MarShon Brooks has set a goal to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award this season, but the Nets guard won’t be leaving the bench just yet.
Brooks did not participate in practice yesterday because of tendinitis in his right foot and will be out seven to 10 days, according to coach Avery Johnson. The second-year guard first felt pain Tuesday and was wearing a walking boot, having had X-rays and an MRI exam, which both came back negative.
Johnson said the injury could keep Brooks out until the preseason finale on Oct. 24 against the Knicks, but that his estimate was conservative.
“The doctor has him in a boot for precautionary [reasons], let the tendinitis just settle down a little bit,” Johnson said. “If he comes out of the boot in two days, we rehab him for two days and condition him, then maybe he can play at the end of next week, maybe that last preseason game at Nassau [Coliseum], but that’s just a really conservative estimate.”
Brooks suffered a sprained left ankle and a fractured right toe last season, missing 10 games, but said this injury is something he has not dealt with before. Brooks seemed unconcerned, labeling himself day-to-day with inflammation.
“It’s not something I can’t play through, but we’re just trying to get it right right now,” said Brooks. “It’s just aching a little bit. I’d like to play, but it’s about the long run. It’s a long season, 82 games. I’d love to play, but I would like to be there Nov. 1.”
With Brooks out, Johnson used the opportunity to experiment with a new lineup, playing point guards Deron Williams and C.J. Watson together, while sliding Joe Johnson to small forward during yesterday’s scrimmage. In that lineup, Gerald Wallace would move to power forward and Brook Lopez or Andray Blatche would play center.
With Williams’ size and ability to score allowing such flexibility, Johnson said he could envision using that lineup late in games.
“I like it a lot,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of teams that use two point guards. You’re gonna see that some, especially with MarShon being out now. That’s a combination we like. We think C.J. is a good fourth-quarter player. We’d like to have him in sometimes in the fourth quarter. Deron, we feel can score on ones and twos. It’s just a matter of how we can match up defensively in the backcourt.”
While Brooks missed his first practice, rookie guard Tyshawn Taylor appeared in his first contact practice of training camp, having been out with a strained right quad. Even though Johnson limited Taylor to playing in two- or three- minute spurts, the rookie felt as if he at last had arrived.
“I feel like I’m a part of the team finally,” Taylor said. “Training camp is a time for rookies to kind of prove themselves a little bit and I feel like I was missing out on that. To be out here, I feel like I’m getting my opportunity.”
* Josh Childress returned to practice after sitting out Wednesday with a left quad contusion, while Jerry Stackhouse sat out with a sore right knee.