On February 26, 2007, Shaun Livingston blew a layup against the Charlotte Bobcats. It might have been the worst miss in NBA history. On the landing, his knee buckled in a way that nature never intended, tearing his ACL, PCL and lateral meniscus and dislocating the joint in two different ways.
Ever seen the video? It makes Joe Theismann's broken leg -- courtesy Lawrence Taylor -- look like a paper cut.
Lots of people thought that would be the end of Livingston's NBA career -- and they may be right. He's in the midst of his fourth comeback attempt now; after two stints with the Thunder and one with Miami, he's getting a chance to show what he's got left as a member of the Washington Wizards.
The results? Promising. After scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and eight assists against the Magic on Saturday, Livingston was moved into Washington's starting lineup. His first start was less impressive -- six points, no assists in 23 minutes against the Jazz on Monday. He'll try again at Denver tonight.
I applaud the Wizards for giving him a shot. Hey, what do they have to lose? Livingston is the only natural point on their roster, and he won't even be 25 until September. If he can recapture just a tiny fraction of his pre-injury form, he'll be a tremendous asset. Before getting hurt, Livingston he was drawing comparisons to Magic Johnson.
Those comparisons always seemed a bit grandiose, but forgiveable -- after all, people don't have much frame of reference for a 6-8 point guard.
Good luck, Shaun Livingston. The NBA is a more interesting place with you in it.