Injury benches Williams: MRI of knee set for today

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Injury benches Williams: MRI of knee set for today
By Steve Bulpett/Celtics Notebook
Sunday, November 2, 2003

NEW ORLEANS - The Celtics' depth may be getting a test over the next week or
so as Eric Williams tends to his hyperextended right knee. The key backup
forward initially suffered the injury in the season-opener Wednesday and
aggravated it in Friday's win at Memphis.

     He will have an MRI today in Boston.

     ``I'm looking at five to 10 days, a little rest,'' Williams said before
the Celts dropped a 97-90 decision to the New Orleans Hornets last night.
``They say it's small swelling, so I have to let that come out.

     ``It's just sore and a little swollen. I'm just going to play it safe.
The pain comes when I twist it, so I'm just going to see how I feel (today)
and get the MRI.''

     Jumaine Jones has missed the first three games with a strained right
hamstring, and the plan is still to have him return to workouts when the Celts
get back to their practice facility. But coach Jim O'Brien was focusing on the
here and now last night.

     ``It's hard to have Eric out, especially with Jumaine being out, because
they're key small forwards for us,'' he said. ``But we will make do with
(Walter McCarty [news]) and Jiri (Welsch) if we have to.''

     Welsch had six points in 10 first-half minutes against the Hornets.

     ``That's part of the NBA,'' O'Brien said of injury issues. ``You hate to
see it for a guy like Eric or anybody. You hate to see anybody injured. But
when there is an injury, it gives other guys opportunities to step up and get
some things done.''

     LaFrentz cools offRaef LaFrentz had 13 points in eight first-quarter
minutes, going 5-of-6 from the field. Against the Hornets' defensive pressure
- and with some foul trouble to navigate - LaFrentz had just six more points
in 15 minutes the rest of the way. . . .

     The Celtics never got the ball movement they needed to make Vin Baker an
inside factor. He finished with eight points in 30 minutes, shooting mainly
short jumpers.

     In Friday night's win in Memphis, Baker went for 24 points on 10-of-14
shooting and had eight rebounds.

     Like night and DayYou might need a good memory to remember Todd Day in
Celtics green. But Day has an even better memory to recall that what the C's
are seeing now in Baker may be even better than the original.

     Day, who still shares with Larry Bird the Celts record for most points in
a quarter (24), joined up with the C's during this trip to see his friend and
former Milwaukee teammate. It wasn't, however, the first time Day has hooked
up with Baker this year. It's just that it was a lot easier to make the
connection this time. When he heard Baker had been suspended for alcohol abuse
last season, Day tried to check into the situation.

     ``I was trying to get in touch with him and trying and trying, but I
guess he had locked everything down and shut everybody out,'' Day said. ``So I
just got on a plane in Memphis and went to see him. I just popped up on him,
and he looked like he was getting better. Then when I saw him skinny I wanted
to see if his game's back. And it is.

     ``He might even be better than before. The thing is, he's still
overpowering even as small as he is, and that's what I think is the best part
of him now. He's got the power, but he's now also quick enough to beat a lot
of those guys. I'm just happy for him. My family and his family are pretty
tight and we're all just excited about the way he's come back.''

     M*A*S*H-burnThe Hornets are without Jamal Mashburn again. The oft-injured
star was diagnosed by team doctors as having a bone bruise in his right knee,
but he exercised a clause in his contract that allows him to get a second
opinion on his own. A specialist found loose cartilage, and he will have
surgery on the knee tomorrow.

     ``I want to be able to play 40 minutes the first day I step back on the
court, that's the goal,'' Mashburn said Friday. ``I don't want to be going
around here playing 15 or 20 minutes, trying to increase minutes as the year
goes on. The way I train and the way I prepare myself, I think the Hornets
know that also, when I come back that means I'm 100 percent ready to come
back.'' . . .

     Taking in the game from the front row were actress Kate Hudson and
husband Chris Robinson, former front man for the Black Crowes.
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx