Durant has surgery as debate rages on
OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant underwent surgery to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon, the star posted to his Instagram Wednesday. Durant was injured during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
“Surgery was today and it was a success, EASY MONEY,” Durant posted. “My road back starts now! I got my family and my loved ones by my side and we truly appreciate all the messages and support people have sent our way.
“Like I said Monday, I’m hurting deeply, but I’m OK. Basketball is my biggest love and I wanted to be out there that night because that’s what I do. I wanted to help my teammates on our quest for the three peat.”
Durant’s Instagram post included a picture of himself in a hospital bed. After getting injured in Monday’s Game 5 win over the Raptors in the NBA Finals, Durant flew to New York, where he had an MRI on Tuesday that confirmed the ruptured Achilles tendon. His surgery was Wednesday morning in New York.
News of Durant’s Achilles injury raised questions over whether he should have been cleared to play Game 5. On Wednesday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr reiterated that the decision to play Durant was a collaborative effort, one that involved the approval of the team trainers, Kerr, general manager Bob Myers, an outside doctor, Durant and Durant’s business partner, Rich Kleiman.
“Would we go back and do it over again? Damn right,” Kerr said. “But that's easy to say after the results. When we gathered all the information, our feeling was the worst thing that could happen would be a re-injure of the calf. That was the advice and the information that we had.
“At that point, once Kevin was cleared to play, he was comfortable with that. We were comfortable with that. So, the Achilles came as a complete shock. I don't know what else to add to that, other than had we known that this was a possibility, that this was even in the realm of possibility, there's no way we ever would have allowed Kevin to come back.
“So, it's devastating, mostly for Kevin, obviously. But I feel horribly for (Warriors director of sports medicine and performance) Rick Celebrini as well, who is one of the best people I've ever been around and one of the smartest, brightest minds that I've ever been around. He's devastated. Bob, the team, we all are.”
Most rehabs from a torn Achilles tendon take nine to 12 months, which puts Durant at risk of missing all of next season. Durant, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent in three weeks, should still command a maximum contract, multiple league sources told the San Francisco Chronicle.