CHICAGO - When an athlete tears an ACL, it is often recommended that surgical reconstruction is performed soon after the injury "to prevent further damage to the knee joint due to the current instability."
Another school of thought is to delay the procedure up to a time frame of six weeks to allow the pain and swelling to subside while also giving the injured knee time to exercise and strengthen before the operation.
READ Kai Sotto's Alphas teammates wear his No. 11, honor him with win
It's been 18 days since Kai Sotto tore the ACL on his left knee and multiple sources told me that the 7-foot-3 center still hasn't gone under the knife because of swelling issues.
Curious about the persistent swelling, I consulted one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the Philippines and asked him if Kai may have another underlying injury besides the ACL
"Not necessarily," the bone doctor replied. "Could be from a bone bruise or a meniscus tear also," he added.
SURGERY SOON.
Kai's camp, on the other hand, told me "we don't comment on [anything] medical," saying only that surgery could take place "hopefully next week or in two weeks while waiting for the swelling to go down."
I am also told that Kai will have surgery in Japan, not in the US.
Meanwhile, there are IG videos going around that shows Kai saying that he'll be playing again soon, raising hope among his fans.
I pray it isn't true. We've seen that sad movie before. It's called The Jerom Lastimosa Rocky Horror Show in Season 86 of the UAAP where the point guard played a game despite dealing with what was described a "partial ACL tear."
There's simply too much at stake for Sotto to plunge into a foolhardy risk. Remember, he will opt into the third and final year of his Japan B League contract that pays him a lot of money.
The Koshigaya Alphas have dedicated a lot of time and resources for Kai to navigate this serious injury. I don't think his team will sanction any comeback unless he's 100 percent fit.
For the first time in his life, Kai Sotto needs to be selfish and think only about his well-being and long road to recovery.
QMB UPDATE.
With Kai down, the need for Gilas Pilipinas to add another big has become even more urgent. Tapping 6-foot-10, 265-lb Quentin Millora-Brown makes a lot of sense.
Unfortunately, the SBP has been reluctant to add QMB to the pool and have been slow, as in ice age slow, to communicate with the player's camp.
A former NBA executive who has been keeping a close eye on the situation is perplexed.
"Makes zero sense. Add the best players always," he said.
Well, not necessarily in the Philippines. We just tend to add the players our basketball leaders know.
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