Brown luckily escapes major injury

OAKLAND — His college buddy was hurting, and Deron Williams knew it.

As rookie point guard Dee Brown gingerly exited the EnergySolutions floor Wednesday night with assistance from two trainers, in fact, Williams feared the worst.

So, apparently, did Brown, who immediately grabbed the back of his neck after 260-plus pound center Mehmet Okur crashed down on top of him during the first quarter of the Jazz's NBA Western Conference semifinal series Game 2 win over Golden State.

"He was worried. You know, he was definitely scared," said Williams, whose own mother, Denise Smith, lent support by going to the local hospital to which Brown was taken by ambulance. "I guess he told her he thought it was over. You know, he thought he wasn't gonna play (again).

"That's how bad it hurt. So, I know he was in some pain."

Williams' first thought as a wobbly Brown left the floor was not a pleasant one.

"Neck injuries definitely are scary," said Williams, who played in the same backcourt with Brown on the University of Illinois' 2005 NCAA title-game team. "I'm sure he probably thought about T.J. Ford — because I thought about that when I saw how he was walking."

Ford, a point guard with the Toronto Raptors, is back in the NBA now — but, while with the Milwaukee Bucks, he missed the entire 2004-05 season after undergoing cervical spine surgery.

Brown — who was released from a hospital, returned to EnergySolutions Arena and finally sent home shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday — was diagnosed with a sprained neck.

He was at the Jazz's practice facility Thursday morning but did not work out with the team and did not meet with the media.

He did accompany the club to Oakland for tonight's Game 3 and Sunday's Game 4 vs. the Warriors, but — based on the way he looked while being rolled in a wheelchair to a waiting car early Thursday — it seems highly unlikely that he would play tonight.

The Jazz are calling him "day-to-day," though.

"Everything's great," team spokeswoman Linda Luchetti said. "Neurologicals, great ... There's no (structural) damage, but it just hurts like holy heck."

Brown was injured when he stepped in front of driving Warriors forward Matt Barnes and he fell backward into Okur, catching the full weight of his teammate as the Jazz big man fell toward the floor.

"I was gonna grab the ball," Okur said. "When I was in the air, he just fell on my knees — and, all of a sudden, I just collapsed on his back and neck.

"I'm glad he's OK right now, and I'm OK. You know, everybody's OK," added Okur, who had a bump on his wrist Thursday as a result of the play. "We're lucky he's OK. I mean, that was crazy."

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com