Dec.11 at 10:43 pm

francis says:
first that injury shouldnt have happened it sucks for that raptors

Dec.11 at 10:45 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
I’m watching the Clippers beat the Nets (so far) on Yes and there hasn’t even been an update about that yet. Jerks.

Dec.11 at 10:45 pm

francis says:
*the raptors

Dec.11 at 10:54 pm

Sanchez says:
Scary stuff, lets hope and pray he’s okay.

Dec.11 at 11:10 pm

Jukai says:
This is just unfair. TJ’s got talent.

Dec.11 at 11:16 pm

Alex says:
Very scary. It didn’t look like a dirty play…just a fluke. Hope TJ is okay!

Dec.11 at 11:22 pm

jay says:
its already up on youtube, heard he was in tears, i saw the raps reaction and they looked like they didnt even wanna play after that. i jus hope everything goes fine with him, it was really heart wrenching.

Dec.11 at 11:27 pm

Aaron says:
so I think this sucks cuz TJ is good and the bucks were dumb for that trade but that part is another discussion. my real question is, and i’m sure its been mentioned before but, isn’t it about time we started calling al hortford xerxes? i mean does he or does he not resemble the character from 3000? i understand that he’s not persian but if you look like somebody you look like somebody. i mean we call cassell ET even though he doesn’t actually look like ET specifically he just looks like an alien of some sort. So there it is anyway, Hortford = Xerxes, henceforth and forever.

Dec.11 at 11:27 pm

jose says:
poor guy,its too bed he has those serious neck/back problems

Dec.11 at 11:35 pm

Sesa says:
That was nasty

Dec.11 at 11:40 pm

Bryant Reeves says:
saw it happen on tv. Horford got him over the head, across the face, then his head bounced off the floor. Absolutely brutal to see, hopefully he’ll be ok

Dec.11 at 11:46 pm

Mikey Money says:
Right after Horford looked really sorry so you know it wasn’t intentional. Best of luck to TJ

Dec.11 at 11:51 pm

Holly MacKenzie says:
that made my stomach drop. Especially watching the Raptors post up show with all of the interviews with the guys in the locker room. They were all so damn sad and worried. Al Horford was interviewed as well and the poor kid felt awful, you could just tell. I hate hearing people say it was intentional, because even on the replay, you can clearly see him cringe as he realizes what he has caused. Parker said that TJ’s body went stiff and that when he asked him if he was okay, TJ started shaking and motioned that “no” he was not okay. Parker then said he started to panic and that he just tried to get TJ to relax. Imagine how scared he must have been, going through all of that before? Seeing the Raps huddle together in prayer made me want to cry. Al said exactly what Lang said above, he was going for the block on the ball, but was surprised when TJ brought the ball down for the reverse and ended up connecting with his head hard, rather than the ball. So unfortunate, I pray he will be okay and soon.

Dec.12 at 12:17 am

Chris O says:
Just awful in every way. You hope it’s not a pain he’s familiar with, but that’s what it looked like. Best case it’s something that was a lot less damaging than thought. Worst case, it’s got lifelong repercussions. Oh yeah that flagrant one was totally a reactionary call. Should have just been a personal, he was going for the ball.

Dec.12 at 12:19 am

Chris O says:
*flagrant two. my bad

Dec.12 at 12:21 am

Holly MacKenzie says:
I’m with you Chris. So scary that he has been there before, but, I do hope some of the reaction was out of fear and him panicking, like Parker alluded to. As for Horford, as soon as I heard his explanation, I was completely confident that it was an unfortunate incident and NOT intentional. I figured as much when I saw the game, but upon hearing him and the rest of the Raps speak, I hope the L doesn’t come down hard on him.

