Of early starts and issues with a mask

What a dead day Friday was, wasn’t it?

I got to blow off practice, nothing earth-shattering really happened anywhere and the rhythm of a week was quite disrupted.

Luckily, there were a couple of hours free to sit and sip and answer mail so there was some wee connection to work.

And, of course, this:

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Noon start on Sunday, eh?

Yes, it’s TV driven, and football game driven as well (the ABC window is 2:30-5, they could have played at 6, as silly as that sounds) but it’s awfully early.

And even earlier for some.

In one of the more significant, yet subtle, changes the Raptors have made this season, for early Sunday games they get to the arena around 9 a.m. for a walkthrough up in the practice facilities.

They go over what the other team does, work on some of their own stuff but that’s really all secondary to the purpose.

The real reason is to make sure all the players are out of bed and at least functioning close to normal by the time they hit the court.

I’ve talked to a few players about it and they all say pretty much the same thing:

It’s good to get in early, break a sweat, get up some shots and then go play the game.

There have been years where there was nothing mandated for the players before early Sunday games. For a noon start, some would drift in at 9:30, some at 10, some at 10:15; they got up, dragged their sorry selves out of bed and went to work.

Now, they’re all in at the same time, they work as a group and their minds and bodies get engaged well before tip. Or so they say.

And it seems to have worked.

They’ve won four of their last five early Sunday starts with n early start defined as any one before 6 p.m., when the usual game-day schedule that starts with a 10 a.m. shootaround is in effect.

Of course, in the “it’s all about me” world I inhabit, whether they shoot or don’t shoot or sleep or don’t sleep is of no real concern. Three hours before a game I’m usually sitting in the press room or wandering the halls in search of sources so noon, 3, 6 or 7 really makes no difference.

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Things aren’t particularly groovy out in Sacramento, as the Bee reports here.

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Should he or shouldn’t he?

Turk and the mask, that is.

Guy takes a practice off and all heck breaks loose about facial protection for an injured guy’s broken orbital bone.

Synopsis:

Doctors say Turkoglu is cleared to play as long as he wears a mask.

Turkoglu says he doesn’t want to wear it, it feels uncomfortable, he’s a grown man, there’s risk there anyway and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

What to do?

I can really see both sides and I don’t know that there’s a right or a wrong answer.

The risks inherent with playing professional sports are obvious. Everyone’s one missed step away from having a career end in a flash of pain and torn ligaments and cartilages or what-have-you and I don’t know that a piece of plastic on a face really makes all the difference in the world.

Do you lessen the risk by putting on a mask? Maybe. Marginally. But I don’t know for sure. No one does.

If someone gets hit with enough force to break a bone, I imagine that same blow would cause just as much damage whether there’s a bit of protection or not.

And the argument that the Raptors need to “protect their investment” is, to me, flawed. Their “investments” are at risk every second of every game; they’re actually at risk every second of every day, regardless.

That’s just the way it is and to all of sudden start bringing up that argument seems a wee bit disingenuous.

Look at it this way:

Let’s say Player A, who doesn’t tape his ankles routinely because it’s uncomfortable, sprains an ankle in some game.

He sits out a week or so, the swelling goes down, the doctors clear him to play and the staff suggests that maybe he’s got a smaller chance of spraining that ankle again if he gets it taped every game.

Player A says, ‘nah, I’m cool. Hate the tape, doesn’t feel right, limits what I can do on the court.’

You think the team would insist he tape it up and play? I don’t.

Anyway, I have no idea how it will get resolved – don’t imagine I’ll know until about noon tomorrow – but I can certainly see Hedo’s point.

And kind of agree with it.

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Do you realize that not once yesterday did I get an e-mail about some trade speculation floating around the internet?

I call that a good day indeed.

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So, with the Kings making their only visit here Sunday, guess you should all pay attention to Tyreke Evans, who I’m told is at the moment is one of the leaders in the rookie of the year race.

The other kid to watch, though, is Omri Casspi. Couple of scouts I’ve talked to rave about him and think he’s got a chance to be pretty special.

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Okay, Super Dog needs a walk and I need a coffee before heading off the practice. Wouldn't it be cool if every player on the team showed up wearing a mask?

Comments

[kevin]

I assume you are against mandatory seat belts and helmets in hockey as well.

According to BC the team has the right to force him to wear the mask and if they believe he will play tentatively or insurance won't cover a re-injury to his eye or that the publicity will be bad if he plays with out a mask then they should insist. This is professional sports not playground basketball. There are larger concerns then "it doesn't feel comfortable". Which , by the way, was one of the many arguments used against seat belts and helmets.

[A]

wouldn't it be cool if SuperDog wore a mask?
like a superhero k-9?

