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Deron Williams feeling better after injection; ankle issue started at Olympics

By Net Income
Elsa

Deron Williams will play in Sunday's scrimmage and when he does, he says he'll feel better than he has in a while. In an interview with beat reporters, Williams said the inflammation in his ankle began bothering him during the Olympics back in July and got worse. Now, following an anti-inflammatory injection, things have changed.

"It already feels night and day from what it was," Williams said after Saturday's practice. "Just walking down the street, it would ache." Williams said the problem began in July. "It was hurting really bad in the Olympics, swole up in the Olympics. So, I had to get on some anti-inflammatory [medicine] and weve been just trying to strengthen it and get it loose. But it just seems like throughout the course of a game, it never gets loose."

Williams had an MRI that disclosed the inflammation, known as synovitis. He said he wasn't sure how much he and trainer Tim Walsh would have to monitor it throughout the season, but he's happy he's found out what the problem was. He didn't rule out possible surgery after the season to "clean it up."

Beat writers also got a chance to talk with the two training camp invites who made the team, Josh Childress and Andray Blatche. The two were amnestied during the summer but Avery Johnson has been happy with their progress, saying, "They deserve to make the team. They've been consistent. they bring the necessary skill set that we need on our team. Both have been doing a nice job being part of our second unit."

Childress and Blatche offered perspectives on where they've been and what's expected of them.

Childress said Johnson has told him that among the things he wants Childress to be is "a good teammate." He explained, "I don't know what happened here last year, but last year, the atmosphere wasn't positive all the time, wasn't great and that stuff permeates through your team so being a good teammate helps."

Blatche talked about how Reggie Evans has been a big part of his getting back to where he once was, that the two work out and spend time together. He also praised the Nets' organization. ""This is only my second organization, but compared to the Washington Wizards, it's completely different. Five-star, definitely. Every thing here is made for the players. I love it here."

Blatche also reacted to Stefan Bondy's report that Iman Shumpert and Carmelo Anthony were taunting him during Wednesday's preseason game. "They’re wasting their energy," Blatche responded Saturday. "I don’t know (Shumpert). He wasn’t playing, so he had to do something. You sitting on the bench with a suit on, you have to do something."

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