BOMBSHELL: Jayson Tatum's MIRACULOUS Recovery | Will He SHOCK the NBA with an EARLY Return?

Summary

Locked On Celtics Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: BOMBSHELL: Jayson Tatum's MIRACULOUS Recovery | Will He SHOCK the NBA with an EARLY Return?
Host: John Karalis (with guest Tom Westerholm)
Date: September 24, 2025

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Overview

In this episode, John Karalis and Tom Westerholm dive deep into the stunning updates around Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury recovery, analyzing his recent media blitz and what it means for his possible return this NBA season. The discussion unpacks the medical insights, mental hurdles, media strategy, and the unprecedented optimism surrounding Tatum’s rehab timeline, as well as what it could mean for the Celtics' season.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jayson Tatum’s Media Blitz and Motivation

• Tatum’s Absence from the Podcast: Tatum has been on a major media push to discuss his Achilles rehab, appearing on major platforms—People Magazine, The Boston Globe, NBC’s 'Jenna and Friends,' ESPN’s 'First Take,' and 'NBA Today.'
  • Quote [03:18]: "He’s partnered with a pharmaceutical company to push a painkiller… at least it’s a non-opioid painkiller. I am curious… what side effects from your painkiller are there, Jason Tatum? That’s the question." — John Karalis
• Media Strategy: The hosts note the calculated nature of Tatum's appearances and how it's timed to maximize optimism and narrative control.
  • Quote [06:25]: "A lot of times when you see a guy go on one of these media blitzes… you just get a whole lot of nothing…. But this wasn't a nothing burger. It was substantive on a couple of different levels." — Tom Westerholm

2. Emotional and Mental Aspects of Injury and Recovery

• Tatum opened up about the psychological trauma, his initial fear of losing everything—his career, financial security, legacy—and the uncertainty about sponsors and long-term performance.
  • Quote [04:45]: "He opened up about, you know, basically crying for two hours… Here you are, 27 years old, at the peak… and all of a sudden, your leg just explodes. 'Am I gonna be what I've been?'" — John Karalis

3. Medical Updates & Recovery Breakthroughs

• Surgeon's Endorsement: Tatum’s surgeon claimed to People Magazine:
  • Quote [07:33]: "'I don't think I've seen a person’s calf look as strong as his. At six or eight weeks, he was doing double heel rises… I don't think he's going to have any loss of strength.'"
  • Karalis and Westerholm highlight how uncommonly definitive these medical quotes are, indicating extreme confidence in Tatum’s recovery progress.
• Cutting-Edge Surgery (“Speed Bridge" Technique):
  • The discussion details how immediate post-injury surgery and modern techniques (speed bridge repair) have dramatically changed Achilles rehab timelines.
  • Quote [21:25]: "...immediate surgery with this technique… this is pretty innovative stuff... now you’re doing all that in a 27-year-old guy at peak perfect health. This is… just unbelievable. The best calves ever." — John Karalis

4. On-Court Progress & Recovery Timeline

• Return to the Court: As of week 19 post-surgery (almost five months), Tatum has begun on-court basketball workouts—well ahead of traditional Achilles timelines.
  • Quote [14:54]: “…he’s back in the basketball court… first workout… a little bit of a relief, you know… He needs to get past a lot of mental hurdles. To me that’s so much more important.” — John Karalis
• Mental Recovery Focus: Both hosts agree that mental confidence—trusting the repaired tendon and overcoming trauma—now becomes the primary recovery challenge.

5. Projecting Return-To-Play Dates

• Cautious Optimism:
  • Karalis and Westerholm debate the likelihood of Tatum returning before the All-Star break (early March), possibly as soon as January—or even December—if progress continues.
    • Quote [27:35]: “I’ve been saying March. Am I not optimistic enough? Is this going even better than we thought?” — John Karalis
    • Westerholm notes NFL players have returned in six months post-speed bridge, and given Tatum’s resources, an NBA return earlier than typical is plausible.
    • Quote [29:44]: “If you've double-checked, if you've triple-checked, if everything is go, you just press go.”
• No Rushing, But No Delay:
  • The consensus is that Tatum should not be rushed, but once he's truly 100%, there's no reason to hold him back.
    • Quote [27:08]: "I'm very adamant that they should not rush… but there's no such thing as better than 100%. When he is 100% ready… he should play." — John Karalis

