On October 16th Brook Lopez suffered a seemingly minor soft tissue issue injury to his surgically repaired foot. Lopez hasn’t practiced with the team since and was slated to miss 10 days for the Nets and he’d return for the opener versus the Boston Celtics.
But according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York, as long as Brook Lopez is healthy, he will play.
“He was on the [anti-gravity] treadmill, but he’s doing fine,” Hollins said Friday. “I think he’ll be ready by opening day, but that’s my opinion to talking to with him, but the doctors [still have to clear him].”
So what does Hollins need to see in Lopez before he returns? “That he’s healthy. That’s all. If he’s healthy, he’s gonna play,” Hollins said. “I’d prefer [he practice], but if he doesn’t, it doesn’t matter.”
Lopez hasn’t practiced or played in the Nets strange preseason since his injury. Brooklyn had a strange path this preseason that included a 44 minute game, a trip to China to take on the Sacramento Kings and ended the preseason with three games in four nights. It might have been a good thing Lopez wasn’t around for all that while recovering.
If he’s healthy, Brook will play and should start for Brooklyn. The new methods under Lionel Hollins might take a little getting used to for Lopez as well as getting back into rhythm on the court since Lopez has missed so much on the court after his injury last year. But still, the best may be yet to come from Lopez if he stays healthy.
