Would You Want Your Team to Sign Shaun Livingston?
Today’s Boston Herald has the latest on Shaun Livingston’s knee injury, his rehab and his impending free agency:
Guarded interest
It’s not always best to take need over talent in the NBA draft, but with long-term concerns over injured guard Shaun Livingston, it would be a shock if the Clippers didn’t take a guard with the seventh pick. Livingston destroyed his left knee after landing awkwardly following a missed layup against Charlotte in February 2007, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament, and the lateral meniscus. The fourth overall pick in 2004 missed last season and it’s uncertain when he will play again. An NBA source said the Clippers aren’t expected to make Livingston a qualifying offer (the lowest starts at $5.8 million), making him an unrestricted free agent July 1. But with major knee concerns, it’s uncertain the Clippers, or any team, will be rushing to sign him. According to the source, Livingston can’t work out back-to-back days and needs about 90 minutes of therapy before doing noncontact basketball drills. There is speculation he might not be able to play at the NBA level again. What made Livingston special: he is a point guard with Magic Johnson-like height, at 6 feet 7 inches. But if he returns without his spectacular quickness, he could move to the small forward position.
He can’t work out back-to-back days and needs 90 minutes of therapy before non-contact drills? That makes it sound like it would take a minor miracle for him to get anywhere close to NBA-level of play again. Would you want your team to take a gamble on signing him? Before you say yes, think about the fact that he’d be A) taking up some salary space and B) would be taking away a roster spot (in camp at least) from a guy who might actually be able to help your team.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Chuck........I Love this game says:
H*ll Naw!!! Dude is done. I don’t know if anyone saw when dude hurt his knee, but it was NASTY, dude is DONE!! Pick up A gaurd in the draft and let dude go!
June 9th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
DO says:
no. he’s not even a proven player. he’s an injury-prone player, with potential.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The Jed says:
Yes. The Celtics pay 15 million over 3 years for Brian Scalabrine to be a great teammate. I would 100% give Livingston a 3 year contract and hope that if he can’t play, insurance covers the contract and if it doesn’t, I’d be okay with it.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Chuck........I Love this game says:
@The Jed
Scalabrine doesn’t make 15 over 3, he makes 9 over 3, which is still grossly overpaid, but eh, it could be worse they could have darius miles contract?
June 9th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
rodnets says:
nope. I take my chances with another healthy pg. I alos disagree on paying a cheer leader type of player that money to do nothing
June 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Jeffrey says:
I would not sign shaun livingston because:
1)He’s a bust
2)He’s far too young to lead an offense
3)He weights like 90 pounds
and
4)He’s another high school draft picks
Honestly, how many high schoolers turn out to be good players.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
pimpin says:
from what I remember more high schoolers were at least good, if not great players than were busts.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
DaPro says:
@ Jeffrey
Some of the best players in the League right now are Prep to Pros
You can take your team of College stars vs the Prep to Pros and I’d win majority of the time
Lebron
Kobe
KG
Amare
Howard
Mcgrady
Lewis
That’s enough right there to make some noise
June 9th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Big Freeze says:
That was the one of the most shocking and sickening injuries I’ve ever seen. From the article, it appears that Livingston will not be able to play in the NBA again, and if he does miraciously heal to the point where he can play, he will just be a SG or SF with out the speed and explosiveness. Pass
June 9th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
rob stewart says:
Let him go. Not only does he have to overcome injury nut he has a lot of development to do. Needs to get stronger, needs a better shot, needs experience. I feel for the kid but there isn’t much upside for him
June 9th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
fallinup says:
Shaun needs to be let go. He has no place in the league. Let him play in Europe/D-League let him develop his rail thin body…something he should have done at first. Any GM that would hand him a contract is plain smokin’ crack. That’s great that he has talent…too bad he is too damn hurt to develop it.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
s,bucketZ says:
well…my team is the knicks..and well take wutever we can get
June 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
kobeef says:
@Falinup
I agree – you hate to say it but the reason Livingston got injured is because he has such a frail, weak physique…injuries were bound to happen.
