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Just when things got brighter in New Jersey, the season took a major turn for the worse.

On Tuesday it was announced that Nets star Richard Jefferson requires wrist surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season.

Jefferson has a ruptured ligament in his left wrist, which is his non-shooting arm. He originally hurt it in a fall while being fouled in the Nets' December 27, 2004 game in Detroit. Jefferson was on a fast break with the ball, went at the rim, and Chauncey Billups ran with him and then cut behind him at an unnatural angle into Jefferson, causing a fall. It wasn't a full undercut, but it was close, cheap, and turned out as dangerous as it looked.

The wrist has steadily felt worse since that time.

Jefferson deserves a lot of credit, said Nets president Rod Thorn, for continuing to play through pain.

"It's basically a four-month rehab, so he will be out the rest of the season," said Thorn.

He will be in a cast for two months, followed by two months of rehabilitation.

The injury should not affect Jefferson's career.

As for this Nets season, Thorn says: "We're not going to give up, we're going to keep trying. Try to get some pieces that will help us be as competitive as we can. This is obviously a tough blow. But we're going to still try to get some pieces, and be as competitive as we can."

The Nets had been pondering trades and available free agents in the hope of getting a big man to play alongside Kidd, Jefferson and Carter. But the injury changes things a bit. "We'll be looking for a combination of things, now," says Thorn.

The Nets, by coincidence, host the Pistons in New Jersey tonight.