McDyess will probably play.
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<a target=new href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article/0,1299,DRMN_20_1003577,00.html
">McDyess returning Friday vs. Memphis</a>
Vandeweghe agrees star forward ready to play again after a couple of false starts
By Kyle Ringo, News Staff Writer
Rocky Mountain News
Antonio McDyess is ready to play basketball again. The Denver Nuggets forward has been ready for a week now. He will make his season debut Friday at the Pepsi Center against Memphis.
No kidding this time.
McDyess has missed every game this season after undergoing surgery Oct. 12 to repair a partially torn patellar tendon. He has endured a laborious rehabilitation while watching teammates lose. Several of his closest friends on the team were traded Thursday in a deal that shifted Denver's focus back to rebuilding.
McDyess is aching to get back in uniform and start winning again. Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe now agrees he's ready.
Vandeweghe stopped McDyess from making his comeback last week in a home game against Utah. McDyess had announced his intention to play in the game and team doctors had given him the OK. Vandeweghe stepped in and said he believed McDyess still needed more practice time to strengthen his left knee.
Vandeweghe then set Friday as a new return date. Then he wasn't so sure if setting that date was a good idea. Now he is, and he says it was McDyess' decision all along.
"It's up to him," Vandeweghe said. "Clearly, I think everybody in Denver would love to see Antonio back out there playing.
"When I talked to him before, he sounded like he wasn't real sure of himself, and I decided he shouldn't play until he felt more confident."
McDyess said he has been ready for a week and feels certain he isn't putting too much pressure on himself to come back. He realizes there will be challenges along the way and times when his knee will beg him for mercy.
"I know that's going to be part of coming back, the aching part," McDyess said. "I just have to fight through that and continue to keep my confidence up and don't get down on myself."
McDyess said his weakness remains his ability to stop quickly when running, but his knee has improved dramatically in that regard. His endurance is improving, but it won't be truly tested until he plays a game.
Denver interim coach Mike Evans is sticking to the philosophy that McDyess should not start initially and will play only in 5- or 6-minute intervals at first. Eventually, McDyess will work himself into a condition where his readiness to start and play significant blocks of time will be evident.
"I feel great," McDyess said. "Sometimes when I'm having hard practices it causes my knee to get fatigued a little bit, but other than that I'm feeling fine and I'll be on schedule for March 1."
The experience also has taught McDyess to be a realist. He is excited to get back out there but understands he isn't going to be playing at the level he was a year ago.
That will take time.
McDyess was one of six NBA players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds a game last season. It earned him his first All-Star Game appearance. Before suffering a dislocated left kneecap and missing the final 10 games of the season, McDyess had averaged 20.8 points and a career-best 12.1 rebounds. Only Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber and Elton Brand had similar statistics.
"I know right away I won't be a big impact on the team, but at least I can give them some kind of minutes," McDyess said.
Before Thursday's trade brought veteran Juwan Howard to town, McDyess' teammates used to say a partly healthy McDyess was better than any other low-post option. That isn't true anymore with a completely healthy Howard.
Now teammates are excited to have both options. The Nuggets are likely to be transformed from an outside shooting team to a team that plays inside out.
"That gets me very excited," Vandeweghe said. "We're obviously a much better team with him on the court."