Nelson practices, leaves decision to play up to others

LOS ANGELES -- Jameer Nelson is still unsure if he'll be able to play when the NBA Finals begin Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC).

"I have no idea who's going to make that decision and when they're going to make it," Nelson told the media before the Orlando Magic practiced at Staples Center on Wednesday. "It's not up to me."

"We'll just decide after today if we think playing him gives us a better chance to win than not playing him," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's really as simple as that. But the decision won't be easy."

Nelson practiced full speed in Orlando on Tuesday, but hasn't been shooting for more than a few weeks. If he plays, his return would be two months ahead of schedule. But he called a comeback "a long shot." He said that a lot of people will have input on the decision for him to play or not.

"It's ownership, management ... Everybody has to partake in this decision," he said. "It's not just me. Somebody has to tell the truth here. Most importantly, I have to get through [Thursday's] practice fine. And the evaluation will come after that."

In knocking off the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win the Eastern Conference finals, the Magic are doing just fine without Nelson, playing their best basketball of the season. But Nelson was their best player in two games against the Lakers this season, averaging 27.5 points on 59 percent shooting.

Nelson declined to speculate how many minutes he could play if he suits up, or if he could play later in the series should he not get the go-ahead for Thursday.

Rafer Alston has done a strong job of leading the Magic in Nelson's absence, and Anthony Johnson has been a steady backup. But Nelson is an All-Star and a much better shooter than both Alston and Johnson. While teams have had some success in leaving the other two point guards alone on the perimeter, they'd have to be more honest in guarding Nelson.

"He can't hurt us," Alston said of getting Nelson back. "Our confidence is up. We understand how he plays, and with him out there, it can only help. That's another threat."

"The one thing that he brings to our team is he's fearless," Dwight Howard said, noting that Nelson's teammates follow his lead. "I think that would be a great thing about having him back. But I just want to make sure he's healthy first."

Nelson isn't worried about upsetting the chemistry that his team has developed in the first three rounds of the Playoffs.

"We play the same way, even though I'm not playing," he said. "It's not like they have to change plays for me or they have to change certain situations for me, on the offensive end or the defensive end. Our style is our style. It's not going to change."

While he knows that the opportunity to play in The Finals may never come again, Nelson was not adamant about his need to get back on the floor. And almost 3,000 miles away, the Spurs' Roger Mason Jr. had some advice for him.

"Jameer, resist the urge and get healthy homie!" Mason said on twitter from Miami, not long after Nelson met with the media. "With this shoulder injury, once you get your range of motion back, you're going to feel normal and ready. But when adrenaline is pumping, those muscles around the shoulder are fatigued quicker, and a chance of an injury is much higher. I know, [because] it happened to me."

"You're always at risk when you step on the basketball court, whether you're injured or not," Nelson said. "If I'm going out there worrying about injuries, not playing reckless like the way I play, I shouldn't be playing. Obviously, [if the team allows] me to play, they see I'm past that point.

"I'm not going to go out there and do something stupid. If I'm not ready, I'm not ready. And the team knows whether I'm ready or not."

NBA.com's John Schuhmann is covering the Orlando Magic through the NBA Finals. If you have a question or comment for him, send him an e-mail. You can also follow him on twitter.