[外電] Rookie Freije gets through the pain
原文出自nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1103441165124710.xml
Rookie Freije gets through the pain
Sunday, December 19, 2004
By John Reid
Staff writer
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. -- No matter how many times Matt Freije
falls, he keeps getting up.
Freije, a rookie forward for the Hornets who was signed as
a free agent last month, keeps jumping for rebounds and
taking perimeter shots despite back spasms he says feels
like needles piercing his skin.
Freije, the only player in the NBA playing with a cracked
tailbone, does not complain or make excuses. He grimaces,
but doesn't ask to come out. And Freije won't think of
asking General Manager Allan Bristow to put him on an
injured list already filled with five Hornets players.
Despite the pain, Freije plans to hustle and mix it up in
the post when the Hornets play the Sacramento Kings tonight
at Arco Arena.
"Every time he touches the ball, it's almost like he re-
injures it," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "The little
comfort he gets from treatment goes right out of the window.
He's just a tough kid."
Freije cracked his tailbone in a 92-69 loss to the defending
NBA champion Detroit Pistons on Dec. 4 at New Orleans Arena.
He fell hard after trying to keep Ben Wallace from driving the
baseline in the second quarter. Freije remained in the game
until midway into the third quarter, when X-rays showed his
injury.
The Hornets' medical staff advised him to rest, not play. But
Freije decided he wasn't going to sit. Since the injury, he
has started seven games.
"They (teammates and coaching staff) just ask me if I'm all
right to go, and I tell them I am," Freije said. "My tailbone
hurts every time I fall on it, and I have sharp pains in my
lower back from the spasms, but I fight through it. That's
all I know to do."
For protection, Freije's cracked tailbone is covered by a
small foam pad. But it provides only minimal protection.
"To see him out there battling with a cracked tailbone shows
what kind of player he is," guard Dan Dickau said.
Freije is not the only Hornet playing injured. Forward George
Lynch is experiencing pain in both feet, but he keeps pushing.
P.J. Brown is given a heat pad during timeouts to help ease
muscle soreness.
"With so many guys hurt right now, we've barely got a team on
the floor," Lynch said. "So, we just have to think about the
things we can do to help the team."
That's the approach Freije has taken in all of his 14 games
this season. During Friday's 83-67 loss to the San Antonio
Spurs at New Orleans Arena, Freije was knocked down three
times drawing a charge or defending the baseline.
In Wednesday's victory against Golden State, Freije fell hard
to the court after Warriors forward Troy Murphy ran into him.
Freije got up, and Murphy was called for an offensive foul.
"I tried to make a play because the coaches were getting on me
for not moving my feet," Freije said.
Freije is not looking for sympathy, but he knows the risks
involved. What's most important is taking advantage of the
opportunity to play. He became the starting power forward
when Brown shifted to center, replacing starter Jamaal
Magloire, out for up to three months with a fractured right
ring finger.
"This might be the only time I get playing time like this,"
said Freije, who entered Friday's game averaging 20.6 minutes
per game and 4.6 points. "Hopefully it will lead to more
playing time."
Freije was the 53rd pick in the draft by the Miami Heat, who
waived him before the regular season began. He thought his
road back to the NBA might include a stop in the Continental
Basketball Association. The Hornets signed him after Rodney
Rogers was placed on the injured list with a sprained left knee.
It's still not certain if Freije is going to stick. He has
struggled to make an impact as a shooter. He played 19
minutes against the Spurs and missed four of five shots.
After hitting four of eight shots and scoring 10 points in
last Tuesday's 94-93 overtime loss at Charlotte, Freije
missed 10 of 13 shots the next night against the Warriors.
NOT A BAD DEAL: Dickau seldom even took off his warmup jacket
while playing for the Dallas Mavericks, but since joining the
Hornets in a trade earlier this month, he has averaged 12.1
points and 22.4 minutes.
His 97 points in eight games with the Hornets are two more
than his total last season, in 43 games.
Is the Mavericks' brass surprised about Dickau's breakout?
"No," said Donn Nelson, Dallas' president of basketball
operations. "I'm really not. All he needed was a chance to
be able to spread his wings and fly a little bit. He had a
terrific training camp for us, and he's just a great human
being. He's one of those guys who plays ball for the right
reasons, and all he needed was a chance."
That's what Dickau told Scott when the point guard walked
into the coach's office Dec. 7. Scott succinctly replied,
"Oh, you'll get a chance here."
The guard the Hornets traded, Darrell Armstrong, who is
averaging 5.1 points 20.7 minutes for the Mavericks.
"The mind-set of the trade," Nelson said, "was that we have
Devin Harris, the future of our team, but a rookie and Jason
Terry, who we love and who's a scoring point guard. But
neither one of those guys have played a single minute in the
playoffs. And neither has Dan. Our thinking was when the
rubber meets the road, and you have a heated playoff scenario,
experience means a lot. We just wanted someone with a little
more experience, that's all."
WELCOME HOME: For next Sunday's "NBA Inside Stuff," cameras
followed injured Hornets guard Baron Davis back home to south
central Los Angeles.
The episode, which will be aired at 11:30 a.m. on ABC, will
show the house in which Davis grew up, his production studio,
and it will introduce viewers to many of his friends,
including rap artist The Game.
. . . . . . .
Benjamin Hochman contributed to this report. John Reid
can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.
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