“I’m obviously disappointed,” Okafor said. “The player in me, the competitor in me wants to be out there with my teammates fighting hard and out there having fun playing ball in front of our fans. But the situation is what the situation is. You have to act accordingly.”

Okafor’s right ankle was placed in a cast on Tuesday by team physician Dr. Glenn Perry to reduce tendinitis that developed as a result of his two right ankle sprains.

“I think those of you who have followed us this year know that we have been very cautious with our players -- with Sean (May), trying to hold Raymond (Felton) out or pulling a guy out of a game,” Bobcats General Manager and Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said prior to Tuesday’s game with the Wizards. “That is our policy, that we try to look to the future with these guys. It’s a common policy with us. We’re looking ahead.

“This move was made with Emeka’s long-term health in mind. Since it became clearer that his playing status for this season was in question, we came to the conclusion that the next step toward a full recovery was to immobilize his ankle and then build his ankle back to full strength for the 2006-07 season. He will work with our medical staff here in Charlotte diligently to get himself back to 100 percent.”

The second overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, Okafor first suffered a right ankle sprain against Sacramento on December 19. Okafor returned to action on January 10 against Houston, but re-injured the same ankle late in that game after posting 21 points and eight rebounds and missed the Bobcats next 30 games before the decision was made to cast the ankle.

“We initially (treated) a sprain of Emeka’s right ankle after the first injury in December, which he fully recovered from,” Bobcats Head Athletic Trainer Joe Sharpe said. “He came back and participated in one game in January and re-sprained the same ankle. Since then he has developed some severe tendonitis in his right ankle, and just to be conservative with this and for the long-term future of Emeka, we decided to put him in a cast to rest it as best as possible.”

Okafor is expected to be in the soft cast for the next 4-6 weeks and will then begin the rehabilitation of the joint. There is no timetable set as to just how long it will take Okafor to make a full recovery, but Sharpe stated, “I’m hoping by mid-summer we’ll have him back to complete recovery and ready to go again.”

Okafor averaged 13.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 assists in 26 games this season, including 16 double-doubles. He earned NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie First Team honors last season, while leading all NBA rookies with averages of 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds in 35.6 minutes.

While this has been a setback for him, Okafor isn’t about to let this get him down and is certain he will come back ready to go next season.

“Am I disappointed? Yes,” he admitted. “But the future is so bright. This is year two, it’s not the end. I can come back and make a full recovery and have a great third season. Looking on that positive, that’s what keeps me going. Also, seeing my teammates play hard and do what they do motivates me to get ready and get back to what I do.”