I just read this totally unsurprising bit of news on the ESPN NBA Rumors page:

Jermaine O'Neal missed a second consecutive practice on Monday due to a tight left hamstring and will be shut down for the week as a precautionary measure. He will miss the first two exhibition games against the 76ers and Nets.
So The Drain is already hurt and has to be shut down for the week? Before appearing in a single preseason game for the Celtics? He must have been forced to do demanding and rigorous things during the C's practice sessions. Like maybe deep breathing and standing in place.

For the record, O'Neal ranks first among NBA players I could see straining a hammy while just standing. Carlos Boozer ranks a very close second. Greg Oden doesn't make this list because his hamstring would probably erupt out of his leg and try to strangle him if he so much as thought about standing up.
Head coach Doc Rivers says he won't take any chances this early in the year and will give time to the rookies.

"I just think that, when you look at [Shaquille O'Neal] and Jermaine, and think they can play 82 healthy games -- that'd be nice, but we have to be ready for them to miss a couple games and be able to play through it," Rivers told ESPNBoston.com. "That's why guys like Luke Harangody and Semih Erden are so important. Until Kendrick Perkins comes back, they're going to have to play, one of them at least."
Let's recap: Drain and The Big Geritol were Boston's two great offseason pickups, yet Doc Rivers has so little confidence in their ability to stay healthy that Luke Harangody and Semih Erden have apparently become critical to the Celtics' championship aspirations.

Luke Harangody and Semih Erden.

The sound you just heard were the Vegas oddsmakers scrambling to lower Boston's chances at making it back to the Finals next summer. Either that or Phil Jackson laughing. Or maybe Red Auerbach's soul crying out in despair from the afterlife. Take your pick.
O'Neal say he isn't worried about the hamstring, but defining his role on the team.

"I'm not really concerned about [the hamstring]," O'Neal said. "I'm more concerned about being in with the guys and getting that chemistry up. The first four days [of camp] were really good. Wednedsay, Thursday, and Friday [at camp], I was just starting to get comfortable with the system, the philosophies that Doc wanted and also playing with those guys. It's very difficult to learn areas of an offense and defense when you're not in there. That's probably the most frustrating part about it, but I don't have any doubt in my mind that I'll be back in there soon."
No doubt. Then back out of there. Then back in there. Then back out of there...

Labels: , , ,

16 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Bwahahaha. Can you hear the C's money going down the drain, to join the huge pile of cash already in the sewer from the Blazers, Pacers, Raptors, and Miami?

Blogger David Landon said...
Looks like the Drain is a lock for the All-Vagina team again this year.

Anonymous Ak dave said...
@Wild Yams:

Looks like Shaq won't be a "third string center" after all.

I want to see Luke "the body" Harangody make the drain obsolete. Then his legacy would be complete.

Anonymous Czernobog said...
First Boozer and now NoKnee'l? Zounds! I am flabbergasted.

WV: oustyl. The C's are going out in style, or oustyl for short.

Blogger Cortez said...
"I want to see Luke "the body" Harangody make the drain obsolete. Then his legacy would be complete."

Hasn't already?!?!?!?

Blogger Dan B. said...
To take your mind off the Drain, check out this post at TBJ about the new NBA Jam (which comes out today!). The killer line: Check out the entire gallery, which includes a hilariously underwhelming screencap of Andrea Bargnani shooting a jumper over Elton Brand. Even that looks amazing, and that’s saying something.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Come on guys!

Luke Harangody will be a big player for the Celtics this year! Just look at what Leon Powe did for them a couple of years ago in the Finals (game 2 I think)!

Blogger AnacondaHL said...

Blogger Wild Yams said...
I can't believe nobody's posted this here yet, but here's something to fuel your nightmares (compliments to BDL for this one): a picture of the man of a thousand apostrophes jumping into a pool naked with his junk in one hand and a basketball in the other.

AK Dave - I guess you're right. Until of course Shaq suffers his own questionable injury.

Blogger Wild Yams said...
BTW, after looking at that video AnacondaHL posted, can someone tell the Celtics that if they want to shoot videos with their iPhones that they can post to YouTube, can they please hold the phone horizontally? I thought the video of Nate Robinson dunking on Shaq was a fluke, but I'm now worried this could be an epidemic of idiocy over there in Beantown.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
why not just turn all this into a spinoff segment?? worst of injuries (before the preseason starts)

here's eddy curry's who is already out 4-6 weeks!

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/news/story?id=5623445

Anonymous Anonymous said...
"Doc Rivers has so little confidence in their ability to stay healthy that Luke Harangody and Semih Erden have apparently become critical to the Celtics' championship aspirations."

No, he's just talking them up to the press to build their confidence up and get them to feel included even though they'll be 12th and 13th men most of the season. That's the exact reason Rivers gets good play out of his bench. (Which I suspect you know, I think you just like creating drama.)

Blogger Álex said...
C´s will be on tha lead. Both O´Neal´s seem to be not on it, but one of them have stuff with the mamba and the other one doesn´t have tha ring. Anyway I bet for Gasol´s ring. And that´s not a question.

Anonymous Dave M said...
Note to Celtics. Call Tractor Traylor.

Anonymous Mladen said...
Also injured: Dwyane Wade!?!?! What the fuck...I knew something had to go wrong...

Blogger Wormboy said...
I think you're being really unfair to the Drain. It wasn't just standing up. They asked him to set a pick!