Wizards' Nene remains sidelined Wednesday vs. Cavaliers

The only certainty about plantar fasciitis is the uncertainty.

It's little surprise, then, that Nene will once again be sidelined with the issue on Wednesday when his Washington Wizards take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. This will mark the second consecutive game Nene has missed as he deals with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

While head coach Randy Wittman has spoken optimistically about Nene's timeline, no return target has been established publicly. Nene battled through plantar fasciitis in his left foot two seasons ago and also dealt with a right foot sprain last season, so the team may exercise caution here.

The Wizards started Kris Humphries in place of Nene on Tuesday, and he responded with seven points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes. Drew Gooden also saw a slight increase in playing time, scoring 12 points in 20 minutes.

Should Nene's injury linger, the Wizards will likely struggle to keep opponents off the scoreboard. While his passing and interior scoring are assets, it's been his defense that's helped most this season, with the Wizards improving by 14.7 points per-100 possessions with him on the floor. That was the case the last two seasons, as well, though to a lesser degree.