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OutletPass · 06-18-2003, 10:19 AM

Diagnosis nearly crushed Podkolzine's dream
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Wednesday, June 18
Updated: June 18
10:51 AM ET

Pavel Podkolzine has overcome just about every obstacle imaginable for a young NBA draft prospect over the last six months. But the last one -- a diagnosis of acromegaly (a growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma) late last week -- pushed him to the edge.

Podkolzine

In the span of less than half a year, Podkolzine had risen from obscurity playing in Varese, Italy to a potential high lottery pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. In December, only one NBA team had even seen him play. After an Insider report in late December, the number had swelled to 18 by early May.

But it wasn't until Podkolzine's surprising workout in front of more than 100 NBA scouts and GMs in Chicago that Podkolzine finally started to believe that his dream of playing in the NBA was going to come true.

Podkolzine took a routine physical at the Chicago pre-draft camp the next morning, but had no reason to worry. Just weeks earlier, Podkolzine underwent a battery of tests in Italy to rule out any potential health problems -- including pituitary disorders. When the results came back clean, Podkolzine decided to leave his home of two years and head to the United States.

Podkolzine and his agent, Justin Zanik, didn't know anything was amiss until doctors in Memphis (where Podkolzine had just flown for his first workout) confronted him with a suspicious report from the league. An MRI taken by the league showed that Podkolzine had an unusually large pituitary gland -- a sign of a possible disorder.

The news was devastating to Podkolzine. In the past, the news of such a disease had potentially fatal ramifications. For a brief moment, Podkolzine thought his career, and possibly his life, was coming to a tragic early end. For the next five days, Podkolzine kept working out for NBA teams hoping that a group of specialists would figure out how to fix whatever was wrong.

Podkolzine didn't get his actual diagnosis until Tuesday evening. That's when the good news started flowing in.

In the past decade, doctors have perfected an endoscopic surgical procedure that corrects the problem rather simply. The minor surgery lasts about two hours and has a hospital stay of 24 to 48 hours. Doctors told him that if all goes well, Podkolzine could be back on the court shooting and running in 10 to 14 days. In all likelihood, there will be no long-term ramifications to Podkolzine's health or NBA career.

From talking with NBA teams, Zanik says the likely course of action for Podkolzine will be to have him play in the summer league and then have the surgery in August. That would give him plenty of time to prepare for training camp.

The news brought a sigh of relief from everyone involved. Zanik quickly notified teams Podkolzine was working out for and told them to get their doctors working on it right away.

"From what I understood from the doctors, this should have zero impact on Pavel's career," Zanik told Insider. "I just wanted to make sure that the team doctors concurred."

It appears they do. Insider talked to two NBA GMs with draft picks in the lottery who said they learned of the initial diagnosis last Thursday and their doctors had examined the medical report. Both GMs said the issue wouldn't stop them from taking Podkolzine with their pick. Both GMs also stated that they felt that with the diagnosis and a series of strong workouts, Podkolzine would be drafted anywhere from No. 5 to No. 12 in the draft.

Zanik isn't taking any chances. He's already worked Pavel out in Memphis, Milwaukee, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles (for both the Clips and Lakers) and Seattle. He'll be in Utah today. After the workout, Zanik will face a tough decision. Does he keep Podkolzine in the draft?

"I've talked to everyone who has worked him out and to a one they've told me it's not an issue," Zanik said. "But the timing of everything is a bit tough. I wish we had another week for everyone to get comfortable with everything. However, the deadline [to withdraw from the draft] is Thursday."

Zanik said he most likely will leave Podkolzine in the draft. But he'll spend some time on the phone today getting a guarantee that Podkolzine will be taken early. If he doesn't, he may just decide to pull him out, have the procedure done this summer, and re-enter him into the draft next year.

"I've been told that he'd be a candidate for the No. 1 pick in the draft next year," Zanik said. "If we get him on a good team, get him some playing time several teams think he could go that high."

