Clippers athletic trainer Jasen Powell confirmed Monday that guard Shaun Livingston did have a one-on-one contact session last Friday but that Livingston’s activities remain heavily monitored.
“He’s doing limited contact work, in conjunction with strength work,” Powell said.
That regiment includes contact work twice a week and heavy strength work on the alternating days.
“This was a good first step for him,” Powell said.
But Livingston will not be playing in any pickup games or even in any three-on-three half-court scrimmages anytime soon.
The Clippers will conduct a mini-camp next month, in preparation for participating in the Las Vegas Summer League. Powell said it would be far-fetched to believe that Livingston would be able to do anything more strenuous than five-on-zero fast-break drills.
“Five-on-five is far from being in the picture, because we’re being very conservative,” Powell said.
Nevertheless, Powell was quite optimistic about Livingston’s prospects of playing in the 2008-2009 season.
It has been nearly 16 months since Livingston last played basketball. He suffered what was feared to be a career-ending left knee injury, Feb. 26, 2007, in which he ruptured all of the major knee ligaments, as well as a dislocated knee cap and damage to his lateral meniscus. He missed the entire 2007-2008 season.
Livingston has not suffered any major setbacks, since his surgery was performed 15 months ago, although he did have a case of tendinitis, that flared up in January, and was forced to cut back on his basketball-related activities.
