reflections
December 28th, 2006 Nets Season in Peril: Krstic Gone for the Season

A season-ending knee injury to Nenad Krstic will have some serous long-range impact on the New Jersey Nets’ season. Without the 23-year old Krstic the Nets, who are already struggling along with an 11-15 record, now have no dependable big man with the ability to pull opposing centers out to the elbow as well as use his post moves as weapons. Krstic, averaging 16.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg, was the third-leading scorer among centers behind Houston’s Yao Ming and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan:

The 7-footer was hurt during the third quarter of Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team announced Saturday he had a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.Krstic caught a pass from Richard Jefferson in the lane and started to back Lakers center Kwame Brown toward the basket. But he fell to the court, clutching his knee.

Krstic is averaging 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds this season. In his three years in the NBA with New Jersey, he has averaged 12.4 points and six rebounds.

The team did not announce when Krstic would undergo surgery.

“It is very unfortunate for Nenad as well as the team to lose a player of his magnitude,” said Nets general manager Ed Stefanski. “Nenad is a wonderful young man and a tireless worker. This will be another challenge for him and I know that he will be up to the task.”

Ironically, Krstic had taken last summer off from playing internationally for Serbia and Montenegro for the first time in several years in order to rest his body for the NBA season.

After the game, Krstic and Nets’ head coach Lawrence Frank had to say about the injury:

“I went to spin, my knee twisted and I heard a pop, Krstic said.”

“You feel horrible for the kid,” Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. “You don’t want to see anyone get hurt in this game. He’s such a good kid, you forget the fact he’s a really good player. Your heart goes out to him.”

-Smush

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