Boston Celtics Daily Dish: Staying Strong Saturday

Morning, Boston Celtics fans!

Today, I’m going to focus on the theme of staying strong.  Whether it’s players coming back from injuries, players dealing bravely with current injuries, or teams looking to rebound from unsuccessful 2013-2014 campaigns, this set of daily links is preaching the virtues of staying strong!

Testify!

It’s been two weeks since Indiana Pacers star Paul George broke his leg during a scrimmage for Team USA.  Yesterday, he spoke about the injury, and said that he is hopeful he will be able to return to the court during the 2014-2015 NBA season.  I like his resilience!  Hopefully, he doesn’t rush to return: take your time, young man!

While PG-13 is about to undergo a long and painful recovery process, he should find some inspiration in the story of Chicago’s Derrick Rose, who has been unlucky enough to endure two consecutive recoveries following injury.  The good news, of course, is that D-Rose appears healthy and ready to lead Team USA.   Good news for fans of USA basketball, but even better news for Bulls fans.

And speaking of a player who has a lot to overcome during not just his NBA career, but his entire life?  Read the story of Atlanta’s DeMarre Carroll – here’s a snippet:

"When I was five years old, my older brother, DeLonte, passed away from a brain tumor. He was only nine years old. I still think about him all the time. I’ve got a lot of pictures of him and we recently decorated his grave. I have a tattoo on my left arm of his face, with the words “R.I.P. DeLonte.” Every time I check into a game, when I walk up to the scorer’s table, I draw a heart on the floor for him and then I kiss it before I go into the game. He’s very big in my life.You can’t take every breath you breathe for granted. So every game, I compete for him. He was a basketball player himself. I never want to leave that court and say, “I should have, I could have.” I don’t care how long it is—if it’s two minutes or if it’s 30 minutes—I’m just doing what he would expect me to do. That’s also what my father and my mother instilled in me growing up—competing at a very high level and working as hard as you can."

If reading his story doesn’t make you appreciate your life a little bit more, than you’re a stone cold killer.

The New Orleans Pelicans were rocked hard by injuries last season; read why you should be interested in Pelicans’ basketball in 2014-2015 and beyond.

And finally, we all know about Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo’s ACL injury.  But did you know that Rondo was instrumental in helping Philadelphia’s Nerlens Noel recovery from his own ACL injury?  Those University of Kentucky Wildcats sure do stick together!

Thanks!