Carmelo Anthony’s milestone and Paul George making the All-Star as a replacement for DeMarcus Cousins, I’m dedicating today’s In the news to Andre Roberson. God speed on your healing Andre and sending positive thoughts and vibes your way.

Best wishes from Thunderous Intentions staff and Thunder Nation:

Seeing Roberson go down in the manner he did immediately gave me a sick feeling. As my esteemed cohort Tony Heim pointed out it’s time for reflection on Roberson – the individual. All of Thunder Nation will be sending prayers Andre Roberson’s way and the staff of Thunderous Intentions sends our prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery.

"The pain on his face as he left the court told the whole story. Roberson immediately understood he probably isn’t going to be able to play for some time. Witnessing him come to that realization only reminds us how important this game is to these players."

Players React:

When things like this happen, how individuals respond says a lot about a team’s character. In comparison, Boogie Cousins seemed to lie on the ground for an eternity with few teammates nearby whereas Roberson was surrounded by his squad.

Not surprisingly, Westbrook who is a great leader and friend to Roberson looked the most concerned. Steven Adams is also extremely close with the shooting guard having invited him down under this past summer.

Post game reactions:

Paul George who is no stranger to serious injury says he’ll be there to help Andre through his recovery. Carmelo Anthony took a knee at midcourt as soon as Roberson went down and said he immediately began to pray.

Russell Westbrook:

Paul George:

Terrance Ferguson:

https://twitter.com/the2kferguson/status/957411711908241408

Dakari Johnson:

Enes Kanter:

Steph Curry:

Kevin Durant:

Kevin Love: 

Nene:

https://twitter.com/NeneHilario42/status/957488582532493315

Detroit organization and fans: 

Notably, the Pistons fans at Little Caesars were remarkable. As Roberson was wheeled off the court, Piston fans stood applauding and many offered the small forward fist bumps.  And the Detroit Pistons tweeted out their personal wishes post game.  Classy organization and fans!

Treatment and Recovery:

The actual recovery takes approximately three months depending on the severity of the rupture. Although full recovery requires another 30 to 90 days before Roberson will be able to presume full activity.

Assuming Roberson has surgery this week he’ll be out at a minimum until the end of May and more likely the end of July.  Barring some miracle, Andre Roberson will likely be lost til next season. Let’s be clear the focus must remain on Roberson making a full and healthy return to the court).

For more detailed information on the injury, prognosis and recovery, Very Well offers an advanced theoretical article on the subject.

"Recovering from a torn patellar tendon is difficult and takes time. One of the most important prognostic factors for recovery is the time to surgery, and surgery delayed beyond a few weeks can limit recovery ability. It is known that early mobility after surgery, protected strengthening, and preventing excessive stress on the repair will speed overall recovery. Even with these steps, there is a minimum of 3 months until return of normal daily activities, and 4-6 months until sports should be resumed."

How loss of Roberson will affect OKC Thunder:

The obvious answer to this is the defensive implications. Although, it’s important to note the steals and deflections OKC create with Roberson on the court also helps produce fast break scoring opportunities.

The key defensive notes however were witnessed first hand during the eight games Roberson missed earlier this season.

ESPN  offers the most telling stat via scribe Michael Rothstein with help from Adrian Wojnarowski and Royce Young.

"How much will the Thunder miss Roberson’s defense? According to ESPN Stats & Info, in 539 minutes with Roberson joining Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams on the floor, the Thunder allow a measly 95.9 points per 100 possessions; in 402 minutes for the Thunder’s Big Four without Roberson, they allow 114.5 points per 100."

Andre Roberson’s on – off court stats scream to his effectiveness:

On court the OKC Thunder defense (96.8) is close to 11 points better versus when he is off the court (107.7). That palpable fact alone may be why Sam Presti hits the phones with altered goals in mind this week.

Moving forward, this will test the OKC Thunder who’ve been red hot of late. The worst part is OKC had seemingly found the perfect marriage of offense and defense. In spite of having Paul George tends to make a squad

NBA TV reacts to what OKC Thunder will do without Roberson:

Not exactly a stellar weekend for the NBA, losing two players to serious injury. As Grant Hill and the panel at NBA TV saw Cousins go down Friday night it was clear they didn’t want to utter ‘Achilles” hoping it wasn’t true. Much like broadcasters try to avoid stating ‘pitching a no-hitter’ or ‘he’s perfect from the line’ the panel’ were avoiding saying Achilles Tendon as if it were the plague.

To that end, I won’t say add one of my suspicions to the mix, but I will say let’s hope this is the last serious injury in the NBA this season.