Prevention beats cure. So caution was a buzzword at Nets practice Sunday.
Paul Pierce was held out because of a jammed big toe, a condition suffered in the last preseason game at Miami on Friday but not believed serious. Andrei Kirilenko’s back spasms, though, continue to be a concern. Kirilenko did only treadmill work.
“Just jammed it the other day in the game, just taking a couple days of rest,” Pierce said. “Going into the season, you want to make sure you’re 100 percent, take extra precaution and see how it feels tomorrow.”
Coach Jason Kidd was not flustered about Pierce.
“He deserves a day off. He got his work in. He stubbed his toe in the Miami game so there was no need for him to go today,” Kidd said.
Now Kirilenko …
“He was out. He got some treadmill work in, but he didn’t do anything on the floor. It’s a day-by-day thing with him,” Kidd said.
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Kidd also claimed there has been no decision on who will fill in as head coach when he serves his two-game, NBA-imposed suspension for a DUI conviction beginning with Wednesday’s opener.
“We haven’t made a decision who’s going to coach,” Kidd said.
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For years, the Nets were seen as an easy mark. Before Brooklyn, “Nets” on the schedule was translated as “victory” by opponents.
“Before, when they were in New Jersey, nobody would have given any respect to them. It was a team everyone looked to. Everyone thought they were going to come into New Jersey and get a win,” Pierce said. “They changed the arena, changed the ownership group, changed the attitude. They put in the players each and every year the past couple years to show we’re an organization trying to win.”
And this team can win, Pierce feels. He loves the versatility.
“The versatility of this group is unmatched probably by any team I’ve ever played on,” said Pierce who has told teammates to embrace the season.
“I try to tell the guys you don’t get these opportunities. They’re far and between. I waited 10 years in Boston before I got the chance to play with other great players and have the opportunity,” Pierce said.
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Brook Lopez, who has been with the Nets since 2008, said this has been a preseason unlike any other. It’s a Triple-E.
“Energy, enthusiasm, expectations,” Lopez said. “Energy is the first thing you see. Enthusiasm is good too. Then expectations. Expectations on a team where everyone, players and coaches, legitimately thinks we have a chance to win a title.”