Ainge believes that Garnett initially injured the ankle against New Orleans then played on it in Dallas. He sat out Saturday’s game in Memphis and underwent an MRI when the team returned to Boston. Initial test results didn’t alarm team doctors, but Ainge noted the team is being overly cautious to ensure a healthy Garnett for the start of the postseason.
“I’ll guess two weeks, just because we want to make sure he’s really ready” Ainge said of Garnett’s recovery timeline.
However, the C’s are hopeful that Garnett’s absence won’t be too long with the initial MRI findings not raising any red flags that the injury would sideline him for a significantly long period of time.
“I can tell you the first look, they didn’t see that,” Rivers said. “At the end of the day he may miss some games. We’re going to error on the right side; whatever they decide. If they give me an option you can play him every third game or give him two week’s rest. I can tell you right now, I’m going to say two weeks rest if it’s my decision. They usually never leave it up to me. But if it was my decision, that’s where I would go. Because at the end of the day, I want him right. I don’t want him half right.”
Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge have slightly differing versions of what exactly happened and when (is it an ankle injured in the Hornets game? A foot in the Mavs game?) but the prognosis is the same: Probably out two weeks (which is a different way of saying 4 or 5 games). The MRI showed no serious damage to the foot or ankle, and the goal, it seems, is to get KG healthy and ready for the playoffs.
Of course, there are those who say “we’ve seen this before” and “2 weeks” becomes “2 months” or longer… but all we can do now is take the team at its word and hope KG is ready for the playoffs. In the meantime, the Celtics just have to avoid the 8th seed.
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