Gilbert Arenas has Third Knee Surgery

Washington Wizards star guard Gilbert Arenas had surgery on his left knee this week, his third surgery on the knee in less than two years. Post staff writer Ivan Carter was online Thursday, Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. ET to talk about how much of the season Arenas could miss, how concerned the team and fans should be about the condition of the knee, why Arenas waited so long to have the operation and more.

The transcript follows.

Wizards Coverage

Discussion Archive

____________________

NY, NY: Why did Gil wait so long before having surgery? The Wizards would have been better off letting him walk and trying to sign Baron Davis -- $111 million for what?

Ivan Carter: Gilbert's explanation for having the surgery yesterday was that he was not previously sure that surgery would be required. It was his feeling that rest would clear things up and he'd eventually build himself into game condition.

As for other moves, you must keep in mind that because of the team's cap situation, the only way Ernie could have signed a major free agent such as Baron Davis is if he had not signed Gilbert AND Antawn Jamison. They were able to go over the cap because they are the teams own free agents.

_______________________

New York: Either Zero didn't want his summer around his $1 million pool to be disrupted, or the Wizards decided to wait on this until after season tickets were purchased. Either way, it stinks.

Ivan Carter: I can't blame fans who put down good money on season tickets for being ticked at the timing of this. Neither the team nor Arenas, who is still without an agent, indicated that he would be out of action at the start of the season. I felt all along that while he may be brought along slowly during camp and the preseason, he would be good to go opening night. I'm not saying it was a deliberate deception but it sure doesn't look good.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Hey Coach Carter,

What did Ernie know and when did he know it?

Ivan Carter: Ernie said he was following Gilbert's rehab situation all along and was aware of the meeting Arenas had with team doctors on Tuesday. It was during that exam that the decision was made to do yesterday's procedure. I can't imagine that Ernie thought he'd be in this position back in early summer however. The feeling then was that if Arenas followed the rehab program, the knee would respond and he'd be on pace to return for the opening of the season. Obviously, that isn't the case.

_______________________

D.C.: Should we be worried that Gilbert can't even run or jump at this point in his rehab

Ivan Carter: Yes and not only that but how about his game conditioning. He's played in very few games since April of 2007 so it's safe to assume that it's going to take a long stretch of games for him to get his legs back and get into condition once he does return. The good news is that we all know that Gilbert is a worker so he will do what he has to do. The question is going to be this: when can he go full tilt on that knee and how will the Wizards monitor him once he does? I don't envy Eddie Jordan in this situation.

He and his staff will be under intense pressure to win games and get out of the first round in what promises to be a much-immproved East yet his best player is set to miss the first chunk of the season and nobody knows how his knee is going to respond once he returns.

_______________________

Richmond, Va.: How many more disasters must happen before the Boulez/Wizards medical staff is finally recognized for their sheer incompetence and removed? I don't want to bore you with the litany of errors and mistakes they have made over easily the last twenty years. You really have to be a fan of this team to put up with its abject failure in so many areas.

Ivan Carter: Many fans have written e-mails, left voice mails and dropped thoughts on my blog questioning this team's training and medical staff but Ernie Grunfeld has consistently backed up their work and believes they are doing a good job.

As for the Gilbert situation, I think the entire thing was complicated by his own actions last summer. He admittedly ignored doctors orders and for much of the summer, ducked the team's head athletic trainer in order to do his own thing. The guy should never have been playing pick up games on a black top.

Now, Ernie and the Wizards obviously should have been more involved in staying on top of his training during this period but remember, the guy was entering the final year of his deal and the immpression I got was the entire organization was dancing on egg shells trying to placate him. (Which may be why Ernie never publically called him out for some of the immature behavior he pulled on Eddie.)

_______________________

Gil?: Has Gil been asked whether he thinks he has an obligation to his teammates, front office and fans to let Grunfeld know about his status so Ernie can make appropriate offseason moves? It sounds like Gil thinks this is all about him.

Ivan Carter: When hasn't it been? Seriously.

_______________________

Please explain..: Forget the surgery for a second. Gil stopped playing in early May. Opening night is October 29. That means Gil had 6 months to get ready. How is it possible that before Game 5 in May, Gil was so injured that it would take more than 6 months for him to recover. That is longer than the expected timetable for his surgery.

Ivan Carter: Unless he suffered a setback in training at some point this summer that we don't know about, he obviously was nowhere near ready to be on the court last spring. Heck, that WAS obvious by the way he looked out there.

