WEDMAN STANDS IN THE SHADOWS HEEL INJURY COULD HALT HIS CAREER

May 22, 1987

WEDMAN STANDS IN THE SHADOWS HEEL INJURY COULD HALT HIS CAREER

The upshot of all this is how the situation is wreaking havoc on Scott Wedman's wardrobe.

How would you like to have to come up with 76 different suit and tie combinations to blend in with kelly green?

"That's been the biggest problem," said the 12th-year pro. "It takes me longer to dress and figure out what colors match than it did when I had to drive to the Garden, put on my uniform and go through my warmups."

There are no warmups for these playoffs, only fashion shows with Rick Carlisle. And what kind of chance does Wedman have when he must limit his foot apparel, whether he's wearing a tank top or tuxedo, to Reebok sneakers?

And while we're at it, one of those sneakers, specifically the left one, has the back carved out with a kitchen knife, leaving Wedman's heel with its own natural vent -- an air-conditioned Achilles'.

That trendy little oddity, however, is really a form of therapy to help get the mysterious left heel back in working order, back in basketball order, so the career of Scott Wedman can continue.

If the career is not already over.

"It could be (over), there's no doubt about it," Wedman said. "Hopefully, that won't be the case.

"I'm not real active on the heel. I'm not running on it or anything and, until I'm running, that's the only indication of how it will do.

"I'm going to try and rest it for another month or so, then see. I wanted to get back for the playoffs, I was hoping that could happen, but it just didn't work out."

The heel was a bother from the first day of workouts this season. Wedman didn't even get past Halloween before he was on the disabled list, there to stay until Nov. 25. He had struggled with a similar injury in college and come back strong. It didn't work out the same way this time.

He played sparingly in six games, grappled with the pain, then had a CAT scan performed that revealed a bone cyst. He was back on the DL with plenty of time to spare for Christmas. There he has stayed, and his hopes for the postseason rang hollow after a couple jogs around a high school track.

"I was taking it easy, running on the straightaways, walking on the curves," he said. "That's what seemed to work for me. But after 20 minutes, it (the heel) let me know. If I couldn't handle that, there was no way I could handle running on a court."

But how could he handle standing by and watching off the court? Scott Wedman didn't miss a practice, traveled to every game, knowing full well he could not offer his team anything.

"You definitely don't feel like you're contributing that much," he admitted. "If you're not playing, you're missing a big part of the team thing.

"You go a little nuts in a way. But hanging around and coming to practice kept me into what was happening with the team."

He cherished the few activities that didn't seem to irritate his condition: riding the stationary bike, lifting weights. Weeks and then months went by, and still that was all he could do.

The short-term recovery period was threatening to become a lifetime.

"You tell people this thing will take six weeks or so, and then it's two months," Wedman said. "Then it's longer than that. Whenever an injury is prolonged like that, people start wondering, 'Is this guy loafing? Is he not doing enough? He's not going through the pain as much as he should.'

"Then you start having the same questions. You wonder. But I knew when I got on that track I wasn't ready to come back."

His role as a shooter has been missed in these playoffs, while his role as a cheerleader and support system has barely been noticed. That alone tells you how well he's hidden his disappointment.

"It's really strange," Wedman said, "how a 3-inch square part of your body that is not functioning shuts everything else down."

Everything, of course, except his vocal cords. If the veteran forward isn't allowed to abuse any other part of his body this time of year, he might as well scream himself silly.

"This is an exciting time of year," Wedman said. "My favorite time of year. I've played a lot of years at this time. I know what I'm missing."