Given the injuries to the Sacramento Kings this season, one of the best Twitter follows for fans is former Director of Sports Medicine Pete Youngman.
Health and injuries have been the main topic of conversation surrounding the Sacramento Kings this season, and frustrations are building with how the team has handled them. Both the Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley situations are questionable. Did the team lie about the severity of the injuries to the two big men? Or did they both really encounter major setbacks when they seemed like they were just a day or two from returning to game action?
So much uncertainty from the training staff has given way to disappointment from the fan base, but there is a trusted source that you can follow on Twitter that might be able to provide some insight when it comes to the ailments of Kings players.
Pete Youngman spent 25 years in the Sacramento Kings organization, eventually working his way up to Director of Sports Medicine for the franchise. Under Youngman’s watch, Sacramento had a solid track record when it came to injuries. Just before the 2018 season began, Youngman stepped down from his role and in to a Senior Advisor position with the team.
Lately, Youngman has been chiming in on Twitter and addressing some of the injury concerns that the fan base may have.
Can someone please ask what the exact injuries are that Marvin and Richaun have? "Residual soreness" from a previous sprain & "an injury to the right shoulder joint" aren't very transparent and fans want to know. We used to have to be so specific we'd have folks running to WebMD!
— Pete Youngman (@_petethetrainer) January 30, 2020
Youngman questions the transparency of the training staff and the franchise regarding the health status of some of its players, echoing the sentiments from the rest of us. The fact that Youngman is as concerned as the rest of us does not bode well in terms of trust we have in the team, but it is refreshing to see someone with a voice asking the same questions that we are.
https://twitter.com/_petethetrainer/status/1222792410620542976
His connection with the players remains strong, which is evident in his interactions with them. He tags them and sends them well wishes, and had an interaction with Hary Giles last week to which Giles responded by calling Youngman an “OG”.
While there is no telling whether or not Kings players would have sustained the injuries they have this year had they been under the watch of Pete Youngman, the handling of the situations would certainly be different. The transparency of the franchise when it comes to injuries has been sub-standard, something that Youngman likely wouldn’t have stood for.
So as the plights of both Bagley and Holmes develop, keep an eye out for @_petethetrainer on Twitter to provide much-needed insight and opinions.