This is it, folks. This is the day you’ve all been waiting for.
To be precise, Tuesday is the official start of preseason training camp for the Boston Celtics, just one year removed from their 17th NBA championship. Early Tuesday morning, the revamped C’s will take the floor at their Newport, R.I., practice facility and begin working toward their goal of another title.
But before that happens, it’s time for us to learn a few things.
Monday is Media Day in Celtics camp, and before anyone takes the floor, it’s time for the C’s to answer a few tough questions about the future of this team. Most importantly, it’s time for us all to get some straight answers about Kevin Garnett.
To rehash, in case you spent the entirety of your spring under a rock: Garnett first suffered a knee injury on Feb. 19 in Utah, and after attempting a comeback over a brief four-game stretch in March, he shut things down for good with three weeks remaining in the regular season. He missed the entire postseason and hasn’t played since, and in May, the 33-year-old power forward underwent surgery for the first time in his career.
Now, he’s back. Or so we think.
The Celtics have remained secretive all summer about exactly how serious the Garnett injury was. No one really knows whether the real KG will be back in action Tuesday, whether he’ll be at full strength.
The Celtics’ official party line appears to be that they’re “taking it slow” with KG. He won’t be going all-out in workouts right away, he might see some light minutes early in the preseason schedule, and we don’t yet know how soon he’ll be back to normal.
But shouldn’t we know more?
Rumors are floating around a lot these days. ESPN’s Bill Simmons tweeted that “This wasn’t a typical knee injury,” and that the Celtics’ medical staff “had to re-attach tendons to his kneecap with staples.” Many have called into question whether the Celtics’ silence on the matter should raise red flags for the Boston media and the Celtics’ fans. If KG is OK after all, then why not be proud of it? If he’s not, why not be honest about it and place the team’s trust in Rasheed Wallace to hold down the fort at power forward?
Something’s not right here. All of sudden, the Celtics’ front office looks like it’s run by a brain trust of Bill Belichick and Dick Cheney. Behind the scenes, plenty is happening, but the public isn’t allowed to know anything.
When will this end? When will we find out the truth?
It’s probably only a matter of time. With camp beginning this week, the C’s are running out of time to hide the truth about their floor leader. The team’s preseason opener is just around the corner — the Celtics and Rockets tip off on Oct. 7 in Houston — and the facts will certainly come out then.
To be clear, this isn’t about Garnett’s health right now. It’s still September, and we’re still far away from playing relevant basketball games, much less truly meaningful ones. The primary concern here is making sure Garnett’s ready for the long haul. If KG isn’t fully ready now, that’s okay — but it would behoove the Celtics to make sure he’s healthy by next spring.
In the meantime, all Boston wants is a little bit of information. This city has been kept in the dark about its star basketball player for a long time, and it’s about time we heard some answers.
