Boston Celtics News (2023-2024)

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2024/06/celtics-guard-to-seek-contract-extension-after-nba-finals-report.html



Celtics guard to seek contract extension after NBA Finals (report)



Published: Jun. 11, 2024, 11:36 a.m.



Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, left, embraces Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell after the Celtics won 113-98 in Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Boston. The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



DALLAS -- Derrick White is playing some of the best basketball of his career for the Celtics this season and will likely be handsomely rewarded for it with his next contract. Whether that new deal comes with Boston or another team remains to be seen in the summer of 2025 but it sounds like White will give Boston the first crack.

According to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein on Substack, White is expected to seek a contract extension with Boston this summer, according to league sources. This comes as no surprise given the fact that Boston and White also talked about an extension last offseason before failing to reach a deal before the regular season began.


Currently, White still has one year left on his deal and is set to make $20.1 million next season in what will be the final year of a four-year contract he initially signed with the Spurs. Boston traded for White just one season into that contract back in February 2022 in exchange for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2028 pick swap.


White had outperformed his contract even before this season but the point guard has taken things to a new level this year while being handed a bigger role in the wake of the Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon trades. White averaged a career-high 15.2 points in the regular season while shooting 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range. He was also selected to the NBA All-Defensive second team for the second straight year alongside fellow Boston guard Jrue Holiday.

The Celtics already rewarded Holiday with a four-year extension back in April shortly after the veteran became available for a deal. However, the financial pressures of giving White a deal would loom large for Boston ownership since they would kick in just as steep repeater tax penalties also arise for a Boston team that has been in the tax for two straight years now.

With mammoth supermax contracts for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum set to kick in over the next two years (Brown’s will start in 2024-25), it would take unprecedented spending from Boston’s ownership group to keep the current Celtics starting five together beyond next season.


Despite that, Boston will be very much open to a White contract extension per league sources this summer despite the looming financial challenges. White is in his prime and has been willing to adapt to various roles over the past three seasons in Boston.

Getting White under a long-term contract would give Boston additional flexibility even if they do have to make some cost-cutting moves down the road. White may simply be a player the Celtics elect to keep over another if forced to choose in 2025. White could be highly sought after by suitors around the league if he is made available via trade at some point after signing a long-term contract. His value around the league would only if has a championship ring or two under his belt.

Ultimately, the Celtics have a unique window now to contend with this talent level before NBA CBA rules make that possibility much more challenging starting in 2025. White has earned his payday with his standout play this year and looked poised for a major raise from Boston or elsewhere.


Bob
MY NOTE:  The future is now!  Imagine if the Dubs front office had said "well, we won one Championship with The Splash Brothers and KD, we should now cut our payroll by trading one of them".  BOTH of our starting guards are NBA All-Defense Team players.  In a wing-oriented league that is more impactful than if we were a big man-centric league.  

If we stay healthy we can compete for multiple Championships over the next several years.





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This is not good:

https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/6/11/24176337/kristaps-porzingis-ruled-day-to-day-rare-injury-boston-celtics-dallas-mavericks-game-3-nba-finals

UGH!!!!!! My guess, he does not play. Damn

Game 3 is now a must win.

pete wrote:This is not good:

https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/6/11/24176337/kristaps-porzingis-ruled-day-to-day-rare-injury-boston-celtics-dallas-mavericks-game-3-nba-finals

Yikes!!

"Whatever it takes" takes on a whole 'nother meaning.

Luke/Oshae, step on up!!

Go Celtics!!!

Worcester?????

As bad as this may sound for KP, it will not matter.  The championship goes through JT and JB and those two will not alter what lies ahead.  Day-to-day means nothing.  If he can't make it, he can't make it.  But it will not matter.  

