On a limb: microfracture knee surgery has left Suns forward Amare Stoudemire at a career precipice: risk long-term damage by returning this season for a shot at a title or play it safe by waiting till next season

Sporting News, The, March 31, 2006 by Stan McNeal

The pain of coming back still feels like yesterday. "When you think you're taking two steps forward, you'll have a day of swelling that takes you back two weeks/' Webber says. "It's like tasting your tongue against a battery. That little acidity feeling--the sting you get-that's what you feel in that little place where the lesion was. If it would happen again, t wouldn't even try to come back."

Webber sat out for nine months after microfracture surgery, and. as the Suns have without Stoudemire, the Kings rolled through the 2003-04 season without their offensive leader. But they wanted Webber in the lineup to make a serious run at the title. Though he had 26 points and 12 rebounds in his first game back, Webber's return was a struggle for him and the Kings. He shot a career-low 41,3 percent, and his 18.7 points per game was his lowest average since his rookie season. The Kings stumbled to a 12-12 finish, then lost to the Timberwolves in the conference semifinals.

"I wanted to come back," he says. "I remember having an awesome game after being out so long and feeling good. But having my struggles at times ... swelling and pain in the morning. Not even being able to walk, really. Having to loosen it up all day to play at night. It's a serious transition."--S.M. and Percy Allen

A cloudy prognosis

A return to 100 percent after microfracture surgery is anything but
certain.

Stoudemire expects to have
better results than previous
microfracture patients.

Player            Age at surgery      After surgery

Terrell Brandon   31 (February '02)   Retired because of the injury.
Pat Garrity       27 (December '03)   Came back the following season,
                                        then tore his ACL in the same
                                        knee last April.
Penny Hardaway    28 (May '00)        Seems like he finally has given
                                        up on coming back.
Matt Harpring     29 (June '05)       Averaging 25.4 minutes, the
                                        fewest since his second season.
Allan Houston     32 (June '03)       Never was the same player;
                                        retired before the start of
                                        this season.
Jason Kidd        31 (July '04)       Says his knee is as good as ever;
                                        his game almost is, too.
Kerry Kittles     26 (June '00)       Sat out the '00-01 season before
                                        playing in every game the next
                                        year.
Karl Malone       40 (June '04)       Says his knee recovered six
                                        months later, but he hasn't
                                        played since the surgery.
Kenyon Martin     27 (May '05)        Has struggled all season because
                                        of troubles with the surgically
                                        repaired knee.
Jamal Mashburn    30 (November '03)   Also suffered other injuries that
                                        led to an early retirement.
Eduardo Najera    26 (December '02)   Came back less than two months
                                        after surgery and later
                                        admitted that wasn't smart.
Zach Randolph     23 (March '05)      Less than a year later, is
                                        averaging 18.7 points and 35.1
                                        minutes.
Bryon Russell     34 (November'05)    Already near the end of his
                                        career, he has played 3 minutes
                                        since the surgery.
John Stockton     35 (October '97)    Went on to have several more
                                        productive seasons, but he was
                                        a medical marvel.
Chris Webber      30 (June '03)       Two-plus years later, he still
                                        isn't the Webber of old-but
                                        he's close.
Alvin Williams    30 (November '04)   Played in one game before having
                                        surgery on the same knee in
                                        December.--S.M.