[外電] Rookie Freije gets through the pain

看板Pelicans (新奧爾良 鵜鶘)作者 (黃蜂加油)時間20年前 (2004/12/19 16:20), 編輯推噓0(000)
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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. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 140.117.190.7
文章代碼(AID): #11nJdElK (Pelicans)
文章代碼(AID): #11nJdElK (Pelicans)