Many of us here on Denver Stiffs wanted the Nuggets to use their second round draft pick on DeJuan Blair ... the rebounding machine from Pittsburgh that ENDED UP BEING DRAFTED BY THE FREAKING SPURS!
Well, as it's been well documented or at least talked about ... Blair has no ACLs. The concern is that Blair may have a very short NBA career because his knees will not hold up. The guys over at SB Nation's Spurs blog Pounding the Rock were also very interested in this, so Fred Silva brought in an expert and got his take on Blair's knees.
I highly recommend giving it a read. CLICK HERE.
And while you are over on Pounding the Rock be sure to vote on the "Best NBA hair" poll ... Birdman needs some love!
A quick bit:
As most are now aware, DeJuan Blair is missing both of his ACLs. While in high school, Blair tore both ACLs and had them surgically repaired. Unfortunately, the surgeries were unsuccessful as it has been revealed that he does not have either ACL. After the surgeries, his body must have rejected the repaired ACLs and absorbed them. I had many questions about DeJuan Blair's knees so I decided to find the most knowledgeable person possible in order to get some answers. Enter Steve Stratton, PHD, PT, ATC and founder of Steven Stratton Physical Therapy located in San Antonio, TX.
Dr. Stratton began our discussion by explaining that the ACL is simply a stabilizer of the knee, and is not the most critical stabilizer; that would be the PCL. He said 95% of athletes that have their ACL surgically repaired return to their sport. He explained that he played running back at BYU for two years and had his ACL-less knee hit every way imaginable without any problems. It is not unheard of for a person without an ACL, or two, to have a lengthy, successful athletic career.
However, a knee without an ACL is an injured knee that can give at any moment. The wrong tweak or hit could damage the PCL, at which point it would be game over. I then asked, "How many years can we expect from DeJuan Blair?" ... click the link to find out the answer ...
