The Boston Celtics quest to gain a more beneficial position in the Eastern Conference standings has hit a snag as it’s being reported that Kevin Garnett will be sidelined due to injury.
According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, made it known that Garnett will rest his injured ankle so that he can be healthy for the playoffs.
“I’ll guess two weeks, just because we want to make sure he’s really ready,” Ainge said of Garnett’s recovery timeline.
Added Ainge: “I think it happened in New Orleans game, it was just sore — just inflammation. A lot of things can cause inflammation; I think everyone has a little bit of inflammation this time of year. KG, we need to get him fresh anyway.”
Celtics coach Doc Rivers would prefer that that Garnett sit out the rest of the regular season, but he says it’s not up to him.
“Whatever they decide, if they give me option of, ‘You can play him every third game or give him two weeks’ rest,’ I can tell you right now, I’m going to say two weeks’ rest — if it’s my decision,” he said. “They usually never leave it up to me, but if it was my decision, that’s where I would go. Because at the end of the day, I want him right and I don’t want him half-right.”
The Celtics sit in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings, two games in front of the Milwaukee Bucks and two games behind the Chicago Bulls. It will be important for them not to lose ground over the next two weeks with Garnett out, because the last thing they’ll want is to face the Miami Heat in the first round.
They’ve proven that they can sustain a high level of competitiveness, even with the plethora of injuries they’ve suffered throughout the season.