Celtics miss Avery Bradley (and so do fans)

Avery Bradley was a revelation last year. He was a game changer on defense and surprisingly effective on offense - in particular with his back cuts and spacing that helped everyone else. In a pinch he can even help out a little with the point guard duties. So the tempting thing is to assume that adding Bradley would be just the shot in the arm that this team needs (bad arm pun intended). That may well be the case, but Danny Ainge doesn't want the team to simply wait for Bradley to ride in as the cavalry.

Avery key cog for Celts - BostonHerald.com

"You know, when things are going bad, it’s always easy to look at the guys who aren’t playing. Time will tell on Avery. I believe Avery’s a really good player, and I believe he can make our defense better and he’s also a good offensive player. So I think that we’re anxiously waiting for his return. At the same time, we have great depth at the guard line, and I just don’t think that we’re getting good performances out of the team.

This is true. Danny added depth at the guard position in part because he knew we'd be without Bradley for the first few months. Courtney Lee has to step up offensively soon or he's going to be an afterthought in the rotation a month from now. That would be a shame because there's many dimensions where Lee could help us a great deal.

So the caveats are in place. Don't expect too much from Avery too soon. Don't count on him to be a magic elixir that will cure all the team's problems. And don't rush him back at the risk of damaging his repaired shoulders. Got it. Check. Affirmative.

With all that said, COME BACK SOON AVERY! WE MISS YOU!