"I'm concerned, not long-term, but I'm concerned short-term," head coach Doc Rivers said about Pierce's injury. "We have those two games right off the bat and he's gone one practice and that's basically it. So, yeah I'm concerned about it."
Rivers said that Pierce worked out on Monday while the rest of the team was off, and that the veteran forward has been sore as a result.
"We just want him to rest. The problem with that is it will be a lot of rest and then he may be ready but with no [practice time], that's scary. And if he's not [ready], he's not," Rivers said.
According to WEEI.com, Rivers said that Pierce will likely try to practice again on Friday, after which he'll be re-evaluated. But Pierce also expressed concern about the injury last week — prior to Monday's workout — in an interview with CSNNE.com.
"It's the type of injury if you play on it," Pierce said. "It'll linger and get worse."
With Jeff Green already sidelined for the entire 2011-12 season due to a heart condition, and a condensed NBA schedule on tap, the Celtics can ill afford to lose Pierce.
If Pierce misses any time, a much heavier burden will likely fall on the shoulders of Marquis Daniels and Sasha Pavlovic.
