Dallas Mavericks Injury Rumors, Deron Williams Status
It looks like nothing could go right for the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs. After the Oklahoma City Thunder put them on the brink of an early elimination last Saturday, head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed that starting point guard Deron Williams aggravated his left abdominal strain (sports hernia), literally saying that he no longer will be able to play in Game 5 and in the succeeding games of the series, should the Mavs do enough to extend it.
Williams tried hard to play through the injury in the hope of helping his team tie the series up, but it only lasted for a little over a minute before he realized it was just too painful. In an injury like that, the most practical treatment is time for rest, something that the veteran and his team does not have right now. Carlisle himself was visibly sad for this star, saying that he could have capped off a great year if he was able to finish it. "He had a very strong year. He played great basketball for us," the coach said.
The 11-year veteran started his career in Utah after the Jazz selected him third overall in the 2005 NBA Draft. But for the past three seasons, he has been plagued by multiple injuries that forced him to miss several games during the regular season. For this season, he missed 17 games, but still managed to average decent numbers of 14.1 points and 5.8 assists. He is eligible to become a free agent on July 1, but there is a strong probability that team owner Mark Cuban will convince him to stay.
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Game 5 is scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, and if the Thunder is allowed to have its way, then it would be all over for the Mavs. They trail the series, 3-1, which means Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook just needs to win this game at home to book a place in the second round.
