The Official Site of Jermaine O'Neal

Wed, Dec 3rd 2008, 10:46

O'Neal wiser after return to lineup

Jermaine O’Neal was back on the basketball court last night, feeling healthier than he has in almost two weeks.

Feeling a bit wiser, too.

O’Neal’s return from a three-game absence due to a sprained left ankle was a big boost for the Raptors in the middle of a three-game western road trip and he knows he might have been able to come back earlier if not for his own insistence on “pushing the needle.”

He played just under 19 minutes during last night’s 132-93 loss in Denver, taking most of the second half off as the game was well out of hand for the Raptors. O’Neal finished with 12 points and two rebounds.

After originally suffering a knee injury in a game Nov. 21 against New Jersey, O’Neal tried to come back two days later against Boston but lasted 14 minutes.

Not only wasn’t his knee healthy enough for him to play in the game, he now knows the ankle sprain he suffered in that game exacerbated the decision to rush his return.

“I think it basically came down to after that Sunday game against Boston, it was kind of a wakeup call that I can’t just push the needle. I’m not 21 years old any more, I’m not old but you have to be a little bit smarter,” O’Neal said yesterday.

“I looked at it all week and thought about it all week. If I don’t play in that Sunday game, then I play Wednesday and I’m back. I don’t even hurt my ankle.”

But he did and even though Toronto went 2-1 in the games O’Neal missed, having to sit and watch increased his frustration level daily. He wasn’t mad at anything other than the circumstances – and himself.

“But you try to be a little bit smarter when you get a little bit older,” he said. “That was the thing, I was really frustrated with (the fact) I could have made a better decision.

“You want to make the best decision to help your team but sometimes you have to step away and think about the bigger picture and longevity and not put the team in a tough position by having you miss games by making an emotional decision.”

O’Neal’s return had been rumoured, and expected, for the past three games. He’d been trying out the ankle at practices and shootarounds every day since he hurt it and had been close to getting back into games. But there’d always been some minor swelling and discomfort that held him back.

“I had a pretty good practice (Monday in Los Angeles). Felt more in control, felt strong making moves. I’m not quite 100 per cent yet but good enough I think to be effective and help the team.”

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