Injuries continue and will continue to be a major topic for the Celtics all season long. The combination of the condensed schedule, the age of the club and the long layoff will continue to torment the Celtics as they prepare to make a run at banner 18.

The Pierce injury is more cause for concern given the nature of the injury and the cloudy status regarding the return of Jeff Green. With Green healthy, the loss of Pierce is lessened as Green is more than capable of being a short-term replacement for the long-time captain. Without Green, the roster is once again in flux and the Celtics will lack a scoring identity until Pierce, or Green for that matter, can get back contributing at a high-level. The heel injury is a scary situation. Heels do not tend to heal relatively quickly and could hamper Pierce all season long. There is the notion that Pierce could play if the games mattered and we’ll sure get a peek at that once the games start to matter in a little over a week.

Rondo has been nursing a sprained ankle since the beginning of camp and by all accounts should be able to play once the season starts. The team is expected to make an announcement on the status of Jeff Green at some point today.