[siberian khatru]

With or without Michael Porter Jr., Cuonzo Martin keeps Mizzou in the present

Lehman isn’t just a guy. He’s in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and has treated the likes of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

As it happens, I go back decades with him, having interviewed him in the past in his capacity as team physician for the St. Louis Blues and working with Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

So … I called him up after seeing Tuesday’s report.

After noting that he was not treating Porter but saying he had information he could not elaborate on that helped support his contention, he expanded on his point.

Calling the injury “pretty common” and adding that there had been no fusion or implanting of an artificial disc, Lehman said all indications are that the recovery should be consistent with what he’s seen repeatedly over decades: six to eight weeks after this surgery.

“I don’t think fairy dust came in my eyes … I’ve just never seen anyone take three months to come back from this,” Lehman said. “I think he’s going to play this year, and I think he’s going to be a meaningful part of the team. I really believe he’s going to be able to contribute to the level he would have been able to contribute absent the back surgery.”