Sitting out on purpose? Say it isn't true J-Kidd

How does one measure greatness?

In this day and age, 91 triple-doubles could be a good place to start.

Sure there is Oscar's 181. Magic's 138. But Jason Frederick Kidd, point guard for New Jersey Nets is the only active player in the top three with 91 (the top five for that matter).

Night in and night out, he has a chance to add to his greatness with possibly another triple-double performance. NBA.com's John Schuhmann put it best when he mentions that Kidd averages one triple-double "every 10.6 games." He added that Kidd has also "recorded a triple-double in 14 consecutive seasons (each year he has been in the league), which is an NBA record, and against 28 of the 30 teams in the league." Schuhmann ends by mentioning that the Nets floor leader, at the age of 34, hasn't missed a beat as the "past three seasons have been three of his five biggest triple-double campaigns (with a) personal best (of) 12 (coming) in the 2006-07."

In April 8, 2006. I saw my first NBA game. The Nets versus the Cavaliers at East Rutherford. Thought the Nets eventually lost that game in the fourth quarter, Kidd was amazing in 41 minutes as he scored 11 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists. I was rooting for a "TD" (triple-double) all the way.

Then came last night's infamous "DNP-Migraine."

I've always known Jason Kidd to be a warrior and an extremely fast healer. He is the fastest player I know to ever come back from not only a screw being placed in his left ankle, but also from microfracture knee surgery on his left knee without any of those lingering effects suffered by some of his contemporaries such as former teammate and current Denver Nugget's forward Kenyon Martin, Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire and the Portland Trailblazers forward Darius Miles.

So a migraine keeping Kidd out of a game? And against the New York Knicks at that! An opponent whom he has had a history of success.

This is certainly far, far, far away from Scottie Pippen-esque territory.

Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski added:

"There was no migraine headache holding Jason Kidd out of the New Jersey Nets' loss to the New York Knicks Wednesday night, but a superstar sending a message to a floundering franchise that he's irate with management and teammates, several league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

As the Nets flew back to New Jersey late Tuesday from a victory over Cleveland, sources said Kidd already had decided he would be sitting out against the Knicks in the Meadowlands. Kidd didn't tell Nets officials until Wednesday afternoon, but several people inside and outside the organization were made aware of the meaning behind his sick day.

Kidd's agent, Jeff Schwartz, isn't believed to have formally demanded a trade, but Wednesday's bold act could be the precursor to starting that process. Two sources said Kidd has been a constant text messaging partner with LeBron James since playing with him this summer on Team USA and that the Cavaliers are his preferred destination.

"They've been communicating about the (trade) options that could get them together in Cleveland," one Eastern Conference official said.

As one Nets official confessed, Kidd's absence due to a purported migraine was "very suspicious." No one wanted to believe he would sit out a game in protest, but that's how bad it has become between Kidd and the longtime laughingstock that he delivered credibility to. He has no history of migraines with the Nets, and with the way he traditionally has loved to destroy the Knicks, the timing of a walkout left Nets officials deeply disturbed.

In an act of defiance that has been building for most of this season, Kidd, 34, has grown irritated over his belief that the franchise no longer is chasing greatness while his chance for a championship closes. He called out his teammates two weeks ago in Utah, just days after his bid for a contract extension was spurned by team president Rod Thorn. Right now, the Nets are 9-10 and going nowhere.

Thorn has praised Kidd for a "football player's" mentality when it comes to playing hurt, but the point guard privately is wondering how much more he wants to sacrifice his body for a team mired in mediocrity. So far this season, Kidd has played brilliantly for the Nets, second to Steve Nash with 10.4 assists. He performed with cracked ribs and a bad back a year ago, pushing the Nets past the Toronto Raptors in the opening round of the playoffs by averaging a triple-double.

Yet Kidd has been frustrated with some of his teammates' inability to stay on the floor and play through pain, especially Vince Carter. These days, everything about the Nets bothers Kidd. Everyone had to wonder Wednesday night: Could this have been the beginning of the end for Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets?"

Looking at the positive, if J-Kidd does get traded, an inspired Jason Kidd is always dangerous.

He would also have the opportunity in the future to get a triple-double against his "former" squad--the New Jersey Nets--one of the only two teams that Kidd has yet to record a triple-double against (the other, the Boston Celtics).

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Gilbert Arenas: "Every great player has missed at least one year."

Ouch!

I'm sure the city of Washington, their NBA franchise, and legions of fans are all crying out in frustration just about now. It's like reliving the 06'-07' season's bad dream wherein Caron Butler broke his hand and Gilbert Arenas was literally knocked down soon after with a torn meniscus in his left knee.

What horrendous luck...

AP Sports Writers Mike Cranston and Howard Fendrich had this to say:


"CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Washington Wizards leading scorer Gilbert Arenas underwent two different surgical procedures on his left knee on Wednesday and will miss about three months.

Arenas had been experiencing swelling and soreness in the knee which he had surgically repaired late last season. After sitting out the past two games, Arenas did not travel with the team to Charlotte and underwent an MRI Wednesday morning, which revealed a cartilage tear.