[doug]

first off my condolences to Brian Burke and his family, just a sad situation....in regards to hedo to me it comes down to one point and one point alone, he is a grown man and is more then capable of assessing the risk and dealing with it as he feels the most comfortable.....in high school I was elbowed played the rest of the game, my face felt "weird", went home and thought nothing of it, next day woke up looking like a raccoon, off my folks took me to the hospital, turns out my "weird" feeling, was my face floating as i had a broken orbital bone, cheekbone and nose.....they wanted to do plastic surgery i said no, as i was no Brad Pitt to begin with....parents said its up to you....went back and played ball within a week and all was fine.....doctors advice is advice, not fact, they are always going to err on the side of caution.....and as you said very astutely if he is wearing a mask, and a 7 foot, 270 pound fellow gives him a full force elbow I think the mask becomes somewhat irrelevant.....he is not a chattel, he is a employee, able to make his own decisions....the team needs to back down as the "protect our investment" argument is moot...injuries, career ending ones can occur at anytime its the nature of the beast....just ask Bo Jackson..

[Blake Kennedy]

The team is right to insist upon Turkoglu wearing a mask, but for the wrong reasons. The concern isn't so much Turkoglu's injury risk, but the risk to the viewing audience. Turk is not a handsome man by any stretch of the imagination and the only mistake the team is making is not insisting he wear an opaque mask. Or a paper bag.

(Lest any sensitive types object, even Turkoglu admitted he looked better with the mask on yesterday.)

[Brent]

hi Doug, what if it was YOUR $ 50 million dollar investment that you'd be on the line for - even if it is only slightly safer by wearing a mask, wouldn't you insist on it? Could Hedo sign a waiver??

[Lavi]

Hi Doug,
Your comparison to the ankle is flawed because Hedo has a broken bone near his eye, and could cause irreversible damage. I assume you were talking about ankle sprains and such. As well, didn't we go through this with Calderon last year, when he re-aggravated his injury? I can certainly see BC's point, and think Turk should grow up and wear a mask for a few games.

[C Carter]

Wondering if the Garbo situation provides a bit more context to Bryan Colangelo's thinking. Garbo broke his leg, team doctors set out a recovery schedule and process, which included not playing in the summer. He played in the summer and we all know what happened after that. Colangelo is following the advice of the professionals employed to ensure the health of the team's athletes.

[Kevin A.]

It's 10 am, and I've already read my quote of the day:

"The Nets winning percentage is now .082. Another loss, and they couldn't even be arrested for a DUI."

[Niru]

Doug,

I think your argument about the raps not being able to use the `protecting your investment`` is flawed.

Simply because if the team can make any sort of precaution in order to protect it`s assets it should weigh the costs-benefits and then make a decision.

This is much like an insurance policy when it leads to moral hazard, which forces insurance companies to include a deductible.

[Matt M]

I'm sure if this was the playoffs he would be wearing the mask. I'm sure the Raptors are happy with Weems and Wright starting anyways for a few games. Seems to me that the games in February are not important enough to risk further injury anyways. I'm sure even Kobe would agree with this assessment if he ends up ineffective in the playoffs because he refused to take a few a games off in February. Not to mention Kobe will likely need surgery on that broken finger once the season is over anyways.
That said, the Raptors can't (nor shouldn't) force Hedo to do anything. Maybe some of his teammates start looking at him a little differently if they start to lose some games. Of course, there is a school of thought (not adopted here because the sources are too unreliable) that suggests the Raps might be better without Hedo anyways.

[John Okie]

Doug, Im surprised youre so cavalier about the whole thing. The masks are designed to adsorb the power over a greater area. So if he got punched point blank the force would travel over a wider area rather than getting concentrated on his face. Its not a small difference.

That is significant. If Hedo gets hit playing, he might lose a piece of bone and get blinded. Its happened before and I dont blame the Raptors for forcing him to wear it.

[mdc]

"If someone gets hit with enough force to break a bone, I imagine that same blow would cause just as much damage whether there’s a bit of protection or not."

Perhaps - but the chances of getting the same blow in the same place as before are very small. I think the mask is to prevent potentially serious complications from more casual contact, which is far more likely to occur and for which the mask would provide protection.

[chris]

Doug - you're wrong. The orbital is the bone that holds the eye in place. If he breaks that it could be life-altering.

As for the mask not making much difference -- it spreads the force over a much larger surface area. Consider it like a giant showshoe on your face. Still absorbs the impact, but spread across larger surface area so no one point (ie. that orbital bone) takes the brung of an impact.

Hedo should smarten up, and at the very least respect the wishes of the org that's paying him $50mm.

[Andrew H]

Sorry Doug, I 100% disagree with you about the mask. I don't think comparing the risk of someone spraining an ankle to the risk of Turk suffering permanant damage (including blindness) makes sense. Sure, like you say, there is always risk involved in sports. But Turk's situation goes above and beyond the usual risks, and if there's a way to minimize that risk, he has a responsibility to do it. The argument that the Raptors need to protect their investment is hardly disingenuous. It's disingenuous to pretend that the risk to Turk isn't different than the normal risks associated with playing basketball. Players are often not the best judges of risk, and at a certain point someone (in this case, the Raptors) needs to step in.

