"While speaking for the first time since it was announced his basketball year is over, Mehmet Okur jokingly told reporters he finally has a concrete timetable regarding his injury.

"Out for the season."

Despite scrapping this injury-plagued year — one in which he was hampered by his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon, a sprained ankle and nagging lower back problems — the 6-foot-11 center has no plans on calling it quits for good.

His real timetable for return: Day 1 of the 2011-12 season (knock on wood for multiple reasons).

Between now and then, however, Okur has quite a bit of rehab work to do to strengthen his ailing Achilles and his sore back.

"The smart thing," Okur said, "was just to shut me down and get rehab and get ready to go next year. ... I should be OK. I'm not that old. I'm just 32. It's going to be a huge summer for me. Obviously, I'm going to keep getting rehab, especially start with my left leg and make it stronger, then my back. I can't wait."

That last phrase, however, proved to be part of Okur's problem this season.

In retrospect, the Turkish standout wishes he would've been more patient in returning.

It took Okur exactly eight months between the day he ruptured his tendon — in Game 1 of the playoffs last April in Denver — and when he stepped on the court for his NBA return in December.

Okur regrets that he was in such a rush, only participating in two scrimmages before returning. He rolled an ankle during a pregame warm-up against Kyrylo Fesenko two nights after playing his first game, and that just set the stage for his health roller-coaster ride.

"I kept trying and kept trying, day in and day out. It didn't work out. I'm one of those guys who really don't like to sit," Okur said. "This year really didn't go well for me. Everything's downhill for me. I'm old, not that old.

"I tried everything, and we tried everything. Everybody did a great job, but it didn't work out. I have to sit back and get better.""