Despite a broken nose, Miami Heat's Jermaine O'Neal good to go Tuesday vs. Suns

By Ira Winderman South Florida Sun-Sentinel
November 3, 2009


MIAMI - Dwyane Wade, Jermaine O'Neal and Daequan Cook all missed Monday's practice as the Heat prepared for tonight's lone visit of the season by Steve Nash and the Suns.

Wade did not even make it to the session, instead tied up in a courtroom in a matter related to a failed business interest.

O'Neal watched from the side, a day after breaking his nose late in Sunday's 95-87 victory over the Bulls.

Cook was held out with the shoulder ailment that forced him to skip the Chicago game.

In addition, guard Chris Quinn, who had been out since the start of training camp with a sprained ankle, went through the entire session and has been deemed healthy enough to return.

The team was aware well in advance that Wade would have to miss Monday's practice, working to arrange such court appearances so as not to interfere with his game schedule.

"He'll be available, and we'll be flexible and work around him," coach Erik Spoelstra said.

O'Neal also said to count on his presence against Phoenix.

"I think it's very unlikely that I'll sit out," he said, "unless something happens between now and then, as far as the swelling."

O'Neal said he remains unaware of how he was injured, but said he is certain that he will not wear a mask, something he attempted when he previously broke his nose while playing for the Pacers.

"I tried to wear a mask and basically had a bad two, three minutes of not being able to see out of the sides," he said of quickly discarding it. "I could only see forward. So I took it off. I'm one to believe if you wear a mask in a game, you're going to get hit."

O'Neal's greater concern was there was no accompanying concussion, after sitting out the final two games of last season's playoffs due to one.

"I was a little bit nervous, obviously having a concussion before," he said. "I had some of the symptoms of a concussion, as far as blurriness in the vision and a headache and my balance was a little bit off.

"It cleared up pretty fast, and that's why I just tried to look into the lights, to make sure, because normally when you have a concussion, you can't look into the light. That's when I knew I was fine and started concentrating a little bit more on the nose."

As for Cook, trainer Jay Sabol appears to be taking a cautious approach after the third-year guard tried to play through the strain Friday in Indiana and shot 1 of 9, experiencing additional discomfort in ensuing days.

"Jay says it's not something that really can get a lot worse, but it can get to the point where it's not getting better," Spoelstra said. "And, obviously, we want him, with his shooting shoulder, for it to feel right mentally for him."

If Cook cannot play, it again could have Dorell Wright as the first wing off the bench.

"Of that group, he brings a little bit more ballhandling, in case we needed it," Spoelstra said of going with Wright ahead of James Jones and Yakhouba Diawara in the Sunday victory that lifted the Heat to 3-0 for the third time in the franchise's 22 seasons.

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