Brazil - Nene shines bright amid NBA opulence

From www.denverpost.com
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Nene's time has been spent mainly on the bench, but his presence has been a boost for the Nuggets. (Ross D. Franklin, The Associated Press )There is no schmaltz in basketball.

Not in this ostentatious and pretentious league, where sentimental emotions are kept zipped inside the Louis Vuitton luggage.

This is a Brad Pitt league; Hugh Grants can buy a ticket.

But once in a while, something magical and Hollywood-like happens to a team, and the players embrace it with their long, open arms.

Such is the case with the enraptured Nuggets: Their well-liked teammate underwent the removal of a cancerous testicular tumor, followed by chemotherapy. And in the same season, he persevered to rejoin the team and inspire the players during a heated playoff race.

"I don't think Nene understands how he helps other guys by playing," Denver coach George Karl said. "He helps the spirit of the team, the camaraderie, the confidence. Basketball and sport is made up of intangibles, little things that you really don't understand."

First there was the night Nene, 25, returned to the bench, and the inspired Nuggets defeated the Spurs on March 8.

He made his return to the court in the waning minutes of the important March 27 win against Dallas. And in his next game at the Pepsi Center, this past Tuesday against Phoenix, he received another standing ovation and played sturdy defense against Shaquille O'Neal, while notching four points, five rebounds and two assists in just 10 minutes. Denver won that game, too.

It's not that Nene is the singular reason for these wins, but, as Karl and the Nuggets say, he is providing a vibe.

"It's a story of a special spirit, anytime we can bring a good human side of competition and athleticism," said Karl, who is a cancer survivor. "There just seems to be a better chemistry on the team — a spirit, fight, gutsiness."

Forward Eduardo Najera has been Nene's teammate since 2004-05. He said he feels Nene's presence.

"We embrace him to the point that I think he knows that he was missed, just around the (Pepsi Center) facility, not just him playing,"

The goal, Karl said, is to get Nene up to a consistent 15 to 20 minutes per game. It will be gradual. After all, Nene underwent chemotherapy Feb. 26. On March 24, after a workout, Nene said his hands were shaking due to lingering effects from the treatment. Now, he's guarding Shaq.

"He's going to have to play breathing hard, with some burn in his gut," Karl said. "Hopefully in a playoff situation he'll be a factor in the game, or even at the end of the season."

Nene has touched the world. There are his fans in Denver and his fans in Brazil. There are the testicular-cancer survivors, and those battling it right now. There's his coach, who survived cancer, and the coach's son, Coby, who survived cancer as well. And there are his teammates, who happily let down their guard to embrace this tale of perseverance.

"Nene is an inspiration," said Dr. Fernando Kim of Denver Health, who performed the surgery. "He's been through a lot. He had everything and could have lost everything, but he went through the treatment and is back on his feet. He has been extremely brave."

Kim stresses that testicular cancer is actually prominent among younger adults, and that annual testing at a doctor's office is highly suggested. "If it can happen to Nene," he said, "it can happen to anybody."