Kendrick Perkins' surgically repaired shoulder isn't ready for action yet… so he's going to miss at least part of training camp.
General manager Danny Ainge said yesterday that Perkins isn't expected to participate at the beginning of camp after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder July 2, but he should be ready for the start of the regular season.
"He'll be trying to get through September," said Ainge, who added that the rest of the players on the roster are healthy. "I'm confident he will be in the starting lineup opening night."
Get ready for a lot of Patrick O'Bryant. Guess we'll find out what he's capable of pretty quickly. Its one of many answers we're looking for this preseason. Scott Souza has more:
Yet with Rivers leery of leaning too heavily on Garnett in the post before the fourth quarter, and frontcourt reserves Leon Powe and Glen Davis undersized for the center spot, the hope is that O'Bryant is prepared to realize some of his purported potential.
From all indications, he has taken that challenge and has spent the summer working almost exclusively with Celtics assistant coach Clifford Ray in a daily array of post moves, body banging and glass cleaning.
"Everyone says he is one heck of a big-man coach and I have to agree," O'Bryant said this week. "Where some coaches aren't specifically tuned to big men, he definitely is. He played the position and brings that to his coaching."
O'Bryant said he started working with Ray two weeks after he agreed to join the Celtics in July, and even followed him to his renowned big man camp in Florida this summer to keep the tutelage consistent.
"He's just given me a general feel of how to get better in the post and with rebounding," O'Bryant said. "He's given me some goals to strive for this season just to try to make myself better, get some time and contribute to this team."
If Patrick O'Bryant becomes a big contributor to this team, you'll see a lot of demand for Clifford Ray next off-season. With so few quality big men in the league… EVERYONE will want to bring in the one guy who can make second-tier centers into productive players.
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