Charlotte Bobcats center Joel Przybilla is finished for the season because of continued pain in his right knee.

Przybilla will undergo another procedure to remove wires inserted in the knee after he twice tore his patella tendon.

Przybilla has not played for Charlotte since March 7. He was acquired from Portland in a Feb. 24 trade that sent Gerald Wallace to the Trail Blazers.

The Bobcats now have only one healthy center, Kwame Brown.

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge said that whether Shaquille O'Neal returns for the regular season or waits until the playoffs is uncertain.

Ainge watched O'Neal go through a private workout at the Celtics practice facility on Wednesday. O'Neal is trying to recover from a sore right Achilles tendon.

"It could be a week or two weeks," said Ainge. "I watched him work out, and he’s starting to do things on the court. We’re just still not sure of when he’s going to come back."

Washington Wizard rookie Trevor Booker is out for the rest of the season after breaking a bone in his right foot.

Booker played in 65 games, including 14 starts, for last-place Washington. He averaged 5.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 54.9 percent on field-goal attempts. He played in 65 games, including 14 starts.

His foot will be placed in a walking boot, and he’ll be re-evaluated in six weeks.

While Udonis Haslem is progressing quicker than expected, his return will not be for another month.

Haslem participated in a high-energy shooting drill on Tuesday.

“It’s a little sore [Tuesday], but I’m definitely making strides, heading in the right direction,” Haslem said. “Way further along than I anticipated right now.”

Haslem’s return isn’t imminent, though.

Spoelstra said before Tuesday’s game that Haslem will be evaluated on a weekly basis, meaning he might not be ready for the start of the playoffs.

“We’ll just have to see how the next month goes and then reevaluate,” Spoelstra said. “Only he can tell us how his foot and body is responding.

“We’re having daily discussions with the training staff. None of us really know at this point.”

Haslem said the next step in his rehabilitation “is trying to run up and down” with his teammates.

Jermaine O'Neal rejoined the Celtics on Monday following two months on the shelf after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

O'Neal could play as soon as Thursday at San Antonio, but Doc Rivers wouldn't commit to that plan.

The Hornets' David West, after opting not to sign an extension to stay in New Orleans, was considered one of the top free agents on the market this summer, but it looks like his knee injury will affect that status.

For many front-office executives, West’s injury is too much to ignore. He has averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds over his career, and has made two All-Star teams. But he is 31-years-old, and the prospects of West coming back as an All-Star level player are obviously uncertain.

“There was a time where you kind of had faith in the ability of every guy to come back from injuries,” one Eastern Conference general manager said. “But I think there are enough examples of guys who have surgeries and aren’t the same. That has to make you think twice.”

The GM cited two prominent examples—Magic guard Gilbert Arenas and Sixers forward Elton Brand.

Because it will take West at least six months to rehab his knee, it is now expected that West will not opt out of his contract with the Hornets which will pay him $7.5 million next season.

Nets' wing Quinton Ross is done for the season, having suffered a herniated disk Friday in Orlando.

"Unfortunately he has another disk situation," Johnson said. "We're going to confirm that when we get home, but based on preliminary discussions with Tim and our doctors, he's out."

Jameer Nelson's MRI on his injured left knee revealed no structural damage, a team spokesman said.

Nelson was injured in Friday's win over New Jersey.

Deron Williams told reporters on Saturday he expects to play again before the Nets’ season is over, and the point guard pointed to Wednesday’s game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden as a likely target for his return.

“Yeah, I’m going to give it one more try,” Williams said. “Maybe I’ll eye that New York game,” he said. “It’s a big game.”

The Nets play Houston on Tuesday followed by the nationally televised Knicks game on Wednesday.

“I think it would probably be better to play the second (game) of a back-to-back, instead of the first,” said Williams.

Avery Johnson had said Williams will be re-evaluated at Monday’s practice.

Boston coach Doc Rivers admitted he's heard discussion among his players about Shaquille O'Neal potentially being ready to play part of the Celtics' upcoming four-game road trip.

But Rivers said he actually believes April 5 is the most likely date to expect the Diesel out of the garage.

"[Shaq coming on the road trip is] a possibility, I actually heard that there's a chance, but I don't expect it," Rivers said before Saturday's practice at the Sports Authority Training Center. "I can tell you I've heard different things. I just think that's too optimistic, in my opinion, just being around the game long enough to know that, when they take the boot off, you usually don't play a day later. And I don't see him flying on the plane, getting the boot off -- I just think that's unrealistic.

"There's a better chance -- when do we come home, next Sunday? There's a better chance there [versus Detroit] and I actually don't think that's realistic. It's more likely the game after that [versus Philadelphia]. That would be our target date for Shaq. And I don't even know if that one is [going to hold firm]."