Celtics’ Jermaine O’Neal trying to play through knee pain. It’s not working.

When the Celtics signed Jermaine O’Neal, he seemed like a good bridge from the start of the season to the return of Kendrick Perkins. He would provide more offense, he can play some defense, he and Shaq meant the Celtics were even better along the front line.

The reality is that Jermaine O’Neal has had almost no impact on the Celtics season. He missed 19 games due to knee injuries. In the last nine games since he returned, he has averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds a game in less than 20 minutes. He’s been another body out there, then missed the team’s last game because the pain was back.

O’Neal had an MRI and told WEEI Radio (via the Boston Herald) that it may be time to go under the knife.

“(Surgery) was definitely something that we talked about the first time I was out for an extended period of time,” O’Neal said on WEEI radio yesterday. “We wanted to try a couple of options. And we may be looking at that situation now. It’s something that I will eventually need at some point, at the end of the season or in the season. But you want to be around. You don’t want to miss an extended period of time.”

Shaq has had his injury problems, but with his contributions and the return of Kendrick Perkins in the not-to-distant future, the loss of O’Neal is something the Celtics could survive just fine.

He needs to have the surgery and get right if he is ever going to provide some value to the Celtics for the $12 million they owe him.