Nuggets PF Nene had an excellent run over the last few months of the 06-07 NBA season, which has lead many to believe that he is in store for a great 07-08 campaign. With 30 minutes of playing time (which was nearly guaranteed with only the fragile Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin competing with him) I was projecting Nene to put up a minimum of 16 pts, 8.5 boards, 50% FG, and a little over 1 block.
Unfortunately, word from the FIBA Americas Tournament has not been good. Nene had visibly put on weight over the summer, which is something he has struggled with. To make matters worse, he aggravated a pre-existing leg injury in Brazil's loss to Argentina.
From ESPN:
...he injured his leg he left for the locker room and did not return. He left Thomas & Mack Center in a wheelchair.
"He did not hurt his knee, it was a muscle problem he already had in his leg," Brazil coach Aluisio Ferreira said. "The doctors are still evaluating the extent of the injury but it has nothing to do with his knee."
A couple of things about that report are making my fantasy danger sense tingle. For one, he has a pre-existing leg injury that he is playing on, although they didn't mention exactly what that injury is. While we don't know what this injury is, it is likely that it contributed to his weight gain. If the injury doesn't clear up his weight could be an issue all season. In addition, he had to be taken out of the arena in a wheel chair, which suggests something serious.
Could Nene turn it around and be ready to go in 2 months? Sure, it's possible, depending on the injury. But for right now, the fact that he is overweight and already injured is bad news. Drop him down at least a few rounds on your draft board, and expect that the first month or so of the season may be rocky if he has to play his way into shape.
-unpossibl1
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