Kristaps Porginzis Has Plantar Fasciitis In His Foot And Is Officially Shut Down

Anadolu Agency. Getty Images.

Ever since that random report came out last week that Porzingis was dealing with some sort of mystery foot issue, I haven't been able to stop worrying about it. Latvia came out and denied that report, then our timelines were blessed with this workout video from Porzingis where he looked pretty normal 

and I'm pretty sure every Celts fan thought the same thing. Who cares if he's really hurt or not, just shut it the hell down. I know that's tough to ask international guys who love representing their country, but I know personally I was scared straight. Call it PTSD from Gallo tearing his ACL in EuroBasket last summer, call it a fear that Marcus Smart was just traded for a guy who is hurt months before the season even starts, the whole thing was very stressful.

I figured after that video that the injury was nothing to worry about and we'd just have to pray that somehow Porzingis made it out of the FIBA World cup clean.

Nope! Wrong again…..maybe?

It is difficult, I feel very responsible to myself and the supporters of the Latvian national team, but a decision has been made that I will not play in the World Cup. After several weeks of recovery and a repeat MRI examination, the plantar fasciitis of my foot still prevents me from being on the field in full readiness. This joint decision has been made by both the medical staff and coaching staff of the national team, as well as the Celtics team - with the advice and opinion that it is now necessary to continue the recovery process. Such a decision is not easy to make, but I promise that I will be there and support the team as much as I can. Our land - Latvia!

OK, now there are two ways of thinking about this

1. The plantar fasciitis is just a "legit" way for Porzingis to bow out of FIBA and not get shit from his home country's fans

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2. Fuck.

That's pretty much it as far as I'm concerned. I am certainly not a doctor and I most definitely did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night, so let's do what any normal and sane person would do when it comes to diagnosing injuries. Let's head to Google!

• The length of time that the patient has been feeling heel pain has a bearing on plantar fasciitis recovery time. Patients who present to the clinic soon after feeling the symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis can often recover within a week or two.
• In such cases we will implement quick and simple remedies and encourage rest and an emphasis on footwear.
• The severity of the damage to the Plantar Fascia will also affect Plantar Fasciitis recovery time. This can be measured by ultra sound imaging. The greater the damage to the Plantar Fascia, then the greater the inflammation, and hence the longer it can take to fully recover.
• The presence of a tear in the Plantar Fascia can also affect Plantar Fasciitis recovery time. Naturally, a tear takes longer to heal. The treatment for a tear usually involves a rehabilitation boot and these have been found to reduce Plantar Fasciitis recovery time dramatically. Treatment duration can be reduced to 6-12 weeks depending on the severity of the Plantar Fascial tear.
• The use of prescription orthotics (if designed well and if comfortable) will reduce Plantar Fasciitis recovery time significantly. Patients who follow instruction and wear their orthotics daily will usually have a Plantar Fasciitis recovery time of around 6 weeks.
• Occupation is a significant factor in Plantar Fasciitis recovery time. Patients with weight bearing jobs who are on their feet for long periods will sometimes take longer to heal than those with less strenuous jobs. These patients might have a Plantar Fasciitis recovery time of 8-12 weeks rather than 6 weeks.They will need monitoring throughout the course of their treatment. Such patients are Nurses, School teachers, Rangers, Builders, Personal trainers, Hairdressers and more.
• Body weight can affect Plantar Fasciitis recovery time. Heavier patients have more stress on their feet and for this reason they can take longer to heal. For heavier patients who have Plantar Fasciitis but no tears in their plantar fascia it may take 12 weeks as opposed to 6 weeks to recover. The irony lies in the inability to exercise in order to lose weight due to the pain in the heel.
• Footwear is crucial when trying to reduce Plantar Fasciitis recovery time. Supportive shoes are a must!

Call me crazy, but NBA history doesn't seem kind to 7ft'ers who have foot issues like plantar fasciitis. I'll be honest, I don't really love anything I read above. I now also have many more questions, such as is there a tear? Is he going to need surgery? If there is a tear, are we leaning more towards the 6 weeks or more towards the 12 for a recovery timeline? If it's 12 weeks, that brings us into the first week of November aka the first week or so of the regular season. If it's 6 weeks, that brings us to right before training camp, and not as much of a big deal.

As I've said ever since the trade went down, it was a move that in theory gave the Celts a higher ceiling, but at the same time also gave them a much lower floor. Having to worry about the health of Porzingis is going to be something that exists for as long as he's a member of this team. That could be in August, December, or May, it doesn't matter. That's the risk Brad Stevens was willing to take in order to finally get over the hump and not just make the Finals, but actually win the whole thing. A healthy Porzingis makes that possible.

So on the plus side, it's a relief that we don't have to be worrying about Porzingis playing in the FIBA World Cup and suffering some sort of season ending injury like Gallo. At least now I can just enjoy the tournament, so that's great. On the downside, all we're doing is swapping that worry out for this new worry about his plantar fasciitis. I guess the hope is with nothing but rehab and rest from now until camp opens in early October that he'll have more than enough time to recover. I just get VERY nervous when you start talking foot injuries to 7fters. That's usually not great.