Time not on Nocioni's side

March 26, 2007
By Paul Ladewski Staff writer

INDIANAPOLIS — As usual, Andres Nocioni said his strained right foot felt better. And the veteran forward was optimistic he would return to practice on April 1 at the latest.

But with the regular-season finale only 23 days away, the hard fact remains this: Nocioni hasn't progressed well enough to guarantee he will be a factor in the playoffs.

“We try to have me come back for the playoffs without pain,” Nocioni said prior to the date with the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon. “The problem is, if I come back too early, then maybe I can't help my team because I have pain.”

Nocioni was supposed to have shed his protective boot and start placing pressure on the foot last week, but the plan was pushed back after tests detected some minor inflammation.

Prior to the game, Nocioni rode a stationary bicycle, performed light exercises and practiced his shot.

“Maybe I can run a little bit in a couple days, but we'll start slowly,” Nocioni said.

The hope was that Nocioni would play a few regular-season games in preparation for the playoffs. He sat out 22 of the last 23 games.

“We've gotten down to a period of time that, when you factor his condition and need to play, it's a little bit tight,” head coach Scott Skiles said.

In his last appearance, a 15-minute stint in Cleveland on Feb. 22, Nocioni suffered a setback. He hasn't played since then.

“We don't want to do the same thing that we did in Cleveland,” Nocioni said. “I want to play, but I want to be all right.”

Get well soon

The return of Nocioni is crucial if for no other reason than it would give the team an established scorer off the bench.

This season Nocioni ranks second in 3-point field goals on the team.

“When Noce is in the game, there is a lot more space to operate,” Skiles said. “That's what we miss when he's not out there. Teams have to be worried about him even when he doesn't have the ball. They collapse on our guards a lot more when he's out of the line-up.”



We need Noc for the playoffs if you ask me. I just pray he can contribute in some fashion. I miss the Agrentinean Assasin pissing off the opponents! COME BACK NOC!

Hopefully hes ready for the playoffs. We are a better team when he plays but I dont wanna risk him getting more hurt.

I don't see how Noc will be ready for the playoffs. This injury is a real bear.

So here's the question;

how much damage does he risk doing if he forces himself to come back for 10-20 minutes a game in the early playoff rounds if he's not completely healed?