Get well soon, Shawn

I only heard about it, but here's a clip of Shawn Livingston's grotesque knee injury...please be forewarned - it's not for the faint of heart...

I don't know about you, but I winced and groaned out loud when the injury occurs in the vid. As someone who's an avid player of the game, I guess it's something I can identify with.
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports has this interesting read up about Livingston:

Had Livingston gone to college, he never would have gotten out, each injury serving as a red flag to the NBA that would have kept him from being drafted. And eventually Livingston's knee was destined to fail him. It just would have been in Cameron Indoor rather than the Staples Center.

Instead he got when the getting was possible, and smart, savvy and mature, he then protected his money. One of his business advisors said Wednesday that Livingston has perhaps $6 million in bank. He is set to earn additional NBA and shoe company millions while he rehabs over at least the next eight to 12 months.

He probably will play again. But even if he doesn't, even this is a worst-case scenario and he never sees another minute in the NBA, he forever has changed the economic realities of his family.

Personally, I'd have to disagree w/ his first point. I feel that if he had gone on to spend a year or two at Duke before joining the NBA ranks, he would have given his body some time to mature. Maybe it's in his genes to have a lanky (borderline wispy) frame, but at least he would have access to personal team trainers to help him bulk up and gain some semblance of musculature (thus reducing his injury risk). It can be argued that he was banged up so much during his brief NBA career because his body was, simply, not prepared (please don't mention LeBron...or Oden...they're freaks of nature...or Human Growth Hormone guzzlers).

Not that they don't have trainers and nutritionists in the NBA. In fact, I'm sure that they boast of the services of some of the best in the biz. It's just that with a grueling 82-game schedule that involves an insane amount of travel, it's hard to see where he'd have the time to work on getting his body up to par to NBA standards.

Then again, there's always the summertime to put in the work. And if Livingston's frail condition is a reflection of his lack of dedication during that time, then it's all on him.

Isn't it funny how his rail-thin body sticks out in today's jacked-up NBA? In another era, bodies like his were the norm. Case in point - the Iceman, George Gervin.