3 Top Pros Battling Knee Injuries
It’s the time of year when the NFL is gearing up for playoffs. At the the same time hockey, basketball, and other pro sports are really starting to heat up as they sprint through the initial part of the season. Contenders start to find their stride, pretenders lose a step, and the worst of the worst are already in the rear view mirror.
In pro sports, what differentiates the top teams from the bottom-feeders is often the star players. And all it takes is for one top player to suffer a knee injury for it to all come tumbling down.
Let’s take a look at some top players dealing with knee injuries. How these guys bounce back could be the difference between their teams sitting pretty— or sitting out!
1. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots - Knee Injury
Edelman is a mainstay on this current iteration of the inexhaustible juggernaut that is the New England Patriots. At WR, he’s been one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets for years, both because of his reliability and durability.
Edelman actually suffered a complete ACL tear a couple of years ago, but he bounced back from that to regain his form. No giant surprise there— as I’ve said many times over, that’s something that’s becoming more and more routine.
Unfortunately for Edelman and the Pats, he’s had to deal with several injuries this year, too. Edelman suffered a rib injury earlier in the season, as well as a nagging shoulder issue.
Although Edelman has bounced back, he’s also combatting a patellar tendonitis issue. This is the type of knee injury that can hamper an athlete on an ongoing basis and drag on over a course of several games or even throughout the season.
To top it off, Edelman suffered a head injury during the recent game against the Buffalo Bills.
We’ll keep an eye on the former Super Bowl MVP. How it goes for Edelman will have a big impact on how it goes for the Pats!
2. Karl Anthony Towns - Knee Injury
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a confounding squad over the past few years, both for their fans and for casual fans of the NBA at large. Blessed with two number one draft picks (both with huge talent and even larger expectations) the Timberwolves have nonetheless underperformed in the “stacked western conference”. In case you are wondering who those picks are, we’re talking about Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony Towns.
This year, with Wiggins finally & unexpectedly living up to his potential, the T-Wolves are angling for a leap, with Towns as their anointed leader. Blessed with great size and a scintillating inside-outside game, Towns has the potential to be a Top 5 NBA player. He’s also been very durable during his first five years in the league, avoiding major injuries.
Unfortunately, Towns has missed three games in a row as the NBA season starts to AMP up. Though we don’t know the exact problem, you can be sure we’ll be watched this one closely. They are reporting it to be some sort of knee injury.
Will he bounce back and lead the T-Wolves to the playoffs? Stay Tuned.
Carmelo Anthony - Bruised Knee
A great storyline this year for the casual NBA fan has been the long-heralded but uncertain return of NBA legend(?) Carmel Anthony. Known for his easy offensive prowess and equally, shall we say, mellow defense, Carmelo has always divided his fans and critics starkly.
However, nobody can deny that Carmelo still has the talent to put a team on his back and will them to a win almost single-handedly. And he’s gotten that chance this year with the Portland Trail Blazers, who sorely needed a burst of energy from outside the stagnating team.
Anthony injured his knee, suffering a contusion against the Magic last Friday night. Luckily for the Blazers, the injury isn’t serious. However, we’ll keep an eye on it, as it’s going to be a game-to-game situation. Hopefully it doesn’t impact Anthony’s ability to help the Blazers on a long-term basis. Anthony is certainly at the age where one injury could herald the end of his career. We don’t want to see that happen.
Check back soon for more injury updates on your favorite pros!
Team Sterett
