He will be back. This is 2025, acl injuries are not that serious. If we make 2nd round, I expect him back.
It’s not really about being his buddy. It’s kind of an unwritten rule in all sports that you don’t lose your job due to injury. Sometimes a star emerges in your absence and it’s a tough decision. But Ime wouldn’t be doing anything out of pocket by giving FVV the starting job or minutes. That said, there’s a difference in coming back healthy, ready to play and contribute, and coming back needing to still get in shape.
Honestly if Stone is doing his job properly, FVV has played his last game as a Rocket. As soon as he picks up his option, he needs to be sent out to clear cap space or to land another player.
Nothing major will need to change. He’ll need time to round into shape and get only limited minutes. Work him in slow with situational spot minutes. It’ll only make us stronger for the playoff run.
Ime gave the starting job to Amen during Jabari's injury and never gave it back. Jabari got back to the starting lineup only after we got rid of two starters (Jalen and Brooks). And Jabari's absence was much shorter than FVV's current one. Reed seems to be emerging in the same speed as Amen did last season.
He's absolutely not coming back before the playoffs. Its very unlikely he'll come back in the playoffs. The timeline for an ACL is 9-12 months. He was hurt in September. That means, even if he comes back as quickly as possible it would be in June. The finals start in early June. Also, the Rockets have applied for a disabled player exception for him. "To be granted a DPE, an independent physician must determine that the player is substantially more likely than not to be sidelined through June 15 of that season." This strongly signals that the team and medical staff do not expect him back this year. This is a pointless thread.
The point of the thread is just to bash fvv for the lolz, nobody thinks he will actually play this year.
He might make it back during the playoffs, by all reports his recovery is going very well. I'd agree based on what I've read that the odds of him getting back during the regular season are extremely slim to nonexistent though.
I started this thread because I read in multiple streams that things were leaning to him making it back. It is concerning to me, because our offense has shown a tremendous gain without he and Jalen.
He is inserted into starting lineup. He’s not really injured. It’s a planned sabbatical to allow him to rest and allow Reed to get valuable experience/develop. Don’t report me @Os Trigonum
It's definitely MORE likely that the injury is fake and he will return than the injury being real and him returning this season.
I voted "He is inserted into the starting lineup" but I wouldn't do it immediately. I'd bring him off the bench over the course of a few games to get his legs under him, then throw him in with the starters. Doesn't mean his minutes have to eclipse Reed's, I just don't think FVV is enough of a scoring threat to really thrive off the bench. He should be a table setter for KD, Jabari, Amen, et al. then Reed can come in and let it fly with the second unit.
