Danny Ainge: Injured Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas maybe a week away

Danny Ainge: Injured Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas maybe a week away







FILE: Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) has had a positive effect on the Celtics bench, when healthy. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Print Email Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com


on March 19, 2015 at 9:30 AM, updated March 19, 2015 at 9:44 AM





During his weekly interview Thursday morning with 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said he believes injured guard Isaiah Thomas remains about "a week away" from a return.

Since taking a hard fall early last week against the Heat, Thomas' return date has repeatedly gotten pushed back. His lower back bruise was severe enough that trainer Ed Lacerte reportedly called it "as tough a bruise" as he has ever seen.

A. Sherrod Blakely @SherrodbCSN
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#Celtics Danny Ainge says Isaiah  Thomas (tailbone, elbow) is about "a week away" from playing. #CelticsTalk
6:13 AM - 19 Mar 2015
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Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
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Ainge on Isaiah Thomas' back bruise: "I've never seen anything like that in my 35 years in the NBA. … I think he's maybe a week away."
6:11 AM - 19 Mar 2015
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Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
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Ainge says Thomas was shooting, working out some yesterday, which is a step in the right direction from what Thomas said the other day.
6:12 AM - 19 Mar 2015
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Addressing the media Wednesday, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens did not completely rule out Thomas flying to join his teammates for Friday's road tilt with San Antonio. Still, Stevens called the chances "very, very unlikely" and made it clear he did not expect to have the high-scoring guard for at least the next couple of games.

"I just got done texting (him)," Stevens said Wednesday. "He feels good today. He feels much better. I don't know what that means. He has not done anything physically, and (Tuesday) when we left (to begin a two-game road trip), I actually thought worst-case scenario -- even longer -- because he didn't look like he was moving good at all, and he's still got a lot of swelling, and he's still sore. I mean, he's still really hurting.

"It's frustrating for him because I know he really wants to play and he wants to play on this trip. This is obviously a really tough trip, and when you look at our schedule the rest of the way, it's basically littered with teams that are either in the playoffs or right on the outside looking in. So every single game means a ton to us and he wants to play as many as he can."

The Celtics are 4-1 in Thomas' absence but, in a tight playoff race, could certainly use his offensive help. If he's out another week, he could miss games Friday at San Antonio, Sunday against Detroit, Monday at Brooklyn and Wednesday against Miami.



bob
MY NOTE:  If Ed Lacerte says it's "as tough a bruise as he has ever seen", it's pretty bad because he's been around forever.  If it is a week, and I don't believe Danny any farther than I can throw him when it comes to announcing recovery times from injuries (see Garnett, Kevin and Allen, Ray), then IT would miss San Antonio tomorrow (of course), Detroit at home on Sunday, @ Brooklyn on Monday and Miami in Boston.  So, it looks like thug DWade won't get a chance to put him in a wheel chair this year.


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I bet the back injury is far more problematic than the elbow.  Depending on how squarely and directly he impacted his coccys, it can be really serious for the entire spine.  Thank goodness Isaiah has the best medical care money can buy.  I'm sure that expedites the recovery process dramatically over what many of us (who were in poorer shape) have had to endure.

Sam