McDyess to sit out rest of season?

This doesn't sound like someone that has long term plans on remaining a Nugget. With him having the option on his contract after next year & the rumored possibility of Van Exel & LaFrentz being traded away, could it be that he's doing this with the intention of opt'ing out of his contract?

Assuming that to be the case, I've got an offer for you NugzFan. You can keep LaFrentz, because now I want McDyess.

I'll give you Cato/Walt/a box of stale cookies/dust buster/2 tickets to a John Tesh concert/1 used condom for McDyess.

What do you say, do we have a deal?

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,90%7E339996,00.html

McDyess mulls sitting out


Nuggets star wonders if returning to the team this year is 'worth it'

By Marc J. Spears
Denver Post Sports Writer

Thursday, January 17, 2002 - Denver Nuggets forward Antonio McDyess said Wednesday night that if his knee still is giving him trouble next month, he thinks it might be best to sit out the rest of this season.

"You kind of start thinking, 'Will it be worth coming back, trying to rush back?' " McDyess said before the Nuggets faced Sacramento at the Pepsi Center. "I want to come back pain-free. If it's still not pain-free in February, I am wondering whether it will be worth it. We don't have a winning record. I am trying to think positive still, but I am just always thinking about my career.


McDyess: 'I want to come back pain-free.'
"I'm not saying I am not coming back or trying to make a decision not to come back. I want to come back this year. I want to come back healthy and strong."

McDyess' remarks took general manager Kiki Vandeweghe by surprise.

"We really didn't think about that, but it's up to Antonio," Vandeweghe said about the possibility of McDyess sitting out the season. "With any type of thing like this - and all the guys in the NBA that have gone through this - there are good days and bad days. I just want to make sure he feels good about it. Our trainers and doctors think he is making great progress and is right on schedule. But at the end of the day, Antonio has to feel good about it.

"I think he really wants to be out there. That's my feeling. I have no reason to think he'll be out (the whole season). He'll play as soon as he gets healthy."

McDyess averaged 20.8 points and 12.1 rebounds last season and was one of six NBA players to average 20 points and 10 rebounds. But the 2001 all-star has yet to play this season after having surgery Oct. 12 on his left knee to repair a partial tear of the patella tendon. The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, from which he has recovered.

McDyess was expected to return to the Nuggets (11-26) next month.

Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen wasn't certain when McDyess would begin practicing or when he could be ready to play. When asked when he thought he would return, McDyess said: "I couldn't tell you. I'm still indefinite. I have so many up-and-down days that you really can't tell right now."

McDyess added: "I'm out until February, they say, but there is still no definite answer on that. I've been struggling trying to get back all season. This isn't fun. I just feel like things are getting worse."

Nuggets forward-center Raef LaFrentz, who appeared in 12 games during the 1998-99 season before having season-ending surgery on his left anterior cruciate ligament, understands McDyess' concern. LaFrentz, however, said it would be best for McDyess to return no matter how late in the season it is.

"With my personal experience, I think it would be advantageous to come back at some point this year and do whatever he can to get the bad feeling out of his head," said LaFrentz, who plans to meet with McDyess. "And he should get the confidence that his knee is going to be OK for next year. Those games he would come back and play would be invaluable for his mind."

McDyess realizes the team is counting on him to improve the Nuggets' play. But he said he doesn't know how long it would take him to get back to his old form. And by the time he returns, if he returns, the playoffs likely will be an afterthought.

"Right now, we have the third-worst record in the league," said McDyess, who is signed through the 2003-04 season but has a buyout clause after next season. "Will we have a chance to get to the playoffs right now? Nope. That's my thought. My leg, I feel that is the most important thing right now. Basketball, our record and (my leg), I put my leg first. It's my career. It's how I make a living.

"I'm not scared. I want to come back, honestly. I'm not scared. I would be scared if it's not as good as I want it to be when I come back."