Kyle Lowry's Elbow Injury - to rest, or not to rest...

[Barolt]

He said "we", so I assume he was speaking for himself and the team not just his own medical expertise. That would be crazy if he's just making the calls on his own on an injury.

That would be crazy, right?

Just as crazy as McKechnie wanting to shut down Carroll and him playing anyways, then re-injuring himself and missing the rest of the season, right?

[S.R.]

Well I have to have some faith in the team's ability to handle injuries otherwise we're fucked, and I don't really like the idea of my favourite team being fucked.

I mean according to RR

- We don't know how to manage minutes
- We can't develop players
- We can't handle injuries
- We aren't mentally strong enough to win big games
- We don't use players properly.

If all that is true there is a 0% chance of this team under this management ever achieving anything.

Chances for post-season success have a very slim margin for error with this roster because they just don't have the massive talent the other top teams have. The Cavs can lose Kyrie and Love, and Lebron will still drag that roster to the Finals. That's crazy. The Raptors don't have that luxury - everything needs to be right for the playoffs. "Small" things like who's in your starting five and overplaying your #1 player could definitely be deal breakers for this team, even if they do everything else right. I'm still hoping for the best, obviously, but several other top 10 teams are pretty clearly gearing up right now and playing their best basketball of the year - the Raptors aren't. They haven't collapsed as badly as last year, but they aren't exactly peaking either. Lowry's elbow is a major, major concern.

[Axel]

The tried rest from March 20th-25th.

Which isn't very much. Opportunity to rest now would allow for much more, which could yield positive results.

[Barolt]

The most insane part of this to me is there's literally no value in him playing. He's not a rookie or developing player, our playoff seed is pretty much set.

There's absolutely no reason for him to play, if resting has even the remotest possibility of helping.

[JWash]

Which isn't very much. Opportunity to rest now would allow for much more, which could yield positive results.

But how do you know that wasn't the prescribed amount by team doctors? Like there are supposed to be actual medical tests they do to determine things like this. We're just speculating.

[KeonClark]

The tried rest from March 20th-25th.

His elbow seems pretty severely strained/bruised/sore whatever term you want to use. You act like 5 days is some big extended period of time. Elbow injuries much like shoulders and knees nag and take awhile. It's not like he stubbed his toe.

[JWash]

The most insane part of this to me is there's literally no value in him playing. He's not a rookie or developing player, our playoff seed is pretty much set.

There's absolutely no reason for him to play, if resting has even the remotest possibility of helping.

But he's saying that they decided that playing through it might be the best way to get past the injury for now.

[JWash]

His elbow seems pretty severely strained/bruised/sore whatever term you want to use. You act like 5 days is some big extended period of time. Elbow injuries much like shoulders and knees nag and take awhile. It's not like he stubbed his toe.

I don't know whether that's a long or short period of time. All we know is the second-hand information that we're getting about the doctor evaluations from Lowry.

[Barolt]

But he's saying that they decided that playing through it might be the best way to get past the injury for now.

I have never, ever heard of a player getting better from an injury that affects them mechanically by playing more.

[planetmars]

The most insane part of this to me is there's literally no value in him playing. He's not a rookie or developing player, our playoff seed is pretty much set.

There's absolutely no reason for him to play, if resting has even the remotest possibility of helping.

The only fear I have is playing with rust. Lowry had rest last season and still shat the bed against the Wizards. If he can figure out how to play with an injured elbow in the next 5-6 games.. maybe we have a better chance.

Either way we're screwed it seems though.

[JWash]

The only fear I have is playing with rust. Lowry had rest last season and still shat the bed against the Wizards. If he can figure out how to play with an injured elbow in the next 5-6 games.. maybe we have a better chance.

Either way we're screwed it seems though.

Like it's possible that they said: Ok rest isn't really helping here so it might just be better to play and slowly adjust to the pain and worst case you can play at 70% (just randomly picked a number here) with the pain, best case it dissipates and you're still game-ready for the playoffs.

It's not really a promising situation either way but I think they're doing what they can and what they think is best.

[Barolt]

The only fear I have is playing with rust. Lowry had rest last season and still shat the bed against the Wizards. If he can figure out how to play with an injured elbow in the next 5-6 games.. maybe we have a better chance.

Either way we're screwed it seems though.

In his last 4 games, he's shooting 23.9% from the field and 19.2% from 3, 54.2% from the free throw line.

Rust could not possibly look that much worse.

[KeonClark]

I don't know whether that's a long or short period of time. All we know is the second-hand information that we're getting about the doctor evaluations from Lowry.

We KNOW that its hurt. We KNOW that he "banged it a few more times" and it flared up and got worse. What else do we need to know?

[JWash]

We KNOW that its hurt. We KNOW that he "banged it a few more times" and it flared up and got worse. What else do we need to know?

How to fix it?

[KeonClark]

I have never, ever heard of a player getting better from an injury that affects them mechanically by playing more.

You've obviously never pounded rocks