Landon Buford
On Tuesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Nets guard James Harden would be available for game five without any setback in pre-game warm-ups.
The keyword is a setback, and it is something that ex-Lakers trainer Marco Nunez emphasized earlier today via text.
“If Harden has shown progress and has had opportunities to stress the muscle during rehab and practice with no issues, he should be fine to play. The sports medicine staff will need to figure out ways to keep the muscle loose and warm, avoiding any further muscle tightness.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Randy Chan doesn’t think James should play at all. When reached by text to get his medical opinion on his thoughts after hearing that Harden would available, he shared it wasn’t good due to Harden’s hamstring injury history over the last couple of months.
“I don’t think so. Injuring the same hamstring 3 times in less than 2.5 months is not good. They’re risking his health to stay in these playoffs,” said Chan.
“It’s a hard situation because Harden probably wants his 1st ring so badly he’ll do everything he can to keep his team in the playoffs. That includes taking the risk his hamstring might possibly get a more severe injury.”
The Nets and Bucks will face off tonight at the Barclay Center for game five at 8:30 pm EST.
