Nets Injury News: Gerald Wallace Sits Out Monday's Game

Gerald Wallace sprained his ankle toward the end of the Brooklyn Nets' season-opener on Saturday.  He was unavailable last night due to the injury. Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News says Wallace may miss more time due to the injury.  The Nets understand Wallace's importance, though.  And he will be missed no matter how long he is forced to sit out.  Coach Avery Johnson explained Wallace's role on the team:“Just as much as Deron (Williams) is 1A for us, Gerald is probably 1B in terms of being irreplaceable,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “He's a multiple position player. You want guys like that who are athletic and get up and down the floor. He solves a lot of problems for us. He and Reggie are physical and nasty.”Wallace is in his 12th NBA season, but it is his first in Brooklyn.  He was originally drafted by the Sacramento Kings back in 2001.  In his career, Wallace has averaged 13.5 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.  He also shares the ball.  As a forward, Wallace still does a good job of finding open players.  He averages 2.1 assists per game. The Nets are 1-1 after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night sans Wallace.  The Nets are playing their first season in Brooklyn and want to make an impression on the city.  Wallace can help them do that alongside franchise player Deron Williams. Follow @hoopsinjurynews!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="http://www.nbainjurynews.com//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-34100676-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();