Zoubek's foot again...

[markbdevil]

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow...&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

[Classof06]

Better to have the surgery sooner rather than later but this is certainly discouraging news..

[happydays1949]

Let's just hope that this surgery will take care of it.

[slower]

starting to get a bad feeling about this? Some injuries just never seem to heal.

[eddiehaskell]

He won't be playing basketball for nearly 3 months! I don't think he'll be significantly better next year.

3 months for surgery + ~2 months to get back where he was pre-surgery. That gives him what...2-3 months before the season starts?

[Jumbo]

This is not surprising. It wasn't a well-kept secret that when he returned, the foot wasn't exactly in good shape. I expected him to have surgery and am shocked it took this long.
The good news is that he's getting it done now. He'll miss some stuff with the team in the next two months, but for player development, the key time starts in June. So, if he hits the 10-week mark, he should be ready to go for the camps he's scheduled to attend this summer. That also gives him PLENTY of time to prepare for the upcoming season. It's not ideal, but the timing is MUCH better than last year.

[Devil07]

The guy just can't catch a break...It does make you appreciate though what he played through to come back for the stretch run. Here's hoping that this takes care of it and Brian has a full, healthy year next go round.

[MChambers]

He played decently down the stretch. Imagine what he'll be able to do fully healthy.

[TillyGalore]

This situation is really bringing out the pessimist in me - but not enough to be destructively negative.

Coach K mentioned that Zoubek will be able to play pain free as a result of the surgery (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...TCLID=1435729). I'm having a hard time buying that. Not that I would expect him to say anything else, but for the kid to have two surgeries as a result of the same thing makes me a little nervous.

I do hope I'm wrong - it does happen occasionally.

[wisteria]

This depresses me a bit. Zoub needs all the time in the off-season to improve.

I have a question, and I don't want to sound like I'm questioning the coaches' decision or something. If Zoub's foot wasn't 100%, was it a good idea that he played? (With respect to Zoub, we were glad to see him in action but he wasn't TOO much of a contributor.) Was it possible that if simply rested all the way, he wouldn't require the surgery again? I really don't know much about sports related injuries. So maybe somebody could help me understand it better. Thanks.

[wisteria]

Also, after the wvu loss, Brian talked about joining big-man camp and playing summer ball. With the new surgery development, does it mean he won't be doing any of those things now?

[elvis14]

This is not surprising. It wasn't a well-kept secret that when he returned, the foot wasn't exactly in good shape. I expected him to have surgery and am shocked it took this long.
The good news is that he's getting it done now. He'll miss some stuff with the team in the next two months, but for player development, the key time starts in June. So, if he hits the 10-week mark, he should be ready to go for the camps he's scheduled to attend this summer. That also gives him PLENTY of time to prepare for the upcoming season. It's not idea, but the timing is MUCH better than last year.

I agree with Jumbo that this isn't shocking and that from a timing perspective, it's not so bad. I just hope he gets healthy because after watching him improve so much at the end of the season, I'm really looking forward to seeing him be a solid contributor next season. On the bright side, Lance, Gerald and Marty will have more company at rehab this spring. If we can get Smith under the knife, we'll have a pretty good starting 5 hangin' in rehab together

[RelativeWays]

I hope it goes well. Zoub can contribute if he is more assertive. We don't need a bum foot holding him back

[wisteria]

If we can get Smith under the knife, we'll have a pretty good starting 5 hangin' in rehab together

Now you get me all worried. Remembering how Nolan's knee was bothering him...

[ugadevil]

This sucks for a college student! Someone mentioned this after the surgeries for Henderson and Thomas, and it made me think the same thing for Brian. I hope he is able to keep a positive attitude about this entire situation, because it's got to be very frustrating. I can't imagine having to deal with so many health issues while I try to be a good student and have fun while I'm in school. Hopefully, Brian won't be too hindered by the surgery and is able to enjoy himself in every day activities.

[msdukie]

I'm not sure why everyone is getting to be so alarmist. Most likely Zoubek and the staff believed he would probably need some sort of surgery for a lengthy period of time. Offseason surgeries are not uncommon, nor is playing during the season with an injury. We did have a point guard who played with a broken foot in 2006-07. I would assume that he will be fully healthy in time to begin preparation for next year and go to the camps. Also recall that DeMarcus got injured in July and had surgery and he turned out just fine. (I'm aware there are differences between foot and hand surgery).

I expect Z to be a much improved player next year.

[SilkyJ]

Imagine what he'll be able to do fully healthy.

Yea, and when's that gonna be?

I'm not sure why everyone is getting to be so alarmist.

Well let's see, cause this is like the 3rd or 4th time with him in 2 years. Cause we know that our biggest weakness is at Center, and he's the only Center we have. And he's only a solid role player at best right now, and we need him to be starter/solid contributor and the he needs the offseason to get better and surgery means he won't be able to work on many of the aspects he needs to. B/c lower body injuries often become chronic with guys that are 7 feet tall...

[VaDukie]

Let's think about this in a little context: the improvement showed at the end of the year was done despite playing with a hurt foot. The lack of improvement time may be compensated by the fact that he won't be playing hesitantly on a hurt foot in the future. Let's just hope he doesn't continue to aggravate it.

[HK Dukie]

Wow, three surgeries and we are only two weeks into the offseason. Knock on wood, that is the last one that is necessary.

Coach wasn't kidding when he said the team doesn't disclose all its injuries.

...unlike other teams!

(ok, the last part wasn't from Coach but I wish it was!)

[freedevil]

I do not mean this to sound sarcastic, but could these foot-woes account for some of Zoubek's traveling problems? By that, I mean was the pain in his foot causing him to do things he would not otherwise do?