As the NBA season progresses into it’s third and final act, the Boston Celtics remain just a game out of the eighth and final playoff seed in the lackluster Eastern Conference. After a season that has given new meaning to the nickname “Trader Danny”, one would assume that GM Danny Ainge would be happy with where his team is currently positioned. Those who know Ainge, though, know winning a Championship is his only priority.
Because of this, and because he knows how much better positioned his team would be had Power Forward Jared Sullinger remained healthy, Ainge finds it difficult to celebrate the team’s recent push for the playoffs.
Instead, when recently speaking with 98.5 the Sports Hub of Boston, the Celtics GM took aim at Sullinger’s inability to remain on the court – presumably due to his weight issues.
“Jared and I have talked a lot about [conditioning] over the past year. It’s something that we take great pride in with our players. Our players have really bought into our program and a lot of guys — I think every guy has met the goals that they have set in regards to strength and conditioning, body fat and weight, and all the different things our strength and conditioning coaches do on a regular basis. Jared just hasn’t met his goals. He’s not up to the standards that he wants and is not up to the standards that we think are in his best interests for the long-term health of his career. He’s not up to par, to the standards that we feel are necessary to be a consistent winning player and play with great conditioning.”
Sullinger was able to respond to those comments when speaking with reporters on Wednesday. When asked how he plans on dealing with his weight in the future, he said:
“Change the physique, change the way I look. That’s the biggest thing, I think, is just change the way I look. I’m tired of looking on camera and just seeing how I look and seeing how I play during extended minutes. Conditioning’s going to be a big factor… This year I came back in a little bit better shape. Obviously, it wasn’t good enough. Now I just have to get back to the grit and grind, kind of break my body down just to build it back up. I think that’s what I’m going to do this summer.”
Remember, this is a player who had originally fallen to the Celtics in the draft due to back issues coming out of college. Once this season is in the books, the young star center for Boston would have missed the equivalent of almost an entire season (76 games) since his rookie year in 2012 due to various injuries.
Of course, a pulled muscle in your back or a stress fracture in your left foot (his most current ailment) isn’t 100% caused by weight issues. It is, however, a proven fact that lowering your body mass will decrease the chances of an injury becoming a recurring issue. The less pounds on the body, the less of a beating the body takes.
Making the issue a whole lot more interesting is the fact that Sullinger’s rookie contract is up this Summer. Should the team and his agent not see eye to eye on an extension, he would become a restricted Free Agent.
That scenario may seem highly unlikely right now, but we know the Celtics will pull the trigger quickly if they feel Sullinger isn’t working out. And, as always, with Danny Ainge at the helm, “ANYTHING’S POSSIBLEEEE”.