6. Changing the Injury Paradigm

• Both hosts frame Tatum’s recovery as possibly rewriting expectations for Achilles injuries in modern athletes, given immediate care, advanced surgical methods, and best-in-class physical resources.
  • Quote [32:45]: “This might be… the new normal of… what Achilles recovery is now.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Karalis (on medical optimism) [09:37]: "You don't go on this media blitz if things aren't going well. You definitely don't have your surgeon out there saying, like, 'I've never seen a calf muscle' [like this] if things aren't going well."
• Westerholm (on team ramifications) [30:02]: "Man, we really didn't build a very good team this off season. You're really… Sorry, bud. We thought you were gonna be out longer." (Joking about the team being unprepared for an early Tatum return)
• Karalis (on shifting narratives) [33:34]: "It's hard not to be optimistic…the whole offseason being so negative about this situation. Now… seems like it's going real well."
• Westerholm (on trauma for fans) [37:49]: "It's the same… qualms that Tatum himself is gonna have… every time he jumps, every time he cuts… that's. We've all got to get over the trauma, too. Right?"

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:18] – Media blitz motivation and pharmaceutical partnership
• [04:45] – Emotional fallout & Tatum’s honesty about the injury
• [07:33] – Surgeon’s quote and medical optimism
• [14:54] – Tatum back on court; mental hurdles in rehab
• [21:25] – Surgical technique and importance of rapid procedure
• [27:08] – Discussion on not rushing vs. not waiting past 100%
• [27:35] – Debating Tatum’s actual return timeline
• [32:45] – Changing the Achilles injury landscape
• [37:49] – Collective anxiety and emotional recovery (players & fans)

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Conclusion & Takeaways

• Optimistic Outlook: Tatum's physical and mental recovery is well ahead of typical Achilles timelines, and current info strongly suggests he will play before the end of the 2025 season—possibly much earlier.
• Cautious Analysis: While optimism is high, the hosts urge triple/quadruple-confirming readiness, emphasizing that unprecedented cases require extra care and objective scrutiny from multiple medical experts.
• Cultural Shift: Tatum’s case may signal a turning point for how Achilles injuries are perceived and managed in elite athletes, thanks to advancements in medical intervention and athlete support.
• Shared Recovery: Both hosts and fans acknowledge the lingering emotional trauma but are excited for Tatum’s eventual return and the ripple effects it could have on Celtics’ hopes and league-wide injury norms.

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Final Note:
Karalis closes with excitement for the return of meaningful Celtics content, teasing upcoming interviews with the new team owner and the approach of media day. All eyes remain on Jayson Tatum’s recovery and the impact his early return could have on the NBA.

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Transcript

[John Corrales]

Foreign every day.

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[John Corrales]

Data 1H 2025 Visit T mobile.com Jason Tatum goes on a big media blitz to talk about his injury and rehab and I'm more convinced than ever that he is playing basketball this season. We're talking about it right now on the Lockdown Celtics podcast.

[Tom Westerholm]

Huh?

[John Corrales]

Be ever ready it's the seas who else could it be what they going to say now screaming like JT corral we kept the madness every game, every practice prime time Depp and D White on the sideline Ren and Jace how we started raising ban that's how we finish locked on Celtics pod home of the winners baby. Hey there. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast network where it's your team every day. Your team is the Boston Celtics and I talk about them every Monday through Friday for free right here for you wherever you get your podcasts, you can watch the show on YouTube if you'd like. Get into the comments section there and share your thoughts with your fellow Celtics fans. Becoming every day. Or join me Monday through Friday and even extra days Saturday, Sundays during the season when they play on the weekends. I'm John Corrales. I'm beat writer covering the Celtics for Boston Sports Journal. I've been doing this job for about 20 years now. I've written a couple books about the team as well. And today the team news is Jason Tatum on a big, massive media blitz on Tuesday, going on every show except this one to talk about his rehab. That's okay. I got one better. I got Tom Westerholm. I got Tom Wester home. Who needs Jason Tatum when I got Tom Westerholm right here?

[Tom Westerholm]

I, I mean, I, I, I, I, I turned down all the offers from, you know, Good Morning America, from espn, you know, all the offers to come on and, and, and, you know, talk. I turned him down here because I said, I said I was like, no, like, I know the show that Tatum's not going on is locked on and I'm, I'm, I'm zagging while he's zigging.

[John Corrales]

So how 2025 is it that the big injury update for the superstar Boston Celtic comes because he's partnered with pharmaceutical company to push a painkiller?

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, it's almost more 20. It's almost like more 2017.

[John Corrales]

At least it's a non opioid painkiller. Yeah, it's like, hey, look, it's like, yeah, I'm happy that it's a non opioid opioid painkiller. I am curious. I gotta look this up again. I'm not giving the name of the drug. I don't care. He, he's very careful. I think legally, because he's a partner, he's like, well, you know, there are some side effects. I'm like, what side effects are there, Jason Tatum? That's the question. I need to know what side effects from your painkiller are there. But what I want to know is.

