| | EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eleven months after breaking his right leg and seriously injuring his knee, New Jersey Nets center Jayson Williams got medical clearance Wednesday to resume full-contact practices with the team.
| |  | |
| Williams |
However, the New Jersey Nets center, who also suffered a knee
injury, probably won't play in a game for 10 days.
Williams will be allowed to play for eight minutes a game once
he does return, with the target now being March 18 at home against
Milwaukee.
It would be his first action in an NBA game since he broke his
right leg and partially tore the meniscus in a collision with
teammate Stephon Marbury on April 1 in a game against Atlanta.
"I'm going to come out like a crazed dog, just like L.T.
(Lawrence Taylor)," a beaming Williams said Wednesday when asked
about the prospect of playing.
He then ran to center court to pose for a publicity picture
before starting to shoot again, acting like a kid who couldn't wait
for next week to come.
Williams, an All Star in 1997-98, underwent a series of tests at
Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City on Wednesday morning to
determine the strength of his right leg.
Dr. Michael Kelly, the Nets orthopedist, informed coach Don
Casey that Williams, 32, had passed and was cleared to practice.
Test results in January showed he had only 30 percent strength
in his leg. It improved to 70 percent in February.
Williams didn't know how he graded on Wednesday.
"It's like the SAT's," he quipped. "They mail you the scores."
Williams plans to practice Thursday.
"I'm very excited," said Williams, who went against assistant
coach Mike O'Koren in one-on-one drills before the Nets game
against Portland on Wednesday night, slapping his hands every time
he missed a shot. "I'm back in the saddle. I feel good."
Coach Don Casey wants to get Williams in game shape before
playing him, so the plan calls for Williams to practice for the
next week.
"For all kinds of reasons, I don't think he can just jump into a game," Casey said. "The worst thing is to jump into a game and not be prepared."
Williams will miss games against Portland, Milwaukee and Orlando during that span. After Sunday's game against Orlando, New Jersey has five days off before playing the Bucks again.
Casey wasn't sure how he was going to use Williams once he is ready, whether to start him, bring him off the bench, or how to divide his eight minutes.
The goal, though, would be for Williams to provide rebounding and energy.
"That's easier to do than dribble, pass and shoot," Casey said.
The Nets are struggling to make the playoff after a 2-15 start.
They will have 21 games left after Wednesday.
While forward Kerry Kittles said it would be great to get
Williams back for the stretch run, he also was concerned.
"I'm worried about it," he said. "I saw what happened last
year and how he is now, and how tough it was rehabbing. The medical
staff is good. Hopefully he'll recover and do well."
| |
 |
