Terry Hutchens, M.D.

Sometimes, the fewer words, the better. Hutch's most recent blog entry would have been much better if it ended after the first sentence:

I have yet to hear anything new on Eric Gordon today.

That would have been true, concise, and worth reading. Unfortunately, Terry kept writing, and were all worse off for it. After guessing that IU might hold Gordon out for a couple of days, Hutch says:

Truthfully, though, I think the absolute best scenario could be to keep him out of the Kentucky game all together. In fact, why not just take it extremely slow and keep him out for a few weeks? Jordan Crawford will be back on Saturday. A.J. Ratliff will be back the following Saturday, and so the situation at guard will not be nearly so dire.

Wha? Hutch saw Gordon limping in the hallway. Therefore, he should miss several weeks. Got it.

But I think we have to look at what is the most important thing here? Is it beating Kentucky? No. I know how personal IU fans make that game but beating Kentucky while taking a chance with Eric Gordon's future is clearly not the answer.

Ah, here's the crux. A perspective post! You silly, silly IU fans. All you care about is winning, so consider yourself shamed by Terry Hutchens. Because Terry Hutchens saw Eric Gordon limping, not only does he suggest that Gordon should miss lots of time, but if you don't agree, you are willing to throw Eric Gordon's future to the wind. Of course, Hutch then dials it back and concedes that he has no idea whether Gordon is even hurting much today, let alone whether he has a serious injury that could become worse if Gordon plays. Then why write the article? After a brief dalliance in the real world, Hutch says:

But if he's hurting, and if he has difficulty practicing this week, then I'm just saying let's not lose sight of what is truly important here. From a team standpoint, that would be the Big Ten. From an individual standpoint, that would be making sure EJ is 100 percent ready to go whenever he does take the floor again. I'm guessing there will be some who will want to see him play against Kentucky at any cost. I just want to be on the record as saying that I'm not one of those people.

Back to the perspective stuff again. Look, Hutch, no one believes that Eric Gordon should play if playing with this injury could cause a more serious, long-term injury. Your contempt for IU fans has been well-documented over the last few years, but give us a little credit. No IU fan expects Eric Gordon to jeopardize his season or career for a game, not even the Kentucky game. But again, as Hutch's own reporting reveals, Eric Gordon's injury is a bruise. Perhaps I shouldn't speculate on medical issues after mocking Hutchens for doing the same, but this isn't a broken bone. It isn't a muscle or ligament tear. It's a bruise. That's not to suggest that it isn't a legitimate injury. Clearly, it is. It was obvious Monday night that Gordon was in a great deal of pain, and may well be today. He may be in too much pain to play Saturday, and if so, that's fine. But, having told his audience that Gordon's injury is a bruise, if Hutchens has any medical evidence that playing with a bruised tailbone can lead to a season-ending or career-threatening injury, perhaps he should bring it. Or, perhaps Hutch could have waited for a further report before lecturing us on win-at-all-costs and all that. But waiting might have denied Hutch a chance to once again show his scorn for IU fans. It's simple. If Eric Gordon is cleared to play and feels well enough to play, he should play. If there is a risk of further injury or he is in too much pain to be effective, then he shouldn't play. It seems silly to take shots at IU fans for future reactions to an issue that may be moot.