Nets guards Seth Curry, Joe Harris won't be ready for opener
NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets guards Seth Curry (left ankle) and Joe Harris (left foot) will not be ready for the regular-season opener against the New Orleans Pelicanson Wednesday as they continue their respective rehab plans, the team announced Sunday.
Curry underwent offseason ankle surgery. He has been able to do some four-on-four work in practice in recent days but is still not ready to play. The same goes for Harris, who had two ankle surgeries last season and played in only 14 games.
"I'm not concerned. I'm positive. I'm optimistic," Nets coach Steve Nash said after Sunday's practice. "It's just not straightforward with guys coming off surgeries, assimilating back to play. It's not always like straight up. Sometimes you go through some adaptation issues. So I think those guys are facing that more than, 'Oh, the emergency lights are on and we're concerned.' I think we feel like this is just a part of them getting back to it."
Nash made it clear that neither player had a setback over the past couple of weeks. Harris said last week that while he was hopeful to play in the opener, he has been told by his doctor that the foot soreness he is dealing with is normal after going through an ankle reconstruction.
"It's well within the realm of normalcy for guys to have little hiccups on their way back from surgery," Nash said.
Nash said Curry may be a "hair behind" Harris in terms of a return to the floor, but both players are making progress. The Nets said they will have an update on both players' status Thursday.
In the meantime, veteran guard Royce O'Neale is expected to start and get more minutes with Curry and Harris out. O'Neale said it didn't matter to him whether he started or came off the bench after he was acquired over the summer from the Utah Jazz.
"These guys are making it easier for me," O'Neale said. "I try to make it easier for them. They're creators, knocking down open shots and creating for them. Everybody reading off each other has been great."
