The Nets got good news about one of their injured small forwards yesterday, and bad news about the other.
Shawne Williams went through vigorous workouts yesterday and is expected to return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Bobcats after missing the last four games with shin splints.
But the Nets have lost Damion James indefinitely, and he will undergo surgery on his right foot Tuesday to replace the screw he had inserted last year to help repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in the foot.
“It’s disappointing,” coach Avery Johnson said before last night’s 84-74 loss to the Thunder. “Here’s a kid we drafted last year, we had him inked in as his starting three man and in the Eastern Conference … Hopefully the surgery will go well, and for us and him and his career, hopefully we can get this corrected and he won’t have a problem anymore.”
James said earlier this week he was hoping to get back on the court against the Thunder so he could go up against Kevin Durant, his close friend and former teammate at Texas.
“He works so hard,” Durant said of James. “It’s unfortunate. He was starting, playing well, coming along well. It’s kind of tough to see him go through that, but he’s a tough kid and he’s positive, so everything’s going to be fine, I think.”
Deron Williams, who had 14 points and six rebounds last night, and Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (21 points and six rebounds) will be competing against each other for spots on the U.S. Olympic team this summer. But Williams said that isn’t something he thinks about when going up against Westbrook, Derrick Rose or Chris Paul, the other elite point guards vying for the U.S. team.
“I hadn’t thought about it until you said it,” Williams said. “I like playing against those guys because they are the best, and it’s fun matching up against them.I’ve been in the same division as Russ the last four years, so we’ve seen each other a lot.”