Clarity on McGary injury and chances of 2014 Tourney return?
The big win last night has gotten me dreaming about National Title aspirations. Currently constructed it seems like a stretch to imagine them having a realistic shot, but McGary's potential return would change things considerably. So this leaves me wanting to know more about his back injury, the surgery and his outlook for a comeback. Can anyone cite an example of a player with a similar injury coming back and how quickly? EDIT: After looking into some history of back surgery recovery times, I of course found those of the season ending variety (Dwight Howard, Jared Sullinger) and those calling for 6-8 weeks of recovery (Marvin Williams, Quentin Richardson). I'm holding out hope McGary's is more the latter, obviously.
January 26th, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^
Me too, I was very surprised (delightfully so)
January 26th, 2014 at 12:14 PM ^
There was a writeup with some information on where things sit (not medically, but with regard to time and the likelihood of a return) here - (LINK)
It does mention, as some have here, that he has not started his rehab, but also that Beilein has stated that he does not know when the rehab is scheduled to begin. He also said in here that no return has been discussed either. I would think that if he's not started rehab and we're in the last six weeks or so of the regular season, it seems likely he's not back this year.
A nice quote from Beilein though:
“He’s doing good, the attitude is good and he looks real sharp on the bench, but I wish he was in a different uniform,” Beilein said.
January 26th, 2014 at 12:15 PM ^
He is looking for factual information on previous players injuries not your opinions
January 26th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
Mlive.com just posted a story. This is the latest from Mitch himself. He's not ruling out playing this year. It's too early to tell.
January 26th, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^
him making it back - it takes months to strengthen and heal if it is a ruptured disk......which we do not even know. That said - he is doing a hell of a job coaching as we are undefeated with him throwing out nuggets like "Win the Game"........coaching genius
January 26th, 2014 at 2:19 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 6:50 PM ^
But even if it's a mini-discectomy, it's going to be 6-8 weeks to resume normal activities first and then there is the issue of conditioning and getting back into basketball shape. It could be possible with a deep run into the tournament, but it's really unlikely and rushing back could lead to another injury.
January 26th, 2014 at 12:31 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 12:40 PM ^
Awesome memory pull there my friend.
From 1977-79 I ran Woodward in a silver 1970 GTO 455 HO 4 speed convertible. I blew the engine in 78 and dropped a Ram Air III in it and learned a lot about engines the hard way. Then, to show my wisdom and forsight, I sold it for $1,800 cause the water pump leaked and I didnt' feel like changing it.
I wish I had that car back.
January 26th, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^
If Mr Muyagi does the hand slap thing maybe he can come back ? .... But honestly it takes some luck to make the national title game..Last year our comeback vs Kansas had the ball bounce our way more than a couple times and that goes for any team thats been to a NCG ...It all matters how Mitch feels..so all we can do is wait
January 26th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^
If sitting out this season guarentees he'll be back next season than sit him out and let him recover. We dont need him this season wev learned to play without him and wev played against and beaten teams bigger than us. Im just not so sure hes returning next season.
p.s. for those wondering the games being uploaded will be up in couple hours
January 26th, 2014 at 12:59 PM ^
I'd be blown away if McGary made it back this year. Backs are just so incredibly dodgy and tough to predict that I'd expect the medical staff to be very patient with him. Even if he was borderline ready to go, he'd still take some games to round into shape. This team is definitely firing on all cylinders right now without him. That's not to take ANYTHING away from McGary, as he is obviously awesome, but it's simply fact. I hope for his sake and the teams that they rest him the rest of this year and welcome him back next year to lead the charge into 2015.
January 26th, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^
I wouldn't bring him back for the tournament. There's just no need for him to risk further injury. And all that aside, is he going to be in game-shape? If he'd want to play in the tournament, he'd need to be 100% ready to go in terms of being in shape.
I'm not sure being sidelined is very conducive to that, however much rehab he might be going through right now. Best to just rest him for the year, and let him make his choice about the NBA, or if he comes back, make sure he's 100% ready to go by the start of next season.
January 26th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^
its too early to tell. I will wait till Mitch says I know I am ready to come back and then we can ask when will it be. Besides this post is too confusing with this guy down voting that guy and replying to someone else and this guy upvoting another and not have a real reason to do so. sheeesh. Go Blue!!!
January 26th, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
I don't have any info, but I will provide my opinion.
