We thought things didn’t sound good, and they are not for the Celtics.
Jeff Green — expected to be Boston’s sixth man — will miss the entire season after surgery to fix an aortic aneurysm, the Celtics announced on Saturday.
The important thing is that Green is expected to make a full recovery. This can be controlled with medication after the surgery. He should return to the NBA next season.
However, his one-year, $9 million free agent contract for this year will be voided because he did not pass his physical. The Celtics will retain his rights as a restricted free agent going forward (and he is expected to still be around the team).
“While we are saddened that Jeff will not be able to play this season, the most important thing is his health, and we were fortunate to have access to an amazing team of specialists to evaluate Jeff’s case,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge in a released statement. “The entire Celtics family supports Jeff during this difficult time in his career.”
Green, 25, had this issues show up on a standard pre-season stress test, the Celtics said. They ran him through a number of other tests and eventually the doctors came to this course of treatment.
On the court, this leaves the Celtics in a real bind — they needed a big season and real step forward from Green to be considered serious contenders in the East. While the starting five for the Celtics can rival any team in the league, their second unit now is likely Keyon Dooling, Marquis Daniels, Sasha Pavlovic, Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox. In a season with a condensed schedule where the bench will have to play a bigger role that lineup spells trouble.
Expect the Celtics to make a run at James Posey, who is about to hit the free agent market.
Green came to the Celtics in the middle of last season from Oklahoma City as part of the Kendrick Perkins trade.