No Return Date For Pelicans' Miller

Darius Miller, fresh off his rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans, and set to be the future of the team,

suffered a big setback last month with a foot injury.
Miller had a stress fracture in his foot that needed to be surgically repaired and was to be out eight to 12 weeks. With that timeline, he was due to be back by early November.
This news alone was bad news for Miller, a forward with the team, as they loaded up this offseason. Miller played limited minutes off the bench at three last season and this season Tyreke Evans will likely start at three with Al-Farouq Aminu and Anthony Morrow behind him. It will be tough for Miller to have some minutes at four behind Ryan Anderson with the rotation already set and him not having been at camp.
It's unknown how the injury occurred, but it likely happened during training camp. He started to feel pain in his foot while working out and asked the team's medical staff to take a look at it.
Miller's situation got worse Monday at the team's press conference. The former University of Kentucky standout still needs crutches to get around and at this point has no timetable for his return.
Miller is still wearing a cast, which should be removed in the next week.
"I'm waiting to get the cast off so I can get it stronger, and get the range of motion back in my ankle," Miller said. "I haven't really talked about a set date (to return) or anything. They said they don't want to rush it, and I don't blame them."
Miller will not be able to play in the NBA pre-season game against the Washington Wizards on October 19th in Rupp Arena.
References: Kentucky.Com and NBC Sports.
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Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
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Nets' Brooks Has Surgery Once Again

Brook Lopez just can't seem to get a break.
Lopez underwent surgery on his right foot recently for the third time since 2011. The need for surgery was discovered after an MRI revealed a bent screw in his right foot. Lopez had been experiencing no pain in his foot before the MRI, and the decision to have surgery was described by GM Billy King as "proactive." The screw was intended to support his fifth metatarsal and had bent over time.
Lopez is now in a walking boot following the minor procedure to replace the screw, which was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. The Brooklyn Nets center's bent screw was replaced with a new one. He is expected to return to basketball related activities by August.
Should Nets fans and coaches be worried about Lopez's recurring foot problems? It's tough to say, but this same foot was fractured twice during the 2011-12 season and the screw was implanted to prevent further injuries. Many 7 foot tall basketball players fall victim to foot injuries because their feet can't support the weight of their frame, hence why Lopez's screw bent.
Lopez is the Nets' best player and in the 2012-13 season, he led all NBA centers in scoring with 19.4 points per game. He needs to concentrate on getting stronger in his foot this summer so he doesn't get the dreaded "injury-prone" label.
References: Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated.
If you are a basketball player and you have a foot problem, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
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Spurs' Patty Mills Done For Season

Imagine that the biggest game of your career is coming up. Everything is on the line; your team's reputation,
the championship, your role on the team. But you can't play because you have a foot problem that needs surgery.
This scenario happened this week to San Antonio Spurs' reserve guard Patty Mills, who had surgery last Friday to remove an abscess from his foot. The abscess originally started out as an infection on his right foot and developed into a bigger problem between his fourth and fifth toes. The abscess was removed during short out-patient surgery.
Basketball fans in Australia, Mills' home country, were disappointed to see their home star miss such an important moment in his career. Mills is a one of a small handful of Australians playing basketball in the United States, including Kyrie Irving and Andrew Bogut.
Mills is best known for his enthusiastic towel waving and cheerleading from the benches, as he gets little playing time on the courts. Mills played just 31 minutes throughout the playoffs, appearing in the garbage time of two NBA Finals games for a total time of 13:26, during which he scored four points.
Mills holds a $1.1 million player option for next season. During the season he averaged 5.1 points and 1.1 assists in 11.3 minutes over 58 regular season games and 1.3 points and 3.4 minutes during nine postseason games.
Reference: Sports Illustrated
If you are a basketball player and have a foot problem, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
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Celtics' Kevin Garnett To Avoid Foot Surgery

According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett will not need

surgery on his left ankle. The Celtics medical staff believes Garnett will heal with time and rest.
Garnett spent the last few months of the regular season and missed several games with a foot/ankle injury (bone spurs). Surgery seemed like it was a high possibility.
President of basketball operations Danny Ainge said, "I think there was some question whether he was going to have surgery on his foot. But the last I heard, which was a few days ago, is that he won't need surgery."
Now that surgery has been ruled out, the Celtics are still unsure if Garnett will be back next season. The Celtics are giving Garnett, 37, time to weigh his options and give the team time to decide what kind of roster they can build around the big man.
The Celtics have just one pick in the June 27th draft, No. 16 overall. "We're always having discussions about moving up and down and moving out," said Ainge. "That's just like every other year. But I don't know what the chances are of that happening."
So will Garnett return for next year? For the point Garnett is at in his career, starting over in a different team would be difficult. It's likely he'll return for one more season, but that is also dependent on Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers returning as well. Garnett has two years and over $24 million left on his contract, with $6 million guaranteed in his final year.
Garnett played all six games in the Celtics' first-round series against the New York Knicks. He averaged 12.7 points and 13..7 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game. The Celtics lost in six to the Knicks.
References: Boston Herald and SB Nation.
If you are a basketball player and have a foot problem, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
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Kobe Bryant Looking For Revenge After Ankle Sprain

