First came Al Horford himself saying that he didn’t think he could go in the first round of the playoffs when his Hawks take on the Celtics. Then, less than 24 hours later, he said he got clearance from a doctor to play 15 minutes a game.
Then Wednesday comes this from Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.I just spoke with Hawks center Al Horford, who confirmed that he will miss at least the first round of the playoffs. Horford has been rehabbing from left pectoral muscle surgery and said he is just not where he needs to be physically.
Horford went through 4-on-4 full-court drills on Monday and was encouraged, prompting him to tell a reporter he was planning to return for the playoffs. However on Tuesday, Horford said he knew he could not play.
“Yesterday, I realized that I’m not nearly where I need to be or want to be – not even to give the team anything,” Horford said. “That’s when we kind of decided that it was best for me to take some time off, keep working, see how I progress. But we are just not where we need to be yet.”
Bad news. The Hawks have struggled to put up points against good defenses this season and the Celtics are that. Horford was a potential antidote, a guy who cleans up the mess of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith isolation plays, a guy who move the ball a tough matchup on offense who could defend Kevin Garnett on defense. The Hawks could have used a guy like that.
Just for added fun, Zaza Pachulia also will be out for Atlanta at the start of the series.