October 8, 2009

Lee Sidelined & Surprised

When Tuesday's practice at the PNY Center ended, Courtney Lee knew the question was coming. Knew it was bad form to be dressed in sweats a day after telling reporters he'd be back at practice, and knew he had to have an answer. So he pled innocent:

"It wasn’t me!" Lee said. "Trust me, it wasn’t me. I was suited up, ready to go, had my headband on, had the mask in my hand, and (athletic trainer Tim Walsh) said, ‘Let’s give it one more day.’ I was like, ‘Aw, man – I’ve got to get out here and practice.’ He said, ‘One more day.’ I was like, 'All right.'"

Lee said his sprained right ankle has been healing properly, and made sure to point out that he respected the decision, even though he wanted to be practicing. Treating the ankle with a Deep Wave ultrasound machine, Lee acknowledged the preseason timing played a part in the team wanting to ensure nothing lingered into the season's start at the end of the month.

Coach Frank left open the possibility of Lee playing in tomorrow's preseason game against the 76ers, but had indicated that today's practice would likely be a necessary step. Lee seemed bummed out about possibly sitting out, apparently eager to get on the floor after missing the opener with (unrelated) left foot inflammation.

"If it was up to me, I would be out there running through a wall," Lee said. "But this is what they say, so I don’t know yet."

Taking Credit for T-Will
After rookie Terrence Williams opened weary eyes with a few contest-worthy throwdowns at the end of yesterday's practice, fellow wing Chris Douglas-Roberts attempted to claim credit for the dunk-off:

"I influenced that," Douglas-Roberts said. "We hear about his athleticism, and I wanted everyone to see it. I saw it in college, I know how athletic he is, so I tried to rile him up so he could dunk a little bit, and that’s what he did."

The hyper-competitive duo regularly goad each other throughout practice, notably trash-talking to no end during a recent free-throw competition, which CD-R won by nailing 29-of-30 attempts while reminding Williams he already got out all his misses in Memphis' heartbreaking 2008 NCAA Championship loss.

Meanwhile, the post-conditioning dunking display didn't go unnoticed by the head coach.

"It means we’re not working him hard enough!" Frank joked. "I think Terrence is an unbelievable athlete, and the more he becomes comfortable, the more we’ll see that athleticism in game situations."

Simmons Sometimes Sliding to 4
With last year's Opening Night small forward, Bobby Simmons, caught amongst the glut of wing players, the player and coach spoke this summer about Simmons preparing to play the 4, much as he did last season upon returning from an abdominal injury after the All-Star Break.

"I just want him to be prepared, so he feels comfortable with it," Frank said. "He’s a 3-man, but while McDonald’s still supersizes, the league has downsized. Our shooting isn’t what it was last year: (Vince) Carter was a good shooter, (Ryan) Anderson was a good shooter. There are going to be times when we need shooting on the floor, but what wins out? Defense, so we have to find the right balance and combination on the floor between having defensive-minded guys with enough offense to score points."