Utah Jazz notebook: Deron William's injured wrist keeps him off the court

SALT LAKE CITY — It's been a week since Deron Williams injured his wrist and, truth be known, he thought he'd already be back in action.

Unfortunately, the strained tendon in his shooting hand is not following his wishful thinking.

It's also causing concern, which is why the All-Star point guard visited a hand specialist before missing his fourth consecutive game Wednesday night against Houston.

Though it won't cause his soreness to go away, Dr. Steve Huish's evaluation had to come as a relief to the Jazz. After examining Williams and his MRI, the specialist confirmed that D-Will has a strained tendon and no structural damage, as Jazz's team physician, Dr. Lyle Mason, diagnosed last week.

Officially, Williams is listed as day-to-day, so his official availability for Friday's game in Denver remains uncertain.

But as of Wednesday, he said the flicking movement in his shooting hand is painful and limited.

"I can't shoot the basketball past 12 feet," he said, "and it hurts a lot when I do that."

Williams, who joked that he can shoot layups, will continue to undergo similar treatment as he has been. He said he has tried "everything" so far, including alternating between icing his wrist, using heat, electrical stimulation and movement exercises. He keeps a wrist brace on except when receiving treatment.

"I'll try anything to get back on the court," said Williams, who thought the doctor might give him a pain shot to help him play. "I hate sitting out practice, games, whatever."

Williams then joked: "If you know (trainer) Gary Briggs, you know spending two hours, three hours a day he's grumpier than me, Coach (Jerry) Sloan and Phil (Johnson) combined."

Williams said this wrist injury has a "different kind of pain" than the bone bruise he suffered in the same hand last season. And he was told soft-tissue injuries — like his current tendon ailment — are slower to heal than joint and bone bruises.

"I just thought it would be healed right now," he said.

Williams played in the three quarters after his injury initially happened last Wednesday vs. San Antonio — he even finished with a season-best 39 points — but he hasn't seen action since then.

He flashed a slight smile as he explained the injury.