Dec.12 at 12:25 am

Adrian Zapata says:
Wow, i havent seen this yet. But i’ve always followed TJ since his Willowridge HS days. We played them in tourneys every summer and saw them in the playoffs the year they won the texas state championship. Been a big fan ever since. I hope everything ends up ok for him,

Dec.12 at 1:10 am

Tom says:
I was watching that game and that was HARD to watch, and they replayed about 6 times, that landing looked really bad. There is no way any sensible person can think it was intentional after seeing Horford’s reaction….To see Sam Mitchell sprint up the court like that, was crazy, I just hope best case its a concussion with no nerve or spinal damage. To come back from what he went through a few years ago was miraculous enough, I just hope this looks worse than it really was.

Dec.12 at 1:16 am

Lang Whitaker says:
After the game I was waiting outside the Raptors locker room, and Mike Woodson came walking down the hall and asked, “Where’s Sam?” Someone said he was in the locker room, and Woody walked into the Raptors locker room. No idea what that was about, but Woody wasn’t in there very long. I assume he was trying to squash any beef. The Hawks players were pretty shaken up about it, and Al seemed really upset. A few people were saying TJ had some movement in his arms and legs, but I didn’t hear that officially confirmed before I left.

Dec.12 at 1:17 am

Holly MacKenzie says:
The Hawks are just lucky this happened with the Raptors and not the Nuggets, Knicks or maybe even a team like the Warriors. Could you imagine how badly this could have been had the Raptors felt this was intentional and that they “needed” to protect their teammate by bringing down Horford? Thank God for the reactions of the Raptors, even Mitchell who had to be restrained.

Dec.12 at 1:27 am

Holly MacKenzie says:
Lang, on our Raptors tv post game programming they had a small interview with Woodson and he was talking about going to see Mitchell. It was easy to tell he did NOT want anyone thinking that Horford did this intentionally and he was not happy with the media asking Horford if it was done on purpose. He said immediately after the game he went in to speak with Mitchell and let him know that this was a part of the game, and the entire team was sorry for the injury.
About the movement for TJ: The Raptors announcers reported that about an hour after the game, before TJ headed to the hospital, there was movement in his extremities. I am not sure if that is “confirmed officially”, but it was mentioned on their post game. It was HORRIBLE to see the guys all so upset. Not sure if you were there with Mitchell, but, he answered one question and looked like he was going to cry.

Dec.12 at 1:29 am

Holly MacKenzie says:
Movement was confirmed officially:
“On a positive note, Ford’s teammates said they saw him moving before he was taken off, something Raptors spokesman Jim LaBumbard confirmed.” Also of interest: “Ford was taken to Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital, where his condition was still being assessed. Meanwhile his teammates had to leave him and fly back to Toronto for Wednesday’s game against Dallas. Director of Baskeball Operations Marc Eversley and assistant trainer Rory Mullin stayed behind to be with Ford, who was expected to stay overnight at the hospital. Ford is especially vulnerable to hits like this because he suffers from a congenital condition called spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column. That’s why the hit on Feb. 24, 2004, when he crashed into Minnesota’s Mark Madsen, was so damaging — he ended up with a bruised spinal cord and underwent surgery that May which fused two vertebrae in his neck.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=fordinjury-071212

Dec.12 at 1:35 am

Tommo says:
Stupid ass inexperienced Al Hortford. That was an aboslute stupid foul!!! I hope he gets hacked twice as bad every game for the rest of the season. No regards for HUMAN SAFETY

Dec.12 at 1:43 am

Johnnypinball says:
Good luck TJ.

Dec.12 at 1:44 am

Lang Whitaker says:
Tommo, you’re the stupid one.

Dec.12 at 1:46 am

Tom says:
It’s good that there was some movement, I’m betting they keep TJ out of the line up for a week or so just as a precaution if its not too serious. Tommo, don’t be an idiot, Horford was obviously making a play for the ball, but TJ cut to the otherside for the reverse so sharply that Horford really didn’t have time to react and thats when the collision happened, it was obvious Horford was shook after the foul happened, hopefully it turns out not too serious.

