So it begins again . . . officially

[jeddelong]

SPORTS WEDNESDAY • October 30, 2002

Latest sports news / Braves / UGA / Georgia Tech / High Schools

Abdur-Rahim to miss opener

Michael Lee - Staff

Wednesday, October 30, 2002

The Hawks will have to begin their playoff pursuits tonight in East Rutherford, N.J., without Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is sidelined with a stiff back.

Playing the defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets was a daunting enough task on opening night, but now the Hawks will be missing their leading scorer and rebounder from last season.

"We're short-handed without 'Reef, but the rest of us have to pick up the slack," said forward Glenn Robinson, who will make his regular-season debut in a Hawks uniform. "That's means I'll have to get a couple more rebounds for us, a couple more assists. Everybody is going to have to bring something extra.

"We've got a lot to prove this year," Robinson said. "We've got to compete with the best, and that starts with the best team in the East last year."

The Hawks were one of the few teams in the East to have success against the Nets last year, winning two out of three games and scoring more than 100 points in each contest. Of course, Abdur-Rahim played in all three of those games.

This is just the fifth game Abdur-Rahim has missed to injury in his six years in the league. The Hawks won the final two exhibition games against the New Orleans Hornets without him. Abdur-Rahim didn't practice Tuesday, doing strength exercises with trainer Wally Blase.

But after watching Abdur-Rahim's progression the past two days, coach Lon Kruger is hopeful that Abdur-Rahim will be back on the court for the home opener Thursday against the Utah Jazz.

"He looked much better," Kruger said. "It's been real encouraging."

The Hawks missed 319 games to injuries last season, more than any team in the league. They start the season with Chris Crawford (knee surgery) and DerMarr Johnson (four cracked neck vertebrae) on the injured list. Nazr Mohammed had a bone scan Tuesday on the bruised right foot that has kept him out of action for a week. His return has yet to be determined. Mohammed played all 82 games last year.

Meanwhile, the Nets are the hands-down favorite to win the conference again after adding Dikembe Mutombo and Rodney Rogers in the offseason.

Jason Kidd has given the Nets a swagger, and he has emerged as the basketball king of the metro area --- appearing on magazine covers and a 10-story billboard in midtown Manhattan promoting a video game.

Kenyon Martin, the power forward with the Bad Boy reputation, is getting better, and Richard Jefferson has stepped in at small forward for Keith Van Horn, whom the Nets didn't appear to miss during the preseason.

"I'm sure they feel that they've gotten better," Hawks center Theo Ratliff said. "They have a lot of confidence. It's a big game, we've got to come out focused."

[Nique21]

I think we will still be ok. If we was to lose, we have an excuse now.....lol

[Blunt91]

With Shareef being out for tonight's game that leaves us with Alan Henderson, Theo Ratliff and Antonio Harvey sharing time at PF and Center postion. The Hawks need to either go sign somebody before the game tonight or Nazr needs to "Man Up" and play tonight. I know Naz is listed as questionable for the game but if he could give us 10 to 15minutes that would help out. Hendu will probably end up playing about 35minutes to night and Theo will probably play around 28minutes. I know some of you will say Darvin Ham can play some at PF but at 6'7(That's probably giving him a inch or so)he is better suited for SF. Playing Ham out of positon will make him look bad and less effective. BTW this will be the 1st time Theo and Mutombo go at it since the trade 1 1/2 ago. I hope Theo destroys Deke!

[jaywalker72]

First of all, if Shareef wants to play, and it's the same pain he was feeling last year when he played with nothing at stake, then I say he should play.

What difference does one game make? If he can go tomorrow, they should play him tonight.

Second, Nazr foot injury is near serious. Obviously, there have been some improvements, else it would be him on the IL instead of Crawford, but the bone bruise on his foot could develop into a stress fracture. If that happened, they would have to insert a [censored] into the foot and that would mean a six week injury stay at the minimum.

This was a nice statement game to start the season. With two home games against teams we beat last year, to start the season with a win over the Eastern Conference Champs on their home floor could have been the start of a 3-0 beginning.

I am upset at the medical staff for letting this go into the season, and baffled by the decision to not play him tonight, but state that he will be ready for Thursday.

Amazing.

[KZ3]

Haha s-c-r-e-w is censored

[Guest]

Man we ain't gunna win [censored].I ain't gunna bother

watching the game tonight.[censored] it.Same [censored]

excuses as last year and the two years before

that.

[Nique21]

Thanks for the clear up KZ, I was wondering why Jay was cussing us.....lol

[dimes4life]

The Nets are going into this game with: the eastern conference championship banner going up, it is the 1st game of the year in N.J., Deke is on their team, they picked up Rodney Rogers and really have the same nucleous. The Hawks are improved, and probabally had the best off-season with the moves they made and the additions of Dickau and Ham plus THeo's return. But one huge problem is that Reef won't be playing, and he is their lone all-star and best player. But, go Hawks! They will beat the Jazz tommorow, that is for sure.

[Guest]

Having Harvey as a backup instead of Nazr isn't

good either.I say we lose 95-78

[Guest Walter]

I can't imagine a more aggregious error than:

1) allowing a player to play through an injury during a season consisting of mostly meaningless games,

2) not aggressively treating an injury in the offseason once they had likely aggrivated the injury allowing that player to play in mostly meaningless games,

3)and then suddenly waking up to the presence of the injury immediately prior to the season, costing us at least SAR's services for one game, likey his better play for many games, and perhaps his play period for some if not most or all of the season, as if it was the first time they had ever seriously considered the injury significant.

SAR lives in Atlanta. It's not like they couldn't have him undergo every objective test under the moon immediately after the season or, even better, during last season. It isn't like they couldn't have planned a serious rehab regimin allowing for a timetable including the possibility of minor surgery (i.e. micro discectomy) and rehab.

The Hawks traded to make SAR the center of their team. He should be the center of medical staff controversy.

W