Now we know why Deron Williams has inflammation in his left ankle.
Nets general manager Billy King confirmed yesterday Williams does, in fact, have a bone spur in his left ankle, as Williams said on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Wednesday afternoon.
“On the MRI [exam], it is a bone spur,” King said following yesterday’s practice at Barclays Center. “The inflammation came from the bone spur. The injection worked, and after the season he’ll probably get it cleaned up.”
King said the Nets aren’t worried Williams’ ankle could become a long-term concern. He repeatedly said he thought the situation is “manageable.”
Those sentiments echoed ones his point guard made during his television interview.
“I think probably the majority of athletes have bone spurs that they deal with at some point in their career,” Williams said. “I don’t know if I’ll have to have surgery. I’m just saying that might be something that happens after the season.
“But as far as right now, my ankle feels like new since I got the shots, so hopefully I won’t have to have any surgery at all.”
Williams was on television to talk about the postponement of what was scheduled to be last night’s Knicks-Nets season opener at Barclays Center, a game the franchise has spent months waiting for. The Nets practiced at their new arena yesterday on a day that was supposed to be the grand unveiling of the team’s new home, as well as its new city and look.
That all changed Wednesday afternoon, when Mayor Bloomberg announced that he had requested the league postpone the game, forcing the Nets to turn their attention to tomorrow’s game — now their season and home opener — against the Raptors.
“That’s what I told the team before practice today,” coach Avery Johnson said. “I said, ‘We can’t do anything about the game that was supposed to go on [against the Knicks]. It’s all about Toronto.’ We practiced a lot against Toronto today, and things that they like to do, and that’s the best we can do under the circumstances.”
Johnson added that, although the Nets’ opener won’t have the same juice to it because the months-long hype and buildup of playing the Knicks has been lost, he still thinks it can have the same kind of intensity it would have for different reasons.
“It could, because they have more that’s riding on it,” he said. “We have a certain group of our fans that are struggling right now that may not be able to attend the game.
“So [the players are] gonna go out and play with a sense of pride and hopefully it’ll be a good night for us. Unfortunately we’re not playing against ourselves. Toronto lost a tough one at Indiana [Wednesday night], and they’re a very capable team.”
The Nets went through three full, simulated quarters on their home court yesterday, their second such scrimmage of the week as they continue to battle their prolonged layoff between games. Tomorrow’s opener will be the team’s first game action since an overtime loss to the Knicks in the preseason finale on Oct. 24.
“Definitely we’re antsy,” said Joe Johnson, who has had to move to a hotel in Manhattan because of the storm. “It was like that in preseason, too.
“We were the last team to play in preseason, now we’re the last team to play in the regular season. We’re just kind of actually ready to get it started.”