Dec.12 at 1:48 am

Chris says:
Poor TJ, injuries aside he’s been having the best season of his career. Just when he’s finding his rhythm returning from a ’stinger’, in a game where he was having his way this happens. Hopefully he’s just getting his injuries out of the way early, and will be fine for the rest of his career. Hopefully it’s a quick recovery, with no physical or mental (it’s amazing to see how fearless he is) side effects. Raptors definately need their two head point Forderon, (or Calderord if you prefer) to go far this season.

Dec.12 at 2:58 am

h-town nick says:
Just terrible. TJ’s been a class act throughout his career, and has already fought back from one of the scariest injuries i’ve seen. I feel for him on the emotional level. To be told you may never play–or even walk– again is one thing. To go down again with the same feeling and face the same dark possibilities a 2nd timemust be pure agony. That’s tough for anyone, much less a good kid in his mid 20s. Best wishes, TJ.

Dec.12 at 3:02 am

h-town nick says:
And tommo, it was clear enough from horford’s reaction, and the way the foul went down, that he wasn’t headhunting TJ. That’s the thing about a guy with TJ’s game, he’s a jitterbug. His quickness gets bigger defenders like horford out of position and makes them miss. A bad enough miss, plus a hundred pound weight difference, plus a predisposition to this sort of injury makes this possible. A horrible accident, yes, but still an accident.

Dec.12 at 3:09 am

t.dot dude says:
i saw the game on tv, buti didn’t quite understand what was going on, until i saw it on youtube…

Dec.12 at 3:11 am

t.dot dude says:
they shouldn’t put stuff like that on youtube. what they should put is yao ming saying fuc* to the camera during the raps v.s houston game

Dec.12 at 8:10 am

Holly MacKenzie says:
Okay, I have been trying to post about a thousand times here, but, it doesn’t seem to be working. It was reported that AL went to the hospital immediately after the game and waited through until TJ underwent tests so that he could come in and see him to let him know it was not intentional and that TJ welcomed the visit. Both Dominique and Josh Smith’s father went to the hospital to show their support as well. Classy, classy moves by the Hawks.

Dec.12 at 8:23 am

Gerard Himself says:
Holly, thanks for posting all this. First time I visit SLAMonline today, and this is the first thing I read. Poor TJ, and man, I also feel for Horford. I’m almost scared to watch the clip…. Hope it will turn out alright. And like you said, very classy of Al and the rest to go to the hospital.

Dec.12 at 8:59 am

Mayor Adam West says:
:(

Dec.12 at 9:17 am

TADOne says:
I was watching ESPN fastbreak last night and they were actually doing a live look in on the Raps game when the injury happened. It was pretty gut wrenching to watch. It was obvious Al was going for the ball. TJ just happens to be one of the fastest players in the league and made a good move. Holly, thanks for all the updates. I’m glad he is doing better.

Dec.12 at 9:36 am

Holly MacKenzie says:
I posted the link to the aforementioned blog in my post up. Very good read and makes me feel better about all involved, especially that TJ welcomed a visit by Al. Lets hope it was more of a scare than anything damaging. It was HORRIBLE to watch the thing live, and on the Raptors broadcast they just kept on showing it again and again and they were as in shock as I was. After that I was pretty much glued to my tv/scouring the internet for articles and updates. Ugh, scary how quickly something can turn ugly.

Dec.12 at 9:46 am

sdfigits says:
What a horrible thing to have happen, I’m feeling for T.J. and Horford right know. Hopefully T.J. will recover with out any long term implications.

Dec.12 at 10:30 am

Gerard Himself says:
the NBA is one big fraternity, I bet Al Horford had a terrible time sleeping last night. Like everybody said: he wasn’t out there to hurt him, I hope now everybody understands that (and I’m the 20th guy posting that).
Maybe it’s too early to look ahead, but when TJ recovers, you almost have to wonder if it’s a smart thing to play basketball anyway with his condition.
But for now, hope all things will work out well. Damn….

