Foster Looking Forward To Healthy Season
By Conrad Brunner | Sept. 27, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the time, Jeff Foster didn't want to talk about his health, or lack thereof. Whenever asked, he'd just say he was fine. Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.
Of course, he wasn't fine for much of last season, a truth that was borne out when he needed another arthroscopic hip surgery shortly after the Pacers were eliminated by Detroit in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"It was a rough season for me," Foster admitted Tuesday before participating in the annual Pacers Foundation Golf Outing at Brickyard Crossing. "I spent at least an hour a day on the training table just trying to get ready for practices and games. That's something I don't want to have to ever do again. Obviously, playing hurt probably contributed to me getting worse and it caused other problems with my body but hopefully we'll be past all that soon."
It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say Foster's return to health is one of the major keys to the Pacers' hopes for the 2005-06 season. The team's best rebounder and an improving low-post defender, Foster's aggression and hustle serve at center as a catalyst for the starting lineup and therefore the team in general. After a long recovery period, Foster began working out three weeks ago and believes he'll be fully ready by the time the season opens in November.
"I'm doing well, getting better and hopefully by November I'll be ready to roll," he said. "My hips are the best they've been since before this happened. They seem to be right. I've only been working out for about three weeks now so it's just a matter of getting back in shape and getting ready to go. I never take time off in the summers and I basically had three-and-a-half months off, so it's an adjustment, a new thing for me. It'll take me a couple of weeks to get back but hopefully I'll be new and improved from last year when it does come time to get in shape."
Foster missed the first 17 games of the regular season after undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery. When he returned, he did so with a flourish, averaging 11.1 points and 12.3 rebounds in his first 12 games. His back began bothering him in late January but he still managed averages of 9.3 points and 10.1 rebounds in his first 34 games, posting 14 double-doubles. But the back soon became more problematic.
Though he continued to play without complaint, a dramatic decline in productivity spoke volumes about his condition. In his final 27 games, he averaged 4.1 points and 7.7 rebounds and managed a single double-double. It was during that span the team signed Dale Davis and, in the final 31 games (including 13 in the playoffs), Foster started just thrice more.
Harrison
Davis has moved on to Detroit, returning the job to Foster's capable hands, but the incumbent is assuming nothing. David Harrison, a first-round pick in 2004, was the talk of the summer-league team and could pose a threat to crack the lineup.
"David had a great summer and he's definitely going to be play a lot of minutes this year and I look forward to him doing that," Foster said. "He'll add a dimension to us that we didn't have last year and we haven't had in awhile. He's a unique player in this league and I look forward either to playing with him or having him be in there when I can't be in there. It should be great watching him develop and hopefully he continues to make strides.
"But once I get completely healthy and back in shape, I look forward to being in there with Ron (Artest) and Jermaine (O'Neal) and Stephen (Jackson) and Jamaal (Tinsley)."
Jackson, Fred Jones, Eddie Gill, rookie Danny Granger and Coach Rick Carlisle all participated in the golf outing, as did former Pacers players Rik Smits, Derrick McKey and Stuart Gray
http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/foster_050927.html
Foster Looking Forward To Healthy Season
Linear Mode