The guy couldn't even push off his left leg at all and he clearly lacked the explosion we all came to be familiar with prior the first injury. He made the correct decision in delaying his return late last season and he made the correct one in not continuing to play during the playoffs. Perhaps he should have been closed down completely but again, if Gilbert determined that he wanted to do something last spring, it was going to happen. (Remember the night he stalked out of the lockeroom because the docs wouldn't clear him to play on national tv against Detroit?)

The contract situation and his impending free agency hovered over this entire franchise.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: All, I can say Ivan is thanks for the updates and this really sucks! I hate for Jamison and Butler to have to go through what they went through last year. I am sure it was rough Jamison especially as he played almost the whole season and almost all of 42 minutes. Can they pick up Juan or another shooter or point guard. I mean, this is like last year all over again.

Ivan Carter: I can't speak for Eddie Jordan, but as a guy who watched this team up close both home and away all of last season, Roger Mason Jr. is going to be sorely missed. Just off the top of my head I can think of six to eight games he helped them win while Gilbert, Caron and/or Antonio Daniels was out last season. Now, Roger is a Spur.

This puts major pressure on Nick Young to bust out with an excellent second season. He showed flashes last year and worked hard on his game and body this summer but he struggled in summer league and to me, is a one-dimensional player. No doubt, the kid can score. But from what we've seen so far, he's not an especially good passer (in a system that calls for it), ball handler (ditto) or defender (on a team with other weaknesses in this area).

It's a lot to ask but barring a move, it's what this team is going to do.

_______________________

Potomac: Can you explain the logic of Gil and his doctor's statement that the surgery will allow him to come back faster. We were told he would be ready for opening night. Now, because of the surgery, he won't be ready until at least December. Obviously, they have known for a while that Gil playing on opening night was not a possiblity.

Ivan Carter: That is the same conclusion I would be drawing as a Wiz fan and/or season ticket holder.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: Who is saying that it will be only 1 month of the season, Gilbert or The Wiz? The reason I'm asking is we seem to always get these initial reports but often it takes a longer than the original diagnosis. Is one month being too optimistic?

Ivan Carter: Gilbert said he is aiming for December but I have no way of knowing how confident he is about that and anyway, it will all depend on his knee. Remember, he originally pointed to March 2 for a return date following the second surgery last November didn't wind up playing until April 2.

The team itself is offering no timeline, which makes sense given the history of this situation. Right now, it's totally up in the air and will depend solely on the status of that knee. Given that he is on the hook for a six-year deal, I would not be surprised if Ernie and the doctors went waaaaayyyyy on the side of caution this season (Late January? February? After the break?).

To be clear: that's my take and hasn't come from anyone in that front office so take it for what it is.

_______________________

Eddie Jordan: Will Dee Brown and Antonio Daniels be able to keep us above .500 by All-Star break?

Ivan Carter: Yes, if the following things happen:

1. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison stay healthy and play at the level they played when they were rolling last season. Especially Caron. Remember that he was not only an all-star during the first half, the guy was playing MVP-style ball (remember the game in Boston).

2. Dee Brown and/or the other guards spell Antonio Daniels well enough that he doesn't have to carry too many minutes, especially on back-to-backs and those four-games-in-five-nights sets.

3. Andray Blatche takes all of the potentially he's flashed the last three seasons and becomes a true night-in, night-out impact player at both ends. He has the skills but he needs to take care of himself off the court and play with a consistent level of passion and aggression that has only come in spurts so far.

4.The entire team buys into the concept that winning and losing will revolve around defense, defense, defense. This team must win at that end of the floor on a nightly basis because the offense will fluctuate.

5. Nick Young must be an impact scorer off the bench. There will be nights when he must go for 20 to 25 points for this team to win. He'll have his ups and downs for sure, but he has to make up for it with explosions.

6. Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas have to form an above-average center rotation up front. And obviously, they have to get along to the point that they are not a distraction.

_______________________

College Park, Md.: How ready do you believe the Wizards summer league players (Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Andray Blatche, Javelle McGee) are to contribute this coming year, especially Young given GA's absence?

Ivan Carter: During summer league, Nick Young struggled while Dom McGuire really impressed me (and the team). I assume that Nick just had a bad week and will, at the very least, be a scorer off the bench.

McGuire is something of a wild card because he has the physical tools to be a rugged defender this team needs and, it would really help if he could be relied upon to spare Caron Butler here and there so C-But doesn't break down. Everyone's obviously focused on Arenas right now but remember: Butler has been banged up quite a bit the last three seasons as well. He has to squeeze 72-75 games out this season.

_______________________

Riverdale, Md.: Ivan, you sound like you've lost all enthusiasm for this team.

