Drafted No. 4 overall in the 2004 NBA draft and suffering a potential career-ending knee injury in 2007, Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston believes playing in the NBA finals is “a special moment”, especially for him.
In 2007, Livingston, in his third season with the Los Angeles Clippers, tore his ACL, MCL, PCL, a lateral meniscus and had a dislocated kneecap all in one knee. Even the Clippers’ team physician hadn’t “seen a lot of these” happen in one knee. For Livingston, “it’s crazy how far (he’s) come” because of what he had to go through and he told as much to ESPN’s J.A. Adande who told the guard’s story:
There’s certainly no player who’s more appreciative of the mere act of shooting extra jumpers after practice than Livingston.
A mixture of disbelief and gratitude floated through Livingston’s mind as he watched Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson launch shots following the Golden State Warriors’ morning shootaround on the first day of the NBA Finals last week. As he prepared to discuss his journey from fourth overall pick to journeyman to the sport’s highest stage, Livingston paused to remember the days when extra shooting was a luxury he couldn’t afford because the moment practice ended he had to get to work rehabilitating the knee he severely damaged in 2007.
“Doing stuff like this, I wouldn’t have made it,” Livingston said. “My knee was already swollen. I wouldn’t have made it to the game if I was out here practicing before the game.”
After Livingston’s injury, it seemed like the Clippers were ready to move on, only offering him the minimum to be a backup to guard Baron Davis. The next five years would prove to be difficult for Livingston, playing with six different teams and dealing with different setbacks and rehab:
When Livingston’s contract was up they offered him the league minimum to play a backup role behind the newly acquired Baron Davis.
The not-so-subtle message was that his NBA career would have to resume elsewhere. There turned out to be a lot of elsewheres. He played in Miami, Oklahoma City, Washington, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Cleveland from 2008 to 2013.
Livingston said the first two years consisted of “rehab, playing, setbacks, multiple procedures, getting waived, cut, traded — all that stuff.” In Washington, he felt that coach Flip Saunders gave him a fair chance to play; he also finally felt physically capable of succeeding.
“I felt like, ‘OK, I can compete,'” Livingston said. “It’s amazing how far my body had come.”
Brooklyn wanted to keep Livingston on a two-year deal last summer, but the guard found a three-year deal with the Warriors and didn’t look back. General manager Bob Myers liked the fit and thought Livingston could contribute in a variety of ways:
They signed Livingston to a three-year contract worth more than $15 million. Modest by NBA standards, but the largest of Livingston’s career.
“We needed a backup point and we wanted one that could play multiple positions,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. “So if we wanted to put Steph off the ball we could put Shaun on the ball, and vice versa. We didn’t want to spend $5 million [per year] on a player that would only play when Steph was out of the game.”
Livingston has been a great addition for the Warriors. He allows coach Steve Kerr to experiment with his line-up, and played a big part in helping Golden State tie the series 2-2 in Game 4 against Cleveland:
“The way he fits is just being a smart, cerebral basketball player,” Myers said. ”Scores on cuts. Scores on the break. Also facilitates on the perimeter, as far as getting our shooters shots. Just kind of an overall game that might have fit the NBA more in the ’80s or ’90s than it does today.
“It’s still okay to have guys that step inside the line and take a free throw-line jumper.”
Michael Jordan thinks he can beat Hornets players one-on-one, addresses LeBron James comparisons
Six-time champion Michael Jordan has never lacked confidence, and it was evident in what he recently told France’s L’Equipe.
Jordan was asked if he could beat any of the players on the team he owns, the Charlotte Hornets, and his response was quite Jordan-esq:
I‘m pretty sure I can, so I don’t want to do that and demolish their confidence. So I stay away from them, I let them think they’re good, they think that they are good. But I’m too old to do that anyway.”
The five-time league MVP was also asked about comparisons of eras and if it was possible to measure different stars against him:
No, you can’t compare eras, you can’t compare generations. I’ll never have the opportunity to play against LeBron in his prime, and he’ll never have the opportunity to play against me. But because a lot of people have never seen us in our prime, they compare. And that’s just the standard of measurement.”
It would be fun to see Jordan go up against James, Kobe Bryant and even a Kevin Durant. It’d be more interesting to see how “demolished” the confidence of Hornets players would be, though, if they got beat by a 52-year-old man well past his prime.
Other News From Around the League:
- The Chicago Bulls land San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Jim Boylen to become newly minted head coach Fred Hoiberg’s top assistant, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojarnowski reports: “Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg had targeted Boylen to coordinate his defensive coverages and use his strong NBA bench experience to facilitate Hoiberg’s leap to the pro sidelines from Iowa State.”
The Los Angeles Lakers, who hold the second overall pick in the 2015 draft, maybe eyeing another player with the selection, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. The franchise is now weighing its options with power forward prospect Kristaps Porzingis, who was said by many executives around the league, had an impressive Friday workout. The Lakers have been rumored to take either centers Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor, depending on which player the Minnesota Timberwolves do not select with the number one pick. However, Sheridan Hoops draft expert Joe Kotoch, released in his Mock Draft 5.0, the Lakers selecting guard D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State after the prospect canceled a workout with the Philadelphia 76ers: “There are several scouts and executives that believe Russell is the best prospect in this draft and will have the biggest impact as a rookie. There is growing speculation that Russell’s camp received a promise and in turn canceled a workout with the 76ers. Specifically, the Lakers have become enamored with the idea of the talented Russell becoming the primary ball-handler and learning under Kobe Bryant, who is in the twilight of his career. With Julius Randle returning healthy this year, the Lakers would have a nice 1-2 combo for the future while pairing them with Kobe and whoever they attract via free agency. While Jahlil Okafor is seen as an elite prospect by some, I believe the Lakers feel that Russell could end up being the best player in this draft.”
The Brooklyn Nets approached CSKA Moscow’s general manager and coach about jobs when Mikhail Prokhorov purchased the team, international basketball writer David Pick of Bleacher Report reported: “There are plenty of basketball people endorsing (Dimitris) Itoudis as a potential NBA coach. A Nets scout wrote his name on a short list of potential NBA coaches, and former players rave about his coaching acumen. Already considered the godfather of European club officials at age 41, (Andrey) Vatutin has built Moscow into an international powerhouse that has competed gamely with NBA franchises in preseason exhibitions. In 2013, CSKA lost 95-93 to the Spurs and beat the Timberwolves 108-106.” CSKA was owned by Prokhorov for a decade, winning two Euroleague championships.
- Looking for more Finals coverage? We’ve got you covered. See why Jan Hubbard, who pretty much created the basketball encyclopedia, says its a challenge for the TwitterWorld to show restraint from overreacting after every Finals game. Also, publisher Chris Sheridan, managing editor Chris Bernucca and longtime columnist Paul Ladewski discuss the next man up for the Cavaliers, Finals MVP and more in another edition of Three-Man Weave. Don’t miss out.
Odus Evbagharu is a blogger for Sheridan Hoops and you can follow him on Twitter: @iamodus_