Da Grinch

i'd say around 1/14 he'll be as good as ever, generally it takes a player after serious leg injuries about twice the time they spent rehabbing to fully regain form.

i assume his natural progression with his jumpshot will be accelerated.

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thebizkit69u

If his jumper progresses to a point of being consistent, then I think he will not need to rely on the athleticism as much. Honestly hes not going to all of a sudden turn into John Stockton in terms of athleticism but even if he a loses a step athletically, his jumper will actually make scoring easier for him.

yodurk

By next season, I really feel as if Derrick will be better than ever. Here's why:

- Doctors/trainers have ACL recoveries down to a science for pro athletes, especially for younger players like Derrick
- Derrick's doctor said he could come back "125%" physically. That is because he will be working and rehabbing muscle groups that he's never even worked before. I think it was Adrian Peterson who said something very similar.
- This injury should put Derrick's game in perspective; out of necessity I believe he will let his game evolve to be more cerebral and only turn on the jets when he really needs to (something a certain #23 did as his game matured)
- And lastly I think an unintended side effect of this season is that the rest of the team -- everyone from the players, FO, and Thibs - will be forced to realize how much they relied on Derrick the past few years, probably too much so. Whether it's a wake up call or simply allows other guys to step up into a bigger role, I could see this opening things up for Derrick down the road.

mvP to the Wee

Different sport, but look at AP and RG3. Torn ACL isn't the same today as it was several years ago.

thebizkit69u

Yeah its a completely different sport and it looks like AP is the same player he was before the injury, but again its a different sport.

Derrick cuts, runs and jumps many more times than any RB in the NFL does. Through out the course of an 82 game season, Derrick will do way more things with his legs and knees than a guy like AP will do in multiple seasons.

yodurk

Peterson's reconstructed knee also has to deal with breaking tackles, dragging 250-300 pound defenders to gain extra yardage, and cutting/landing at awkward angles off balance when opponents are knocking into him.

I agree an NBA point guard has a higher # of cuts, jumps, and directional changes per game, as well as far more games per season. However the things Peterson deals with as an NFL running back seem IMO far more taxing on a "per play" basis.

It's anyone's guess as to which type of demand would lead to follow-on problems from an ACL tear. Though from what I've read on ACL tears nowadays, once it's healed, it's healed; and in some cases the knee is even stronger than before the injury. I take that to mean Derrick is highly unlikely to have any direct complications from the injury as long as he makes it through the rehab program. The knee will not be "more healed" by sitting out extra 3-4 months. Though it is possible if his strength building is behind target, he will need more time to build up strength further.

thebizkit69u

More taxing yes, but there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that its more taxing on the knees as opposed to other areas of the body. But yeah, he is one bad tackle away from re injuring his ACL.

My fear is that he would blow the other knee next.

jnrjr79

Sure, but that concern isn't altered one way or another given the injury to the other knee.