Ivan Carter: No, I'm actually getting primed for another season (it's funny how my body clock starts telling me that it's close right about this week every year).

To me, as a journalist, it's all interesting anyway. That said, I was looking forward to seeing Gilbert Arenas at full speed like the rest of you. It's a fun team to watch and cover when he's rolling.

As it stands now, I'm looking forward to documenting how this team handles the challenge it is presented with now. Either way, it makes for good journalism and I'm ready for it.

_______________________

Second opinion on Tinsley: I was in Vegas this summer and Nick Young looked horrible. I was expecting such a big leap. Unless he suddenly turns into Rodney Stuckey, I don't see him picking up any of Gil's slack.

Our backcourt rotation is: AD, DeShawn, N. Young and Dee Brown.

Explain to me again why trading Etan for Jamaal Tinsely won't work? I know we don't want to pay Tinsely $21M over 3 yrs, but we also don't want to pay Etan $13M over 2 yrs. The only downside is an extra year. And the plus side is a starting PG. And AD won't get run down.

Ivan Carter: All I was told was that the Wizards aren't interested in Tinsley. It may be because of that third year (according to folks I know in Indy, that is why Larry Bird has not been able to move him so far - nobody wants that guy at that price for three years. It's a cap killer).

It also doesn't help that Tinsley has a rep as a coach killer. I'm not calling him that myself because I haven't covered the dude and don't know enough about the behind-the-scenes stuff but that's what you hear whispered when it comes to his name.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Have you spoken with any other players about their impressions about Gilbert being out? Do you have any insight into whether they knew of Gilbert's situation?

Ivan Carter: I have been on vacation in recent weeks so I haven't had the chance to catch up with the players on this subject but I'll be doing so next week and once camp opens. My feeling is that given last season's situation, the guys will be prepared to deal with this.

I know for a fact that they believe they can win without Arenas and you can bet that Butler and Jamison are ready to carry the load as well as lockeroom leadership duties.

Going back to Butler: I have a feeling that he is going to play with a real chip on his shoulder after missing so much time with that hip issue last season. It really put a damper on what was a spectacular season.

_______________________

Warsaw, Poland: Obviously no one is very happy right now and Ernie plays things very close to the vest. Signing another backcourt player will not replace what a healthy Gil brings but my belief is that bringing another capable player in would be an important gesture to the fans, if nothing else. If YOU were the GM and got the green light to offer a contract or camp invite to a player or players who would they be? Bonzi? Juan? Shuan Livingston? Would you blow the cap and offer, say Stevenson, one other player and a Number 1 for Ben Gordon?

Ivan Carter: Juan Dixon is intriguing because of his familiarity with Eddie's system and many of the players. His transition would be the most smooth and he would provide some shooting/scoring off that bench. So far, I've heard no indication that Ernie is seriously considering bringing someone else in. Doesn't mean he won't though.

_______________________

DC: Not only should Connell's recent statements be ignored, but his competence should be put into question. Case in point this statement below:

"I repaired a partial tear of Gilbert's left medial meniscus," said Connell. "In addition, he had a nonweight-bearing articular surface defect in the trochlea treated by microfracture. We are optismitic that he will be able to return to action in three months." - Nov '07

http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/arenas_surgery_071121.html

Ivan Carter: That is why Ernie was so clear about not setting a timetable yesterday. Given what has happened in the past, that's a good idea. I can see why folks feel lied to but remember, knees are tricky and injuries are never that predictable.

_______________________

Da 'Bridge, Va.: Bet EG wishes he had pursued someone more dependable than Dee Brown....Any chance they cut Brown and make a move for a more solid backup PG, we can't depend on AD to carry that load by himself?

Ivan Carter: Brown only has a partially-guaranteed deal so cutting him would not be a major issue. I do know that both Eddie and Ernie said that they liked what they saw from Dee out in Vegas during summer league. The problem is that he was projected to be a possible third PG, a change-of-pace guy who could come in and give a different look in certain situations. Now, he might be asked to carry more minutes as a true backup. That's a big difference.

_______________________

Plan C: Are there any fringe players in the D-League or overseas who could at least provide some depth and do something well -- a good defender at the point, or a good shooter. Maybe a Taurean Green or Aaron Brooks type?

Ivan Carter: Just looking at what's out there, I see a lot of bottom-of-the barrell types. That's what is also bad about the timing of this: it left the Wizards without many options.

_______________________

Ivan Carter: Thanks for dropping in folks. I know I can't fully answer every angle on this situation but I hope I at least provided some insight. Stay tuned. Looks like it's going to be another very interesting season.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.