[Tom Westerholm]

How fast Jason Tatum can say them at the end of a 30 second commercial. I want to hear, yeah, I want to hear his full on, like, you know, side effects may include. I want to hear.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, so, okay, so Jason's out there, he's pushing the painkiller. And okay, fine, you need painkillers when you have surgery on your Achilles tendon. And, and like, that's part of the, the process. So let's start at the beginning, he's down in a heap in New York. I. I do appreciate that. He opened up about, you know, basically crying for two hours. And I was back there. I was at msg. I was. I was like, five feet away from, like, the room he was in, watching his mom go in and out and people go in and out, and, like, the faces, like, they were just. You talk about forlorn for obvious reasons, right? And him opening up about, like, is everything going to change? You know, here. Here you are, 27 years old, at the peak of your powers, just won a championship, trying to hold on and win a second championship, and all of a sudden, your. Your leg just explodes. You're like, am I gonna be. Am I gonna be what I've. What I've been? And, you know, is. He talks about, are all my sponsors gonna drop me? Like, all this money that's been coming in that sets up my family for generations, which, by the way, is the point of doing all of this, right? You're. It is a job, and your whole point of your job is to make money to set up your family. He's like, oh, my God, is all of this gonna go away? So I do appreciate, like, this. This moment. I joked about, like, why he was doing it, but at least we got, like, substance from him while, you know, while he was talking to all of these outlets.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, for sure. I mean, you know, I think the. Whenever a lot of times when you see a guy go on one of these media blitzes, it. It really. You just get a whole lot of. A whole lot of nothing. And, like, you know, I mean, I. I think, you know, we got, like, yeah, we got some substance. We got him. We got him talking about, like, the emotion of it all. And. But I also think, too. I mean, I, you know, sure, we'll get into this. I don't know how fast you want to start getting into this, but, like, I think we got some. Not answers, but as close to answers as you can get from a media blitz like this, right? Like, you. You got some. You got the kind of hints that tell you things. I think so, yeah. I mean, it. You know, it's funny to see it all happen, you know, like, see him just, like, make the most obvious. Like, you know, his agent has been calling around to all the outlets, and, you know, he's got it all set up in, like, the order of, you know, the order of operations. He's got it all, you know, nicely timed out and all that. Like, it's very funny to see that Unfolding in real time. But. But it wasn't a nothing burger. Like, it is a lot of the time when. When you get these. It was. Yeah, it was substantive on a couple of different levels.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. And so. Right. He. He actually was open and forthcoming, and I do think the number one thing that obviously everybody wants to take away from it is. All right, so how you feeling? And I said it right at the top in the cold open. I'm more convinced than ever that Tatum is playing basketball this year. So we start in. I'll start at People magazine, where his surgeon actually had a quote that said, I don't think I've seen a person's calf look as strong as his. At six or eight weeks, he was doing double heel rises. He worked his calf so hard that the side effect of loss of strength, I don't think that he's going to have any. So that quote from the surgeon in People magazine is, to me, I don't know, maybe the biggest deal out of all of this, because this is the guy that did the operation.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And, like, there's obviously going to be some sort of, you know, pumping up. This is like, we're.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, yeah.

[John Corrales]

Okay. But it's. There are ways to say things without saying things, and if you're going to be definitive, then, like, then that's definitive. You don't have to say this. You don't have to say, I don't think he's going to have any loss of strength. That's a very specific, definitive thing to say. I don't think I've seen a person's calf look as strong as his is a pretty definitive thing to say. You don't have to say that if it's not true. You can say, I like the progress that he's making. Yeah, he's really. He's really showing good. Good strength in that calf. But to say, I've never seen a person's calf look as strong as his. Definitive. So, yeah, that. That alone makes me think, like, you know, it's. To me, it's validating.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Because I've been like, this is. This is the exact thing, the type of thing that I've been thinking is possible with Tatum.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, for sure. And it's, you know, you say it's. It's definitive. It's. It's like, you're so right that there are. There are so many ways to get around this. There's so many ways. And we've. We've heard them. We hear them all the time. We hear them from we hear them from Brad. We hear them like, it's like. And I think. I think beat writers have. Have kind of a sense of that. Not to, like, gas, you know, beat writers up too much here, but it's like, you know exactly what is being said to you when it's being said. And. Right. And, like. And I mean, you know, you go on this big media blitz. You don't go on this big media blitz if things aren't going well. You definitely don't go on this big media blitz if things are like. And you definitely don't have your surgeon out there saying, like. Like, this is incredible. I've never seen a calf muscle. Like, you don't have that. If things aren't going.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, who is he? Wolverine. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

