Is Gardner Playing?

[nyg]

OK, anyone know if he is a go tonight?  Enlund, got anything?

[mugoose]

he finished the game....he should be in.

[GGGG]

He finished the game because he was loose and didn't have time to swell.  Knee injuries actually swell the most 12-24 hours after they occur.  If he was on crutches yesterday and "walking gingerly" as reported here, I really doubt he plays.

Wouldn't rule him out for Saturday though.

[tower912]

Of course, speed and vertical leaping are not his strengths to begin with, so maybe he can just go out there on the offense end on a crutch, take an entry pass and score on one leg.  

[downtown85]

OK, anyone know if he is a go tonight?  Enlund, got anything?

I don't know for sure but using logic, he is either not playing or will get limited minutes.  Given the fact that despite numerous inquiries, the athletic department is not commenting tells me a lot.  

I think the goal of the coach is not to give the other team too much info as to who and what to prepare for.  Everyone can admit that our offense looks much, much different with Gardner on the floor than without him on the floor.  These are essentially two different offensive "looks" that Seton Hall must prepare for when Gardner is able to play.  If he isn't able to play, then they have a simpler task.

Essentially, if he was o.k., I think they would just answer the query that he is playing.  


If he is not playing, they can either admit it or say nothing.  Admitting it makes the game easier to prepare for, therefore they are saying nothing.

Logic, unfortunately, leads me to the conclusion that he is probably unable to play.  

[muguru]

Ok, let me make this clear. Buzz said in his post game show after Nova that Davante "would be fine". We don't even know for sure that davante is hobbling. How do we know the credibility of the poster that posted it?? Do any of you even know/remember how many "I saw so and so on campus in a boot today", comments their have been on these boards over the years, only to find out they weren't anywhere close to being true?? I remember several.

Why are people even speculating on such nonsense?? NO ONE has any reason to believe at all, that he's even hurt, do they?? Buzz certainly didn't allude to it, and to the poster that said IWB said that he hyperextended it, where did IWB say this?? Certainly not on his twitter or anywhere else for that matter.

Just stop with all the ridiculous speculation people.IF davante was truly hurt or there was even a question to his availability tonight, Enlund would have mentioned it in his pre game write up.


Its absolutely inexcuseable  how so many want to make mountains out of molehills here.

[MULS1999]

He was on crutches yesterday.  Confirmed by multiple people with eyes.  Davante himself referenced a knee issue on Twitter.  And, of course, we all saw the play and him laying on the court after it. 

I agree that there is no reason to panic and that statements as to whether he will play tonight are largely conjecture.  But there is plenty of empirical evidence that Big Smoove is dealing with a knee injury sustained at the end of the Villanova game that worsened since Saturday.  Without a definitive diagnosis (or acknowledgement from the program), it's impossible to know what, if any, impact it will have on his availability tonight and going forward. 

However, it's likely not zero. 

[robmufan]

I rather have him rest today and have him for the tougher game on saturday.  I know there are no "easy games" in the BEast...but i think an extra few days rest will go a long way.

[BenCat12]

Wow, get worked up about it.......
I propose a new rule for scoop that says all topics must be approved by muguru before they are posted.....
All in favor....

[GGGG]

Its absolutely inexcuseable  how so many want to make mountains out of molehills here.

Who's making a mountain out of a molehill?  I am simply guessing based on eyewitness reports from yesterday.  I hope I'm wrong.  If not, we'll be fine.  Just another thing to deal with.

[RJax55]

Don't know if I want to start this debate again, but wouldn't it be nice if MU's beat writer, Tom Enlund, perhaps gave an update to the situation.

Even if Tom doesn't have any new information to share, he could at least post that he is looking into Gardner's status. Does Tom even know that Davante hurt his knee?

[🏀]

Its absolutely inexcuseable  how so many want to make mountains out of molehills here.

ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSEABLE

[wildbill sb]

+2    lol!

[AZWarrior]

How many posters actually saw DG on crutches?  One or more than one?

[wisblue]

he finished the game....he should be in.

Gardner did not finish the game on Saturday. After the timeout to fix the net he returned to the game while visibly hobbling and flexing the knee. After MU's two failed attempts to get the ball inbounds, he left the game and did not return the rest of the way. Maybe he did not return because MU was on defense the rest of the game (not counting the quick intentional fouls by Nova) or because he couldn't move well.

Apparently we aren't going to know more about Gardner's status before tipoff.

[downtown85]

Don't know if I want to start this debate again, but wouldn't it be nice if MU's beat writer, Tom Enlund, perhaps gave an update to the situation.

Even if Tom doesn't have any new information to share, he could at least post that he is looking into Gardner's status. Does Tom even know that Davante hurt his knee?

