NBA · Josh Boone Set To Miss 4-6 Months (page 1)

New York Daily News - Nets president Rod Thorn revealed yesterday that first-round draft pick Josh Boone will be sidelined for four to six months with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, the New York Daily News is reporting.

Boone underwent surgery to repair it on Wednesday and may not make his rookie debut until mid-January.

"We're actively looking for a big player," said Thorn. "We'll have to reassess what we were thinking about (free-agent wise) and see if we can find a bigger player to fill that spot."

Even though the Nets may officially re-sign Clifford Robinson today after his scheduled physical, Thorn has to add another big body to his roster. Initially, the Nets wanted to be thrifty when it came to spending their free-agent money this summer. They had hoped to sit back and sign veteran role players on the cheap.

The Nets will have to decide if they want to pay a little bit more than they would like for Reggie Evans or Lorenzen Wright - two big men who want a good chunk of the $5 million mid-level exemption which the Nets had hoped to use little or half of. The Nets like Charlotte's restricted free agent Melvin Ely, but the Bobcats have always overvalued the power forward.