Shaq likely to play tonight, Jermaine not; Erden will eventually need shoulder surgery

Shaquille O’Neal will likely make his return to the Celtics lineup tonight, according to Chris Forsberg. Jermaine O’Neal probably won’t, and could sit out the rest of the C’s road trip, which concludes Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In other news, Doc Rivers admitted that Semih Erden will need shoulder surgery at some point in the future. But for now he’s healthy enough to play, and would likely start if neither O’Neal can play. Rivers prefers to bring Glen Davis, and his never-ending energy, off the bench.

The best news about all this injury nonsense? Whichever center the Celtics put in the game should be better than Joel Anthony.