The link in the 2nd post was broken when I first clicked on the thread.
As for the quote ... if he's been dealing with 'chronic discomfort for a long time', it would seem to make sense that they should have been proactive about this early in the offseason, no?
Proactive may have been monitoring the situation and doing what was necessary to avoid surgery. Many surgeries are not fun and games that you elect to have or schedule in. Most physicians want to avoid surgeries unless absolutely necessary.
I could go in for back at pretty much anytime but the risks of the surgery are not worth it until the situation is truly dire.