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Will Shaquille O’Neal Make Return to TD Garden Floor Against Suns?

When the Celtics return home from a week-long road trip to play the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, they have a chance of adding two big men to their rotation at the same time.

One, obviously, is Troy Murphy, who agreed to sign with the Celtics on Tuesday after securing a buyout from Golden State. The other? Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaq has been out for a month with an inflamed Achilles, a rather long absence for a rather benign injury. The Celtics are playing it safe with the 38-year-old center, as they don't want to risk any minor ailment developing into anything more serious.

Doc Rivers has hinted that Shaq will rejoin the Celtics this week as they return home from four games out West. That means there's a chance, although no one knows how big, that he plays Wednesday at the TD Garden against the Suns, his former team.

The Celtics have been remarkably tight-lipped about the specifics of Shaq's injury. That's sort of the Celtic way. Every year, it seems, they pick a guy to be cryptic about. Back in the old days before the Big Three came together, it was Paul Pierce. Then, in recent years, it was Kevin Garnett. Now, it's Shaq.

The C's don't want to show their hand at this stage in the game. They want to keep Shaq's status under wraps until the playoffs, when they make their push to win it all and get the Diesel his fifth ring.

But it sure would be nice if he played a game or two before then.