Here's how Jason Kidd prepared for his showdown tonight at the Meadowlands against fellow All-Star Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs: He had his injured back worked on by a chiropractor.
As if the Nets don't already have enough problems with long-term injuries to Nenad Krstic and Richard Jefferson, they are looking at undoubtedly their worst-case scenario when Tim Duncan makes his lone appearance of the season in New Jersey. For the first time this season, the Nets could have to play without Kidd.
How bad is it? Kidd wasn't available yesterday to answer that question, so no one knows if this means he'll be out both tonight and tomorrow night against the Raptors in a critical Atlantic Division showdown in Toronto. "It's been hurting him the last couple of games," Lawrence Frank said after practice. "Then it was really hurting him against Orlando (Saturday night)."
Kidd, who had a minor back problem earlier this season, made no mention of the injury Saturday night after the Nets' third straight victory. That was the second game of a back-to-back set, with travel.
Although he is listed as "questionable," the injury appears significant because Kidd had to have treatment for several hours Sunday, followed up by yesterday's session. Frank said the team has not run any other tests and chose not to specify the nature of the injury.
"We'll wait and see how he feels" regarding tonight's game, Frank said.
