Bertans recovering from ACL surgery, ready to be a ‘beast’

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament — more commonly known in sports circles as the ACL — is, essentially, the ligament in the knee that attaches the upper leg bone to the lower leg bone. In other words, much of the knee's stability is tied to the strength of the ACL. When an athlete tears that ligament, depending on severity of the tear, it often leads to lasting complications (decreased athleticism, threat of re-injury, etc).

 

Partizan forward Davis Bertans, traded to the San Antonio Spurs during the 2011 NBA Draft, recently tore the ACL in his right knee. Bertans arrived in San Antonio a few weeks ago, presumably to decide the optimal treatment plan. He went under the knife last week and according to Bertans, his progression looks especially encouraging, though it's incredibly early in his rehabilitation.

He'll likely miss the Eurobasket tournament and potentially most of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season. An injury of his severity, especially since the injury occurred without contact, isn't a good sign. There is a few success stories — Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson — but there is also several cases where the injury takes several months to heal. 

 

Bertans won't have much mobility initially, even driving a car is difficult, so the generosity of Spurs' shooting coach Chip Engelland will come in handy — Engelland donated all of ESPN's critically acclaimed 30 for 30 movies for his viewing pleasure.