"In the past, it has been the back that has been the most concern for New Orleans Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic.

Lately, it has been the front.

More specifically, Stojakovic's lower abdominal area, which he says he strained some time after the Hornets returned from the mid-February All-Star break. The injury has kept him sidelined for the past 12 games.

Because the pain became so acute late in New Orleans' March 8 win over the Golden State Warriors, he had to be pulled from the lineup.

For a player whose NBA career lately has been dogged by lower-back pain and 2006 surgery to removed a disc fragment in his back that cost him the final 69 games of that season, Stojakovic had been cruising through this season relatively free of discomfort in his back.

But the nagging ache in his lower abdomen — something he said he'd never experienced — was troubling.

"It's really different than having other injuries that you can really rehab and get through it, " Stojakovic said as the Hornets prepared to embark on a two-game road swing tonight at Memphis and Saturday at New Jersey. "This is something, I guess, where you've got to be 100 percent to do certain things on the court.

"I've been doing some biking and walking on the treadmill, just to see how the pressure (in the area) goes. It was feeling good until I pushed it a little bit more."

When the Hornets returned from the Feb. 14 All-Star Game, Stojakovic said, he first noticed soreness in the area.

"It just got worse each and every game, " he said, "and it got to the point where it was just really painful, even when I would sneeze or laugh. I'd feel that pain in my abdominal (area). After they pulled me out in the Golden State game, we did the MRI (exam). After we consulted with the doctors, they said the best way to treat it was to rest.""