Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
First it was a sore left hamstring.
Now he's dealing with a sore back and a sore wrist that will keep him out of the preseason finale against New Jersey on Wednesday.
Coach Doc Rivers was planning to limit his minutes, as well as the minutes of the rest of the Celtics starters, anyway.
But with him out, it means the Celtics' quest at developing better team chemistry will continue to be a work in progress.
"That's rest, that's injury, that's disappointing," said Rivers in describing why O'Neal would not play on Wednesday. "He has not had the preseason we would have liked him to have."
CSNNE: Jermaine O'Neal to miss Wednesday's game
I know some of the preseason talk around here has centered (no pun intended) on Kendrick Perkins... and whether Danny will actually bring him back. We looked at Jermaine & Shaq and said "you know, if the C's are playing well with these two, what's the real need for Perk?"
Well, this is your answer right here. Shaq is 38 years old and Jermaine is falling apart at the seams. A hamstring, a wrist, a sore back. The last preseason game is tonight and Jermaine has three nagging injuries bugging him.
And maybe this is an "if this was the playoffs, I'd play" scenario... but it still illustrates that as good as Jermaine O'Neal might be on the floor over the next few months, his body still isn't very reliable.
And furthermore... it's telling that Doc is expressing disappointment. Doc chooses his words with the media wisely. For him to use "disappointing" and say "He has not had the preseason we would have liked him to have" almost comes off as a little bit of a dig at Jermaine. I'm still not 100% sure exactly is behind that statement... but I feel like something is there. It's something to watch.
On Page 2, Delonte's pain in the ass
Associated Press photo
"It turned out to be my glute muscles," said West, who has appeared in only three preseason games and has not stepped on the court since an Oct. 10 visit from Toronto. "It tightened up on me and I wasn't quite sure where the pain was coming from. As time went on and we gave it a rest, the pain started to circulate to one region and we pinpointed the area. It ended up being my left glute. It's just about 100 percent gone now."
West does not expect to play in Wednesday's exhibition finale against the New Jersey Nets, but hopes to be back on the practice floor later in the week. Given his 10-game suspension to start the season, West had hoped to use the eight-game preseason slate to work himself into shape. But the three-week delayed start will allow him to get healthy before being eligible for game action on Nov. 17.
"I need a little bit of time to work myself back into the lineup," said West. "There are guys out there in front of me right now. I'm starting from the bottom up again.
ESPN Boston: DWest close to a return
The best news here is that his back pain really didn't stem from any sort of back problem. That's amazing news. I mean... good beyond good news.
Back problems are a bitch. So let's all be glad that this isn't some sort of disc issue and move on.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Celtics' inside looking out | Doc survives minor scare | TNT studio show following LeBron to Boston for opener | Globe: Rivers' throat biopsy negative | Shaq gets the party started | ESPN Boston: Limping out of the gate | Rivers discusses throat biopsy | Open House | WEEI: KG: Celtics-Heat definitely a soap opera | Doc gets good news after biopsy | MWDN: Wafer on thin ice