06-18-2003, 10:19 AM	#1
OutletPass Diamond Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 4,844	6/18 ESPN - pavel's pituitary problem Diagnosis nearly crushed Podkolzine's dream By Chad Ford NBA Insider Send an Email to Chad Ford Wednesday, June 18 Updated: June 18 10:51 AM ET Pavel Podkolzine has overcome just about every obstacle imaginable for a young NBA draft prospect over the last six months. But the last one -- a diagnosis of acromegaly (a growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma) late last week -- pushed him to the edge. Podkolzine In the span of less than half a year, Podkolzine had risen from obscurity playing in Varese, Italy to a potential high lottery pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. In December, only one NBA team had even seen him play. After an Insider report in late December, the number had swelled to 18 by early May. But it wasn't until Podkolzine's surprising workout in front of more than 100 NBA scouts and GMs in Chicago that Podkolzine finally started to believe that his dream of playing in the NBA was going to come true. Podkolzine took a routine physical at the Chicago pre-draft camp the next morning, but had no reason to worry. Just weeks earlier, Podkolzine underwent a battery of tests in Italy to rule out any potential health problems -- including pituitary disorders. When the results came back clean, Podkolzine decided to leave his home of two years and head to the United States. Podkolzine and his agent, Justin Zanik, didn't know anything was amiss until doctors in Memphis (where Podkolzine had just flown for his first workout) confronted him with a suspicious report from the league. An MRI taken by the league showed that Podkolzine had an unusually large pituitary gland -- a sign of a possible disorder. The news was devastating to Podkolzine. In the past, the news of such a disease had potentially fatal ramifications. For a brief moment, Podkolzine thought his career, and possibly his life, was coming to a tragic early end. For the next five days, Podkolzine kept working out for NBA teams hoping that a group of specialists would figure out how to fix whatever was wrong. Podkolzine didn't get his actual diagnosis until Tuesday evening. That's when the good news started flowing in. In the past decade, doctors have perfected an endoscopic surgical procedure that corrects the problem rather simply. The minor surgery lasts about two hours and has a hospital stay of 24 to 48 hours. Doctors told him that if all goes well, Podkolzine could be back on the court shooting and running in 10 to 14 days. In all likelihood, there will be no long-term ramifications to Podkolzine's health or NBA career. From talking with NBA teams, Zanik says the likely course of action for Podkolzine will be to have him play in the summer league and then have the surgery in August. That would give him plenty of time to prepare for training camp. The news brought a sigh of relief from everyone involved. Zanik quickly notified teams Podkolzine was working out for and told them to get their doctors working on it right away. "From what I understood from the doctors, this should have zero impact on Pavel's career," Zanik told Insider. "I just wanted to make sure that the team doctors concurred." It appears they do. Insider talked to two NBA GMs with draft picks in the lottery who said they learned of the initial diagnosis last Thursday and their doctors had examined the medical report. Both GMs said the issue wouldn't stop them from taking Podkolzine with their pick. Both GMs also stated that they felt that with the diagnosis and a series of strong workouts, Podkolzine would be drafted anywhere from No. 5 to No. 12 in the draft. Zanik isn't taking any chances. He's already worked Pavel out in Memphis, Milwaukee, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles (for both the Clips and Lakers) and Seattle. He'll be in Utah today. After the workout, Zanik will face a tough decision. Does he keep Podkolzine in the draft? "I've talked to everyone who has worked him out and to a one they've told me it's not an issue," Zanik said. "But the timing of everything is a bit tough. I wish we had another week for everyone to get comfortable with everything. However, the deadline [to withdraw from the draft] is Thursday." Zanik said he most likely will leave Podkolzine in the draft. But he'll spend some time on the phone today getting a guarantee that Podkolzine will be taken early. If he doesn't, he may just decide to pull him out, have the procedure done this summer, and re-enter him into the draft next year. "I've been told that he'd be a candidate for the No. 1 pick in the draft next year," Zanik said. "If we get him on a good team, get him some playing time several teams think he could go that high." __________________ Gimme Two - One's just not enough.