NBA: Johnson accepts cheerleader role

PHOENIX - With a bloodshot left eye, a swollen cheek and a bruised lip, Joe Johnson watched his Phoenix Suns teammates practice on Tuesday and said he wasn't sure when he might be able to play again.

"Not this series, I don't think," he said, "but I think in due time. It's just a slow process right now, and we're trying to make sure everything is all right."

Johnson fractured his left eye socket in a frightening, face-first fall after he was fouled by Jerry Stackhouse on a dunk attempt in Game 2 of the Suns' Western Conference semifinal series against Dallas. Johnson underwent surgery, and a metal plate was inserted in his cheek to keep the displaced bones together while they heal.

Despite his battered appearance, Johnson said he was mostly pain-free.

"I've got pain pills," he said. "I don't take them because I don't have a lot of pain. It's just swollen right now."

The Suns' guard, one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA, said his vision was not damaged. He is to undergo an examination on Thursday, then will know more about the prospects for a return if the Suns advance to the conference finals. He believes that he could play again this season with a protective mask.

"When the doctors say OK, I think I'll be fine," Johnson said. "They think I'm going to be back stronger than ever. They just don't know when."

Meanwhile, he will be on the bench in street clothes for Game 5 against Dallas on Wednesday night.

Johnson said he'd received a call from Stackhouse.

"He just told me that him and his family were keeping me in their prayers," Johnson said.

There are no hard feelings about how the injury occurred, Johnson said.

"It was a basketball play, man," he said. "He went up for a defensive stop and kind of nicked me a little bit, and knocked me off balance."

Johnson's absence thrust top reserve Jim Jackson into the starting lineup. That left the Suns with little help from their bench. Johnson watched on television as the Suns were beaten 119-109 in Game 4 Sunday night in Dallas.

"It was difficult sitting there watching the game," he said. "There were plenty of times where I thought I could have helped out."

Before the injury, Johnson had played in every game since his trade to Phoenix in his rookie season - a total of 287 consecutive appearances.

"I wish the iron man thing could have gone on," he said, "but I guess it had to come to a stop sooner or later."

Johnson's teammates were glad to see him back, even if it was just to watch.

"I think more than anything, we just miss having him around," Nash said. "We have a tight group. Everyone really enjoys being around each other, and it's nice having him around again."

Shawn Marion was asked, jokingly, if he thought Johnson's good looks would return.

"I don't know if he was good looking in the first place," Marion said. "That's my man, though. He's going to be OK. He needs to take his time. It was a hard fall."