[Tom Westerholm]

Right, right. Like, things are clearly going very well. And, like. And I think, you know, you hear, you know, some of his answers. You hear, like, some stuff that's like, you know, kind of like, okay, listen, like, you know, it's not over. You know, it's like, there's a lot to be done. There's. There's, you know, all kinds. You gotta. You gotta have all the necessary caveats on top of it. But it's like, yeah, you don't. Jason Tatum's surgeon is in contact with his agent, is in contact with Jason Tatum. And if. If he's going to a news outlet and is saying, like, these things, this is something that has been approved on all fronts. Like, everybody's feeling pretty good about where Jason Tatum is at right now.

[John Corrales]

Yes, absolutely. And then it's funny, you know, you have to pay attention to all of the things that he's saying everywhere because, you know, he does. People magazine does a Boston Globe. Of course he does. Jenna and Friends on NBC. He does first take and then NBA Today. I think that's all today.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

So it's. Yeah, it is a progression. He's got two, like, written things that are out there. I can't. I can't imagine that the People magazine thing was today. I think they got that ahead of time. Embargo.

[Tom Westerholm]

Embargoed on that thing.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they probably got that a day or two ago.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Wrote it up, have it embargoed for. For release this morning. So I guess People was first.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, yeah.

[John Corrales]

You know, so it's like, People magazine, this is Jason Tatum, right? People magazine, the. The. Basically the Today show, and then your. Your ESPNs and your local newspaper. Adam Himmelsbach didn't tweet it out until, like, the very end of the day. So I'm sure, I'm sure people at the Globe were like, hey, whoa, wait, how. How are we not on this list? And oh, we're sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. But anyway, the whole reason for me listing all of these things is that finally, at the end of the day, we heard maybe the biggest piece of news that I think confirms everything that I believe. We'll talk about that when I come back. Today's show is brought to you by fanduel. Maybe you want to bet on Jason Tatum's return date. I don't see that on FanDuel yet. But the NFL season is here and there's plenty to bet on when it comes to football, college, pros, whatever. And right now, if you're a new customer, you can bet five bucks. And if your bet wins, you get $300 in bonus bets. That is an incredible incentive to go to FanDuel and sign up and place that first $5 bet. Those $300 in bonus bets, you can use them on anything across the app. You want to build the same game parlay. You want to jump into live action as it unfolds. Whatever it is, you can use those bonus bucks. So make that first bet a good one. Make it an easy one. Make it a bet that you almost guaranteed to win. If those things exist, take whatever. And give yourself a good chance at those $300 in bonus bets. All you got to do is download the FanDuel app by visiting FanDuel.com once you do that, you'll get a notice. Set your budget, set your limit, do that, plug in what you can afford to lose your disposable income, whatever that is, so you can have fun. And then when you hit that limit, boom, we'll just come back to it. Next time you're good and you're having fun, you're gambling responsibly. So if you're ready to play, download that FanDuel app by going to FanDuel.com. get started. It's FanDuel.com to place that first $5 bet. If you win, you get 300 in bonus bets.

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[John Corrales]

Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. This is the Wednesday Lockdown Celtics episode locked on NBA game night on Wednesdays. That's my night now. So back to Wednesdays with Jake Madison. We're talking Pelicans media day. We've already recorded the show Pelicans media day with with Jake. He was there talking about Zion Williamson. So lots of good discussion there. Talking about the Knicks media day and plenty of Jason Tatum talk there as well. So make sure you're going to Lockdown NBA game night. Check out that episode wherever you got this. You get two podcasts on that feed, but subscribe for me and then listen to all the other ones. All right, let's get back into the conversation here with Thomas for home. Finally, Tom, at the end of the day we learned that Jason Tatum got back onto the basketball court. He this is 19 weeks. We, you know, every Tuesday is another week. He's been saying so at 19 weeks. So that's what, five months, four months, something like that? 4 12, 16. For almost five months he's back in the basketball court, went through his first workout, talked about how that was a little bit of a relief, you know, bringing in that mental thing that we talked about earlier and why I wanted to bring that up first. We've talked about this before. He needs to get past a lot of mental hurdles. Yeah, like to me that's so much more important. Like the Achilles tendon for a 27 year old superstar athlete. That's, that is going to heal. That is guaranteed, almost like 99.9% guaranteed to heal. It's just your body just oh yeah, we're gonna work through this and everything's gonna, they sewed it together in a very innovative way and all like the physical stuff will be fine. The mental stuff where he talks about feeling betrayed by basketball, that stuff is you gotta work through Tatum getting on the floor already. Like he's already doing court stuff. Yeah, that's, that is I think a big deal because this is the beginning of the court stuff. Well, it's September. You got October, November, December, January. How, how many months of on court work do you need before you can come back and actually play NBA basketball? That's a long Runway with a lot of NBA basketball still left to play. For guys that just got onto the court on September 22nd or 23rd, yeah, I don't wanna.

