Shaq Track: He's coming to New York


It's been pretty hard to track down exactly what's been going on with Shaq for the last two months. Earlier this week there was a semi-shady report that Shaq could possibly be out for the rest of the playoffs. Doc refuted that report saying that they just don't know when he'll be ready.

Now ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg is reporting that Shaq has traveled down to the big apple with the rest of the team. Forsberg points out that the move could be a pretty big indicator of where Shaq is at with his recovery and when he could possibly return to the court.

During Wednesday's practice at the Sports Authority Training Center in Waltham, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said that Shaq's ability to travel would suggest he might be able to play again as early as Sunday's Game 4 in New York.

"I'm not sure yet [if Shaq will travel]," Rivers said Wednesday. "It depends on what's best. If he's closer to playing -- you know how we’ve done it -- if you see him on the trip he’s really close."

Later, Rivers added: "If he goes on the trip, that means we think he'll play that Sunday."

Personally, I think the Celtics should just rest Shaq until the second round unless the New York series goes past five games. Shaq returned for a brief five and a half minutes a couple weeks ago against Detroit but it had a tragic end. He looked great but quickly injured himself again. The Celtics can't afford that to happen again because, as silly as it seems, their championship hopes rest solely on the hopes that he can stay healthy.

Say what you want about how the Celtics have looked since the trade. If they have a healthy Shaq and if Jermaine O'Neal keeps playing like he has of late, they will be a tough team to contend with. That's a big if though.

Either way, this has to be good news