Danny Ainge addressed the Avery Bradley hamstring injury this morning during his appearance on Toucher and Rich:
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge hinted that Avery Bradley suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Game 1 and dubbed him a “long shot” to play again in the first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
During his weekly call to Boston sports radio 98.5, Ainge said Bradley avoided the more serious Grade 3 strain and was “closer to Grade 1.” A Grade 2 strain would suggest a partial muscle tear and Ainge insisted he won’t let Bradley return until he’s at full health.
“Avery is so critical, such a critical piece of our future, I’m certainly not going to allow Avery to go out at less than 100 percent,” said Ainge. “I know Avery is fighting at the bit; he would try to play under any circumstance if he could run. I will prevent and intervene there to keep Avery from jeopardizing himself and making sure he doesn’t make a bad decision.”
Ainge did note that the injury is, “not as bad as it could have been, he’s much better, but I think it’s a long shot that Avery will be back in this series.”
The optimism that surfaced yesterday was essentially squashed by Ainge. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled with the Grade 1. But I’d be a lot more excited about Bradley returning for Round 2 if I felt the Celtics were going to advance to Round 2.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
