WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) -A fan came up to Charlotte Bobcats forward Sean May over the summer and was blunt.
"He asked me, 'Do you even still play basketball?"' May said.
Ex-teammate Brevin Knight was even more direct, telling May, "Man, are you ever going to stop robbing the league?"
When you play in 58 games and miss 188 over three seasons you catch plenty of grief. When you are seemingly following your father's path by starring in college and then being a disappointing pro, the scrutiny is intense.
"He was injury-plagued throughout his career and I never thought that would happen to me because I had to listen to it for so many years from him," May said of his father, Scott. "It's almost been spitting images of each other. Hopefully, the storybook ending will be different."
After one practice, there's reason to believe May might able to overcome the three surgeries on his right knee - including last fall's risky microfracture procedure.
May got through Tuesday's opening workout of training camp without incident. Wearing black tights under his shorts, the 6-foot-9 power forward appeared to be in decent shape and moved well considering he was only cleared to play two months ago.
"I think taking that into account, he's fine," coach Larry Brown said. "Is he where the other guys are? I don't think so, but based on what our expectations were, I think he's really fine."
Brown is still uncertain if he can depend on May, and for good reason. May even concedes he has a long way to go before he stops repeating his father's history.
Consider how eerily similar their careers have been.
Scott May scored 26 points in the national championship game for unbeaten Indiana in 1976. Sean May also scored 26 points in the title game 29 years later in leading North Carolina to the title.
Scott May was the No. 2 overall pick by Chicago in the NBA draft, but was limited to seven injury-riddled seasons before retiring. Sean May was the 13th overall pick by Charlotte, but has done next to nothing in three NBA seasons after waking up one day after a game with a throbbing knee.
"When I was in college, he always talked about his injuries when he got to the NBA," May said of his dad. "I always felt he was kind of jaded toward the league because it wasn't what he envisioned it to be."
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