After David Lee tweaked his quadriceps in practice Oct. 4, he went home and estimates that he iced it "about 65 times." He spent the next day, an off day, at the Warriors' training facility and returned early the next morning to test his leg.
All of that, just so he wouldn't miss Wednesday's practice.
Yes, we're talking about practice!
Those are not the actions of a typical NBA All-Star.
Lee's the type of guy who puts no stock in a phrase like "All-Star status," because he has had plenty of days filled with phrases like "above average," "good enough" and "end of the bench."
"There are some guys in the league who can sit out every practice and take a couple of casual jumpers right before the game - not even go through the layup lines - and go out there and perform," the power forward said. "I can't do that. I'll have an anxiety attack.
"I have this fear of failure. I have this fear about not getting any better, about somehow starting to level off, and I can't allow that to happen."
So Lee practices.
First. Longest. And hardest.
When coach Keith Smart granted "veteran days off" to Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and Dorell Wright during training camp, Lee declined. When Andris Biedrins joined Ellis, Curry and Wright on the sideline during the last portion of Monday's practice, Lee was still sweating away with the reserves.
He is like the tennis player who realizes he'll never be as good as the wall, so he keeps slamming forehand after backhand. It's like he's doing a day-to-day experiment to see how much further he can push his body.
"I've gone from the last guy on the bench to the captain, and my work ethic hasn't changed," said Lee, who was acquired by the Warriors in a sign-and-trade deal after five seasons in New York. "In a lot of ways, I still see myself as the last guy on the bench, and that drives me.
"I had to pinch myself (at the All-Star Game) last year in Dallas. When I came into the league, I was hoping to hang on as the last guy on the bench for eight to 10 years."
A PHILOSOPHY OF WORK:
Lee, 27, seems to be indulging in false modesty for a 6-foot-9, 250-pound man who was one of three players in the league to average 20 points and 10 rebounds a game last season. But his original goal of finding a way just to stick in the league probably was logical five seasons ago.
That's when the Knicks drafted him with the final pick of the first round. Coach Larry Brown said Lee was eighth on the depth chart on a team that didn't have eight power forwards. He averaged 5.1 points and 4.5 rebounds a game as a rookie.
"I realized that I had to outwork everyone," Lee said. "I had to go after every rebound and bring an energy that no one else could match. That's the only way I could get on the court."
He knew what to do once he got there. Lee averaged a double-double in three of the next four seasons, including 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds last season.
Lee had pulled similar transitions in college and high school. At the University of Florida, Lee was plodding through a mediocre career until he decided to flip the switch.
"I was still trying to burn the candle at both ends," Lee said. "Basketball was secondary to being cool."
"I've got a big contract, I've been an All-Star and I've accomplished a lot of things that should make me personally happy, but I haven't been to the playoffs. I haven't won a championship," Lee said. "If I average a double-double and am an All-Star, but we win 25 games, in my opinion, my season has been a failure and I expect to be reviewed as a failure."
What if the Warriors win a championship?
"Oh, I'll always find something new to chase."
