| Don't Call It A Comeback Authored by Rashod Butler - December 3, 2005 - 11:06 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Final Thoughts On The 2008 NBA Draft This year's draft was decidedly more calm and casual than the Oden/Durant showdown, which made for a more candid and personal experience.
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Oh Danny Boy
Danny Granger, who has just three years of NBA experience under his belt, will undoubtedly be the man in Indiana beginning this summer.
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But on a frigid night in Milwaukee, the Bucks appeared in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a game in which TJ sustained a serious spinal cord injury while going for a lay up against Mark Madsen. TJ, lifeless and limp, had to be carried off the court not knowing when the next time he could play basketball, or if he could even play at all. The injury was more serious than doctors thought, and TJ ended up missing the rest of the year, along with the following 2004-2005 NBA season.
Uncertain of his future, the only thing Ford could do was wait, and recover, no matter how long it took. In the summer of '05, TJ returned to his hometown of Houston after being cleared by doctors to return to the court. Ford was joined by a John Lucas, a former NBA head coach, to start a four-month rehabilitation program.
Lucas worked with TJ for what seemed like everyday. Building TJ's shot up, and training him for more endurance by putting applying ankle weights, Lucas could see TJ progressing.
Once Ford was cleared for contact drills, Lucas had to establish something in Ford's head before Ford could continue, and that was not to shy away from contact. Ford stored this as a mental note, and completed Lucas' training camp. By the time he left, he was making 500 shots a day, with the right form, and was in the best shape of his career.
After enduring both Lucas' training camp, and the Milwaukee Bucks', opening night had already arrived. The visiting Milwaukee Bucks were matched up against the Philadelphia Sixers for game one of the 2005-2006 season. TJ Ford didn't need much time to show he was back.
It was his first game coming back since the injury, and Ford didn't take it lightly. In the closing seconds, the Bucks were down three, when TJ drove and found a shifting Redd behind the three point line and dished. Redd made the shot and the game quickly went to overtime where the Bucks outlasted the Sixers 117-108, a game Ford was one rebound short of a triple-double. Ford finished with 16 points, 14 assists, and nine rebounds.
The next game was another road game, this time against the New Jersey Nets, and this time with Vince Carter. Ford once again proved he was back. He finished with 21 points and six assists, in a 110-96 win in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
For the Bucks third game, Ford put on a show for the fans of Milwaukee when he scored 13 points, and had 11 assists, another double-double, in a hard fought game against the Miami Heat.
And even though the NBA doesn't have a comeback player of the year award, all signs would indicate that the award would go to TJ Ford. |
