The numbers are not what astonish Nuggets strength coach Steve Hess when he measures Nene's progress. It's that they're lower than they were on opening night, when the Denver forward blew out his right knee against the San Antonio Spurs.
Hess measures Nene at 264 pounds, with 9 percent body fat. That's down from 268 pounds and 11 percent body fat in early November, without a single full game or practice. It was enough for a Brazilian countryman of Nene's, Toronto's Rafael Araujo, to pull Hess aside.
"You tell me how many people doing rehab drop their body fat," Hess said. "The dude has abs. Araujo said, 'Yo, Steve, what are you doing with that cat?' He was freaked out. (Nene) looks unbelievable. His body fat is down, he's totally into it. He's restructuring his whole body."
The team has no set return date for Nene, but Hess believes Nene can resume practicing in early April. Though it may still be a longshot, it's not inconceivable to think he could provide a burst of adrenaline and needed size come playoff time, especially if Denver reaches the second round in May.
Reached via e-mail, Nene thanked Hess for his work and said of his rehab: "My goal has always been to get back on the court, at least practicing with the team, this season. I am working very hard to accomplish that goal. Once I am back on the practice court, we will see how I am from there."
Hess has worked with about 30 injured knees similar to what Nene experienced and said he has never seen a faster recovery. Nene spends between 90 minutes and three hours six days a week on rehabbing his leg, as well as the rest of his body.
In late December, the team measured the circumference of his leg at 3, 6 and 9 inches above his kneecap and found the thigh had atrophied by 2 inches. Hess said he had a similar injury and it took him two years to get his leg muscles symmetrical again.
"Raef LaFrentz and Eric Williams did a brilliant, brilliant job," Hess said of two ex-Nuggets he worked with. "But I've yet to meet a guy as absolutely committed as Nene."