MILWAUKEE – Deron Williams sat at his locker with his right wrist wrapped in ice, but that wasn’t the only thing hurting him.
Williams’ pride is bothering him almost as much as his strained right wrist.
Both have taken a hit lately and both were leveled in the Nets’ 110-95 loss to the Bucks here last night.
Williams fell hard on a third-quarter drive and braced his fall with both hands, aggravating his wrist. He missed a foul shot, committed a turnover and couldn’t finish on a drive to the basket after that.
The Nets’ point guard was beyond frustrated and motioned that he wanted to come out of the game. He went to the bench, punched the seat with his left hand and screamed an expletive.
Williams came back to finish the game, but you have to wonder how many more games he has left in him.
His wrist has been bothering him since January and it’s affecting him mentally as well as physically. On Thursday, he was 1-for-12, scored five points and had four turnovers against Chicago and was outplayed by MVP frontrunner Derrick Rose. Last night, he was 4-for-13 with 18 points, nine assists and five turnovers and said he heard chants of “over-rated” from Bucks fans.
“This is affecting me so much mentally now,” Williams said. “It’s frustrating. I like going up against top point guards. I like match ups. I like to do well in those match ups. I’ve had a tough time doing that because I can’t play my game.
“It’s frustrating but I’m ready to get healthy and get back to being me.”
In other words, Williams and the Nets have something serious to talk about and consider. Nets coach Avery Johnson said they’re “going to have to have a deep discussion” about Williams’ future.
Williams doesn’t need surgery, but he needs rest. He said 3-4 weeks. Johnson said 4-6 weeks. Everyone hoped he could make it through the end of the regular season, especially after the Nets acquired him last month from Utah. But that may not be realistic at this point.
They know their season is all but over. They’re seven games behind Indiana for the East’s last playoff spot and have 15 games to play. They have to jump over four teams so they need everything to break right for them to make the playoffs.
Johnson never made the postseason the goal as much as he did having the team continue to improve, get used to playing with Williams, enjoy some success and end on a positive note. But the reality is they may have to remove Williams from the equation.
Johnson said he’s “very, very concerned,” about Williams and asked what the options are.
“You probably know the answer to that question,” he said. “But right now, we’ll see how he comes back tomorrow.”
The Nets play Sunday in Washington and Monday against Indiana, ending a stretch of four games in five nights. After an off-day, they play three games in four nights. Williams’ wrist is going to continue to take a beating and unless he plays well so is his pride.
“I need to rest,” he said. “Until I do that, it’s going to hurt and I’m going to continue to be frustrated.”
What’s going to happen? You probably know the answer to that question. But first the Nets have to have a deep discussion.
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Follow me on Twitter: @Al_Iannazzone
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Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)