Natt: Battle of Wounded Knee Ends : Nuggets’ Forward Accepted the Pain and Toughed It Out

At last, Calvin Natt can stop torturing his injured right knee, which has been alternately wrapped in bandages and heating balm to enable him to play, or covered with ice bags to prevent more swelling afterward.

No matter the treatment, the Denver Nuggets’ forward has been in constant pain for months.

But following the Lakers’ win Wednesday night at the Forum to wrap up the NBA Western Conference title, Natt’s right knee finally will receive the only treatment that his doctors believe will relieve the pain.

“I’m going to have the operation as soon as the season ends,” Natt said before Game 5, which he knew would probably be Denver’s last. “I’ll probably do it right away. Next week at the latest.”

When the doctors perform arthroscopic surgery, a procedure that was recommended in February, they will have a good idea of what is causing the pain. A calcified piece of cartilage has been floating around the outside of Natt’s knee since late January, and the pain caused by it has worsened in the last three weeks.

Because the Nuggets were heading into the playoffs, and the doctors assured him there probably wouldn’t be permanent damage if he continued to play, Natt decided to postpone the operation until after the season. The decision was strictly his, Natt said, without coercion from Denver management or Coach Doug Moe.

Now that the time has come for the arthroscope to poke around Natt’s knee, he’s hoping that the continual wear and tear he has inflicted on it won’t make the injury more serious than originally believed.

“Physically, it’s been a strain, especially in the last three weeks, when I’ve felt it more,” Natt said. “A lot of people have come up to me--my family members and players--and asked me if I think I made the right decision. I’d have to say I did, because they (doctors) said there would be no permanent damage. But the longer I go without surgery, the more irritated it gets. I’m happy to have gotten this far.”

Most likely, the Nuggets wouldn’t have won the Midwest Division during the regular season and advanced to the Western Conference final without Natt’s contribution. Natt, who came to Denver from Portland along with Wayne Cooper and Lafayette Lever for Kiki Vandeweghe in last summer’s big trade, averaged a career-high 23.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in the regular season. Perhaps more important to Denver’s success has been Natt’s strength underneath the boards, something the Nuggets lacked in previous years. But Moe is more impressed with Natt’s inner strength.

“He’s as good a competitor as I’ve ever seen,” Moe said. “He’s got an inner drive that pushes him through whatever obstacles come up. He may not have a good game tonight, but he will give a great effort. You expect that.”

Coming off a superb performance in Game 4 Sunday, when he scored 28 points to keep the Nuggets’ close after Alex English broke his thumb, Natt scored 10 points in 22 minutes in the first half Wednesday night. He spent most of the second half on the bench with an ice pack on his knee.

Throughout the playoffs, Natt warned Moe and others not to expect too much from him. But going into Wednesday night’s game, Natt had averaged 23.1 points in 14 playoff games. Considering Natt’s condition, those are impressive numbers.

“If I was at full strength and some of the other guys weren’t hurt, this series would’ve been different,” Natt said. “I’m only about 80%. It affects my jumping, that’s the main thing, but also my maneuverability.

“It didn’t hurt this bad in February (when he decided to delay surgery). Whatever’s in there, I don’t know what it is. I used to be able to extend it out, but I can’t now. I don’t have the speed I had. Also, you have to go off the other leg more. I really can’t drive like I want to, because I use my right leg to thrust off.”

Although Natt says there is pain whenever he runs or even pulls off his socks, the pain wasn’t enough to make him stop. He didn’t take any pain-killing drugs during the playoffs. “Certain people are made of certain things,” he said.

Moe’s voice goes to a whisper when he talks about Natt’s toughness.

“The only reason why Calvin is still playing is because he goes on game-day mornings for treatment, the afternoon before for treatment and has it wrapped tight,” Moe said. “He does whatever it takes to play.”

But now that there are no more games to play, Natt still can’t relax and enjoy the off-season. There will be the surgery, probably next week, then the rehabilitation. Then training camp. Then. . . .

“No,” Natt said, laughing, “I think I’ll find some time to rest.”