You know it’s been a tough week when the best news for Avalanche fans before Friday night’s OT win over Anaheim didn’t come from the Avs at all. Or from Denver. Or even from hockey, now that you mention it.
The burgundy and blue opened a regular season 0-4 for the first time since 1998. So Team Grading The Week pegs the highlight of the midweek, given the worst opening salvo in a generation, actually stemming from a moment this past Wednesday in Chicago.
The moment? Lonzo Ball played.
Heck, Lonzo Ball didn’t just play. In the Bulls’ 125-123 preseason win over Minnesota, the Chicago point guard played 15 minutes, scored 10 points, made two treys and recorded an assist, a block and a steal.
If you’re an Avs fan, or even a Denverite, why should you care?
Because it was the first time the Bulls guard had played in an NBA game — yeah, yeah, it was an exhibition, fine — in nearly 1,100 days.
More than that, he played OK.
And he played OK, and at pretty much close to full speed, on a knee with transplanted cartilage — a unique surgical procedure performed back in March 2023.
The same unique procedure, and the same type of cartilage replacement surgery, that Avs captain Gabe Landeskog had two months after Ball went under the knife.
That’s why.
Lonzo Ball’s return, if you’re an Avs fan — A
And the GTW kids know what you’re thinking: Surely, this means the captain should be back skating comfortably by late November or early December, right? Right? Give us something, here, hockey gods!
Well, yeah, not necessarily. Different sport. Different surface. Different rules. Let’s put it this way: If an opponent body-slams Ball into the nearest wall, that’s a fine and a suspension. If somebody tries that with Landy, it’s a Tuesday.
Pro hoops is a contact sport. Pro hockey is a collision sport. Everybody but the goalie’s a running back. Everybody but the goalie’s fair game.
So look on the bright side — there’s life after cartilage replacement, at least on the basketball side. It’s hard to preach patience while the Avs have been drowning on dry land, but sadly, at this point, it’s the best we can do.
Avs slow starts and panic sets in — D.
OK, we lied. Let’s try to do one better. Hey, we know y’all remember the spring and summer of 2022 in Avsland. But remember the fall of 2021?
Colorado won its opener against the Blackhawks … then dropped three straight.
Over those three tilts, the Avalanche got outscored by a margin of 15-7. The sky was falling! Those Avs lost four of their first six, come to think of it.
You know the rest of the story.
We reaching here? Maybe. Although when you feel like crying, might as well yuk it up. Alexandar Georgiev from two Thursdays ago to last Thursday shaved his GAA from 7.50 to 5.79. At that clip, he’ll be pitching shutouts by Thanksgiving!
Travis Hunter’s other award chase — A.
The most talented player in college football, CU’s Hunter, took another big step toward winning one of the sport’s major awards this week, despite missing half of last weekend’s loss at Kansas State because of an injury.
Heisman? He’ll get there. In the meantime, the cornerback/wide receiver out of Georgia was recently named as a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which factors in off-field character as well as on-field excellence. The award, presented in honor of former NFL and USC great Ronnie Lott, is given annually, per its website, to the defensive player who shows “excellence in the field of athletics … college football’s Defensive Player of the Year who best exemplifies the IMPACT acronym: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.” Recent winners include J.J. Watt, Luke Keuchley, Jabrill Peppers and ex-Broncos LB Josey Jewell. Pretty fair company.