Tom is probably doing his job and asking but nobody in the program is saying anything apparently. There is probably a gag order about his condition.  A guy named Mark Strottman posted this on the other board,

"For those wondering, I asked someone in the program who would know for an update and the response was, "No update."

My gut says he sits tomorrow night."

It seems no one in the program is saying anything about his condition to anyone.  There is no upside in it if it is highly likely that he doesn't play or plays limited minutes.  

[PaintTouches]

There is no definitive answer to whether he will play. For what it's worth Junior said Davante was day-to-day and was going to be a game time decision.

You happy guru?

[tower912]

Scoopers, I owe you an apology.    IWB has a new basketball website.

I was forwarded a link in which IWB discusses DG's knee.    I referenced him.    Then I had a crisis of conscience about posting a link from somebody else's premium (for pay) board.    So I did not post the link.     I still won't.   However, what he says is consistent with the poster who saw DG on crutches.  

[Benny B]

I think there is a better public source than IWB and Enlund on this matter.  Since that source hasn't updated their blog as of this morning, I would suspect that nobody is in the know right now - including perhaps the coaching staff - and unless we hear something before lunch, it's a going to be a game-time decision.

[Oldgym]

There is no definitive answer to whether he will play. For what it's worth Junior said Davante was day-to-day and was going to be a game time decision.

For anything involving a knee, this would be the best news I've heard.  Even if the decision, tonight, is no-go.

[muguru]

He was on crutches yesterday.  Confirmed by multiple people with eyes.  Davante himself referenced a knee issue on Twitter.  And, of course, we all saw the play and him laying on the court after it. 

I agree that there is no reason to panic and that statements as to whether he will play tonight are largely conjecture.  But there is plenty of empirical evidence that Big Smoove is dealing with a knee injury sustained at the end of the Villanova game that worsened since Saturday.  Without a definitive diagnosis (or acknowledgement from the program), it's impossible to know what, if any, impact it will have on his availability tonight and going forward. 

However, it's likely not zero. 

"Several people with eyes" have also seen multiple MU players over the years in "boots", only it turns out they weren't actually in a boot, or...it was only a precaution and they were fine to play the next game. That's all I'm saying.

[RawdogDX]

I don't know for sure but using logic, he is either not playing or will get limited minutes.  Given the fact that despite numerous inquiries, the athletic department is not commenting tells me a lot.  

I think the goal of the coach is not to give the other team too much info as to who and what to prepare for.  Everyone can admit that our offense looks much, much different with Gardner on the floor than without him on the floor.  These are essentially two different offensive "looks" that Seton Hall must prepare for when Gardner is able to play.  If he isn't able to play, then they have a simpler task.

Essentially, if he was o.k., I think they would just answer the query that he is playing.  


If he is not playing, they can either admit it or say nothing.  Admitting it makes the game easier to prepare for, therefore they are saying nothing.

Logic, unfortunately, leads me to the conclusion that he is probably unable to play.  

But what if our administration knows that is also the logic that Seton Hall's staff will use and it's a double bluff?

[Lighthouse 84]

But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

But what if our administration knows that is also the logic that Seton Hall's staff will use and it's a double bluff?

That's what I get for trying to post from a Blackberry....

[RJax55]

Tom is probably doing his job and asking but nobody in the program is saying anything apparently. There is probably a gag order about his condition.  A guy named Mark Strottman posted this on the other board,

"For those wondering, I asked someone in the program who would know for an update and the response was, "No update."

My gut says he sits tomorrow night."

It seems no one in the program is saying anything about his condition to anyone.  There is no upside in it if it is highly likely that he doesn't play or plays limited minutes.  

I realize that Tom may not be receiving any info from MU, but I think he can at least share with his readers that he has made attempts to try to receive a report. A simple blog post stating, "I ask a member of the MU basketball staff about the status of Davante following an apparent knee injury against Villanova, and was told no update", would suffice.

My issue is not that Tom doesn't have any information regarding the injury, its that he doesn't seem to be trying to gain any. Look, everybody saw Davante go down at the end of the game on Saturday, you would think that MU's beat writer would follow-up on that story before the team's next game.

[MU82]

I realize that Tom may not be receiving any info from MU, but I think he can at least share with his readers that he has made attempts to try to receive a report. A simple blog post stating, "I ask a member of the MU basketball staff about the status of Davante following an apparent knee injury against Villanova, and was told no update", would suffice.

My issue is not that Tom doesn't have any information regarding the injury, its that he doesn't seem to be trying to gain any. Look, everybody saw Davante go down at the end of game on Saturday, you would think that MU's beat writer would follow-up on that story before the team's next game.

Agree.