This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Dec. 1, Jazz shooting guard Alec Burks landed hard on the floor at EnergySolutions Arena after being fouled hard by Denver's Arron Afflalo. The Nugget guard would be ejected from the game and later fined $15,000 for swiping Burks across the head.
Burks, however, would get the worst of it.
The fall aggravated a lingering shoulder issue for the 23-year-old Jazzman.
Burks would go on to miss two games as he collected medical opinions from four different doctors. On Dec. 7, Burks was cleared to return to playing but the comeback wouldn't last long.
Today, Burks will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his left shoulder. The procedure will be performed by new team physician Travis Maak at the University of Utah and the Jazz expect Burks to be back in action in time for training camp in the fall of 2015.
Before last night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey sat down with the press to discuss Burks' injury, his recent contract extension and his prospects going forward.
Q: What changed over the last couple of weeks?
A: "Just over time we got more information. As you guys know, it was no secret, Alec was wearing a pad and has a previous history. As we went through more pre-hab, practices, games, I think we got more and more information and the reality of the situation, I think, hit Alec as well. … Just that running conversation as much as anything."
Q: Can you tell us more about the injury? All we've been told is that it's a shoulder injury.
A: "Yeah. I'm a layman, so I really can't. I'll let the medical experts. We're bound by HIPAA on what exactly we can share. It's a fairly common shoulder injury in contact athletes, and we're very confident that he'll come back 100 percent given the history of this type of injury."
Q: Did the team know about his shoulder issues when you worked out his four-year, $42-million contract extension?
A: "Yeah. We knew because we knew about it during the draft. This is an inure that predated Alec and the Utah Jazz. … Really, I think as much as anything, the reason why he was so durable is a credit to Alec, [trainer Gary Briggs and strength coach Mark McKown] and all the pre-hab."
Q: After the four opinions you got in New York and he was cleared to play, was this something you knew was a possibility two or three weeks later?
A: "We knew. We didn't know the timeline. … As we got more information with more games and practices and treatments and continued consultation … I think you're always going to err on the long-term care of athletes, at least the programs I've been associated with. I think, again, over time some of the realities of what Alec was going to have to deal with day to day set in. Then on the back end, there's return to play and what his offseason basketball will look like. We certainly didn't want it to be a deal where he loses an entire offseason to rehabilitation. We'd like to rehab this and get him back to playing basketball, especially within a very new system for Alec."
Q: What is his timeline for return? Five months? Six months?
A: "It's a very conservative estimate that he'll be able to return to full contact but he time training camp hits. Then if it's before that, that's good. But we certainly want to protect him timeline-wise."
Q: One of the reasons you waited on Gordon Hayward's extension was that you said you wanted that extra year of information and injury knowledge. Is there some sense of disappointment that you didn't wait on Alec's extension?
A: "I don't think so. Every contract signing and certainly extension signing, our medical staff does a through review—X-rays, MRIs, physical examinations—and Alec, at that point in time, passed. So no disappointment because we don't think this is going to impact his long-term playing career, either from a length standpoint or a quality standpoint. So we're very comfortable with the decision that we made and the knowledge we had at that particular time."
Q: Do you think you will make a roster move now?
A: "So we have 15 now. Some are partially guaranteed, some are non-guaranteed, so we do have some flexibility. We're comfortable with where we're at. Again, someone's misfortune is another's opportunity. Certainly Rodney [Hood] will get a lot of those minutes. We wanted to see Rodney as a two-guard so here's a little bit of his opportunity. Last night, Dante [Exum] played a lot with Trey [Burke] and Dante's certainly big enough to hand the position as well. And then there are some guys who haven't received as much opportunity, Ian Clark, Toure' Murry, Patrick Christopher, that we'll be able to kick the tires a little bit and take a look at. And as you can imagine, we'll be evaluating what's available to us. But frankly, Quin's very comfortable with where we're at and we'll see how the young guys do."
Q: Did it look to you like Alec's shoulder was impacting his performance this year?
A: "Not really. I think more of an impact is getting used to a new system. He was actually in a very good rhythm the last few games and helped us close out the Memphis game. Are there more pull-ups versus drives? Is there a little less finishing? Better shooting? All that. But I don't think there were enough games there to document it as a trend. I just think that's where we were at as a team. I think if Alec were playing the same minutes and playing with the second unit, his usage rate was probably a little higher. So adjusting to playing with the starters was probably a new thing as well. There were several factors in there and how to parse that out to him protecting his shoulder, I really don't know."
Q: Where you pleased with how he stayed aggressive on the floor and tried to play through the injury?
A: "We're proud of him. … You're young, rebuilding, things happen to players. And I've seen situations where guys have limped away, conveniently so. And Alec's heart, the public needs to know, Alec's heart was really in the right place all through this period. This is killing him. But there are times when organizations and agents sand doctors need to say, 'Hey. Look. You're not Superman.' And, again, I think that running conversation took place and Alec in particular when he takes blows from behind where he can't see things, it was impacting a little bit of his mindset and psychology. But frankly I was ecstatic not only with his level of play but with his toughness going to the basket, his willingness to get hit chasing defenders, whether it's on pin-downs or pick and rolls. I didn't get a sense that he ever let go of the rope dealing with the situation.
— Aaron Falk