When Paul Pierce was introduced as a Net, he said he was trying to create a legacy in Brooklyn.
The 10-time All-Star probably didn’t have this in mind.
Pierce’s nightmarish season hit a new low Monday when it was announced he would miss 2-to-4 weeks with a non-displaced fracture of the middle finger of his right hand, believed to be suffered in the first half of Friday night’s loss to the Rockets.
It was another blow to the injury-ravaged Nets (5-12), who have had their opening night lineup of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Joe Johnson together in just eight of 17 games, their top eight players available together only four times, and were without six of their top players for practice on Monday.
“It’s crazy,” said Lopez, who returned from a seven-game absence from a sprained left ankle Friday in Houston, and sparked the Nets to victory Saturday in Memphis. “I don’t want to say I’m surprised because I don’t want to jinx anything.”
With that, the 7-footer reached down from his seat and knocked the wooden floor. The Nets will try anything these days for some good luck.
Pierce was one of four starters benched after halftime Friday for what Jason Kidd said was a lack of effort. On Monday the rookie coach said Pierce complained about pain in his right hand after the game, which is why he didn’t play Saturday.
Pierce hasn’t looked like the same player who was so brilliant across 15 star-studded seasons with the Celtics. In 15 games, he has averaged 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting a miserable 36.8 percent from the field and 26.8 percent from 3-point land.
If Pierce only needs two weeks to recover and returns Dec. 16, he would miss six games. But if he misses a month, he would miss 13.
He likely will be replaced in the starting lineup by Alan Anderson, who got the nod Saturday. When Anderson inked a two-year deal, the move garnered little attention, but without the veteran wing, who is averaging 7.9 points per game, the Nets wouldn’t have a healthy small forward. There is also the option of playing Joe Johnson at small forward, and going small with point guard Shaun Livingston and Tyshawn Taylor in the backcourt.
“Injuries are part of the game,” Kidd said. “We just hope for speedy recoveries, and for the guys in that locker room that can play, I believe in each and every one of those guys that we can find a way to hold it down until we do get whole.”
Garnett and Lopez were rested at Monday’s practice, while Williams (sprained left ankle), Jason Terry (sore left knee) and Andre Kirilenko (back spasms) are battling their own ailments.
Williams has battled ankle problems since the start of training camp and has missed eight games, including the last six after reinjuring his ankle Nov. 20 against the Bobcats. He was supposed to be re-evaluated by doctors Monday, but Kidd didn’t offer an update. The Nets listed Williams as out against the Nuggets on Tuesday night and doubtful for Thursday against the Knicks.
The Nets are all but certain to be without Williams, Pierce, Terry and Kirilenko Tuesday and possibly for Thursday, too.
“Obviously, we weren’t predicting anything like this, but I think our guys are definitely capable of rolling with the punches and [staying] positive,” Lopez said. “We still trust in each other.”
The game had already lost a lot of its luster with the teams struggling so much — they are a combined 8-25 — but now with the Nets rolling out a “B” squad, it’s even less intriguing.
Terry and Knicks guard J.R. Smith got into it last season during the playoffs when Terry was with the Celtics, while Pierce was a Knicks killer during his Boston career.
The Nets, though, aren’t concerned about Thursday’s game yet. They are focused on finding a way to win a second straight game for the first time this season on Tuesday, and managing to stay afloat until the injuries subside.
“It’s got to be all about the team, it’s not about one player,” Lopez said. “If you look at the game in Memphis, I think everybody contributed and did their part. The game wouldn’t have gone the way it [did] if it wasn’t for [everybody contributing].”