Mavericks’ Williams out for remainder of preseason games
Deron Williams has been ruled out of the Dallas Mavericks’ remaining three preseason games.
The lingering question is if the oft-injured point guard will be available on Oct. 28 when the Mavs open the regular season on the road against the Phoenix Suns.
An MRI conducted on Williams on Saturday revealed he has a strained right calf. It’s the same calf that prevented him from participating in the Mavs’ first four preseason games and the same calf he strained last season while playing for the Brooklyn Nets.
It’s been a frustrating thing for him, but we’re making progress and we’ll get there.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on the Deron Williams’ calf injury
Williams’ injury history is a concern.
“Concerned, but I believe we’re going to get the thing resolved,” coach Rick Carlisle said after Sunday’s practice and before the Mavs flew to Cleveland for Monday’s game against the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. “We’re still 10 days away here [from opening night]. We’ve got time.”
Maybe, but the Mavs (0-4 preseason) may need to start ramping up things with their other point guards in case Williams isn’t ready for the opener against the Suns. That means the onus could be on J.J. Barea, Devin Harris and Raymond Felton.
And also on shooting guard John Jenkins, the Mavs’ leading scorer in preseason who has received more than his fair share of duty running the offense during the first four games.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that are doing good things,” Carlisle said. “Jenkins has certainly been a bright spot.”
Williams signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Mavs this summer after he received a $27.5 million buyout from the Nets. The Mavs are hoping he can return to the form that earned him three straight All-Star berths from 2010-’12.
A strained right calf and fractured rib cost Williams 14 games last season.
“It’s been a frustrating thing for him, but we’re making progress and we’ll get there,” Carlisle said. “It’s just there and we’ve got to get it out of there, and we’ll get there.
“He’s very disappointed. He wants to be out here with us playing, but he’s a veteran guy and he’s watching everything and on a limited basis he’s doing what he can do to stay connected.”
Carlisle doesn’t have an exact timetable for Williams’ return.
If Williams isn’t ready for the opener, forward Dirk Nowitzki is confident that Harris, Barea or Felton can run the show for the Mavs and keep things afloat until The Colony native is able to play.
“We’ve got a bunch of veteran, savvy guards,” Nowitzki said. “All three [point] guards that are left are over 30, have been around the block, have been starters at times. So whoever is going to play is going to fill that role.”
Parsons no-go
No timetable has been set for the return of small forward Chandler Parsons, who missed the first four preseason games as he continues to rehab from hybrid microfracture surgery May 1 on his right knee.
“He’s doing more each practice, but he’s not been cleared for 5-on-5 contact,” Carlisle said. “He’s doing more full-court running with the team. He’s doing more technique work. But he’s not there yet.”
Carlisle said Felton and forward Dwight Powell will be available to play against Cleveland.
Felton missed the past two games with a strained left hamstring, and Powell missed the first four games with a sprained left elbow.
Dwain Price: 817-390-7760, @dwainprice
Mavericks at Cavs
6 p.m. Monday
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
TV: KTXA/Ch. 21
Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM; ESPN/1540 AM (Spanish)
This story was originally published October 18, 2015 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Mavericks’ Williams out for remainder of preseason games."