His is probably another argument for the age limit – if he had gone to college he probably would have worked harder to get strong so he could get drafted. Now look at him – he’s about 23 years old and his NBA career is over.
Sad story, really.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
shake&bake says:
They should make him live in the weight room while he is hurt to develop some upper body strength. I’d sign him and let him play his way back through the D-League similar to baseball players rehabbing in the minors after injuries. I think he’d be worth the risk if he can be close to his athleticism from before the injury.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
GEE...The wotten apple says:
with so many roster spots yeaaaa i would drop someone and at least try a year on dude. as far as my squad (houston) i dont see where it would hurt any more. for 5 to 10 min. dude might be able to contribute.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Damon says:
damn, he was sooo talented and promising, i hate it when a player like that can’t show his real potential. but as a pacers fan i just have to say jonathan bender…
but about the signing, i would work him out and see how he plays. but from hearing that reports, he won’t play again.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Celts Fan says:
You have to think about signing him to a SMALL, 1 year deal. Worst case scenario, he’s your last guy on the bench (even 5 minutes after the injury, I’d'a still taken him over Scal) so it’s not like you’re losing much, and if he does become even servicable, you got a steal. It’s worth a shot, just has to be a small salary and only 1 year. Might as well roll the dice…
June 9th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Celts Fan says:
@pimpin “from what I remember more high schoolers were at least good, if not great players than were busts.”
of course FROM WHAT (YOU) REMEMBER most were at least good, cuz who remembers Tony Key, Leon Smith, Corleone Young…
June 9th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Big Freeze says:
lmao @ post 12
June 9th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
D says:
let him go to the d-league on his own and go earn a spot in the L. or go overseas and get paid. The kid never even neared his “potential” save maybe a game or two. I feel bad watching that injury, but dude had the opportunity of a lifetime. hope he invested his money….there’s plenty of other serviceable talent out there that’s much more worth taking over the risk that is shaun livingston. it’s the truth.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
s,bucketZ says:
wen he was commin outta high school tho its not like he was gettin drafted cuz he was a freak athlete like some of the other guys commin right outta high school…it was cuz of his height and point guard abilities so he could still be effective…im sure his handles are still smooth nd his passing should come back to him after a while…only problem hed really have is guarding faster pgs but his length makes up for a lot of that lateral quickness..id giv him some burn
June 9th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Cammy Z says:
Someone with that much upside, I don’t see how signing him to a one year minimum deal hurts. Yeah, there might be a like a 25% chance he can be a full-time NBA player, but, if he does get regular minutes, there’s like a 50% chance he can be a star and whoever signs him will have found a star pretty cheap and pretty easily.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
luckylester says:
I would sign him – because you never know, and it’s not like he’s going to get Javon Walker money… The Knicks are dumb, but there isn’t an Oakland Raiders of the NBA. Lots of guys are a waste of contract money, and they will never be good – Jerome James, Eric Snow, Damon Jones are just a few, it’s the NBA, there are tons. The Suns should sign the guy, or maybe the Knicks (you know, the team without a point but with 6 shooting guards that think they are points) should sign him – if he does end up getting healthy, he’ll be your best pg prospect – if he doesn’t, he’s just like every other damn guy on your team, and D’Antoni only plays 7 guys anyway – he’ll probably only play 5 in NY. Anyway, Livingston isn’t a bust. I think a bust is a guy that just sucks and it’s not an injury that kills his career. He was improving – he had some good runs – he was a really skinny highschool kid, not some super freak man child, he was expected to take time to grow up and become NBA ready. Anyway, YES, I would love to sign that kid, if there was ever a kid that was working his A off to get back to healthy again with great court vision, good size, and is a good kid, i’d say he’s worth a look.
June 10th, 2008 at 1:27 am
the real marcus says:
^^^ agree with the post above…
June 10th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Kermit the Washington says:
He’s worth a look, but maybe he should spend a minute in the dLeague to give teams an idea of his recovery
June 10th, 2008 at 8:37 am
MSkittle says:
From what I’ve seen of him in the NBA, he is very overrated.
June 10th, 2008 at 11:20 am
doc says:
I never seen that star shit everybody talks about with him anyway.Tell him McDonalds hiring.