Doc says Garnett has a bone spur.....oh joy
It looks like the Celtics' banner 18 chances have taken yet another big hit.
In a recent piece by hall of fame sportswriter Jackie MacMullan, she reveals what's been ailing Kevin Garnett.
Doc Rivers informed me last night that I should stop worrying about KG.
"Honestly, he's fine," Rivers said. "It's a bone something, a bone spur that just needs to relax and calm down. I think that's what it is. It's his ankle. If we were in the playoffs tonight, Kevin would absolutely be playing."
Bone spur? Where have I heard that before? Oh yea, that's what Ray Allen had that caused him to play so terribly last year and the whole reason Avery Bradley was given the starting role. Garnett himself had an issue with a bone spur in 2009 that ended his season and forced him into surgery that took a very long time to recover from.
If that's not enough to worry you, here's this from Comcast Sportsnet's Rich Levine on Allen's spurs:
Here’s how Rivers described the effect the spurs had on Allen’s game:
"I don't think he has his balance. You could see it on his [missed] free throws, or he's falling forward or kicking his leg out on every shot. When you watch Ray, he's up and down -- if you drew a square box, usually Ray always lands in the box. Right now, he's all over the place -- leaning, going sideways, falling forward. It's somewhat of a balance issue, but it's all created by the [ankle] issue."
But more concerning, is the way Rivers described the injury before the playoffs even began:
"I don’t think it’s that serious. They are just trying to get the swelling down," Rivers said. "If there was a playoff game, would he play? Yeah probably."
Sound familiar?
Oh, it does indeed kind sir. Connecting the dots, it seems Garnett will come back either before the playoffs or at the start of them. Exactly how effective he will be, however, remains to be seen. If his play is anything like Allen's last year, all those dreams of matching up against Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals will be just that: dreams.
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