But to prove my point beyond a shadow of a doubt, keep him out the next two games.  I'm that confident.  

db

The posterior tibialis tendon (PTT) is a strong cord of tissue that connects the calf muscle to the bones in the arch of the foot. It's one of the most important tendons in the leg and helps support the foot and arch while walking. The PTT can be felt or seen running behind the medial malleolus, the bump on the inside of the ankle.
…it  is a condition which starts with pain and inflammation around the inside of your foot, specifically around your instep/ arch and the inside of your ankle

connects your calf muscle to bones on the inside of your foot.
it is the largest and the most anterior of the medial ankle tendons, blocked by the retinaculum behind the medial malleolus
Treatment:
Posterior tibial tendonitis (PTTD) can usually be treated without surgery using non-surgical methods, especially in the early stages. These methods include:
Rest and immobilization: Avoid weight-bearing and consider wearing a short-leg cast or boot to immobilize the foot and allow the tendon to heal.
Medication: Take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) as directed by your health care provider to reduce pain and inflammation. You can also take minor pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Ice and heat: Apply ice packs or massage the area with ice for 10–15 minutes every 2–3 hours and after activities that make symptoms worse. You can also use heat before stretching and strengthening activities, but avoid using heat on a new injury.

bobheckler wrote:



Bob


.

So true, Brad has done a masterful job!

He's done.

Next guy up.  Celtics will just have to win without him.

I honestly think teams need to quit going apeshit over these injuries.  It's gotten ridiculous.  Luka is playing with all kinds of crapola far worse than this injury described above and he shows up.  Luka was "questionable" and he showed up.  KP is day-to-day which means with treatment and therapy he will be fine.  He will be available.  They would have scratched him today if this was season/career ending.  

db

I know I am living in the past,,,,Red would say “if you can walk, you can play”. Look at the finals pictures of Russell’s last year, he was wrapped half way down his leg, determined to win that game, period.

I know things have completely changed, careers have be jeopardized but, they said KP was walking around on the court, no wrapping, no limping, laughing and having a great time. Sure, would he like to be injury free? Of course. I just wonder, is he really done?

After reading about this injury it seems pretty clear to me that he is done for the season.. Non-surgical recovery time is 8+ weeks and I also read that this injury may require reconstructive surgery.

All that day to day stuff is not informative.

The Celtics will keep moving along. I'll take our 30-5 record without KP as a good chance to win 2 out of the remaining 5 games.

Agree with Dboss, If what I read about this injury is accurate, there is no way he can play in this series. However, the guy is walking without a boot or any type of assistance and without any sign of a limp. So who knows what is the real situation.

I still like our chances even without KP, but the bench will need to step up and Big Al is going to have to play more minutes. We could always go small and put Hauser in with the 4 studs. I have confidence CJ and his staff will figure out something to keep the ship sailing in the right direction.

What is Kristaps Porzingis’s ‘rare’ leg injury, reminiscent of Curt Schilling’s bloody sock? Doctors explain.



By Amin Touri Globe Staff,Updated June 11, 2024, 1 hour ago



Just two games after returning from a soleus strain in his right leg, Kristaps Porzingis could be sidelined once more.
The center’s status for the rest of the NBA Finals was thrown into uncertainty Tuesday when the Celtics announced that he had suffered another injury.

The team called it a “a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon,” an injury more complicated — and far more unusual — than the calf strain Porzingis suffered earlier in the playoffs.

The Celtics said Porzingis is day-to-day.

“That’s something I’ll leave in the medical staff’s hands to determine whether I can go or no,” Porzingis said Tuesday. “But from my side, as I said, nothing is going to stop me unless I’m told I’m not allowed to play. That’s the only reason I would not be out there.”


But what exactly is the injury? We spoke to experts from Mass General Brigham to find out.


What is a torn medial retinaculum?

According to Dr. Miho Tanaka, an orthopedic surgeon and director of women’s sports medicine for Mass General Brigham, a torn medial retinaculum with a tendon dislocation can be like an extreme version of a bad ankle sprain with some added layers.

