Qpon opens up about his medical ordeal. He had MRSA.

That does not look good for the organization if thats true. But I also wonder whats the reason behind Gentry lying that he was fined repeatedly? It's the one part of the story that doesn't seem to fit.

In reading the story though, it looks like the doctors screwed up in a major way. Which just adds to the narrative that doctors for the Pels and Saints are horrific.

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"Quincy looks great, physically and mentally," said Dr. Snehal Patel, a physical therapist who treated him in New York. "I can't predict anything, but I think he's primed to make a great comeback in the league."

Holiday, too, is rooting for his former teammate.

"Quincy is one of the hardest working teammates I've ever had," Holiday said. "Being injured, I understand how hard it is to come back. I have seen Q put in the work needed on a daily basis. Through setbacks and tough times, he has been positive and still has been a great teammate, which at times can be really hard."

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At least it seems like his teammates supported him. For his sake I hope he has a great year but I'll be real upset if he does knowing we could have used him.

If it's true that the doctors for the Pelicans messed up and that the Pels organization itself mistreated QPon then I'm thankful he didn't completely bash them in this piece. Bc if it was for me, I'd be pissed. And if true I'm really disappointed in the organization.

Either way good luck to QPon. Dude deserves it

I think the most logical answer is that Demps lied to Gentry's face. And I doubt the Bensons knew because of the distraction of the inheritance lawsuit.

A true denial would be Q-Pon saying he actually did get the MRI. He did not. Everything else is semantics.

doesn't sound great and I'm glad he's recovering from the infection because that shite is no joke. there's a pattern of disconnect between injured players and the front office for reasons I cannot fathom

I'd be careful though absolving pondexter entirely though
common sense says there's some responsibility on his end too

fans frustration with him is more about being left in the dark than anything else

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doesn't sound great and I'm glad he's recovering from the infection because that shite is no joke. there's a pattern of disconnect between injured players and the front office for reasons I cannot fathom

I'd be careful though absolving pondexter entirely though
common sense says there's some responsibility on his end too

fans frustration with him is more about being left in the dark than anything else

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Might be some responsibility on Qpon's end. At the same time, this story is kind of in line with what we have heard over time as well about this organization. Issues of the medical and training staff botching diagnosis and rehabs going back to the Tyson Chandler days. Rumblings from Ariza, Gordon, Ryno, Aminu, and other former players hinting at dysfunction, frustration, and issues behind closed doors. Role players having unusually sour exits. And while the person that writes the paychecks changed, a lot of the infrastructure Benson inherited remained in tact.

I guess the important thing right now is apparently Cousins likes Dell, and AD seems content. As do most of the current guys. But I can't say it doesn't feel like we are teetering on the edge of a cliff and if things don't start off strong, this could be the leagues shite show soap opera pretty fast with the personalities we have accumulated.

Thought this was interesting from TBW's article on the QPon story. He admitted to skipping MRIs in 2015 while now saying he never missed one:

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He made sure nothing got in the way, including his ailing left knee. Pondexter acknowledged on Tuesday that he told team doctors to put off administering an MRI test on his knee until after the Pelicans' postseason run ended.

After the Pelicans were swept in four games by the Golden State Warriors, Pondexter finally had the MRI performed and it revealed he needed arthroscopic surgery in which he underwent successfully in May.

''Even though my knee would be swollen more than it should have been, I just wanted to make the playoffs that bad,'' Pondexter said during Monday's Wetlands Express unveiling at Aububon Zoo.

''I would spend hours and hours getting treatment. I told our team doctors to not let it get looked at. I didn't want to get a MRI. I begged them not to let me get it until the day after the season ended.''

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Kushner with a response from team sources.

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Sources indicated doctors outside of the Pelicans’ medical staff performed all of Pondexter’s surgeries, which isn’t a rarity in the league, but it kept the team from driving some of the major decisions. The most controversial procedure came in early 2016, his second surgery on the left knee.

The Pelicans felt Pondexter was nearly ready to play, but instead he opted to undergo a procedure that had only been performed a handful of times on professional athletes and involved using cartilage from a cadaver. It “scared the team to death” a league source said about the surgery and ensured Pondexter’s hopes for playing in the 2015-16 season were dashed.

While the Pelicans’ medical staff ultimately agreed to each of the surgeries, there was significant hesitation from the team’s perspective on the early 2016 procedure, because Pondexter had nearly reached the end of his rehab schedule and participated in a full practice.

Yet, when the decision was ultimately reached, the Pelicans allowed Pondexter to undergo the potentially risky operation, since he told the team he didn’t feel healthy enough to play.

...sources said Pondexter did approximately 70 percent of his rehab off site from New Orleans, choosing his own medical group and physical therapists. The Pelicans sent staff to routinely monitor Pondexter and received weekly reports, but his rehab was largely driven by his hand-picked medical group, according to sources.

It’s unclear whether any of this would’ve made a difference in Pondexter’s recovery and time line. But, sources said members of the team’s front office expressed frustration with the length of the recovery and believe the timeline could’ve been accelerated.

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LINK

So while all of that seems like an attempt by the team to say "hey it wasn't us.", even if it wasn't you the fact that Pondexter wanted to do so much away from the Pels medical staff seems like a problem. Wouldn't it be nice if a player asked his agent to find the best doctor to treat him and the agent said, "Actually the guy the Pels have is one of the best in the nation. Sharing the cost of a top medical staff between 2 professional sports teams made hiring and relocating the best doctors they could find a nobrainer."?

But this terrible organization opted for subsidized healthcare and the results are about what you'd expect.

Long quotations.

Mrsa is not in any quotes.

Mri. No mrsa.

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If it's true that the doctors for the Pelicans messed up and that the Pels organization itself mistreated QPon then I'm thankful he didn't completely bash them in this piece. Bc if it was for me, I'd be pissed. And if true I'm really disappointed in the organization

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He can't say what he really wants to say. 30 businesses with minimal demand for a player of his caliber and injury history, other teams don't want to bring in guys who badmouth them when they move on.

Justified as a more intense criticism as it may be, he has to think about making a roster and trying to contribute. You've got to be really good for owners to look away from their organizations being criticized by guys they payed millions of dollars to.

I'm kind of treating his comments as somewhat dubious. Jake's comments kind of allude to the same rumors that have been floating around for a while now. Pretty sure VOR has mentioned the whole head case thing on multiple occasions. Did he let his Gordon's situation affect the way he responded to the team doctors?

MRSA is a pretty serious diagnosis and I doubt the team would hide that. Also, if he went outside for treatment, the team is likely not to blame for said MRSA infection.

His comments just kind of seem all over the place. Could it be that he's trying to paint himself in a better light now that he is likely headed toward unemployment?