If the Brooklyn Nets are going to beat the New York Knicks in Thursday night's battle of the city, they will have to do so without the help of point guard Deron Williams. The Nets are already shorthanded after Paul Pierce injured his hand and Andrei Kirilenko sits out with no timetable of return. The loss of Williams only adds to the season woes for the team.
Williams continues to struggle in 2013 with his health. Already plagued with ankle issues, the point guard injured his left ankle in a game of offseason pick-up basketball. He has now aggravated both ankles this year, making things tough on the Nets. This will be Williams' eight-straight game out and his 10th game missed this year. When on the court, Williams was only averaging 9.3 points per game and six assists. In his place, Tyshawn Taylor could be get the start with Shaun Livingston backing him up.
The Brooklyn Nets have lost their last 11 of 14 games, but somehow the team is more optimistic than the Knicks sound considering New York has lost nine games in a row. Brooklyn is coming off a convincing win against the Memphis Grizzlies, but injuries could begin to play a factor. Despite not being active for Thursday's game, Jason Terry believes the best is yet to come.
"We're going to be a great team -- not a good team -- a great team," Terry said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "And we just got to get healthy, number one, but we just got to continue to fight. Too many times, even when we did have our guys, when a team made a run on us or something, we've dropped our head and felt sorry for ourselves. Even at home, the fans start to boo, we feel sorry for ourselves. No, it's just basketball. Go out here like the kid you were when you were 15, have fun, enjoy it and enjoy whooping somebody's a--. That's what it's gonna take. On Thursday, what better game to do it in than that one."
Moving past the demotion of assistant Lawrence Frank, Jason Kidd views this game as a must-win situation. The head coach says the Nets "stink", but a win against the Knicks in a rivalry battle could be what the team needs to start getting back on track.
"I think both teams feel that we should be better with our record, but unfortunately we're not, and both teams are looking for a win tomorrow, so that's as easy as it gets," Kidd said.