Cavs: Why isn’t there a timeline on Sexton’s injury?

Cavs: What if Sexton gets the meniscus trim?

The first of the surgery options is the meniscus trim, or “partial meniscectomy.” This approach involves cutting free a small portion of the meniscus rather than seeking to repair or reconstruct it. This results in a shorter recovery period, but could have long-term ramifications for Sexton’s knee.

For this to be an option, the tear in his meniscus can’t be at the point where it connects to the tibia. This is what keeps the meniscus anchored during shock absorption, and a tear here would mean the longest recovery time and require a repair. If the tear is small enough, and in the inside portion of the meniscus where the blood flow is lessened and thus less likely to heal on its own, a tear becomes more possible as a course of action.

The timetable for recovery is significantly shorter, as Sexton wouldn’t need to wait for the meniscus to heal. He would just need to recover from the surgery itself and then could ramp back up into game readiness.

If Sexton is feeling pressure to get back onto the court to earn a larger contract this summer, he might do what he can to pursue the trim. He could get back to action in a matter of weeks, perhaps around six weeks or so after the trim surgery. If he got the surgery now, he could be back around the end of 2021.

Recent NBA players who get a meniscus trim include Zion Williamson, who missed the beginning of his rookie season. He was out around eight weeks before returning on a minutes limit, although as a much larger and heavier player than Sexton he isn’t a perfect analog.