The ankle is held together by ligaments that allow the foot to move up and down and points your toes in or out. But the joint isn’t meant to roll side to side, which is how ankle sprains occur. If the ankle really falls inward, with the foot splaying to the outside, damage to the tendons — which attach muscles to the bone — can occur.

“There is a tendon [on the inside of the ankle] called the posterior tibialis tendon,” Tanaka said. “Which basically attaches the bone to the posterior tibialis, which is a muscle that helps to point your toes towards each other.

“That tendon runs under that bone that sticks out on the inner side of your ankle, the ones that touch when bring your feet together. That bone serves as almost like a pulley for this tendon.

“And so what can happen is that if your foot goes into that extreme position, where the sole of your foot is facing outwards, then that the tendon which is running as a pulley under the bone can pop out of that area and over the bone.”


So what is the “torn medial retinaculum” part about?

“The medial retinaculum is the sheath that holds the tendon in place,” Tanaka said. “Basically, if it dislocates, by definition, the medial retinaculum, that sheath, either has to be stretched or torn, because that’s the only way that [the tendon] can come out of the position that is supposed to be in.”

Dr. Gregory Waryasz, the director of foot and ankle sports medicine at MGH, explained it further.

“The description sounds like the covering ripped, allowing the tendons to slide forward and dislocate,” he said. “And so it has to be back into its groove for it to work properly, or it’s painful.”

That’s not to say Porzingis’s injury is that severe. He was smiling and moving without a limp when he spoke to the media on Tuesday in Dallas.


Where have we seen this before?

According to Waryasz, Porzingis’s diagnosis bears some similarities to one of the most famous injuries in Boston sports history: the ankle dislocation that Curt Schilling suffered in 2004, leading to the famous “bloody sock” game.

Curt Schilling's injured tendon was on the other side of the foot.Curt Schilling's injured tendon was on the other side of the foot.JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

“So, you look back to the Curt Schilling injury, which was on the opposite part of the ankle,” Waryasz said. “Those are the perineal tendons, which tend to dislocate more commonly. This is much more uncommon ... but it’s the same type of injury that Curt Schilling had. It’s just a different tendon.”


How rare is Porzingis’s injury?

Porzingis’s injury, it turns out, is as rare as the diagnosis is wordy. A 2006 study found only 32 documented cases of the injury in the English literature, meaning there’s very little precedent to establish a recovery timetable.

“The tissue is a bit thicker, and the groove, it takes a lot for it to sort of pop out of place,” Waryasz said. “So even when you’re doing surgery on it, even to kind of move it out of place, you have to actually take that tissue down, and then you actually manually have to move it. So it’s inherently a little more stable than its counterpart on the opposite side of the ankle.

“There’s not going to be a lot of therapists that have even seen it. I’ve treated maybe three or four, total.”


How long could Porzingis be out?

So, what sort of injury timeline are we looking at? It’s hard to say.

According to Tanaka, if the tendon stayed out of place, there’s little chance Porzingis could play. If it’s back in place, then the Celtics’ day-to-day timetable might be workable depending on two things: whether they can manage the swelling and pain from the injury to the torn sheath, and whether Porzingis can perform at a high level without the tendon continuing to pop out of place.

“There’s a possibility that, with the wonderful taping that the athletic trainers do, that they could secure it well enough where he could participate,” Waryasz said. “If he can generate enough strength, if it’s not too painful, and it’s held in place really well, it’s possible.”

It seems as though the Celtics are taking this injury seriously, with coach Joe Mazzulla saying they have no intention of putting their big man in a vulnerable spot, which is likely the right call in the long term.

“It could lead to some instability symptoms, if it doesn’t heal properly,” Waryasz said. “The big thing is making sure he doesn’t get a tear in the tendons, because that can be a big problem. So if it’s, if it kind of pops in and out of place, it can abrade on the bone. And potentially could lead to a tear, and then that could be a career-ending injury.”

After Game 2, which he left in the fourth quarter with the injury, Porzingis said “I‘ll die out there if we need,” when asked if he would be able to play Wednesday.

