Brook Lopez: No Timetable on Return

After injuring his foot during a preseason game against the New York Knicks, Nets big man Brook Lopez has been wearing a boot and slowly working his way back into shape after surgery on Dec. 23. He spoke to reporters during last night’s Heat-Nets game for the first time since the injury, explaining that he’s doing well, but that he still doesn’t know exactly when he’ll be able to return. More details, via ESPNNewYork: “New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez says he’s confident that his rehab is going in the right direction, but did not offer a timetable as to when he’ll return from a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. ‘I’m doing well,’ Lopez told reporters following the first quarter of Saturday night’s game against the Miami Heat. ‘We just took an X-ray 30 minutes ago, and it came out negative.’ Lopez is currently wearing a boot over his right foot. He thinks he’ll be able to get the boot off in about a week, and that’s ‘too long,’ he added. Lopez is doing a lot of upper body work right now, and plans to get in the pool this week to do some work on an underwater treadmill. He hopes that next week he’s standing up and doing some workouts and maybe even doing some spot shooting if he’s lucky. … The 23-year-old underwent surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan on Dec. 23, so it’s been about two weeks now. Lopez’s original timetable for his return was six-to-eight weeks.”