Posted by martin:

I am no doctor, but can't you come back fully from a broken bone? I understand that Dice's first surgery was for a torn patella. That may take something away from an athlete. But broken bones? Even if it is a knee cap.

NBA athletes are, for the most part, exceptions to the rules physically. They have the best trainer, doctors, PTs, whatever. Remember, Kenyon came back from several broken bones, albeit different ones. Didn't Baron Davis have an ACL ruptured in college?

Now, granted the above examples are different than Dice's, and he did just spend essentially 3 years on the IR. But that doesn't mean he cannot - and will not - come back strong. Maybe not the old Dice, but certainly he can still bring it, if all goes well.

Martin, as an ivy league med student, i've got to add my two cents to this... You can come back easily from broken bones... and heal, but a a point that's been broken usually never would heal fully to withstand the rigors of an NBA game. It's not like Kenyon Martin who broke a long bone, twice. That shouldn't really happen... but, the kneecap... have you ever seen one? seriously, the thing is fragile as it is... and the knee is crucial man, with everything you know this...

Knee problems, you've got to be kidding me. You can come back, but there is a reason he keeps injuring it. It's not a freak accident. there is serious, serious structural damage there.

Speaking from someone who has injured his left knee 3 times playing ball - football and basketball, and one freak accident, the knee is never the same. GRANTED, i didn't break my kneecap, or tear my patella tendon, but still... we all know this.

DYESS IS ON BORROWED TIME. Guy can go down at any time. I hope it never happens, but... it probably will.

What he should try and do is lose weight and play SF. I know it sounds dumb, but weight on the knee is horrible. He'd probably retire before switching to SF, but he needs to stop jumping up and down on that thing. Basketball requires you to jump and such, so, it'll probably blow out.

Furthermore... he's probably favoring his other knee now, to protect his injured knee, which as you know, will mess up his "good" knee.

Granted, i'm not a doc, but, problems with the knee, a high stress area will probably always be a problem. During or after his playing days (and who knows when that will be).

Posted by tkf:

as with any professional athlete, injuries like that can happen to anyone at anytime...