Guard might have to sit down stretch
By MICHAEL HUNT
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: March 21, 2002
East Rutherford, N.J. - This is not what the Milwaukee Bucks needed to hear, especially with a three-game losing streak, playoff positioning slipping away and a game tonight against the rampaging New Jersey Nets:

Bucks


Photo/AP
Ray Allen's sore knee isn't getting any better


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Ray Allen said Thursday his sore left knee is only getting worse.

"It can get to a point where I might have to sit down before the season is over with," Allen said.

Hurt nine months ago in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against Philadelphia, Allen has never recovered from the injury, which doctors have said is not structural and shouldn't require surgery.

Still, the pain has only increased since late December, when Allen sat out for seven games, the first he had missed in his five-plus seasons with the Bucks.

Though the three-time all-star guard is still scoring 22-plus points per game, Allen is not getting his usual elevation on his jump shots. He is shooting 46%, down from 48% last year. Worse, opponents are exploiting his lack of mobility by running scorers right at Allen, who is getting lit up on a regular basis.

Allen has been in the starting lineup every game since returning on Jan. 5. There is, however, no guarantee he'll be there for the stretch run of the final 16 games for the Bucks, who have lost seven of their last 10 games and are in danger of falling out of the playoff race.

"My knee has been the most constant pain I've ever had," Allen said. "It hasn't gone away. Now it's gotten to the point where it feels worse."

Allen spoke Thursday in the hallway of Orlando's TD Waterhouse Centre, just before the Bucks left for New Jersey.

"It's throbbing, even now, when I'm walking or standing around," he said. "Before, I would feel it when I would start running. But now I feel it all the time."

Allen has never used the knee as an excuse for his play, and he refused to do so again before practice. He also pulled a hamstring 10 days ago against Chicago, but said that injury healed with two days' rest.

"With the last game (against Orlando Tuesday), it's getting tougher," Allen said. "When I'm on the floor I can feel it. It limits a lot of things I can do, but at the same time, when I come out of the game and come back in the game it's worse. I'm monitoring it closely."

Allen isn't the only ailing Buck. Glenn Robinson, who suffered a bruised tailbone in the 101-91 loss to the Magic, is expected to play tonight against New Jersey. Tim Thomas, who has missed the last four games with a strained knee, remains doubtful.

Bucks coach George Karl is trying to remain optimistic as he patches together a leaking ship. Since beginning the season 9-1, the Bucks are 27-29. If the playoffs began today, they would not have home-court advantage.

"We're in a race," Karl said. "You can look at it like it's disappointing that we didn't keep our opportunity to stay away from the race. But the truth of the matter is that's probably the reality of what we are.

"We're in a great race. We have a great opportunity to play a lot of great games to prepare ourselves for the playoffs."