In the wake of Paul George’s gruesome, devastating injury, it occurred to me that the Mavericks have been relatively lucky. Sure they’ve had their share of injuries through the years, but nothing even close to the level of George’s broken leg.
I was courtside in 2001 when Dirk Nowitzki had his two front teeth knocked out in a playoff game against the Spurs, only to return after a couple minutes and finish off a 30-point performance in a Game 4 win. I was in Vancouver in 1995 when Jamal Mashburn took an errant elbow to the cheek, a blow that has him with a pretty scar to this day.
But the injury that comes close to being squeamish happened two years ago when Delonte West attempted to deflect a pass, had the ball hit his hand awkwardly and broke his ring finger. Not just broke it, rerouted it. As West sat on the court blood was gushing from his finger, with the bone of the finger now angled at 90 degrees and clearly sticking through the skin.
West only missed a couple weeks. Here’s hoping George recovers. And that the Mavs continue to dodge such an awful episode.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
