Avery Bradley could miss upcoming Celtics road trip

Avery Bradley has already been ruled out for Friday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, but it's now sounding like he may miss the entire road trip.

The injury was initially announced as an elbow contusion that sent Bradley to the locker room during the first half of Wednesday's win over the Utah Jazz. Bradley returned to the game wearing a sleeve to cover his elbow and managed to play 36 minutes that night, but the next day the Celtics medical staff diagnosed the injury as a strained elbow.

Brad Stevens on Avery Bradley: "He had a badly sprained left elbow. He hyperextended it." Says Bradley likely won't join Celtics on trip.

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 6, 2015

Boston's road trip continues to Orlando on Sunday and finishes in Miami on Monday. It's unclear if Bradley will be able to suit up when the Celtics return home to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. In the meantime, we could see reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week Isaiah Thomas promoted to the starting lineup. Stevens may prefer to keep the energetic spark plug in his current role coming off the bench, but Thomas should at least be in line for a few extra minutes while Bradley is out. Evan Turner could also fill in as a starter in the backcourt, alongside Marcus Smart.

Bradley is averaging 13.9 points on 43 percent shooting in 58 games this season and has been a staple in the Celtics starting lineup. Injuries and roster changes have constantly shuffled Boston's lineup this season, so adjusting to a starter being out of the lineup will be nothing new for this team.

All of the injuries and trades the Celtics have gone through this season caused Brad Stevens to joke, "At least we're hard to scout."

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 6, 2015

Well at least Stevens has found the silver lining in dealing with yet another injury - or at least he's found his sense of humor.