Feb 19, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) warming up before the first half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Before getting into the doom and gloom of Kevin Garnett’s injury, there is a bright side but it shouldn’t be considered anything to get overly excited about. Garnett did practice today at the Celtics Practice Facility in Waltham, but’s it’s what he said after practice that should raise some concern moving forward.
From ESPN’s Chris Forsberg article –
"“I have some issues with my foot. More from like the motion, if you’re pushing the gas pedal. It’s an issue. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be out. But I am getting better. I’m going to practice today and Doc and I will have a conversation and make some decisions for the future. If I’m able [to play], if I’m strong enough and I feel like I can contribute, then yeah, other than that — it’s all guts, it’s all grit. That’s pretty much how my makeup is. I’ve always been able to put mind over matter with certain things and then when I was unable to do common things like walk or get in my car or drive myself, then obviously that’s an issue. But other than that, I’m used to playing through a lot of different things.”"
With Garnett mentioning that stepping on the gas pedal isn’t comfortable and there is pain with certain motions is something that makes me question how serious his foot injury is. Ok, stepping on the gas pedal and certain motions are minor things, but on the basketball court, that’s a completely different story. Garnett’s game doesn’t consist of speed in terms of footwork, but making cuts to the basket may be a bit difficult for him. He definitely doesn’t sound 100%.
The fact that he’s going to have a discussion with Doc Rivers about “if he’s able to play” and not when, gives me very little confidence about his return. Garnett is usually cryptic when he speaks, but he sounded pretty clear with his recent statement. If he does play tomorrow night against the Washington Wizards, I’d be more interested to see how he’s moving on the court and not what he’s contributing. The points and rebounds will come, but if he can’t outrun slower players or be somewhat of an effective rebounder, then I’d have to wonder what he could possibly give to the team in the playoffs.
A few days ago in an interview with Jackie MacMullan, Doc Rivers said that Garnett had a bone spur in his foot. That’s an alarming statement which Rivers brushed off as if it was a small detail. Bone spurs do not go away and require surgery, which is what happened to Ray Allen last season. This injury is worth much more attention than it’s getting, and the Celtics aren’t giving out a lot of details about his recovery, or the injury itself. For Celtics fans, all they can hope for is a speedy recovery and that Garnett returns as close to normal as possible.
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