Carter Picks Right Time For Surgery
Vince Carter underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle Wednesday, to remove bone spurs and loose bodies, plus perform a debridement of the ankle, according to the Nets website. The team provided no exact timetable for recovery, but after several weeks on crutches and rehab, the Nets expect Carter to be ready for training camp.
Criticized in the past for not playing through injuries, tagged as soft in NBA circles, Carter showed his heart playing in 70 games after initially injuring his ankle in a loss to
Give Carter credit on two fronts. He played hard right until the last day of the season, elevating his game – on and off the court - after the Kidd trade, while the ankle continued to give him problems. Not once did he complain about the injury. That should quiet any questions about his heart, or devotion to the team. Ankle injuries can be serious, unlike, say, a migraine.
Having the surgery immediately after the season to gives VC as much time to rehab for next season as possible. Too many times injured stars wait after the season, talk about rehabbing, talk about resting, wind up having surgery later in the summer, then next thing you know they show up unprepared for the season, or miss regular season games. By taking care of the injury a week after the season ended, barring an unforeseen setback, the Nets can count on Carter.
Missing the playoffs has its benefits, a high draft pick, and extra rest for the veterans. Giving Carter a few extra weeks, and others that hobbled to the finish line like Devin Harris, Josh Boone, and Boki Nochbar – if he returns – will benefit the Nets playoff run next season.
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Tags: ankle, injury, New Jersey Nets, surgery, Vince Carter
One Response
Anonymous April 23rd at 10:20 pm
Don’t you think trading Jefferson, whiel his trade stock is high and before he re-injures one of his ankles, is a good idea? I personally think it’s what the Nets need to do this season if Thorn won’t spend $$ on one of the top PFs out there. We could trade Jefferson to maybe Utah for Kirelinko and a draft pick. This trade was rumored in training camp, and I don’t think the Nets were ready to make the trade, but they need to now, especially after the horrific defensive clinic they put on in the 2nd half of the season, after the Kidd-Harris trade. We could either keep Krstic and Boone starting, or move Krstic to a 6th man role (something that I think would benefit him), put AK at the 4 spot, and either a) draft Alexander and hope he develops into our starting SF, and have Boki start at SF while Alexander develops, or b) go out and spend money on a SF. Either way, I think I’d rather have 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and good perimeter/interior defensive mix and range, as opposed to a injury-prone, sometimes uncosistant 22 points and 4 rebounds.