Injured Wright wants to get back

Injured Wright wants to get back

At Tuesday's practice at the team's downtown facility, his first since partially dislocating his left shoulder, Warriors second-year forward Brandan Wright lifted off from just before the dotted semicircle.

He stretched out and turned what should've been a finger roll ? for a big man with normal length ? into a two-handed dunk, showing off his ridiculous wingspan at 6-foot-10.

This dunk during a five-on-five scrimmage toward the end of practice signified Wright's imminent return to the Warriors rotation. He sat out Wednesday's win over the New Jersey Nets and got one more practice under his belt Thursday. He's expected to make his return tonight against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

"That's the word on the street, I guess," Wright said after Thursday's practice. "I'll see how it feels (Friday). I definitely want to play. I've just got to talk to coach (Don Nelson) about it."

Wright hasn't played since the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 7. He tried to block a dunk by Lakers big man Pau Gasol and immediately grabbed his left shoulder after the play. He missed the next 26 games.

Wright said his shoulder is still a little sore but that he isn't limited in what he can do on the court. He said before Wednesday's game that he was ready to play.

Nelson said Tuesday he was surprised how far along Wright was in his first practice. Wright said he's done 45 minutes of cardio work a day for the past month ? either running on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike or doing sprints on the court. He's also lifted some weights and worked on using his right (nonshooting) hand.

Though the playoffs are out of the question, the Warriors need Wright back as soon as possible. In the push to finish the season strong, the mantra for many in the organization, Nelson wants to get a head start on next season. That includes playing Wright at power forward.

Before the injury, Wright was establishing himself as an offensive option. He developed a flip shot in the lane to complement his ability to finish. The result was 55.6 percent shooting entering 2009.

He became a starter after the Warriors traded forward Al Harrington to New York in late November. It didn't take long to find a groove. In 14 December games, Wright averaged 9.2 points on 53.1 percent shooting with 3.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes. He's still on pace to set career highs in those areas.

Nelson has expressed a desire to play with a bigger lineup the remainder of this season as well as next season, with Wright at power forward. If Wright returns to the lineup tonight, he has 18 games to remind the Warriors why they were willing to move Harrington and name Wright the starter, why they were excited about his development as a scorer.

"I'm ready to get out there and play," Wright said. "I shot a high percentage. I can't name three guys in the league who can block my shot."

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BRANDAN WRIGHT one of the fastest rising stars in the basketball scene.