The Jet is finally ready for takeoff.
Jason Terry, who has been limited in practice throughout the first three weeks of Nets training camp and the preseason as he recovers from offseason left knee surgery, practiced fully for the first time Friday, declaring himself right on schedule to play in next week’s final two preseason games.
“I’m happy to be out on the floor practicing,” Terry said. “We’re on schedule. When we started this process, we said I was going to play the last two preseason games and that’s where we are right now.”
Terry has said multiple times during the opening three weeks of camp that he was fine with taking things slow as he recovers from his first knee surgery, and he wanted to be ready to play Wednesday in Boston and Friday in Miami as tuneups for the regular-season opener in Cleveland Oct. 30.
The veteran guard, now entering his 15th NBA season, only had praise for the way he’s been handled by the team’s training staff of athletic trainer Tim Walsh, assistant trainer Robby Hoenshel and strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Bettle.
“No question,” Terry said. “I’m in the best hands with Tim and Robbie and Jeremy. They’ve done an excellent job with strength and conditioning and the rehabilitation process.
“Again, I’ve never had lower-extremity injuries in 14 years, so this is all new to me. But it’s pushed me. It’s made me frustrated at times. We’ve been at a great pace, and now I’m ready to get out here in action with my teammates, not just vocally, but I’m in the fight physically.”
Long considered to be one of the NBA’s most talkative players, Terry has had his share of battles with the Heat while with the Mavericks: with Dwyane Wade going all the way back to the 2006 Finals (which Miami won) and with the current group to the 2011 Finals (when Dallas won), as well as last season in Boston.
Terry admitted it would have been nice to be on the court for a charged-up preseason game in Brooklyn on Thursday night, when the Nets defeated the defending champs, 86-62, in front of a sellout crowd on the night Jason Kidd’s number was retired.
“I’m disappointed I didn’t play,” he said. “But we are going to have plenty of battles with those guys. … [It’s] something we will always look forward to.”
Terry had his first chance to respond to LeBron James’ charge that Terry, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were hypocritical in criticizing Ray Allen for leaving the Celtics, then departing Boston themselves (in a trade).
Terry mostly avoided going back at James.
“He’s entitled to his own opinion,” Terry said, “which we don’t care about.”