4 hours ago
(02-20-2026, 09:05 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I wonder if a broken bone is like an ACL in that you aren't 100% when you first come back from the injury.
Often times, a healed broken bone is stronger than the bone was previously due to a variety of factors.
But since broken bones require immobilization, often for many months, things around the area atrophy. As a high level athlete, the muscles waste and the high twitch movement you've built as a habit has all of a sudden reset and you must rebuild it. That's just the physical part of it. The mental battle is a whole different game.
That is possibly to what Ivey is referring to. His injury was very severe and took a long time to heal. Just to rebuild to where he was will take time in terms of habits. And it's like trying to walk backwards on one of those moving walkways because all the time that it is taking you to just get back to where you were, your peers are using that time to get even better and the goalposts have shifted. Must be heavy given he never really got the chance to show out for a big contract and then his role got replaced.
I don't think Ivey is worth Gafford, but he may be worth a flier as a reclamation project. Although I don't think the Mavs want to invest the time given ideally they are trying to win next year.
14x All-Star, 12x all-NBA, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1 NBA Championship: Dirk Nowitzki, the man, the myth, the legend.