"I'm just going to sit in my sorrows again. I have three months to (be) back positive again, but right now, it's hard," Arenas said in a posting on his blog Wednesday. "I need to start thinking about longevity in my career instead of just this injury right now. Every great player has missed at least one year."

Team physician Dr. Marc Connell repaired a partial tear of the meniscus and performed microfracture surgery on a non-weight bearing bone on the side of his knee.

"It's not as bad as the injury in April, but it's tough," wrote Arenas, who will begin rehabilitation next week.

"We expect Gilbert to make a full recovery," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said.

The 6-foot-4 Arenas is averaging 22.4 points.

Wizards center Brendan Haywood said. "Playing without Gilbert Arenas is going to hurt this team."

Arenas began the season by playing as though nothing was wrong, averaging about 40 minutes per game. But after Washington's third game, he said his knee felt stiff, "like a 5-pound weight is on it."

He then had excess fluid drained from the knee for the second time in three weeks on Nov. 7. He played the next night, a loss to New Jersey that dropped the Wizards to 0-4, but had a long conversation with Nets star Jason Kidd on the court after the final buzzer. Kidd offered advice about dealing with a return from surgery.

Arenas stayed in the lineup until missing Saturday's game against Portland, then sitting again Tuesday against Philadelphia. Without Arenas, coach Eddie Jordan said Antonio Daniels will continue to play point guard.

"Every team goes through it, and every team tries to find a way to win on a consistent basis," Jordan said. "We've gotten better at moving the ball."

This whole ordeal has all been a bit new to Arenas -- a three-time All-Star -- whose only previous significant injury in the NBA was an abdominal problem that limited him to 55 games in 2003-04.

He finished third in the league in scoring average in 2006-07 at 28.4 points, but missed the last two weeks of the regular season and all of the playoffs after having knee surgery.

"Gilbert worked extremely hard this summer to be ready for the beginning of the regular season," Grunfeld said. "This is very unfortunate because he was starting to play at a high level prior to the surgery."

"That's the business, man," Haywood said. "Life's not always fair. He's out right now and everybody is down about it. Everybody wishes him the best. Right now all we can do is pray for him and hope he has a speedy recovery."

Jordan wouldn't say whether he'll push management to sign another player."

I guess this will give Gilbert even more time to blog with all of his "cats."

For all you Fantasy NBA players out there--one piece of advice--pick up Antonio Daniels while you still can.

His stock just went up ten fold for the next three months.

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The Aftermath of an Injury

February 26, 2007 is certainly a day that Los Angeles Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston. In the opening minutes of their home game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Livingston landed awkwardly following a lay-up attempt and tore three of the four ligaments in his left knee.

Clippers team Doctor Steven Shimoyama “popped the (left) knee” back in place which relieved any pain that Livingston felt at that moment. Livingston had an Magnetic Resonance Image exam the next day (Tuesday, February 27, 2007) “which revealed tears in the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and lateral meniscus.” These are three of the four major ligaments in one’s knee.
Livingston was also reported to have “dislocated his patella, besides the previously diagnosed dislocation of his tibia-femoral.” Clippers physician Dr. Tony Daly said Tuesday that "it's probably the most serious injury you can have to the knee" and that Livingston may “miss all of next year."

Yahoo.com shares that Shaun Livingston, “a three-year veteran who was drafted by the Clippers out of high school, has been hampered by injuries and has yet to play a full season in the NBA. Prior to his devastating knee injury, Livingston sat out two games in January 2007 with a sprained right ankle. He also missed 39 games during his rookie season (2004) because of a dislocated right knee, and another 12 that season because of torn cartilage in his right shoulder. Last season he sat out the first 21 games with a stress reaction in his lower back.” At seasons end, Livingston would have missed an estimated 42% of the total 246 games he could have possibly participated in.

Video of the Clippers point guard (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3821/) had garnered a number of hits in YouTube.com. However, a few days later, this particular video was subsequently removed from the site. I have been able to track down a copy of the video. I should warn you however that this is not for the squeamish. (http://www.gofish.com/player.gfp?gfid=30-1084147)

Some observers have said that (and it is!) far worse than the dislocated shoulder injury suffered by the Miami Heat's Dwyane Tyrone Wade. (http://www.gofish.com/player.gfp?gfid=30-1082720). Lastly, some critiques have also noted that Livingston stands to lose over $40 million dollars in future earnings due to this injury.

The Los Angeles Clippers have been notorious for underpaying their health players. So in the case of Livingston who has about a year and $11 million dollars left in his existing contract, why should the Clippers break the proverbial bank and sign a guard with a bad wheel to a multi-million dollar extension. One blog site even went as far as saying that it would be impractical to sign Livingston since "were not even sure if he is going to walk without a limp."

Many career threatening injuries have happened to numerous players from different sports. But what Livingston doesn't have going for him is a college education, since he bypassed college to become the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft three years ago.

Here's wishing Shaun Livingston a speedy recovery. And however it turns out, $11 million dollars is still a lot of money. So as early as now, he should invest wisely.