Tony Wroten May Not Get Surgery, May Not Need An ACL After All

It's been two long weeks since Tony Wroten went down with a partially torn ACL. And while it seemed like he'd be out for the season after having surgery, that may not be the case. He's talking with doctors to determine what the best way to move forward is.

"A partial tear is so different than a torn ACL," Wroten said. "It is not a guarantee, 100 percent, that I have to have surgery. It is a tough decision, an important decision that I want to make. I want to talk it over with Sam Hinkie and the doctors."

Now, watch in dismay as I enter the medical discussion with minimal medical background (I have filed countless charts in my mom's periodontist office -- the gums I've seen would give you night terrors) and very little consideration. According to a veterinarian I've gone on a few dates with (we'll talk about this in the next edition of Piper's Pit with Dave Rueter), dogs can recover from a partially torn ACL with just 6-8 weeks of cage-rest. Tony Wroten is not a dog, nor can he be caged, nor is he a mortal human man, so I don't know how much rest would this would require. Odds are, he'd still be out for the season even if he does eschew surgery.

Obviously, like Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel before him -- caution is the name of the game of the groove is in the heart. No reason to rush him back or jeopardize his future. But going under the knife is always a concern, so if rest is deemed the safer route, then okay cool.

Wroten was one of the few guys on the Sixers with some trade value and a real likelihood of getting moved at the right price. His getting injured may have actually saved his Sixers career. Who knows. He's got one year left with the team before he becomes a restricted free agent.

Finally, by god I love this quote:

If Wroten chooses surgery, it will be his third surgical procedure on the right knee. Some would find that problematic. Wroten, however, sees the glass half-full.

"I would rather have that than it continue to be different knees," he said. "It is just a part of the game. It isn't something that they can't fix. It isn't something I can't recover from."

I don't know what the right answer is. All I want is a healthy Tony. Until then, we'll be entertained by an increasingly exhausted Michael Carter-Williams and the 10-day carousel of Larry Drew II and Larry Drew II-adjacent.