Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Boston Celtics big man Jared Sullinger is out indefinitely after X-rays on Thursday revealed a stress reaction in his left foot.
Sullinger said he felt some discomfort in the foot the day after Boston closed the first half of the season with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 11. Sullinger removed himself from Boston’s practice when the team reconvened in Sacramento on Wednesday and team trainer Ed Lacerte took him for tests Thursday that revealed the injury to the fourth metatarsal.
“Jared is going to be out a while,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Supposedly it happened in the Atlanta game and he was talking a little bit about it [Wednesday], with regard to feeling some discomfort and so he went through a little bit of practice, then pulled himself out. Ed took him to get the X-ray [Thursday], so that’s not good news on the Jared front, that’s for sure.”
Added Stevens: “He’s not going to play on this trip, and I don’t anticipate him playing any time soon.”
Sullinger wore a protective walking boot over his left foot as he watched practice. He was emphatic that he wouldn’t need surgery, but admitted there’s no immediate timetable for his return.
“They didn’t tell me a lot, they just told me I’d be out a little bit,” Sullinger said. “It sucks, honestly. Especially with the type of [playoff] push we’re trying to make. For me to not be a part of it on the court — I’m trying to help the team from different angles.”
ESPN Boston – Jared Sullinger out indefinitely
While the NBA’s trade deadline seemed like it was Thunderdome with all of the GMs battling it out, one of the more stressing bits of news came in the form of an injured left foot to Jared Sullinger. Apparently he first noticed his foot felt sore during the Hawks game, which was over a week ago. Strange that he still traveled to Sacramento and just had it looked at now. Regardless, he’ll be out for a while and I’m not sure there’s any reason to rush him back. Foot injuries in the NBA, especially for big men, are serious long term things you don’t want to mess with. I think it was Tommy Heinsohn who said on last night’s CSNNE’s trade deadline show, that Sullinger should sit the remainder of the season. I’d be fine with that myself.
Making a playoff run is fun, but not at the cost of further injuring one of your supposed key young players. Even if they don’t plan to keep him long term, further damage to that foot also hurts his trade value in the long term. Now, if it’s something that can truly be healed in a matter of weeks without long-term implications then that’s fine. Otherwise, Sullinger might be wise to heed Tommy’s advice.
On Page 2, Thomas is not a short-term rental
“It’s definitely not a short-term rental,” Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, told Comcast SportsNet’s Kyle Draper. “I was infatuated with Isaiah in college. I thought he was very under-rated, under-heralded player coming out of college – University of Washington.”
Thomas’ ability to score is the key to his success in the league. But part of that success also stems from his ability to get out in transition and make an impact that way.
“I felt like we needed speed in our backcourt,” said Ainge. “We struggled to score at times. We needed someone that could get in the middle of the paint and make plays, make shots. I think that he’s going to be able to play and fit in nicely with Marcus Smart and/or Avery Bradley.”
As much as Ainge likes the 5-foot-9 guard, he also likes his four-year, $27 million contract which was signed this past summer.
CSNNE – Thomas not a short-term rental for Celtics
With the flurry of trade activity since the beginning of the season, it’s a safe bet to not purchase any jerseys of newly acquired players. But Isaiah Thomas appears to be a long-term keeper for Ainge, well about as long-term as it can get. Coupled with a friendly contract, Ainge loves Thomas. I’m still a bit skeptical on running a 3-guard rotation, as we know Thomas wanted to go somewhere where he could be a starter. That won’t happen here, unless AB gets moved (via trade or to the bench) or Smart moves over to the two. Either way, it all sounds nice and neat on paper and in theory, but these guys are human and rarely does something like this work out in the long run. It’s essentially why Phoenix had to trade their best guard in Goran Dragic to the Heat for basically spare parts.
Speaking of Dragic, Ainge also said in the CSNNE video/interview that his “inside information” told him that Dragic REALLY wanted to go to Miami. So any thoughts of seeing him in green were extinguished at that point. Just a crazy trade deadline for the entire league, and it was good to see Ainge pounce when the chance arose. Now we’ll see just how it all fits, but they are intriguing for the final 30 games or so.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – About that other trade… | Ainge finally gets his man in Thomas | Biggest Losers | Trader Danny’s roster overhaul | Celtics trade for Isaiah Thomas
Boston Globe – Celtics trade for guard Isaiah Thomas | Big move picking up little Isaiah Thomas | Celtics’ Jared Sullinger out indefinitely | Danny Ainge made right move acquiring Isaiah Thomas
Boston Herald – Another makeover for Celtics | Deadline involves Danny Ainge after all | Celtics Notebook: Jared Sullinger stressed about surprise foot injury
CSNNE – Jerebko provides depth for injured Celtics front court | Roster changes nothing new for Stevens, Celtics | Jared Sullinger ‘will be out a while’ with foot injury | Tayshaun Prince may discuss buyout with Pistons | Celtics acquire Thomas from Suns | Levine: Celtics earning their stripes | Trade for Thomas helps Celtics now and in future
WEEI – Jared Sullinger out indefinitely with foot injury | Report: Celtics trade Tayshaun Prince to Pistons for Jonas Jerebko and Luigi Datome | Report: Celtics acquire Isaiah Thomas in exchange for Marcus Thornton, 2016 first-round pick
MassLive – Celtics’ Jared Sullinger returning to Boston for for further evaluation on foot injury | In Iasiah Thomas trade, Boston Celtics scored a deadline victory | Isaiah Thomas trade: Boston Celtics acquire guard from Phoenix Suns | Boston Celtics’ Brad Stevens discusses respect for traded veterans Marcus Thornton, Tayshaun Prince | Jared Sullinger injury: Boston Celtics big man out indefinitely with stress reaction in left foot | Tayshaun Prince traded from Boston Celtics to Detroit Pistons
