Babble favorite Shaun Livingston is continuing to battle his way back from a devastating knee injury that took a year and a half off his career.  The early returns on his knee in Miami have been promising.

As reported by the Miami Herald's Pete Pelegrin:

''No swelling, just regular soreness that's normal,'' said Livingston, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. ``Everything is progressing.''

Livingston averaged 6.5 points in the two games and says getting off the ground might be his biggest challenge as he tries to regain strength in the knee.

''I don't have the same explosive ability that I had before where I could get to the rim and finish over,'' Livingston said. ``Jumping isn't where it's at for me right now. Layups will probably be the biggest work in progress.''

Livingston said he expects to wear a knee brace ''for a year or two'' and that playing with the brace will be an adjustment.

``I'm 100 pounds soaking wet, he said. Playing with that thing is tough. It definitely makes the knee feel a lot more stable, which is obviously the No. 1 thing to make sure that the knee is protected.''

Seems like a fair and honest assessment.  Love the "100 pounds soaking wet" comment.  The guy is rail thin after all.

We're excited to see what Livingston can bring to a Miami team that is very talented at the two through four spots.  He won't be asked to carry an undue load for this team, but his size and passing vision could make a big difference for the Heat if the knee issues don't linger too strongly.  Looking forward to watching this comeback story play out.