MIAMI — Wizards shooting guard Glen Rice Jr. said he will be ready to play tonight in the team’s opener in Miami against the Heat.
Rice landed on another player’s foot Oct. 15 during a preseason game versus Maccabi Haifa. His right ankle was severely swollen later that evening. An MRI showed no damage beyond the sprain, but Rice did not return to game action in the preseason.
“Feeling good,” Rice said. “It’s good.”
Rice said his ankle was sore in the beginning but is getting better every day. Rice also said he will be under no limits tonight and can move laterally.
That’s important for the Wizards, who will navigate injuries and suspensions tonight against the Heat. Shooting guard Bradley Beal (wrist) and swingman Martell Webster (back) remain out. Nene and DeJuan Blair will be suspended for tonight’s game because of a preseason dustup against the Chicago Bulls.
Without the latter two, Paul Pierce could see a lot of time at power forward. That would work against a Miami team that is starting Chris Bosh at center and will likely be without power forward Josh McRoberts. With McRoberts unlikely to play, that would likely put Shawn Williams into the starting lineup. Like Pierce, Williams, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, is more of a small forward than a power forward. Last season with the Lakers, 67.1 percent of Williams’ shot attempts were 3-pointers.
Pierce played the four last season with the Brooklyn Nets. He can be a tricky matchup there because he’s strong enough to box out bigger opponents and is a difficult cover for them on offense. Pierce increased his practice load at power forward earlier this week.
His former coach in Boston, Doc Rivers, thinks the four is a dangerous spot for Pierce’s opponents.
“I think what you’re going to be surprised is when you slide him over to the four and how effective he is at that,” Rivers said. “Not only guarding guys, now he’s a nightmare for other fours and he can score. I think what it gives Washington is a power three, then a guy who can play the four when they go small.”
Another question for the Wizards is forward Kris Humphries. Humphries had surgery Oct. 9 on his right hand to fix a cut suffered in the preseason. His eight stitches were removed last Saturday and he began to shoot for the first time since the injury. He shot with a black wrap around two fingers Wednesday morning in America Airlines Arena.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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