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Blazers F Jared Jeffries Endorses Kobe-Style Orthokine Knee Treatment In Germany

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jared Jeffries endorses the so-called "Kobe" knee treatment in Germany.

By Ben Golliver
Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire

New Portland Trail Blazers forward Jared Jeffries wasted no time establishing himself as a wealth of thoughtful knowledge and advice at Monday's Media Day.

He flashed a funny streak, too, teasing teammate J.J. Hickson for wearing an arm sleeve for his annual photo.

"It's pretty cool you have an armband on for Media Day," he shouted across the room, sending everyone listening, including Hickson, into laughter. "Cool. Good idea."

Jeffries, 30, will be more than a fashion critic for this team. As has been laid out by GM Neil Olshey and covered very well by Jason Quick of The Oregonian, Jeffries will be asked to help head up the locker room, serving as a mentor for his younger teammates. It's a role he says that he's prepared for and one that he's excited to embrace, after benefiting from similar advice from Michael Jordan, Juwan Howard and Chauncey Billups earlier in his career.

But there's still some basketball to be played here. Known as a defensive specialist and glue player, Jeffries has appeared in just 81 games combined over the last two seasons. He missed time last season because of ongoing knee issues. Back in July, after the Blazers acquired Jeffries in a trade with the New York Knicks, Blazersedge reported that the condition of Jeffries' knees was "fairly serious" and Olshey told Blazersedge on a confererence call that "there are definitely issues" with his knees.

On Monday, Jeffries told Blazersedge that his right knee has gotten a new lease on life thanks to an increasingly popular knee treatment. The procedure, known as Orthokine, involves blood spinning and injections and was conducted in Germany by Dr. Peter Wehling. It has been dubbed the "Kobe Treatment" because of its impact on Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, perhaps its most famous patient. Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum, New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and other high-profile athletes have hopped on board as well.

So what did Jeffries think of the treatment?

"On like the third day, it felt like a brand new leg," he told Blazersedge proudly. "My knee feels good. [Last year], my right knee was just meniscus wear and tear, cartilage wear and tear. I had some injections done this summer. I feel good right now. Hopefully it continues to get better and feel the way it does. If it does, I feel good about this year."

The full procedure, which he said was "good" and "fun," took nearly a week to unfold but never required anesthesia.

"You're not out for it," he explained. "You go over there the first day, they draw your blood, they break it down. You go back that afternoon, about eight hours later, and they do the first injection in your knee. Then you're there for six days and every day you go in, injections, acupuncture."

He says that he felt the impact almost immediately. He was able to move freely and perform basketball tasks that he would have had "no chance" doing a month or two earlier. He plans to participate in training camp without limitation.

The biggest difference, he noted, was the reduction of swelling that used to occur following workouts.

"Just anything," Jeffries said of the night-and-day difference following the treatment. "Walking with no pain, no swelling. Everything. The stability in it. The biggest thing is that it's not swelling. When your knees swell, your leg shuts down, your quad shuts down. Having no swelling in your knee, you feel totally better."

A brand new leg to go with a brand new team.

"I expected it," Jeffries said of the trade that landed him in Portland along with picks and cash in exchange for Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas. "My agent and I had talked about it. Was I comfortable coming out here? Did I want to come out here?I was. One thing about the NBA that I truly love is new experiences. That's the best thing about this job."

Note: More coming from Jeffries later Friday or this weekend.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

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