Shaun Livingston experiencing some pain in his repaired knee

Shaun Livingston’s career is in his knees. Or in his knee, really. Until the day he retires from the game for good, there will always be questions (from fans, teammates, trainers, coaches, and managers alike) about the stability of that joint, and as much as I wish we could scrub The Snap Heard ‘Round the World from our memories, a signifier of that event may as well be rubber-stamped on Livingston’s forehead.

He comes to the Bobcats this season with five seasons of NBA experience, career averages of 7.2 points and 4.4 assists per game, and one truly horrific injury that can never be forgotten.

That’s why whenever Livingston and his knee make headlines these days, there’s a spark of concern, if not a momentary panic. Livingston has already come back from so much, and whether you sympathize, or empathize, or -ize in whatever capacity you see fit with Shaun Livingston (Agonize? Satirize?), I’m sure we can all agree that the guy deserves a healthy stretch.

No such luck. From Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:

Charlotte Bobcats point guard Shaun Livingston just told me he’ll have a pain-relieving injection Wednesday to address soreness of late in his surgically repaired left knee...Livingston sounded up-beat about the situation; the knee isn’t swelling, it’s just giving him unexpected pain that started about a week before training camp. Doctors examined the knee, Livingston said, and found no new damage. The injection should give him relief for up to the next six months, he was told.

It could be much, much worse. The lack of swelling is good. Shaun’s positivity is good. There’s a lot to be happy about here, aside from the fact that Livingston is ailing at all.

But this is his life now. These are the kinds of things that will follow Livingston throughout his career, and there’s not too much that you, he, or even trained doctors can do about that.