NET NOTES
ORLANDO – He said he was 75 percent. And that just wasn’t good enough to play – rather, to risk playing – Keith Van Horn last night.
And so Van Horn went from a near-certain starter to interested spectator in the course of a day. On Monday, it appeared Van Horn would be back in last night’s starting lineup after missing one game due to a right ankle sprain. But an hour before the tip against the Magic, the decision was to keep him out.
“After talking to the coaches, 75 percent they feel is a little risky, especially in the shortened season,” said Van Horn, who again was replaced in the first five by Jamie Feick. “If we wait until Atlanta [tomorrow] it will be near 100 percent with the way it’s improved.’
Van Horn tested the ankle at the morning workout and again before the game and noted that, “The way I sprained it, it feels if I put a lot of pressure on it, it’s going to roll. Today it felt like it was going to give out.”
Interim coach Don Casey stressed the importance of treading with caution in matters concerning Van Horn.
“We’d rather sit him than have him get sore again and turn it to something long term because I think it’s critical for the franchise to finish strong and Keith is necessary to finish strong,” Casey said. “I’d rather have good things happen at the end than a dramatic victory here with his effort.”
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Center Jim McIlvaine underwent what was described as successful arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left shoulder. Dr. Russell Warren performed the surgery at Manhattan’s Hospital for Special Surgery. McIlvaine will begin a full rehabilitation program in about one month. The team announced the total time for McIlvaine’s rehab will be 3 months.
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Yes, the NCAA title game was tough on the likes of UConn’s Richard Hamilton and Ricky Moore and Khalid El-Amin. But they only played. What about the nervous souls who watched?
“Nerve-wracking,” said UConn product Scott Burrell. “Very nerve-wracking because you’re just sitting there knowing you can’t go out there and play it for them.”
Burrell, who remains on the injury list for the Nets, flew down Sunday in order to attend the greatest game in his alma mater’s history. And he got to participate in his second championship celebration in a calendar year. Last June, he was a member of the Bulls’ sixth championship party.
“It was fun,” Burrell said of the celebration after the Huskies upset Duke. “The young guys can’t drink champagne so it was a little different than the world championship.”
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Familiar face in the crowd: George Steinbrenner, now a partner with New Jersey through “YankeeNets” … Understatement of the Week came from NBA Player of the Week Darrell Armstrong. Assessing the 5-23 Nets, he noted, “They probably won’t make the playoffs but we still can’t afford to take them lightly.”
