Within the next two weeks Nene, the Denver Nuggets power forward, will be on an operating table as doctors repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

He has been told the knee will be 100 percent within six months, but his future value as a free agent remains uncertain.

And yet Nene managed to keep smiling as his teammates opened their home schedule without him Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Nobody died," Nene said. "It's OK. I just need to stay positive."

Typically, a torn ACL is a season-ending injury, but Nene said he hopes to return in five months. Under that scenario, he might be able to play in Denver's final few games in April.

"A lot of guys return much quicker than expected, so there is a chance," Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said.

"He's going to come back 100 percent. He's hurt right now, but he's determined to come back and prove everybody wrong."