Paul Pierce Out

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/

Paul Pierce could miss up to two weeks with an infection in his knee! Suddenly this four game road trip is looking a whole lot more challenging! Can we beat Orlando without Pierce?

Ouch, this is not good. My first question is what was the cause of the fluid, infection, or some other issue. It sounds like they went to drain the fluid, and then discovered the infection? A team can rally for a few games without their super star, but...........

Pete

From CSNNE.com:

Team owner Wyc Grousbeck told CSNNE.com that Pierce began feeling discomfort in the knee after Tuesday's win over Indiana. Grousbeck described the problem as an infection that required drainage, but said he wouldn't describe it as surgery.

"He had the knee rinsed and irrigated, and it will require some antibiotics," Grousbeck said. "It's nothing major at all, but it will take some time to come back from."

I haven't seen any news on what caused the fluid buildup/infection. I'm sure more details will come out in time. They recalled Walker from the D-League, it would be nice to see him get a few minutes. Does Tony start in place of Paul?

He may, Tony used to do well when he started. Hopefully this is minor, but it sure is a bummer for the Magic rematch.

He hasn't been right for a few weeks. He banged knees a while ago and at that point he was in pain. Looks like it caused more than just a bruise.
Now is the time to prove that you are a championship caliber team. Allen, Garnett, and the troops are going to have to carry the team until he comes back. Davis should be back by now, what's up with him? I thought they said that he would be back the middle of December. Then last night I heard that he was travelling with the team but probably would not play. Supposedly he is in great shape, even Jackie MacMullen said that last night in an interview with Dickerson. I just wonder why he is not playing yet.

Always a road block, let's see how they handle this.

Tony filled in admirably when Pierce was injured a few years ago. Of course, that was pre knee injury, but he's shown flashes of that same type of play in the few games he's played this year. Hopefully we see more of that in the next couple weeks.

It certainly does put a damper on the Magic rematch, but it's only December and as much as us fans want revenge for the first loss, that game won't make or break our season.

Rosalie, I've been hearing Jan 2 vs. Toronto for Baby. Perhaps the loss of Paul will expedite his return, but I tend to doubt it. A little adversity early in the season could be just the thing to re-ignite the fire. The C's have been playing down to their competition lately, so this could be a good thing. We shall see!

Hi - It is just that I am waiting for another shoe to fall with regard to Tony
Allen! It seems like he gets us excited about his play, and then he ends up with some weird, unknown injury. This kid seems to be a walking clinic!
I hope for the Celtics sake, since they showed so much faith in him, that he can return the favor and play the way they need him to play. I have been
looking forward to this rematch since they beat us here in Boston. This is a kicker, but....they played well without Rashard Lewis, so the Celtics should be able to match them or go one better if they are truly the beasts of the east.
The one place they will miss Pierce is on the defensive end. We can score,
especially if everyone is on their game.

This, I hope, is a good thing to have happen early in the year, rather than April or May!

hot fire makes strong steel. PP gets a two week rest and other people get to play. But def a bummer for the Magic game. Lets beat em without him!

I guess the optimistic way to look at things is that sometimes injuries give the understudy a chance to step up. Will Tony get a chance to hone his game? Will the actually be forced to give Glen Davis a shot at playing the "3?" Will this be the coming out for either Giddens or Walker?

Stay tuned.

Sam

Well we just have to play this hand as it has been dealt. The scoring is going to be shifted and Doc and the coaching staff will come up with a game plan. The shift will be more on Ray Allen and KG. I think you will see Ray cutting to the basket more through picks being set. Also look for more picks and cuts to the basket to open up TA. Probably look for Giddens to get extended minutes with Walker filling in more for TA.

112288

I was a little shocked when I first saw this, but then I felt better. Will beat Magic without PP. Why not have Rasheed take his place or is that off the table? Wouldn't that present some major match-up problems for everyone but the Lakers? This will help cement in Rasheed's mind how important he is to the team and keep the T's down hopefully. He knows how to start.

Remember, the Celtics made it to the 7th game of the ECF WITHOUT KG. They in essence re-invented themselves berfore our eyes into a very good team in very short order. While PP is indeed the captain and he is a vital cog in the wheel, we have a Rasheed who can score and replace his points and defense.

I haven't heard the final word on BB, but he can score as well and replace this shortfall, temporarily. Everyone, please remember the balloons in LA. This is the Celtics being thrown in the briar patch. We've been down this road before. We did extremely well w/o KG for that stretch. Didn't win a championship. Got very close. Didn't lose many games. 2nd verse, same as the first.

On the bright side

A little rest for PP at this time is not a bad thing either.

Time for others to step it up a bit. I expect Rondo to excell in PP's absence.
Perhaps a couple of big double doubles or maybe a triple double.

beat

This team is still stocked with talent,looking forward to see how TA,Walker and Ray step up,more shots will be going to all on the frontline and Rondo.....we still have the best point in the game and 3 great BIGS.This is a great oppurtunity for Billy Walker to move without the ball,play off the vets and show his stuff,his talent should start to come out.TA and Walker running with Rondo with two of the BIGS doing the dirty work.....this can work.

DBrown, I don't think Sheed starting for Paul would work vs. Orlando. KG would have to slide over to the 3 spot because there's no way Sheed can guard Carter, and I'm not even sure KG can do it. Then that leaves Sheed guarding Lewis, which is also a tough matchup for Sheed on defense. Offensively, that would be a good matchup for the C's though. I think either Ray or Tony would be better off guarding Carter.

I do think that playing Perk, Sheed and KG together would be interesting, but probably better suited to play against the Lakers or some other team with a lot of length but not as much speed as ORL has.

Kelly

Actually I think it will be a fly by the seat of your pants game tomorrow with a different lineup every few minutes.

There will be some mismatches no doubt but we play team D and with that hopefully someone like Carter or Lewis doesn't go off.

beat

I wonder if Brian Scalabrine gets the start. TA could still play expanded minutes in Pierce's absence.

I also see where Walker was recalled from Maine. These situations can be viewed as opportunities for guys that do not get a chance to play much. It also will provide a chance to evaluate the depth of this team and how they function without PP in the lineup.

dboss

I predict....what a way to start a sentence....it has hubris written all over it....anyway....I predict that the C's will struggle some without the captain early but will find themselves a new groove. Gee LACELTFAN...way to go out on a limb.... happy holidaze once again to y'all.....

We still got a lot of guns. I look forward to seeing the young guys play and PP will be resting hence more fresh come money time.