Yes, and that is if we are fortunate enough he can make that transition. The question I have is, can Nate make the transition from depending on him too much at the end of the game.
Doesn't Chris Paul have this situation, albeit in one knee? I recall reading that he too has no meniscus, and is bone-on-bone in one of them. But, fwiw, we knew of this with Roy back when the playoffs started last season. His last surgery led him to take away most of the meniscus that was left. That's why he was able to return so early.
No, it was saying his salary still counted against the Knicks' cap, even though he was no longer playing. So even though he wasn't being paid, it was still salary that couldn't be spent on other players due to the cap. That's my understanding anyway.
If he retires, his salary no longer counts against the cap. If he merely sits on the bench while injured, the team might not have to pay his salary due to insurance, but his salary will count on the cap.
What Fez quoted (dunno the source, though) claimed differently: "Houston retired in 2005 but the impact of his contract, exacerbated by other bad contracts brought on by Layden, did not subside. In 2006, Allan Houston's salary was $20,718,750 against the cap although he was no longer playing for the team."
I don't think that's right. The Celtics were trying to trade Sheed because he was willing to hold off on retiring until they traded him, thus making him an expiring contract.
Wasn't that the NBA amnesty clause that year that allowed a player to be cut and not paid, but their salary still counted toward the cap or something like that?
Hell, even if it isn't for an NBA player maybe they should try it. I wouldn't want arthritic knees for the rest of my life.
Your post got me thinking about what options Brandon, and the Blazers, have. Unlike 5-10 years ago, where a badly damaged meniscus was almost always career-ending (e.g. Allan Houston, Chris Webber, etc), today there appears to be hope for patients/athletes with badly damaged knee cartilage (meniscus). I'm not a surgeon, and I certainly don't know whether Brandon would be a candidate, but I wonder if the Blazers/Brandon have considered Meniscal Allograft Transplantation. I trust the Blazers medical staff have probably considered this option (or given their track history, maybe not), but would it hurt to pass this along to Cho/Jensen? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscal_cartilage_replacement_therapy The last sentence of the above wiki article gives me some hope (it's all we got right now): "Meniscal transplantation offers patients with badly damaged cartilage an alternative to total joint replacement, and allows patients to pursue active lifestyles including impact sports." The excerpt below is a fan post from T-Mac's "official" website: I HAD MY FIRST MICROFRACTURE AT A YOUNGER AGE THAN YOU (27) AND IT DID NOT WORK AT ALL. MICROFRACTURE WORKS LESS AND LESS WITH AGE. BY 30 I HAD ALMOST NO CARTILAGE LEFT IN MY KNEE. AT AGE 31 I HAD A MENISCUS TRANSPLANT AND IT WORKED VERY WELL. IT ACTUALLY REPLACES YOUR CARTILAGE WITH A TRANSPLANT THAT IS VERY SIMILAR TO YOUR ORIGINAL CARTILAGE RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO RE-GROW “SCAB CARTILAGE” THAT IS NOT AS GOOD AS THE STUFF IT IS REPLACING.
It makes sense, considering the Tommy John procedure in pitchers. It would seem to replace what is missing, with a sufficient amount of meniscus. Maybe the risks are too high, who knows. But if he's going to be out and it's an option (and is needed/suggested) I hope they think about it. Even if it puts him out for this year and some of next year. It's not like Brandon is 40 (just his knees).
Interesting stuff, but if it did work for NBA players, I am certain it would be used for them. I was listening to ESPN radio late last night and some "expert" stated Roy has a less than 10% chance of continuing his career as a full time player, playing 76+ games per season. He most likely will be come a part time player when he feels up to it.