They've been cryptic about this injury from the beginning. Who knew he was injured until right before the season? Does anyone know how? And when he was out, we didn't know how close he was to returning until he showed up on the court. Then his flares were another suprise. We don't know what the surgery was, and we don't know the time table.
The lack of clarity throughout the process makes me cautiously optimistic that he could return in March. No, I'm not saying he'll return as a 30 mpg guy. But my opinion is there's a 5-10% chance he gets healthy enough to dress and play 5-15 mpg around tournament time, and maybe more. He's very unlikely to stay 5 years, so a potential medical redshirt isn't something we need to protect. On the other hand, if he's healthy enough to give us spot duty -- safely -- then why not? We're not far from being a National Championship contender, and this may be his last opportunity to play with Nik and Glenn.
Like I said, 5-10% is my prediction. He's walking without noticable pain, limb, or device. I think they'll be very cautious with his career, but he may be much closer than we know.
January 26th, 2014 at 1:16 PM ^
Unlike certain teams to the northwest of Ann Arbor, the Wolverines don't whine about injuries. This team has enough, right now, to get back to the Final Four. They will continue to improve and be even better by tournament time. They may or may not win the Big Ten regular season or tournament championships, but they have a team that can do very well when the officiating tightens up in the NCAA's.
Sparty was allowed to hack with impunity for most of last night's game. The games will be called tighter in the tournament, which I see being of more benefit to Michigan than anyone else in the Big Ten.
It would be nice if Mitch returned, but the team did just fine without him last inght in one of the two or three toughest places in the country to play a road game.
January 26th, 2014 at 1:30 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 2:35 PM ^
You know "back injury" and "back surgery" are not specific medical terms right? There are countless types of injuries with countless types of surgeries for each one, and a different recovery time and rehab program for each of those. Yet all we know about McGary is that he had a back injury, and had back surgery. What I'm saying is, there is no way of knowing how long he will be out and any comparisons to other players are totally pointless at this juncture.
January 26th, 2014 at 4:00 PM ^
I am a physician and I have expertise in rehab of all sorts of back surgeries.
There is no reason for him not to have statrted some form of rehab after seeing him on sidelines.
IMHO, he is silently participating in some form of rehab now with the goal of returning during tournament time depending on the teams record, seeding, etc.
If we had completely turtled after his surgery I would say he wouldnt have risked coming back.
But with what we have accomplished he is more than eager to come back and be a part of this.
I say this b/c his post game comments did not rule out a return.
The folks at UM are some of the best in the business in this area (ie Jake Ryan's ACL) and will have him fit and ready, if the circumstances are correct.
Just my 2 cents.
January 26th, 2014 at 4:44 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 8:43 PM ^
I don't think he needs to be "very effective." If his goals are to win a championship, we'll just need him to provide post depth and go crazy for a few minutes at a time as a rebounder, foul eater, and post defender. Whatever else he can provide is gravy.
Of course, this might not be something he's interested in if his NBA draft stock is a factor. I just think he's a team guy and would love to chance to help his team win. Even if it was as an out of shape 5-10 minutes, it might be enough to push us over the top. Who knows.
We never did find out how he hurt himself. A lingerie injury is way cooler than Dawson's boo-boo. Mitch is the man!
January 26th, 2014 at 4:20 PM ^
Does the fact that he is already walking around indicate the type of surgery/recovery he has? Not sure, hoping someone with more experience could postulate
January 26th, 2014 at 4:23 PM ^
We can turn him to the Aluminum Monster, then we name Gary Harris Fatty Magoo...
January 26th, 2014 at 6:11 PM ^
I'm not sure you can say that McGary's return will or will not change things in a big way. He will need time to get back into shape and our team has adjusted very nicely without him. Of course, it could not hurt if he returned, but I think it's a waste of time to worry about it. McGary is getting the best medical treatment and rehab in the world, mainly for his own sake, and as fans there's nothing we could do either way to help him.
Even without McGary, this team has a great shot at the national title. He may or may not make a huge impact if he returns this season. Especially given the mysterious nature of his back injury, I wouldn't waste too much time thinking about it as a fan.
January 26th, 2014 at 9:41 PM ^
It happened to me last summer. I went with the non surgical option. Back is slowly healing. I use to run 5 miles per day, now I can walk 3 to 5 miles per day after the last 5 months. The first two months were rough with sever sciatic nerve pain but 3 epidurals got me walking again. If the back improve more, I will slowly mix in some running by summer.
I would advise McGary to take it easy and not rush back this season. He should be ready to go next season.
January 27th, 2014 at 12:52 AM ^