Always listen to your bodies kiddos.* That’s what John Wall did. After landing oddly on his left hand attempting a fast-break layup with three minutes left in the second quarter of Game 1, Wall was brought back for X-rays. They were negative, but the pain persisted. It’s a good thing Wall wouldn’t let it go because it turns out he had five (!) displaced fractures in his wrist and hand.
Despite the obvious discomfort after the fall, Wall returned to lead his team to a Game 1 win with 18 points and 13 dimes, all the more impressive when the official diagnosis came later. But, at first, the Wizards were reluctant to acknowledge the severity of the injury.
[protected-iframe id=”d80dce3e991e2cba934c77fab494b737-60970621-27345751″ info=”https://gfycat.com/ifr/SpottedLikelyBittern” width=”650″ height=”350″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]
Here’s the Washington Post’s Michael Lee on Wall’s skirmishes with Wizards medical personnel about his wrist:
Wall refused to accept the initial diagnosis of a “real, real bad sprain” after X-rays immediately following the game were negative. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Wall clashed with team medical staffers before sitting out Tuesday because he felt something more serious had caused his hand to explode. After a few days of confusion and concern, Wall got the confirmation of bone fractures that he never really wanted, leaving fans of the team with broken hearts.
Turner’s David Aldridge had some updates on Wall’s status moving forward yesterday and early this morning, but the prognosis doesn’t look good, especially against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Certainly does not sound like John Wall will be able to play during Hawks series, but he hasn't officially been ruled out yet.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 7, 2015
Per source, Wall met w/specialist
Thomas Graham, physician at the Cleveland Clinic, who has treated dozens of pro athletes w/hand injuries.— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 7, 2015
Just heard, briefly, from John Wall. Asked if he thought he could play Saturday, & how he'll decide. His DM: "Really have no idea".
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 8, 2015
Game 3 is at 5PM ET on Saturday in Washington, and Wall will likely be on the sideline in a sling.
Still, shouldn’t the Wizards have been a little more concerned about their franchise point guard when he was writhing in pain after the initial fall?
John Wall is a tough, tough dude. He’s also the only reason the Wizards were in a position to move on to the Conference finals for the first time since the Elvin Hayes, Bob Dandridge and Wes Unseld front-court triumvirate lost out on a bid to repeat as champs in 1979.
Back in those Bullets days, maybe the discrepancy between player and team over an injury like this might be excused. MRI machines weren’t even available in the 1970s, so a negative X-ray likely would have meant Wall kept on suffering (probably in silence), if he’d been in the Bullets backcourt during their heyday. But in 2015?
Yeah, teams should listen to their player, and if you play sports listen to what your body is telling you. No sense sacrificing your future for the present when your future is as bright as Wall’s still looks.
*Apologies for those fellow 30- and 40-somethings who should probably listen to their bodies even more than the youngsters we addressed in the opening. Kids can bounce back, but we gotta soak in ice for an hour after a simple game of pickup these days. Teenagers should stay frosty, but they’ve also got an entire future of recovering from the bangs and dings life throws at them. No sense waiving a naive sense of fearlessness too early.
(WaPo)