Asked if he feels that way after a diagnosis, Porzingis said: “Yeah, I’m living by those words. Of course.”


Bob


.

Well NBC Sports/Boston had Fosberg/House on. Their take is that it comes down to pain management and if KP can handle it. They said he is walking around, no boot, no wrapping, smile on his face. So, either the Celtics are playing a big game with Dallas, or they just feel it really is a wait and see. I thought for sure he would be out, after listening to them, not so sure

Bob


.

This was very informative. Thanks for posting.

So are we getting reminded of Mr. Schilling? We have seen Luka's bloody knee brace. Time another episode of bloody sock in Boston sports lore?

Good luck Mr. Porzingis, hope that the trainers can do something to make you effective.

Rosalie, I can't offer a valid medical opinion from 1200 miles away having seen no imaging studies nor even talked with nor touched the patient. That being said, PhotoBioModulation (PBM) is a light therapy using various wavelengths (630-650 nm, 850 nm, 1050 nm) pulsed and un-pulsed at amplitudes of 5 mw/cubic centimeter and more which can have miraculous results speeding up recovery from injuries. Much of the advanced work on PBM focuses on the treatment of brain injuries (one of the most difficult set of injuries) and a leading place in the world for this research is done at Harvard Medical School's/Mass General Hospital/Brigham Center. Dr. Paolo Cassano, M.D., Ph.D. heads up the studies there and every month convenes 273 of the leading PBM researchers from around the entire world for a Zoom conference on the topic. I've been a participant for the past two years and have seen miracles presented to the group and had some such similar success with my own patients.

If I were on the Celtics medical staff, I'd consult with Dr. Cassano. He's right there. Here's a video of him discussing PBM for the brain:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Dr.+Paolo+Cassano&atb=v314-1&t=chromentp&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDJjn5gxEs-I

I would have started Kristaps on PBM Monday morning, sat him out Wednesday's game, continued PBM thru the week, and hoped for a miracle by Sunday. I would not put his career at risk playing him if he had not had dramatic improvement by then.

Ultimately, I think we will win regardless. This Celtics team has too much heart to fail.

https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1800654506578821585?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Heard about this during a round of golf in Hilton Head today. Didn't let it bother a fairly decent round because it came as no surprise.

We knew it was a huge risk when they traded Smart to get Porzingis. His medical history speaks for itself.

For the most part he got through the season with a few gaps due to injury, and then helped us to a 2 - 0 Finals lead over Dallas. Porzingis was a big help in getting this far. He's probably done or at least extremely limited for the rest of the finals, but we just need 2 wins in the next 5 games. I think we can count on Horford to leave it all out there on the floor for his last rodeo. Bonus if Tatum's shot starts dropping and odds are it will.

I think we still have a good shot at Banner 18 from here.

Celtics17 wrote:https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1800654506578821585?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Well, that was optimistic. We'll have to wait and see.

This morning I’m reading reports KP may play…..this is advanced knowledge of some form of a sprained ankle. I’m sure he’s been getting treatment 24-7 and if at least all the joints are in place and stabilized as much as possible, maybe we get a Willis Reed moment?

The you-know-who as made this injury look and sound far worse than it really is in an attempt to dishearten Celtic fans.  So some crow eating retraction may be around the corner before tonight.      

I'll take a Willis Reed moment or quarter or two.  It's going to be really hard to keep him off the court tonight.  How do you tell a 7'3" Latvian he can't play?!!  Yeah, that's what I thought.  

JT has been saying it best all along.  Tonight is going to be fun!!

db

Dbrown and Cow, you guys might be right. Wouldn’t that be fantastic! 5 minutes a quarter, lets break their backs tonight. A win in game 3 just might have the Mavs focusing on their summer plans. I remember listening to Bill Walton on WEEI after we put Milwaukee away in 86. He said the Bucks are now cleaning out their garages, classic. I want that mindset in the Dallas’s mindset after tonight.

Go Celts!

Pete