Deron Williams admits his ankle injuries have hindered him and hurt him to the point he can’t even dunk. And after undergoing Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment and sitting out last week, the Nets’ star guard acknowledges he needs more time to fully recover — time he won’t take, insisting he’ll play tonight against the Bucks at Barclays Center.
“They said a week was sufficient, so I trust the doctors,” said Williams, who hasn’t played since Feb. 10 against the Spurs and had PRP injections the next day to reduce ankle joint lining inflammation. “I definitely need more rest than a week for it to get back to normal, but I don’t have time right now.
“Yeah, it’s definitely affected me a lot. I can’t jump. I haven’t dunked. I can’t dunk. Even if I tried off one leg, I can’t dunk. So it’s definitely affected me. You think about it, when I’m going into the lane and make a move, a hard jump-stop hurts. Any hard impact, or hard move, it hurts … It’s definitely been a concern, that’s a big reason I did the PRP.’’
On his only dunk attempt of the year, he got blocked by the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, fell and hurt his right wrist and missed a game against these same Bucks. Now, he says his ankles have improved “a little bit, not a huge difference.’’
Interim coach P.J. Carlesimo was a little vague and cautious regarding Williams’ return. He just wants his star point guard healthy.
“He looked good. I’d say he did 98 percent in practice,” Carlesimo said. “He did everything. I hope the treatment is a miracle, [but] I just think that the rest as much as anything else — that was the one thing we said all along at the All-Star break, he could use some time off. He said he still had a little pain. I was surprised he did as much as he did [yesterday]. I was pleasantly surprised.
“Obviously when he comes back, great. If it’s [tonight], great. If it’s Wednesday, or next Wednesday — right now I think it’s good it’s been addressed. Whenever he comes is great.
“We just want Deron to be Deron Williams. If Deron is Deron Williams, we’ll be fine. If the treatment allows him to play with less pain, that’ll be significant. If that’s the case, obviously I think we’ll see an even better Deron.”
Williams was noncommittal about whether his minutes would be limited.
“My goal was to just get through [yesterday] and see how it felt, go from there,’’ said Williams, who took the high road and declined comment on USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo saying Williams was “not in the best shape” and “a little overweight” at the Olympics.
“There’s no reason to even talk about it,” Williams said. “Something happened this summer and it’s over with. It wasn’t a problem then, and it isn’t a problem now.”
A judge set Kris Humphries’ divorce trial for May 6. His wife, 32-year-old reality star Kim Kardashian, is trying to end her marriage before July, when her child with Kanye West is due. With the playoffs slated to start on Saturday, April 20, it’s possible the trial could impact Humphries’ availability.
“That’s the last thing I’m thinking about,’’ said Humphries. “As long as I’m here, I’ll be here.’’