Report: Jazz G Williams out a few more weeks

Nov 7, 2008 - 11:16 PM SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams will be out of action longer than originally anticipated, according to a report by The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday.

The 24-year-old, who has missed the first four games of the season with a sprained left ankle, sought a second opinion on Thursday and received a different prognosis than the original timetable of two weeks. He now is expected to be out a total of four to six weeks from the date of the original injury, which occurred October 18 in a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls.

It has been three weeks since that contest. Williams told the Tribune he feels he is "ahead of schedule," but that his return date still is indefinite.

He officially is out for Friday's home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, after which the team takes to the road for a five-game, Eastern Conference road trip.

"They just said two weeks because they knew I didn't want to hear four to six weeks, probably," Williams told the Tribune. "(Dr. Lyle Mason) knows me. Now I wish they would have so I wouldn't have got my hopes up."

In addition to discomfort in his ankle and a limited range of motion, Williams has been bothered by a painful mass of blood in his left foot stemming from the injury.

Coming into this season, Williams had missed just four games in his NBA career and was the only Jazz player to start all 82 contests in 2007-08. The Jazz are not desperate for his return just yet, as they have gotten off to a 4-0 start despite his absence.

"I wouldn't want to put myself in that position right now to be hurt," Williams said. "I think we have a couple more winnable ballgames without me."