[Tom Westerholm]

I'm not a doctor for anybody who had any illusions to. To the contrary.

[John Corrales]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Tom Westerholm]

I know.

[John Corrales]

Why do I have you on this show?

[Tom Westerholm]

Because I was the only one who agreed to come on because Jason Tatum would not. So that's why I'm on the show.

[John Corrales]

Thank you.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. Nice. We got to remind each other something.

[John Corrales]

That's right. That's right. Sorry.

[Tom Westerholm]

No, like, listen, like, you know, so I. I'm reading the same kind of, you know, tea leaves here as everybody else, but it is hard not to take a look at, like, him being back on the court in September, all this positive stuff, you know, that it's hard not to look at all that and think two things, right? It's hard not to think about, one, him getting the surgery at an unprecedentedly fat. You know, it, like, so big after the injury in such an unprecedented way from such an expert surgeon. Right? It's hard not to look at that and think that's, like, super tied to all major. And it's hard not to look at the advances in technology and think, okay, we're looking at something here, right? I think that those two things. It is. I don't know. Right? I can't know. I'm not a scientist, not a doctor, all that stuff. But it just. It feels so, you know, it's really hard not to put one plus one together there and add it up to two and think, like, okay, this, this, you know, there's a chance that this is a. A really positive return from an Achilles. And, like, you know, I don't know. I don't know any. Any number of things could happen. I'm, you know, all the same caveats as Jason Tatum would say, you know, in an appearance on, you know, on network tv, you know, all the same caveats of, you know, like, like, see, there's a long. There's a long way to go, but it feels really positive that he is back on the floor in addition to this huge media blitz that, that, that is. That that's even on the table at this stage.

[John Corrales]

We have been told over and over and over again the speed at which you get the surgery matters. We have been told that the sooner you can get to weight bearing exercises on this injury matters because doing the calf raises when the Achilles is repaired doesn't affect the repair. We've been told that. It's been said. And if you pay attention, like, one of the things that I did when it became like, okay, here's the speed bridge technique is I. I Dove into that thing, man. I watched all of the, simulate the, the models that they did. I listen to all the technical, like, being talked through the surgery on their, like, at a medical level, like watching, okay, this is how they make the incision and all that. And you see like, oh, wow. Like, they basically like laced the whole thing back together. So it works like right away. You got to get through the trauma. Yeah, you got to get through the part like, okay, this broke and it had. But you have to know how the leg works, what the tendon does and what. It's a connective thing that allows the muscles to work and. Okay, so it's reconnected and you start to like, I'm not a doctor, but I've played this game so much and frankly, I've been hurt so much that after a while you start really digging into how does my leg work and why does all of this stuff hurt and what can I do to mitigate the pain that is in my. I mean, for me, mostly my knees and so on and so forth.

[Tom Westerholm]

So, yeah, the worst thing about being, you know, above a certain age is that the answer starts being. You stop playing, you stop doing it. Yeah, I just kind of stop doing it. You're just like, come on.

[John Corrales]

But all this is to say, like, I'm not a doctor, just like, like everybody else. But why, why I was so confident is like, I feel good about like knowing some of this stuff. You're like, okay, if you pay attention. Immediate surgery was like, immediate with this technique. Like, what was this technique? Like, wow, this is pretty innovative stuff. Yeah, I'm the best guy in the world. And now you're doing all that in a 27 year old guy at peak perfect health. Like, this is a catastrophic thing. You know, it happens sometimes, but like, I know that this is of a God, apparently. Like, yeah, it's right. I mean, just unbelievable. The best calves ever. All of this stuff. Like you see it and now you hearing it after the fact, like, yes, this is exactly, exactly what it was supposed to do. Right. Does that mean, like, tomorrow there won't be a setback that can change this timeline? Of course not. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But to hear Jason Tatum on September 23rd talking about all of this stuff, I'm like, yes, this all lines up perfectly. So what's left? If he's, if he's on the court 15 minutes, right. Not like he's playing. Playing basketball.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes.

