| | PHOENIX -- All-Star guard Jason Kidd broke his left ankle in
the Phoenix Suns' 114-93 win over Sacramento on Wednesday night and
will miss the rest of the regular season.
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Well, this all comes in the coaching playbook under psyche and morale. It's not time for the Suns to feel sorry for themselves. It's a rallying point. Every man has to pull his own wagon.
Penny Hardaway will really have to step up. His image has been tarnished, but now this is an opportunity for him to get it back. He has to lead them offensively and defensively. No excuses or alibis. And after the Suns play the Lakers on Friday, they have seven of the next nine on the road.
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Kidd, who leads the NBA in assists and averages 14.5 points per
game, sustained the injury with .2 seconds left in the first half
while racing the clock to take a shot.
Julie Fie, the Suns director of media relations, said Kidd
fractured a bone (medial malleolus) high in the left ankle.
The Suns expect Kidd to miss four to eight weeks. That was the diagnosis after surgery Thursday morning in which a bone chip from a previous injury also was removed from the ankle.
Doctors were encouraged because there was no soft tissue damage discovered during surgery.
After the Kings had taken a 52-50 lead, Kidd took an inbound
pass and drove down the right sideline before Kings guard Jason
Williams forced him to a stop.
Kidd fumbled the ball out of bounds, then spun and reached for
the ball. When the clock stopped, Kidd remained doubled over
holding his lower calves.
Kidd, who had no points but seven assists and five rebounds,
tried to walk off the court but took one tentative step before he
was carried off the court and into the locker room by teammates.
The loss of Kidd is a serious blow to the Suns, who also lost
forward Tom Gugliotta for the season when he ruptured ligaments in his left knee on March 10.
Gugliotta was lost for the rest of the season when he ruptured
ligaments in his left knee on March 10.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. | |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jason Kidd gets injured.
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 Randy Livingston gives credit to the coaching staff for getting the team through tough times.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Penny Hardaway comments on Jason Kidd's injury.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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