Bionic Basketball

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom successfully underwent shoulder surgery Tuesday. Odom will most likely be able to play by the start of training camp in October. Team doctor Dr. Lewis Yocum completed the surgery in 40 minutes. This was nothing new for Odom or Yocum, as this was the same surgery Odom had two years ago. Odom is expected to begin rehab work shortly. Today’s medical advancements and surgery capabilities must be quite comforting to coaches and managers. Granted, injuries can be devastating to a team, but they’re certainly not looked at the same as they were a few years ago. Our professional athletes will soon be looked as bionic super-humans.

Professional teams must also be taking this into consideration when trade talks are being made. And sports medicine and therapy are discovering advancements on a daily basis, whipping players back into playing form in significantly less time. After all, if a player can simply be tinkered with, to at least temporarily extend his time on the court, then wouldn’t that be much better than trading up for a healthier player with less innate athletic talent? A fine line divides these views. At the very least, these injuries are indicative that our athletes are still vigorously pounding the court and earning their keep. Get your Los Angeles Lakers tickets today.

Permalink - Posted in General on May 17, 2007 - Post a comment