Dion Waiters sits; in related news, Spurs are geniuses
2012-12-03Remember the other day ,when the Spurs sat several stars at the end of a tough schedule run? I posted a link by Henry Abbott about the connection between insufficient rest and increased likelihood of injury. Then the next day, in double overtime of the Cavs seventh game in eleven days, Dion Waiters drives to the hoop and sprains an ankle.
Maybe it’s coincidence, but perhaps it’s part of a documented trend of such things.
Get better soon, Dion, and Cavs fans, check back tonight for a recap on the Kyrie and Waiter-less game against Detroit.
I would disagree @Jack. Fatigue, especially the extreme fatigue that comes in double overtime, slows a player’s instincts by just a fraction of a second, and also leaves muscles with less strength to hold the ankle upright when landing on another player’s foot. Obviously it’s impossible to tell in this case whether fatigue proved decisive, but it definitely *could* have played a role in this injury. Andy’s wrist injury last year is an example of a case where fatigue would not have mattered.
Jack
Yep. Rest had nothing to do with this. This idea that the Spurs sitting everyone was GENIUS and the Cavs should sit a 20 year old player to rest him is dumb.
The Spurs situation is nothing at all like Cleveland’s and the authors should stop pretending they are similar.
The Spurs situation is like the Cavs situation in that they are going through a brutal schedule stretch. To me, this has little to do with age, or contending, it has to do with long-term career preservation and injury prevention. Research seems to indicate that frequent play results in a higher rate of injuries. Why ignore that? If 20 games of voluntary sitting (spread across an entire roster) results in 30 games less lost to injury; isn’t that an easy decision? The Cavs play 29 games in 53 days. Giving players a day or two off here and there seems… Read more »
I don’t like comparing Waiters situation with the double overtime. Waiters stepped on his teammate’s foot and then had his other teammate fall on his ankle. That has nothing to do with a lack of rest.
Down 20 early in the 3rd. Time to pull Andy asap.
Cavs starting lineup:
PG: Anderson Varejao
SG: Anderson Varejao’s accent
SF: Anderson Varejao’s hair
PF: Tristan Thompson
C: Also Anderson Varejao
Bench:
A small pile of facemasks
CJ Miles, (possessed by Larry Hughes’ malevolent spirit)
Anderson Varejao (again)
Fan winner of “Be a Cavs Bench Player for a Day” sweepstakes