Midweek Musings: Should the Indiana Fever Shut Down Caitlin Clark For The Year?

It may be a controversial take but the WNBA superstar's nagging groin injuries open up a conversation about keeping her healthy in the long term. We look at both sides of the debate.

Courtesy: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File

A NOTE FROM HAUB: Below is a statement from the Indiana Fever, released at 1:00 pm ET on Thursday, July 24th.

Following a July 15 injury to her right groin, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark underwent further medical evaluations earlier this week. The team can confirm that no additional injuries or damage were discovered through the evaluations.

Clark will continue working with the Fever medical team on her recovery and rehabilitation, with the priority on her long-term health and well-being.

There is no timetable available for Clark’s return, and no additional details will be provided at this time. Any further updates will be shared as they become available.

On this week’s Midweek Musings column, we’re going to tackle a somewhat tricky subject: Caitlin Clark’s injury status and a looming question about her availability for the rest of the WNBA season.

She’s dealt with the same groin injury all year, missing five games early in the season before returning for a spell in June. But the superstar guard didn’t look like herself and she appeared to re-aggravate the strain towards the end of a July win against the Connecticut Sun. It came just before the All-Star break, causing her to miss the festivities in Indianapolis and, according to Fever head coach Stephanie White, there isn’t a timetable for her return.

Indianapolis Star beat reporter Chloe Peterson tweeted this just two days ago…

Stephanie White says there’s no update on Caitlin Clark or a potential timeline. Clark met with another doctor this morning, but White says she hasn’t spoken with trainers about that yet.

A NOTE FROM HAUB: As you saw above, the Fever’s statement paints two different pictures. There is no additional damages or injuries but there is still no timetable and the team made sure to include that they would be prioritizing her long-term health.

Those doctors were in New York, which can be read one of two ways: she’s getting a second opinion to see how quickly she can be back or she needs more specialized medical attention to keep the injury from getting worse.

With all that in mind…let’s examine the case for and against shutting her down potentially for the rest of the WNBA season…