76ers’ Danny Green declares he will return for next season after ACL and LCL tear.
In defiance of the serious injury that he suffered, the 76ers guard has made it clear he will overcome this trial and will in fact return for the new season.
When the veteran guard went down witha terrible injury against the Miami Heat earlier in the playoffs many feared the worst, but to hear him tell it he’s on the comeback trail.
76ers Danny Green is determined to return to the court
When the 76ers post season ended with a Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Yet perhaps the true blow was the terrible injury suffered by Danny Green who tore both the ACL and LCL in his left knee. Such injuries normally require a long and arduous time to recover from and in some cases can even be career ending, but it now seems that Green has other plans. Having refused to accept the idea of being sidelined for the upcoming season, Green recently stated that he will be back for next season, no ifs ands or buts.
“I don’t want it to end this way. I’ve considered it. Some people talk to me about it, but I’m like no, this is not me.” Green said. “It’s not how I want to end it. It just gives me motivation to get back on the court sooner than later.”
How did Danny Green’s injury occur?
What makes Green’s injury truly sad is that it occurred due to accidental contact between himself and center Joel Embiid. It was early in the first quarter of the game when the Sixers’ big man went to the hoop for what seemed to be a difficult layup and as he fell to the ground after, it appears as though he collided with Green’s knee. Where Green is concerned, it was simply a case of ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ given that his teammate fell on him without intention. It didn’t take long for everyone present to understand that Green was seriously hurt, as he was quickly removed from the game and did not return.
Incidentally, Green would later return to the bench on crutches to the applause of both sets of fans. Indeed, the guard who has won three NBA titles with three different teams has always been considered a ‘team player.’ Even in pain that mentality was evident in his answer when asked why he did. Green explained it was about being there for the team.
One way or another Danny Green will be back
With his 35th birthday soon at hand - he will celebrate it on June 22nd - many would imagine that the recovery process from such a serious injury would be both long and complicated. On the other hand Green is in no mood to throw in the towel as he declared he would be fighting tooth and nail to demonstrate that he can not only recover, but still continue to perform at the highest level once he does. The three time NBA champion had a credible year until his unfortunate injury. The 6′6″ guard came off the bench during the regular season to the tune of 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Green then actually improved for the postseason and managed to force his way into the starting lineup with an average of 9.1 points and 3.4 boards in the 11 playoff games before his untimely injury.
Where the financial side of things is concerned, The Sixers will soon have to address his nonguaranteed $10 million salary for the upcoming 2022-23 season. As for Green himself, the veteran appears to be focused solely on his return to play and has even gone to the level of declaring a deadline for himself. “I will be back for All-Star break. You got to believe it. You heard it here first,” Green said.