[John Corrales]

Right. But if he's on the court, that means that things have healed, right? To some degree, things have healed and it's like, okay, now we're starting to stretch things out, right? We're starting to get rid of scar tissue. We're starting to now really get the body into. Let's get the blood flow in there. Let's really start working this. He's means he's. He's graduated. He's done the running. He's been running, right? He has to have been running at some point, even if it's lights running like little. So to me, this all makes perfect sense. So let's come back and talk about the plan, like when he comes back, how he comes back and how it should be approached. We'll talk about that in just a second.

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[John Corrales]

Thanks for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Remember, Friday's show. Thursday is going to be Bill Chisholm speaking at the Celtics practice facility. Bill Chisholm finally meets the media on Thursday. So on Thursday, I will be there. I will be asking him questions, however many questions I'm allowed. Hopefully Celtics PR isn't listening to this and saying we're going to limit Corralesis questions, but I'm gonna ask as many questions as I can. And you will hear those questions and answers on this podcast. First. First speaking. First interaction with the Celtics owner coming up on Friday. So make sure you're subscribed so you can get that show. All right?

[Tom Westerholm]

So if I were Celtics pr, I would not give you a microphone.

[John Corrales]

That's considering my track record with how this ownership change has gone. They might. They might, they might call in somebody else first.

[Tom Westerholm]

We might really regret all those kind things we said about Jeff Twist.

[John Corrales]

I gotta say, I gotta do a whole, like, maybe, maybe tomorrow's show will just be like a big Jeff twig. Let's just kiss everybody's ass.

[Tom Westerholm]

I'm all in there. Yeah. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Because they're gonna hate me after Thursday. No, it's that I. I will always ask legitimate questions for sure, sure. But I don't expect them to be easy answers.

[Tom Westerholm]

No.

[John Corrales]

So. But this isn't an easy answer either when it comes to Jason Tatum, because, like I said before. Okay, so he's back on the court. Right. And this is the part I don't know, because I've never actually had recovered from an Achilles injury, thank God. But I've never had to recover from that kind of injury. But we still don't know, like, if. If the healing process has gone as well as it seems to have gone. This. This step here of getting back on the court. Like, it's just, I think, a matter of tolerance. Like, okay, let's see what the Achilles can tolerate. So I'm sure it's a lot of imaging, a lot of testing, a lot of, you know, okay, let's. Let's take a picture of this, like an mri. Let's see. And let's go through the workout. Probably another MRI somewhere in there just to see is there any. Is there any inflammation? Has anything gotten worse? Is it reacting in a way that we wouldn't expect? And there's just a lot of, like, okay, we've. This is just checkpoints. Now the question really is, Tom, how soon do you clear these hurdles? Jason was very adamant about not rushing. We are not rushing. And I am very adamant that they should not rush. Everybody's adamant about this. We are all on the same page. No rushing. 100. Everything cleared.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

But I also am very clear on. There's no such thing as better than 100%. Right. So when he is a hundred percent ready to play NBA basketball, he should play. So I. It's September 23rd, you know, like, October, November, December. At the end of December. This is three months of being on the floor.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

I've been saying March. Am I not optimistic enough? Like, I, I. This is the part where I'm like, wait a second here. Is this. Is this going even better than we thought?

[Tom Westerholm]

I mean, again, you know, NFL players have gotten the speed bridge and come back at a, you know, at times that are just like, wow, that's. That's really fast. Right? They've come back. I mean, I. I can't remember what the. Off the top of my head, but it was. Yeah, it was like.

[John Corrales]

Like six months.

[Tom Westerholm]

Months, I believe. Yeah, I believe there was. You know, NFL players have come back from this in six months. I mean, you know, and I don't know how fast those NFL players got under the knife. Right? Like, I don't know how fast they had the surgery. I have no idea. Like, there's a chance that this went really well, right? Like, you know, we keep saying it, but, like, it. You know, I. I think. I think if. If you're Tatum, right? I think that there's certainly. You're 100, right? That, like, if you're. If you're ready to play. Play. Like, if you're. If you're ready, there's no reason to. To delay it. Just because you're, like, you know, there's. There's no reason to delay it. I. I do think that there is a. You know, there's a massive amount of care that should be and will be taken here, right? Like, I think if Tatum was, like, in theory, let's say he was 100 by January, right? I think that there would be reason to, like, you know, like, make sure that he's at 100, you know, like, to kind of have those, like, a couple of weeks, whether it's two weeks, three weeks, whatever, of just like, okay, we're. We're sure he's at a hundred, right? Like, to really kind of nail that down and say, like, okay, like, we've put him through scrimmages in practice. We've. We've done all the things that, you know, we've had him do all the cuts and all the stuff, and we've made sure that he's 100%. I think there's reason to be extra. Extra cautious, but, I mean, there's no reason to be so extra cautious that you delay him, you know, months down the line. Like, if he's. If he's ready, like, if he's. If he's ready in January, triple check for a couple of weeks.

