Wednesday afternoon, Brad Stevens had to announce the first injury of training camp two days after it began with media day. Gerald Green, returning to the team after they traded him to Minnesota for some guy who recently retired, has a hip flexor injury.
Gerald Green's out a couple of days with a hip flexor, according to Brad Stevens. Not expected to be serious.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 28, 2016
Monday Green revealed that reuniting with former Suns teammate Isaiah Thomas was among his motivating factors in coming back where it all started. Stevens has commented on his ability to score in spurts, which can “change the course of the game.”
After getting lost in the fold a season ago with Miami, the Heat pushed him away to go younger, allowing the Cs to grab him in late July for a steal at $1.4 million. Instead of winning a dunk contest this time around, he said, he wants to help bring a championship to Boston.
It’s unclear what grade of a flexor strain Green has, but judging on his prognosis of just several days away from the court, grade one sounds like the culprit. Those typically involve “some pain, but allowing full function.”
The Celtics begin the preseason Tuesday against the 76ers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The heralded debut of Joel Embiid is expected to happen barring another disaster. Hopefully the Cs don’t have an injury issue of their own brewing, as Green may be the next great Stevens reclamation project with Evan Turner’s departure.