Dec.12 at 10:49 am

Jess says:
I was watching the Raps game and when I saw TJ go down I imediately felt sick to my stomach. I was standing there covering my mouth and saw Sam run to the floor. Im Sam’s defence he was protecting his own and he and TJ are very close and he knows all about him having been an assistant with the Buck when TJ was there. I thought it was terrible that some Hawks fans were yelling at Sam when he went back to the bench..classless…As for Horford - you could tell that he was not intending to hurt TJ and his post-game interview on Raptors TV was SINCERE and although I am a huge Raps fan I feel bad for Al because you could tell he was shaken up, and all the Raps players interviewed after the game agreed that he was making a basketball move. I was glued to my tv for about 2 hours aftyer teh game and then about an hour later on Raps tv they updated that TJ was taken to the hospital and he had feeling in both his upper and lower extremities, howeverI hope that everything is okay with TJ. Im sure the thoughts of everyone,not just Raptors fans but basketball fans in general,go out to TJ.

Dec.12 at 11:57 am

Azi says:
Does anyone have any actualy updates on TJ’s condition? im so worried!

Dec.12 at 12:09 pm

Tommo says:
I am not stupid, I am just a really pissed off TJ ford fan. Its still a stupid foul!!

Dec.12 at 1:12 pm

Zee says:
Why is it that these idiotic plays happen when the game is no longer in doubt? I’m not saying that Horford should’ve given up on the play, but he was clearly beat and fouling him would’ve just prolonged the game. That foul, although not intentional, was just stupid, an possibly caused an aggravation of a career threatening injury. Joe Johnson has been the victim of a dangerous foul like this and needs to talk to the kid about this. It’s not football folks, it’s basketball.

Dec.12 at 2:12 pm

Holly MacKenzie says:
http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=163661 –Ford is expected to be released from Piedmont Hospital later Wednesday morning after escaping a serious injury the previous night in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. During the final minutes of Toronto’s 100-88 victory over Atlanta, Ford took a frightening spill when he was fouled by Hawks rookie forward Al Horford. Ford, who has a history of neck and spinal injuries, was taken off the court on a stretcher.
But less than 24 hours later, Ford apparently is in stable medical condition. “He’s feeling much better,” Raptors spokesman Jamie Deans told PA SportsTicker. “It wasn’t as bad as it looked, although it obviously wasn’t good.”–

Dec.12 at 2:19 pm

TADOne says:
Ford has been officially released and is headed to Toronto. He is supposed to be inspected further upon his return to Toronto. Good news.

Dec.12 at 3:21 pm

Mark Z says:
Sorry, but that looked like a hard, bad intentional foul to me. Horford wasn’t even close to getting the ball. I like Al as a player, but that was a stupid mistake. He could have easily put Ford back in the hospital.

Dec.12 at 3:43 pm

Slim says:
TJ was doin so well too…how could this…omg…

Dec.12 at 6:36 pm

gianluca says:
wow al horford is an ass wipe

Dec.12 at 7:24 pm

jamesp says:
Those who are saying that was intentional are being idiots. If you’ve watched Horford play at any level and seen how he conducts himself on and off the court, you’d know this was an accident. Watch the whole play, not just the slowed down replay on Sportscenter. He was going up for the block and got fooled badly. His instinct was to swat where he thought the ball was going. Unfortunately, that’s where Ford’s head was. Stop being jackasses saying it was intentional, because there’s no reason to dismiss Horford’s explanation.

Dec.12 at 7:50 pm

The King says:
check out the link. Good for Hordord and TJ doing the right thing. http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/hawks/stories/2007/12/12/hawks_1213.html

Dec.12 at 8:29 pm

floe says:
i really hope he comes out of it allright. true warrior.

Dec.13 at 9:44 am

t.dot dude says:
at leased horford came to visit him. I just found out that tj will be ok. tnk gd