Kobe Bryant is out for blood.
Bryant severely sprained his ankle in the closing minutes of Wednesday night's 96-92 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. That means the Los Angeles Lakers will be without their top scorer indefinitely.
Bryant was attempting what would have been the game winning shot with 3.9 seconds left at Philips Arena in Atlanta when he landed on the foot of defender Dahntay Jones and landed on the court. Luckily X-rays are negative, but Bryant says it's the worst injury he's had since the 2000 NBA Finals. That injury occurred when Bryant landed on the foot of Jalen Rose in Game 2 of the Finals, which the Lakers went on to win 4-2.
"First and foremost, officials really need to protect shooters. As defensive players you can contest shots but you can't walk underneath players. That's dangerous for the shooter," Bryant told reporters.
"He Jalen Rose'd me," Bryant said of Jones' play. "It's a very, very dangerous play, especially if I'm fading away. There's no rhyme or reason why I should come down anywhere near somebody's foot."
Jones later defended his play on Twitter, tweeting that he would never purposely try to injure any player. "Tape doesn't lie. Ankle was turned on the floor after the leg kick out that knocked him off balance. I would never try to hurt the man."
Jones said in a later post that the referees really should have called an offensive foul on Bryant. "Leg kick that makes contact with a defensive player is an offensive foul. Period. The NBA changed that rule 2 yrs ago. Stop it!," he said.
Bryant is tied for second in the NBA with 27.5 points per game and is also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He scored 31 points in the defeat on Wednesday. The loss dropped the Lakers to 34-32, eighth in the Western Conference and a half-game ahead of the Utah Jazz for the final playoff spot.
Bryant is unsure how the next couple of days are going to go. "I can't get my mind past the fact that I've got to wait a year to get revenge," he said.
Reference: Bloomberg
If you are a basketballl player and have a foot problem, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
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Basketball Superstar Tony Parker Out With Ankle Sprain

The San Antonio Spurs have enjoyed a winning season thus far this season, but that may have changed on Friday when All-Star Tony Parker injured his ankle.
Parker is the Spurs' leading scorer, and the Spurs currently have the best record in the NBA with a 46-14 mark. The 30 year old guard from France injured his ankle during the third quarter of Friday's win over the Sacramento Kings as he completed a transitional layup when he landed on Isaiah Thomas' foot. Parker came down on his left ankle and rolled it outward. He remained down on the ground while play continued on the other side of the court and was eventually helped off to the locker room. The team announced on Saturday that he would be out about four weeks with a Grade 2 left ankle sprain.
"He'll be out a while; it's a good one," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "He's been a stalwart for us. He's having an All-Star season. As I've said, he's playing better than any other point guard in the league consistently through the year. We will miss him."
Parker has been the engine that has made the Spurs machine run this season and has emerged as a MVP candidate. The Spurs fortunately have a deep bench that includes Gary Neal, Patty Mills, Manu Ginobili, and Nando De Colo.
Tim Duncan told reporters on Friday that "He's been our leader all year long. But we've played with all kinds of different people this year. We're going to rally. Pop is going to have to change some lineups. We're obviously not going to replace him. But we're going to change the way we play for a while."
Parker is averaging 21 points and 7.6 assists on 53.3 percent shooting this season. Fans who are concerned about Parker's return time frame should fret not: Parker is an 11 year veteran who won't be sitting on the sidelines doing word searchers- he'll be game-ready as soon as possible.
With 21 games left in the season, the Spurs have a three game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder and a 4.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers. In the meantime, Parker will miss 13 of those games
References: New Strait Times and ESPN.
If you are a basketball player and have a foot problem, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.

Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Sports Medicine Podiatrist in CT
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Trail Blazers' Matthews Has High Ankle Sprain

The Portland Trail Blazers returned Monday from the All-Star break with renewed optimism, but a black cloud was looming over their shoulders.
They are coming off a five-game losing streak, facing a challenging 29-game season-ending schedule, and the questionable return of starting shooting guard Wesley Matthews.
Monday night they went through a 90 minute workout at the practice facility in Tualatin, but without Matthews, who instead had treatment for his high ankle sprain, which he sustained in the final game before the All-Star break last Wednesday. Matthews is listed as day-to-day and his long-term status could determine how long the Trail Blazers' playoff hopes remain alive.
"I'm doing everything- I've done everything- to possibly put myself in positions to play. I feel optimistic about it," said Matthews.
He spent his break in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin having a series of ultrasound, laser, and electric stimulation treatments and says there has been a significant improvement in his ankle. When he left the facility on Monday he planned on going home, sitting in a comfortable chair, and continuing his treatment. "I'm going to be sitting in my house, hooked up to something on my elbow, something on my leg. And I'll do that all night," he said.
If the Trail Blazers have to do without Matthews for an extended period of time, it will not help their dwindling playoff chances. But Matthews knows that if he can't help the team, then he shouldn't play. "If I don't feel like I can slide and defend-  forget the offensive end- if I don't feel like I can hold my own defensively, I'm not going to hurt this team. Of course I want to play, it kills me."
Matthews is known as an Iron Man for his willingness to play through the pain, but he will do no service to himself or his team by continuing to play when he is hurt. As we've seen throughout the past football season, high ankle sprains are nagging injuries that if not rested, will grow worse with continued play.
If you are a basketball player and have a foot problem, call our Newington, Kensington, or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
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