When will Shaq return? “I don’t have any idea,” says Danny Ainge
Danny Ainge has stopped guessing when Shaq “always one week away” O’Neal may or may not return to the court. (Boston Herald)
“I don’t have any idea,” Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said after watching the workout by O’Neal, who is attempting to recover from a sore right Achilles tendon. “It could be a week or two weeks.
“I watched him work out, and he’s starting to do things on the court. We’re just still not sure of when he’s going to come back.
If Shaq misses two more weeks, I should point out, he will have missed the entire remainder of the regular season. Terrific. Which reminds me: I’m pretty sure a Celtics player could be dying, literally dying, and the Celtics would try to convince us he was okay. “It’s just a sore right Achilles tendon, guys. Nothing to see here.”
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Celtics Blog | Jay King | March 31, 2011
I’ll say it one more time. I really, honestly believe this was all planned. Every time they push the date of his return I can’t help but think it’s a smokescreen. I’ll bet Shaq’s in good shape and weeks ago Danny and Doc decided to shut him down for the rest of the season. I can’t believe that you’re not at least considering that in your post Jay. I know for some people it might be too far fetched to believe but they did it last year to the Big 3 and it’s at least possibility.
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If there was a plan to rest him, they wouldn’t have kept him out this long. They would have let him play for a few weeks, at least, to get back in shape and ready for the playoffs.
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He did miss the last 23 games last season with the thumb… it didn’t screw up his rhythm… he will be playing in the playoffs even if he has some pain…
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It was obvious from the beginning of all the talk about Shaq’s return that it was all a smokescreen, intended to shut down some of the anger some folks were feeling about The Trade. The idea was to convince people that we didn’t need Perk because Shaq would be back. Come on, folks, do you remember the talk about how Shaq was sooooo serious about returning that he was on a diet, that was gonna solve all his problems?!!! That was a giveaway that the talk about him coming back was not serious, that it was a delusion being laid out there for us fans to gobble up. Common sense told you that he almost certainly wouldn’t be back, or would be back for only limited use. Don’t get me wrong. I hope he does come back like a lion. But, if you doubt for a moment that this team will lie to you (maybe even to themselves, who knows), just think back to Garnett’s injury.
Ainge made a horrible trade and then tried to cover it over with some smoke and mirrors. Unfortunately for Doc’s credibility, Doc tried to do his part, as a ‘company man’, to support Ainge’s smoke and mirrors.
Shaq may be back, but even if he does come back, it will be for a limited time, if he starts, or in some other limited role. Basically, we already got from him most of what we were going to get, and if you think back to this summer, that was EXACTLY the expectation. The plan was always to use Shaq as a stopgap until Perkins came back, and then to use him after that to solidify our middle and our bench. For a couple of weeks, yes, it looked like Shaq might even hold onto the starting job on Perkins’ return, but that hope dissipated. Still, IF we had Perkins now, we could actually hope for him to come back fulfill that role, as backup/stopgap/solidification.
But, instead, now we are wishing on a prayer, based on a smokescreen, fondly hovered over by delusion.
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paul…will you retract your last 1000 posts re the trade when Shaq returns healthy, JO returns tonight, and we advance in the playoffs, which are the games that matter??? Or maybe, it’s seeing KP on the Celtic Town wall that is driving your comments? Go Cs…
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Shaq and jermaine oneal finally return now we got our size back in paul pierce in ray allen in kg can take over cetics about to go on a hugh winning streak lol oh yeah nenad kristic sorry as fuck god trade his sorry ass back to okc or miami dawn
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I like jeff green and glen davis the 6th man of the year or jason terry lol but nenad kristic not sorry he just need to relax in prove he the best. In not be a starter
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Jeff Green is okay but Nenad, not so sure I feel good about him.. and that Sasha P. guy? What are we to do with him?
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