RealGM

With both players on the mend -- Brand from a ruptured Achilles tendon and Kaman from nerve inflammation in his back -- Coach Mike Dunleavy said the duo would square off in the next couple of practice days to further each other's rehabilitation.

"Since Kaman is a guy [Brand] can play against, they can really go at each other," Dunleavy said. "It's taking [Brand] to the next level. Now he's got a legit guy to play in the low post and bang against."

"Basically what I've said right now is, 'I want to see you guys go at each other, play one-on-one, run full-speed hard sprints, come back and play again,' " Dunleavy said. "To do all the stuff they can do at the highest level possible before playing five-on-five and full court. That's the best I can figure out how to do it."

LA Times

Uh oh...yall remember what happened the last time these two played one-on-one. Shaun Livingston better stay the hell away...

Yeah that's how it all started. Hopefully it's more of a full circle type thing than a repeat of last time type thing.

I don't know if I should say this or not. I like to think of myself as one of the biggest optimists in the whole Livingston ordeal. I stay positive about him but subconsciously maybe that's not the case. I've had two dreams as of late where he re-injured himself.

^^ I've been fearing the same thing. I've actually quietly thought that we may have seen the last of his playing days...I'm afraid that he'll fizzle quickly next season, aggravate his knee again or something, and go out a-la Darius Miles but it's important to keep in mind that his doctors are saying that his knee will recover thoroughly. I (and he) probably just couldn't take it if he hurt himself somehow that is completely unrelated to his knee, and have to put himself through another long, long rehab process.

I couldn't take Shaun having another major injury. I think that Shaun will be ok, but we won't really know until he plays. I'm hoping that he can return to the form that he was playing at last season and in the playoffs.

I'm not sure that his brain won't be harder to fix than his knee. How hard would it be to trust your knees again after what happened? I can't even watch that replay without worrying when I jump or lift something heavy, and he lived it.

I think it's going to be a difficult road for recovery for that guy, for more reasons than one.

jazzfan1971 wrote:I'm not sure that his brain won't be harder to fix than his knee. How hard would it be to trust your knees again after what happened? I can't even watch that replay without worrying when I jump or lift something heavy, and he lived it.

I think it's going to be a difficult road for recovery for that guy, for more reasons than one.

The mental aspect is definitely the biggest obstacle at this point in time. A few weeks back there was a play where Thornton narrowly escaped a potentially serious injury with an awkward landing. They cut right to Livingston and you could tell that he was uneasy and a little shaken up as it probably gave him flashbacks. To this day he has not watched the replay and that's probably for the best. It's easy for him to do certain things in practice without contact but as you know he's lightweight compared to most in the NBA his size. I could see him being a little tense initially trying to avoid contact (which could be dangerous in itself). This is make or break time for him. If he is not able to overcome doubt/fear then he'll be severely limited. If he takes this experience and lets it be a motivating factor into him conquering the odds then it could really help him along the right path (mentally) to be a better player (as long as his health prevails).

I'm believing for a full recovery and for him to resume a promising career. As JJ mentioned, the doctors have said that the stability of his knee is excellent. That was great to hear but like Numba2 said we won't know exactly until we see him.