NBA

Childress out for Nets’ season opener vs. Raptors

When the Nets take the floor Saturday night for their season opener against the Raptors, Josh Childress will be watching from the sideline.

Childress will miss Saturday’s game, and likely Monday’s game against the Timberwolves, as well, with a sore left ankle that has dogged him through much of the preseason.

“I’ve trying to battle back and get better,” Childress said after yesterday’s practice. “But, as of now, it’s still bothering me and we wanted to take a precaution.”

Childress initially sprained the ankle during a scrimmage early in training camp, and then tweaked it again in last week’s preseason finale against the Knicks at Nassau Coliseum. But after the backup small forward returning to practice fully on Wednesday, Childress suffered another setback, ruling him out of the season opener.

“The issue was as I got warmed up, it felt better, [though] still sore,” Childress said. “But then, after I sat for awhile, it just got to where I had to go through a super-long warmup just to get it back to where I could run again.”

Nets coach Avery Johnson said that Childress is unlikely to play Monday, either.

“Even though I’m saying day-to-day, I would be surprised if we do [have him Monday],” Johnson said. “But we’ll see how he recovers and responds to treatment.”

Childress said he’s disappointed that he won’t get a chance to be on the floor with his teammates for the delayed beginning of the first season of Nets basketball in Brooklyn.

“This has been a really long preseason for us,” he said. “We haven’t played in I think about two weeks now, and obviously wanting to play in the first game and all that stuff. But we have to deal with it, and come out tomorrow and provide that spark in other ways for my team in terms of helping out what I see on the floor and just bringing energy that way.”

Childress also wouldn’t set a time frame on when he thought he’d be ready to return to the floor.

“I don’t have a date in mind,” he said. I’m just playing it by ear, kind of how it feels day-to-day. We’ll be doing some strengthening things and really try to make sure this isn’t something that lingers on.”

*****

Childress isn’t the only player who has some physical issues heading into tonight’s opener. Johnson said that Keith Bogans will have his minutes limited because of soreness in his right knee, another issue that has lasted throughout training camp.

“I would say Bogans is in that area, of maybe watching his minutes, depending on how many minutes he gets,” Johnson said. “He’s not quite all the way back yet, and it’s going to take some time.”

Bogans is expected to play tonight, though, in what will be his first regular season game action since he suffered a torn deltoid ligament and fractured his left ankle in a game against the Pistons on Feb. 5.