Deron Williams is out indefinitely… still. The Nets released an update on Williams, who tore the cartilage portion of his lower 12th rib and hasn’t played since a four-minute stint on January 7th, saying that he is “progressing” but has yet to perform any physical activity:
D-Will injury update: Williams is progressing, but still has pain/has not yet returned to physical activity, will be evaluated on Wed. #Nets
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 15, 2015
The injury itself is cause for a bit of confusion. Williams first injured the area on January 4th, feeling a “tweak” in the first quarter and a “cramp” in the fourth. Imaging studies done the next day showed no significant damage, and Williams returned to the floor on January 7th, only playing four minutes before leaving the game in pain. He has not played or participated in team activities since.
RELATED INFOGRAPHIC: Deron Williams’s Many Brooklyn Nets Injuries
Williams himself was confused at the medical team’s diagnosis, per Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com:
“It was the same type pain,” Williams said of the spasm he felt in both instances. Following an ultrasound, the medical staff originally told him it was a cramp, according to Williams.
The Nets “say it’s separate. I find it kind of weird that it’s two rib injuries on the same side in back-to-back games,” Williams said. “I never had a rib injury in my life.”
The latest update rules Williams out for at least two more games: their back-to-back home-and-home set against the Washington Wizards. His earliest return date is Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings, who inquired about trading for Williams last month.
The Nets have lost six straight games since Williams first suffered the injury.
