New York Post - Nets have bigger problems than the condition of Shareef Abdur-Rahim's right knee. The team's handling of medical concerns growing from his physical have alienated the power forward to the point where he on longer wants join the team.
"Right now I don't feel I want to be a Net," Abdur-Rahim told The Post last night by telephone.
"I can go somewhere else and play my career out. This is not an emotional thing. I've got to stand up for myself."
When the Nets announced on Thursday that their deal with the Trail Blazers for Abdur-Rahim had been put on hold, the 6-foot-9 power forward said he understood the franchise was doing it's due diligence.
But when the situation wasn't resolved by yesterday and Abdur-Rahim was overwhelmed by phone calls from concerned friends and family saying they had read newspaper and Internet accounts of him failing his physical, he became more upset.
By 8 o'clock last night, Abdur-Rahim had yet to go out and celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary. He was on the phone discussing his options with his agent, Aaron Goodwin, and telling The Post how disenchanted with the Nets he had become.
"At this point I feel they're doing me a disservice," said Abdur-Rahim. "Look at my history. I've never missed a game because of my knees. They could have asked the team that drafted me [Vancouver] or any of the teams that have traded for me [Atlanta, Portland]. Instead, they're putting it out there like I failed the physical and I'm damaged goods."
"I don't want to be there," continued Abdur-Rahim. "We can just part ways and I'll find another situation where I'll have to do some damage control."
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