[John Corrales]

Sure.

[Tom Westerholm]

Like, and then, yeah, like, at that point, if you've. If you've double checked, if you've triple checked, if everything is go, you just press go. Like, you just go. Like, man, we really didn't build a very good team this off season. You're really. Situation. Jason.

[John Corrales]

Sorry, sorry.

[Tom Westerholm]

Sorry, bud. We thought you were gonna be out longer.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, that's like. That's like somebody knocking on your door and, like, clothes are still all over the place. You're like, oh, I didn't think you were gonna be here for, like, another two hours. I. I got a shower. Yeah, yeah, I'm not ready like, an hour ago. Yeah, like, I just ate. We're supposed to go to dinner. Like, I'm not, like, ready at all, but. But, yeah, no, as I've. I've made jokes before, but no, I. I 100. Believe like, whenever they say, okay, we think he's ready, you go to his surgeon and you say, here's what we've seen. And you go to, like, obviously, the team doctor, right, his surgeon. You go to Go. Go to somebody who hates his surgeon. His right. Go to his surgeon's rival and be like, this is the work that your rival did. What do you think? And have that person try to pick it apart. Like, find the most. Like, find anybody that can poke holes into that. And if that person's like, nah, man, he's ready like that. Like, that's the level of triple, quadruple, quintuple, however many apples you got to get to to make sure that he's okay, because, yes, you want him to be safe. And this is kind of unprecedented when we're talking about NBA basketball, but all of the circumstances are unprecedented because of the speed of the surgery and the type of surgery and who did it and all of that. Like, this is a unique situation. So in a lot of ways, the old information, you. You don't. You can't consider that. And one of the things that the surgeon said in the People magazine, things like, you know, once upon a time, you did this surgery, and then you put them in a full leg cast forever, and the leg atrophied, and they never got it back, and that's why it was such a devastating injury. Things have changed. I mean, this is, like, I don't want to make other comparisons to other things, but, like, there are. The world is full of very serious medical things, be them injuries or afflictions or things you can contract that once upon a time were like, oh, God. And now you're like, oh, okay, no problem. Just. Just do this, this, and this year, you'll be okay. And, like, I think we can come to Tatum as, like, an example of, oh, this. This might be kind of like the new normal of. This is what Achilles recovery is now.

[Tom Westerholm]

I mean, if you can get to the world's top surgeon within 12 hours, like, absolutely. Right? Like, yeah, that's the priority.

[John Corrales]

Right. Like, wherever it happens. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but, like, yeah, yeah. Like, it doesn't. Like, you find a surgeon who can do this. Like, the. Like, the moment it happens, somebody's on the call, on the phone. Like, who is close?

[Tom Westerholm]

Who.

[John Corrales]

Who's the closest awesome surgeon that we can fly in. Fly him in now.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And do the surgery at this hospital.

[Tom Westerholm]

If you know how to do an Achilles repair, I get really good at it and move to an NBA city.

[John Corrales]

Because oh, my God. That's right. That's right.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. No, for sure. I think, I don't know, man. I.

[John Corrales]

It's hard not to be optimistic.

[Tom Westerholm]

The whole off season being so negative about this whole situation. And it's like, it's bizarre to just kind of now be like, ah, I don't know. Like, seems like it's going real well.

[John Corrales]

I'm, I'm starting to trend for, like, he might, he. I don't even. Let me start over on that. I've been saying that he's going to play this season. I'm starting to wonder if he's going to play this calendar year.

[Tom Westerholm]

I, I, Okay. Which is, I think that's a little too rosy.

[John Corrales]

Sure. That's a stretch.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. But, but like, but December is.

[John Corrales]

Tell me, tell me, tell me that I'm completely wrong, though. It's September 20th. We're recording September 23rd. October, November, December. You're telling me that in three, if he's on the court today, three months, it's been four months of surgery, rehab, so he's kind of halfway there. Are you telling me that three months of four, five, six day a week on the court, whatever that recovery is.

[Tom Westerholm]

Like, he's not doing six days a week for nothing.

[John Corrales]

Right, Right. So I'm, now this is where I'm saying, I'm not actually saying that he will return in 2025, but my prediction of, like, he'll be back by, like All Star break. Ish. Beginning of March. Now I'm like, beginning of February. January. Is January in play one of these? He said he's coming back on a game in Boston in front of Celtics fans. So he's already thought about this.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

I'm like, looking through January date, like, he's got this planned out.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Oh, I don't know. Yes, December is super rosy, ultra optimistic. That is for sure true. I also, I'm gonna say, tell me it's out of the question.

