Nets' Deron Williams to undergo surgery Tuesday on both ankles
Deron Williams of the Nets looks on late in the fourth quarter of a game against the Miami Heat during Game 4 of their second-round playoff series at Barclays Center on Monday, May 12, 2014. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Deron Williams' chronically injured ankles have failed him more than once during the Nets' first two seasons in Brooklyn. Admittedly, it caused him to lose confidence. So repairing them surgically might be the first step in helping him to fully regain it.
The Nets announced Thursday that Williams will have procedures on both ankles performed Tuesday by team foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin O'Malley. Williams visited with O'Malley this week after having MRIs on both ankles last Friday.
In a statement issued by the Nets, O'Malley said Williams will have a bone chip removed from his right ankle and an "arthroscopic clean-out" of his left ankle, with spurs removed in the front and back of the ankle.
O'Malley said Williams is expected to make a full recovery, but no timetable was given.
Injuries forced Williams to sit out 18 games this season, with 16 of those coming in two separate stints while he nursed a sprained left ankle. Statistically, it was his worst season since his rookie campaign in 2005-06. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds.
Williams had platelet-rich plasma treatment on his ankles in January and received cortisone shots in the lateral ligament of each ankle. He also had another round of cortisone shots before Game 7 of the first-round series against the Raptors.
Williams' rash of injuries weighed on him. "It just took a beating on me," he said last week. "I couldn't do what I wanted to. I can't finish the way I want to finish."
"You start thinking about things. So that was just the main thing was confidence-wise, it's hard to get back to where I was."
Williams has three years and $63.1 million remaining on his contract.
Hardaway, Plumlee all-rookie. The Knicks' Tim Hardaway Jr.and the Nets' Mason Plumlee were named to the NBA's all-rookie first team, joining Philadelphia's Michael Carter-Williams, Orlando's Victor Oladipo and Utah's Trey Burke. Hardaway was a spark off the bench for the Knicks, averaging 10.2 points and shooting 36.3 percent from three-point range. Plumlee averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 70 games.
