Andrei Kirilenko’s balky back could keep him out of the Nets’ season opener.
Kirilenko sat out Monday’s practice at the team’s New Jersey facility as he continues to recover from an ongoing bout with back spasms, and how he fares in 5-on-5 portions of Tuesday’s practice likely will determine whether or not he is available when the Nets face the Cavaliers in their opening game Wednesday in Cleveland.
“Right now, it’s day-to-day,” Kirilenko said. “Tomorrow we’ll try to do more contact, and we’ll see how it goes from there.”
It appears unlikely Kirilenko will be able to go in Cleveland, however, considering he has been forced to miss the past two weeks because of his ongoing back issues. The initial case of back spasms cropped up after the Nets played the Pistons in their second preseason game on Oct. 12. After sitting out three preseason games, Kirilenko slowly began to return to practice, but had a setback in the team’s open practice in Brooklyn on Oct. 20.
“We had that open practice, and I started doing 5-on-5 and I felt a tweak, so it set me back,” said Kirilenko, who remained home last week as the Nets traveled to Boston and Miami for their final two preseason contests.
Nets coach Jason Kidd said it was too early to say whether or not Kirilenko will be able to go Wednesday, with the final decision likely to be made at that day’s morning shootaround.
“We’ll see how he feels,” Kidd said. “He’ll go through practice tomorrow and we’ll make a decision at shootaround on Wednesday and see what his status is.”
There’s little need for the Nets to rush Kirilenko for the season opener, given their long-term goals and the depth of the roster. His signing this summer for one year plus a player option for the mini mid-level exception of $3.2 million was considered a coup by teams around the NBA. The 32-year-old from Russia is a key component to the Nets’ bench, which is among the league’s deepest.
If Kirilenko is unable to play Wednesday, his minutes presumably would be soaked up by Alan Anderson, who averaged 10.6 points and was 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range during the preseason.
***
In other injury news, Paul Pierce was limited in practice with a jammed left big toe, and Shaun Livingston was out with a stiff neck. Neither injury is considered to be serious, and should not affect their availability for Wednesday’s game.
Deron Williams was given the day off for rest as he continues to recover from a sprained right ankle. He has had no setbacks since making his first game appearance of the preseason by playing 10 minutes against the Heat Friday night.