[Dave McMillan]

"If someone gets hit with enough force to break a bone, I imagine that same blow would cause just as much damage whether there’s a bit of protection or not."

Sounds like someone has suffered a head injury already.

Sorry, I've got to call dumb on this 'logic'. A hard plastic shell will protect the area a lot and dissipate any blow to a great degree. Why wear a motorcycle helmet... your head might end up crushed even if you were wearing it so just forget any protection?

Also, Turk's being paid huge money to produce for the Raptors. His comfort and personal inclinations are less important than fulfilling his obligation to the organization that is making him and his family exceedingly wealthy. If he wants to do what he wants, then he should get a factory job and join a union there. Then no-one will care if he dogs it or calls in sick with a minor ailment [akin to wearing a sweaty mask].

Dave.

[David]

I really disagree with you over the turkoglu situation. I don't think its fair to compare the risk of further spraining an ankle, to the risk of suffering permanent damage that includes blindness. I think wearing a protective mask holds far more benefits to a player then taping their ankles. All of the doctors are saying he should wear a mask or not play. If turk wants to go against that, then we should be able to void his contract if he gets hurt again. I don't think its disingenuous for the raptors to want to protect their investment at all. they are paying him alot of money and he is directly going against their medical advice. he needs to grow up and wear the mask

[Norrin Radd]

I say if Hedo doesn't want to wear the mask, sit him down on the bench and give Weems and Wright more playing time. We'll get better defense anyway.

[Yama F]

Doug, I 100% AGREE with the rest of the comments. The mask will spread the impact over a larger area, hence protecting the vulnerable broken bone. $50 million or not, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that the employee is working in the safest conditions possible. Just like a high rise worker would not be allowed by the employer to forgo to anchor his safety strap because he doesn't like it.

[Striker77]

Okay, I have nothing to say about the mask sitch...

Here is what I want to talk about. I am getting very nervous hearing about Jose and trade rumors. Doug, is it true? Is his name mentioned in trade talks? It was not that long ago that Colangelo made it VERY clear that Jose was going to be his PG... and they had shown that with the contract he has, and now he is trade bait? For what? Why would Colangelo trade such an underated PG, just because he has had some injuries and may not be the best defender in the league? Who would they get for him? I mean, the team seems pretty set up as it is, unless Bosh leaves and then we would need a starting PF. Having said that, I have heard that it is difficult to trade a PG for any big...

I just hope it is not true. Jose has been the complete professional, and people do not think about that. He never complains, does his job, accepts different roles (starter, back up, whatever).. he just wants his team to be the best they can be, and do what ever he can to offer. Nowadays, that is too valueable to trade... Not to mention, hes a very good player... not the best, but very good.

[Brian]

Hi Doug,

First, thanks for all your hard work. I read your blog every day but seldom, if ever comment. However, I must reply to your statement - "If someone gets hit with enough force to break a bone, I imagine that same blow would cause just as much damage whether there’s a bit of protection or not."

I know you've played sports so this should be no surprise but if you've ever been hit between the legs with/without a protective cup, believe me, there is a difference!

[ashm]

hey doug
I think the argument about the mask is about player's life more that anything.
while you can break ankle and even lose a leg at least you live but a hit in your head specially taking Turk's case and he could be in coma in no time.

what you think doug

[Nick]

Will the Nets ever win more than four? Quoth the Raven: Nevermore.

[Adam]

Here's how I see it. Maybe I'm generalizing it too much...
If your boss tells you how they'd like you to perform your job using a new method are you going to argue with them? With that said does it make sense for Turk to make such an issue with this whole mask thing just because it's uncomfortable?
Also if mom or dad says for superson/superdaughter to do something they better do it or punishment (ie spank or a timeout) could follow.
I think Turk should suck it up with this mask until he's medically cleared to play without it. Just my opinion.

[john g]

Isn't the mask really an issue with insurance? To use your sprained ankle analogy, I'm sure that the Raptors have insurance that would cover salary if a player is injured during the course of a game and that injury takes him out long enough that they need a replacement. Not taking the doctor's precaution for Hedo would probably void that insurance, so if he gets more seriously injured the Raptor's would end up being on the hook for his salary, but if he takes the recommended precaution, the insurance company would be on the hook if he gets wacked and is out for a good chunk of time.

[John]

Doug, I don't mean to be rude, but you or turk really have no idea the importance of a mask. The doctor cleared him ONLY if he wore a mask. How do you know that there isn't a MUCH more significant risk of harm without the mask? Yes, Hedo said there wasn't but what does he know? Did you talk to the doctor. Taping an ankle is completely different than a mask, because it involves no broken bones.

John