Marquis Daniels has spent the past six months working his way down a long and trying road in order to regain his health after a horrifying spinal injury threatened to strip the 6-foot-6 shooting guard of his NBA career.
He still has not fully recovered, but he has regained enough of his strength to start considering mounting a comeback — and he views the Celtics as a legitimate option.
In an interview with Comcast SportsNet New England's Jessica Camerato, Daniels opened up about returning to the place where he sustained his injury — what some doctors once believed was a career-ending injury.
"I definitely would like to be anywhere where a team wants me," he said. "I'm keeping my options open. I still root for the guys on the Celtics. It's a great organization. I talk to Paul [Pierce] and Kevin [Garnett] and [Rajon] Rondo and all those guys. So I'd be open to coming back there as well."
Daniels also revealed that Garnett helped him through the uncertainty of the injury as he lay motionless on the TD Garden floor on Feb. 6.
"I just remember I kept hearing Kevin telling me, 'You're gonna be alright. You're gonna be alright,'" he told CSNNE. "I was like, 'I can't move.' He said, 'What do you mean?' He kept telling me I was gonna be alright. I think that helped me out a lot, just hearing his voice telling me I was going to be alright. I stayed calm, I didn't panic."
In two seasons off the bench with the C's, Daniels averaged 5.5 points per game and he was also considered to be a top-notch defender.
