Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Jefferson blames Billups for injury
Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New Jersey Nets leading scorer Richard Jefferson
will miss the rest of the regular season with a wrist injury that he claims
resulted from a dirty play by Detroit guard Chauncey Billups.
An MRI on Monday night revealed Jefferson ruptured a ligament in his left
wrist. Surgery is expected within the next two weeks.
Nets president Rod Thorn said that Jefferson would not be ready to play again
until the second half of May, effectively ending his season. However, the
24-year-old Jefferson hoped to be ready for the postseason if the three-time
defending Atlantic Division champions found a way to get that far without him.
The extremely durable Jefferson insisted the injury happened when Billups
undercut him on a layup attempt in Detroit on Dec. 27, causing him to fall
on his wrist. It was the same one he hurt earlier in the month against the
Knicks.
Billups was called for a flagrant foul on the play.
After initially calling the play questionable, Jefferson blamed Billups, who
was at the Continental Airlines Arena for a game between the Nets and Pistons
on Tuesday night.
"I wouldn't say it was a cheap shot," Jefferson said. "I don't think it was
retaliation. I don't feel it was a cheap shot. Was it a bad play? Was it a
dirty play? Yes. Is Chauncey Billups a dirty player? By no means, I don't
think so."
Jefferson said he didn't complain about the play when it happened, and he's
not complaining about it now.
"But look what happened from that play," said the athletic swingman, who had
only missed five games in his first three-plus seasons.
Billups does not talk before games, so he was not immediately available for
comment.
"I feel bad he is hurt," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "I feel bad for the
Nets, but I am not going to comment on that."
Nets coach Lawrence Frank refused to comment on the play, saying he was more
concerned with Jefferson.
Jefferson averaged team-highs of 22.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 41.1 minutes.
He ranked 11th in the NBA in scoring and fifth in minutes, and had a career-
high 42 points against Cleveland on Dec. 22.
"This is a tough blow," Thorn said. "Richard, in my mind, he's an All-Star
player this year. You could depend on him as a guy who has played great for
us. He's a guy who plays hurt and cares about his teammates. He's the kind
of teammate everyone wants. It's a tough loss."
The injury is the latest setback in a season in which New Jersey probably will
miss the playoffs for the first time in four years.
"If you talk to our players, if you talk to our coach and obviously if you
talk to me, we are not going to give up," Thorn said. "We are going to keep
trying and try to get some pieces that will help us."
After being eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals in seven games
last spring by the eventual NBA champion Pistons, the Nets' new ownership
dismantled the team to save money.
All-Star forward Kenyon Martin, a restricted free agent, was signed and traded
to Denver because the Nets could not afford to match the Nuggets' offer. Kerry
Kittles was traded to the Clippers and fellow guard Lucious Harris was waived.
Then, perennial All-Star point guard Jason Kidd missed the first month of the
season after knee surgery.
The Nets seemed to rebound last month when Vince Carter was acquired from
Toronto in a deal that gave New Jersey an outstanding 1-2-3 combination of
Kidd, Jefferson and Carter.
Former Nets and current New Orleans coach Byron Scott said the injury
was a major one for New Jersey.
"You're looking at your best player," Scott said. "He's been one of the most
consistent players they've had all season long. Getting hurt like he's getting
hurt has got to be devastating to the whole organization."
Jefferson, who signed a contract extension this summer worth $78 million over
the next six years, was acquired in a draft-day trade with Houston in 2001.
Richard Jefferson
2004-2005 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
33 22.2 7.3 4.0 .422 .844
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1964617
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