Gordon Hayward pens injury update, says it "won't be long now"

Through all the success the Boston Celtics achieved this past year, including being a few minutes away from a birth to the NBA Finals, it's easy to forget we were missing some serious talent. We all know Kyrie Irving was out, but with Gordon Hayward going down some 5-minutes into the season, we almost didn't know what we were missing -- because we didn't really know what we had. 

Throughout the process of his gruesome ankle injury, Hayward has been gracious to allow Celtics fans -- and all other fans for that matter -- into his world, offering behind-the-scenes intel every step of the way.

The most recent update came a few minutes ago, when Hayward penned his blog on his site. He states that he was progressing well, until he wasn't.

Problem was, I was also still having some pain on the outside of my ankle, kind of where the peroneal tendon is. I had been reporting back daily how I was feeling, and the team that I was working with in Indianapolis—along with the Celtics training staff—had surmised that it could be the hardware they put in during my initial surgery causing some irritation.

After the doctors performed a strength test, they found his injured left ankle was performing at 70% of his right. Not good. But they numbed the area and tried again.

That time, not only was my left 100 percent of the strength of my right, it was actually slightly stronger. That let Dr. Porter know that it was not a strength issue, but a pain issue, and the pain was basically blocking my progression.

That's great news.

Of course Gordon's not going to be taking pain-alleviating injections all season. Nor will he have to.

That revelation made it pretty clear that it was the hardware that was causing the issue.

Sound familiar? Having to undergo surgery to remove hardware that's causing pain and irritation? Turns out that Gordon and Kyrie share more than just birthdays. Gordon and doctors are expecting a full recovery, which should excite Celtics fans and cripple the opposition with fear. Because he's ready to add to this already talented team.

But I’m really happy with how our team performed as a whole, and I think it shows a glimpse of what we’re capable of. After missing some of the games to train out in Indy, it felt good to be there, to be able support the guys during the Eastern Conference Finals, and to experience the atmosphere. Our fans are incredible. It was electric in the Garden, and it only makes me more excited to play next year.

Get well soon, Gordon. In the words of Kyrie Irving, we can't wait to "have my man Gordon back." 

Next season can't come fast enough.

Read the FULL blog article on Gordon Hayward's blog page.

And check out some pre-season highlights as a reminder of what this squad can do when it's right.
 

Follow Edward Babaian on Twitter: @bojixbabaian

Photo Credit: ESPN