Bradley's injury may keep him out until mid-late December.

Unsurprisingly, Boston exercised their option on Avery Bradley’s contract last week, extending him through ’13-’14.

From the Boston Herald blog:

The Celts needed to exercise this right by midnight tomorrow. In so doing, they guarantee Bradley $2,511,432 for 2013-14. He will make $1,630,800 for this season.

Considering Bradley’s play from last year and the fact that he will likely be starting for the Celtics next year, this is an absurdly good deal for the Celtics. When he hits the free agent market, he will undoubtedly command considerably more.

And now what you’ve been waiting for: an update on Bradley’s health. Again from the Herald:

Also interrupting the development of the desired rotation is the continued absence of Avery Bradley, who is rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgeries.

“Obviously Avery’s out. I think people forget that,” said Rivers of Bradley, who is expected to return to his role as starting shooting guard. “That’s going to make it a lot easier when he’s back, but he’s not going to be back for six weeks or so, so we have to get it done now.”

So no REAL news except that Bradley hasn’t progressed ahead of schedule. This article was published today, November 5. That would put Bradley’s return, by my calculations, at December 17 at the earliest. There are 20 games between now and December 17, 23 if he doesn’t return until Christmas as has been previously speculated.

Neither of these items are particularly surprising, but both are noteworthy. Bradley figures to be a big part of this team when he comes back from his injury, and he is going to need time and patience given the severity of his injuries.

My right shoulder does exactly what Bradley’s does, and I can say from experience that A) Once it happens, it’s extremely likely to happen again and again and again ad infinitum and B) It hurts like hell. Like, “OMG KILL ME PLZ I WANT TO BE DEAD” hurts. Or maybe I’m just a wuss (although Bradley’s face in this picture seems to indicate he would agree with me). Whatever.

My shoulder has been improving with regular physical therapy visits over the course of several months, so there is hope. The “patience” part comes in when considering the extent and severity of Bradley’s injuries. Much like most knee problems, it takes a while to feel safe doing things that are second nature to other people. My shoulder prevented me from using my usual shooting motion, so even though I haven’t dislocated it in over a month, I still find myself scared to fully extend at the top of my follow through. I still contest shots and passes with only my left arm, since blocking a shot was enough to coax the shoulder out of its socket. So even though I am (hopefully) much better than I was, I’m still subconsciously scared to do normal things on a basketball court.

So Bradley may need some time before he is back to his usual self, in part because his usual self was so aggressive defensively, going after ball-handlers and diving on the floor for loose balls. But he IS coming. And frankly, the way Boston’s defense has looked in the first few games, I think we are all grateful.

Follow Tom on Twitter: @Tom_NBA.