Kenny George: Defensive Dream or One-Season Wonder?

At 7 feet 7 inches and 360 pounds, with two knee surgeries already, Kenny George is a basketball coach's dream player, and a team trainer's nightmare. He can do wonders for the team if he stays healthy, but keeping him healthy is not going to be easy.

As his coach said, in a New York Times interview: "They didn't know what to do with him. But afterward he didn't play for the next five days because his knees were too swollen and sore." And in another interview for the UNC Bulldogs website, Biedenbach said "He's remarkably good with his hands and hand-eye coordination, considering how little he has played. If he can get physically fit and his knees hold up, there's no telling how good he could be."

If his knees hold up, he'll be great. If they don't, as the coach says, "hold up", he may be walking in pain for the rest of his life, if he's able to walk at all. Is it worth crippling this young man to win basketball games?

Strengths: He's big enough to dunk the ball without leaving the floor, and massive enough to clog the lanes just by standing there. That makes him an good defensive player, even if he's not agile. He has a good attitude, and is reportedly cooperative and eager to improve.

Weaknesses: Size doesn't come free. Like most large men, Kenny George is slow. It takes a while to get that much mass moving, even if it's mostly muscle. He's not fast enough to succeed at a fast break.

The strain of being oversized is already taking a toll on his joints. He's only a junior, but Kenny George has had two knee surgeries already for dislocated knees. When ligaments are stretched, as happens when you dislocate a joint, they never recover completely. He wears braces to minimize the damage that basketball is inflicting. Strength training and conditioning might improve his speed, but there's no way to strengthen the bones and ligaments those muscles will be pulling on. Paradoxically, the stronger and faster he gets, the higher the risk of another knee dislocation.

Future: I don't see him surviving as a basketball player for more than a couple of years. Fortunately, he has some talent in art and animation.

Advice: Kenny, get out while you can still walk, please. You sound like a pleasant, intelligent young man. I'd like to see you in the movies, maybe walking into the Oscars, not hobbling on the sidelines.