You cannot help but cringe when watching Baron Davis’ knee injury from last season’s playoffs (Disclaimer: not for the squeamish). The 33-year old tore his ACL and MCL while driving to the basket in a playoff game against the Miami Heat. The recovery time for this type of injury is supposed to be a full year, but Davis thinks he can make it back sooner than that.
“I’m feeling good, getting there,” Davis said while hosting his third annual kickball game to benefit the Rising Stars of America. “A lot of rehab. A lot of rehab. My summer is just consisting of rehabbing, focusing in on this foundation and these kids and doing as much good as I possibly can with my time off.”
Davis took over the starting point guard job for the New York Knicks when Jeremy Lin went down with an injury, but he is currently a free agent. I doubt any team is looking to sign him before they see what he is capable of after the injury. He was not playing at his best before it happened, and there is no telling what his leg will be like after.
My advice to Davis would be to take the year off. Do not worry about rushing back, especially when you do not have anything specific to rush back to. At his age, playing on a knee that is not ready can be even more devastating than the original injury. Some players do not ever return from tearing their ACL and MCL, there is no reason he has to try and do it faster than recommended.
If he takes the year off and rehabs well, he can then consider making a comeback. He will be 34 next offseason and probably have a couple years left in the tank to try and sign with a new team. Nobody is busting down the door begging for his services so there is no point in putting pressure on himself to return.
We may see Baron Davis play in the NBA again, but I really hope it is not this year.
