NBA

Nets’ Williams thankful he still has vision in right eye

Shelden Williams is starting at center for the Nets against the Wizards on Friday. He is thankful for that.

But he’s even more thankful he still has vision in his right eye.

Williams, who had not missed a game for the Nets this season before he was injured March 28 by Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough, who poked him in the eye, admitted he had a scary moment after the incident.

“As soon as it happened I looked down at my hand, I couldn’t see out of my right eye. I thought I lost my right eye,” Williams acknowledged. “I never had anything like that happen before. I got poked in the eye before but never where I Iooked down and couldn’t see out of my right eye.”

Williams was taken to the hospital that night and released after it was determined he suffered a bruised retina and scratched cornea. He couldn’t do anything basketball-related for five days and said he is working to get back into shape.

“It was something that was very scary. I thought I lost my eye. It was very serious. The whole situation kind of freaked me out,” said Williams, who has been fitted for goggles.

Williams did not join the team for any part of its four-game West Coast trip, during which the Nets went 2-2. He stayed behind and started working out Monday.

“I talked to Shelden on the phone and he sounded pretty good, so he was anxiously awaiting our return and we’re glad that he’s doing well, and he’s been working out pretty hard the last three or four days so it looks like he’ll be ready to go,” said coach Avery Johnson, who has confirmed Williams will start.

***

Shelden won’t be the only Williams expected back. Deron Williams, who missed the final game of the trip in Portland because of a stomach virus, has been cleared to go.

“Deron’s doing good, yeah. I texted him yesterday and he’s doing really well. So hopefully we won’t have any setbacks this afternoon with any vomiting or anything like that,” Johnson said, noting he is assuming Williams can pronounce himself fit.

***

Shelden Williams didn’t lose his sense of humor amid his frightening experience. Asked if Hansbrough said anything to him after the eye-poking incident, Williams said no but made an observation.

“After it happened, I kind of ran off the court, so it was kind of hard to say something,” Williams said. “I did hear that in the game before ours he took out Mike Dunleavy with a broken nose so I guess he’s taking out Duke players one by one. We’ll see.”

***

The Nets have said Jordan Farmar is done for the season with a groin injury, but the combo guard offered the slightest hope he could return before the team’s final games.

“It’s been tough. The wear and tear this season has been tough. I played 35 games overseas then got into this grind. [I] just have a nagging groin injury and every time I would come back it would go back to square one. [I] just did another treatment on it; hopefully it will start to feel better,” said Farmar, who has missed 10 of the prior 12 games, 14 overall with the ailment.

“It is starting to feel better now, [toward the end of the season]. So, I am going to continue to work on my body and get healthy and if there is time left toward the end of the season, time left for me to get out and play, I would love to,” he said.

An admitted long shot to play any more games this season, Farmar later said, “If I can get to 100 percent before the season is over and there is still time for me to play, I have no problem going out there.”

***

Farmar has a $4.25 million player option next season. And he can see himself staying put, saying that is “definitely a possibility.”

“We’ll see what comes at that time, but it’s going to be exciting over there [when the Nets move to Brooklyn]. I definitely still believe this organization is heading in the right direction. Just a matter of time,” he said. “They have the resources, they have the location, have the fans behind them. They have everything. Just putting the personnel together now, it’s a building process. It doesn’t happen overnight. Everybody has to be a little patient and work with it, but I think it’s going to be special over there.”

***

Keith Bogans, who was released by Nets, was at shootaround in a walking boot … Deron Williams has the league high in points, 57, and is tied for the league high in assists with 20. Only one player has ever had the league high in points and assists in the same season: Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in 1967-68 for Philadelphia with 68 points and 21 assists … General manager Billy King is expected to give an update on the status of Brook Lopez. Lopez has played five games all season. He broke his foot in preseason and sprained his ankle in his fifth game back. Doctors discovered a line in subsequent exams.