Podkolzine draft status likely unaffected

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

** This just goes to show the amazing strides medicine has made just in my
lifetime.  I went to Junior High with a girl who suffered from this same
condition.  There was no known cure at the time and she was not expected to
live much
past the age of 20.
Two things that concern me however. First, why was this not caught before?
Someone must have had an inkling with his enormous stature that there might be
a pituitary problem.
Secondly, he has probably been living with this for quite some time.  What
effect has it had on his vital organs, the heart, lungs, etc.
I'm no doctor, but I know these were problems for the girl I was acquainted
with long ago.
If I were a GM, I'd want to make sure I understood exactly what was going on
here, which probably means getting my own expert opinion, not one that was
provided for me.




Tuesday, June 17
Updated: June 18, 11:05 AM ET
 
Podkolzine draft status likely unaffected
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
Pavel Podkolzine, an 18-year-old, 7-foot-5, 303-pound candidate for the 2003
NBA draft from Siberia, wowed NBA teams in a private workout in Chicago two
weeks ago. However, a routine physical given by the league at the Chicago
pre-draft camp raised the issue of a possible pituitary disorder for
Podkolzine.
s ing Journey

Tuesday's detailed diagnosis confirmed the disorder, but it is treatable, and
his draft status likely will not be affected.

For the past week, Podkolzine has been talking to doctors, taking blood tests
and trying to understand his condition and what it means for his future. At
the same time, he has been flying from NBA city to city for individual
workouts. Podkolzine finally received a definitive diagnosis on Tuesday.

Podkolzine's agent, Justin Zanik, faxed a letter to all 29 NBA teams Tuesday
night detailing Podkolzine's situation.

The letter, which was written by pituitary specialist Dr. Hrayr K. Shahinian,
Director of the Skull Base Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles, claims Podkolzine suffers from acromegaly (a growth hormone secreting
pituitary adenoma). In layman's terms, Podkolzine's pituitary gland secretes
an
unusually high amount of a growth hormone, which partly explains his enormous
stature.

According to the letter, with minor endoscopic surgery the issue can be
resolved with no long-term consequences to Podkolzine's health or NBA career.
The
procedure lasts about two hours and has a hospital stay of 24 to 48 hours. If
all goes well, Podkolzine could be back on the court shooting and running in
10
to 14 days.

"I'm confident," Shahinian wrote, "that Pavel will realize his potential both
personally and professionally."

ESPN.com talked to the general managers of two NBA teams 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.

Chad Ford is a senior NBA writer for ESPN Insider.