[Tom Westerholm]

I cannot. No, I can't. I mean, it's super rosy. It's super optimistic. But, like, this media blitz could not possibly be more rosy and optimistic. You know, it's like, yeah, I can't tell you that it's out of the question. One thing I will say is I'm real glad that on our, on our Friday, on our questions, when somebody asked, is Jason Tatum coming back this year? I'm really glad I backtracked.

[John Corrales]

Real dumb.

[Tom Westerholm]

If I had been like, no, I don't, I don't think so. I don't see, I don't see the point. I, you know, if I, If I had really stuck to that and then I saw him, you know, but, like, you know, his. His doctor being like, oh, man, is this man of steel over here? I don't think I got that one.

[John Corrales]

Do you do a media blitz like this and say, like, I got back in the court and things that you don't. You don't say all these things.

[Tom Westerholm]

You also don't do this media blitz ahead of media day. You know what I mean? Like.

[John Corrales]

Right.

[Tom Westerholm]

Like, if you weren't coming back this year, if you weren't coming back, like, a lot faster than people expect, you put your. You put, like, Brad and Joe in an unbelievably awkward situation coming into media day. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

You're gonna stick to the. We'll see. We're not putting a timeline on anything.

[Tom Westerholm]

They won't change their answers, but the questions coming at them are gonna be.

[John Corrales]

Yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

A little more pointed. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

I don't know. My. My positivity is through the roof. And I look as a person who's been since day one, since, like, like, seriously two days after the injury, once he got the surgery, I was like, I. I have been saying he can come back this season, so I'm, I'm feeling like the best about being on that train early, driving the. Jason Tatum can come back. The only reason people are saying, no, he shouldn't come back this year at this point is just. I think it's just out of sheer habit, because fear.

[Tom Westerholm]

It's. It's. It's here, you know, it's the same. You know, it's the same. It's the same, you know, kind of qualms that Tatum himself is gonna have, you know, getting back on the court. It's the same. Every time he jumps, every time he, you know, cuts, you're gonna be like, yeah, I know. But, like, you know, that's. We've all got to get over the trauma, too. Right?

[John Corrales]

Like, we all do. We absolutely all do. If he trips and falls. Oh, my God. Everything. The, the collective gasp inside the arena would, I think, implode the building because it sucked all the air out of it. Yeah, that's. It'll be.

[Tom Westerholm]

Look, I think we would hear for the first time what it sounds like when tens of thousands of people all scream really high pitched at the exact same time.

[John Corrales]

Just a massive eardrum blowing. Just everybody bleeding from the ears, and Tatum's fine. Just. Just.

[Tom Westerholm]

Except for the ears. Except for the, the bleeding thing.

[John Corrales]

Yeah. Yeah. So. All right, well, okay. This is fun. We'll see how Tatum does, man. We'll see how Dave, if he does all this to not play this season. I, I don't know.

[Tom Westerholm]

I mean, you know, the chaos, I, I would be here for the chaos.

[John Corrales]

But it'd be a hell of a troll and do a hell of a amazing move.

[Tom Westerholm]

But I don't think we're, I don't think we're headed that way.

[John Corrales]

All right, Tom, appreciate you as always.

[Tom Westerholm]

Appreciate you, man.

[John Corrales]

And I do appreciate everybody listening, watching, however you're doing it. The show is free. It's here Monday through Friday for you. We're back, baby. We're back. The topics with the like, we're done making up topics except for maybe tomorrow, but we're done because the, because, like I said, new Celtics owner speaks Thursday. Then I'm gonna do a mailbag on Monday. Johncarellis.com mailbag media days on Monday. And so we're back. Media days on Monday, practices on Tuesday. We're going to be talking about practice and who knows, maybe I'll actually see Jason Tatum on the court and we'll all be tweeting out those pictures and breaking the Internet and all that stuff. So we're back. So make sure you're subscribed wherever you get your podcast, watch the show on YouTube, get into the comment section, share your thoughts and then share the podcast. Tell everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast networks your team every day. When it comes to reducing carbon emissions, the heaviest industries face the toughest challenges. That's where we come in. ExxonMobil is investing in technology to help American industry lower its emissions, including in our own operations, all while empowering businesses and creating job opportunities. It turns out that fewer emissions can mean a stronger economy. Exxon Mobil, let's deliver.

[AT&T Business Announcer]

And now a next level moment from ATT Business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got AT and T5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding. And International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T 5G lets you deal with any issues with ease. So the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you. ATT 5G requires a compatible plan and device coverage not available everywhere. Learn [e-mail] 5G Network.

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