Kemba Walker not expected back until January

Many regrets appear to have sprouted from the Celtics’ loss to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the worst may revolve around injury.

Gordon Hayward clearly came back before he was ready from an ankle injury, and the same can be said of Kemba Walker’s quick return after attempting to rest his balky left knee. The Celtics guard never regained his normal form in the Orlando bubble.

Danny Ainge admitted Tuesday, on the first day of player workouts, that Walker came back prematurely, even allowing that the move was probably a “mistake.”

“Maybe we didn’t do him justice by bringing him back too fast in the bubble, being hurt and finding some urgency during the regular season,” said the Celtics president. “We don’t want to make that mistake, if it was a mistake, this time. I’m not blaming anybody. But it’s not a perfect science. It’s guesswork, and we’re trying to do the best with the information that we have and get him as strong and healthy as he can be, so he can make it through the year.”

In short, Walker finds himself back where he was when competition resumed in the bubble last July — rehabbing his knee.

The Celtics announced Tuesday that after consulting with multiple experts in September, Walker passed up surgery for a stem cell injection into the knee. He’s now on a 12-week strengthening program, and is unlikely to play in a game until sometime in January. He may resume “on-court” activities next week.

“That’s why I avoided doctors, because I don’t want that potential surgery,” Ainge said when asked if Walker considered surgery. “But you never know. I wasn’t anticipating it because our medical staff was pretty confident they were doing what they needed to do. You never know what someone is going to come up with. They all conferred and came to the same conclusion. That gave Kemba peace of mind.

“This stretch will tell us a lot more. He saw some specialists over the last six or eight weeks, and they all came to the same conclusion. That gave Kemba a great peace of mind as he went to different doctors in our country and got the same opinions. He’s on a program, seems to be in a very good, happy spot.”

Maximum Tatum

Speaking of happy spots, none gets better than the five-year, $195 million “super-max” extension just signed by Jayson Tatum.

“Oh, I was excited and thankful for that. Don’t take that for granted or take it lightly,” he said. “It’s a big deal and I’m excited to be here five more years. I was excited, obviously, I wanted to stay, wanted to make that happen and whatever we figure it out.”

He also wants to keep those numbers as far away from his approach to the game as possible.

“I’m not here walking around saying that this is my team. I don’t take that approach,” he said. “Like everybody else, I show up to work and do my job to the best of my ability and just go out there and play. I don’t feel the need to say it or anybody needs to say it. We all play for the Celtics. We all play a part in the team’s success and obviously I’m going to be here for a while. So I’m happy for that. But no, I don’t say or think I play that way. We got a bunch of talented guys and I’m happy to be a part of this team.”

Theis on mend

Daniel Theis had an offseason procedure to remove debris from his right knee, but the Celtics center doesn’t expect to miss time. It also apparently didn’t affect his playing.

“Less in basketball. It was more like everyday stuff when I walked and especially straightened my leg 100%,” he said. “That’s when it bothered me the most. I had no issues on the court running and jumping and stuff. It was more like everyday stuff. And because the rehab and surgery were so quick I was able to just wait until after the season and just get it done either in preseason now, or the camp is short, I was able to just fix it and get it out.

“The surgery went well. It was just like they took out loose bodies in there. But everything went well. Rehab was great. Nothing compared to my meniscus surgery years ago. But everything is fine. I’ve got no limitations, I’ve got no restrictions on the court, so can’t wait for Friday when we finally start practices.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/36qCmpW