Tommy Heinsohn’s return to Boston Celtics broadcasts will delight fans, who initially must overlook the fact he won’t actually be courtside at TD Garden.
The Celtics icon will end his lengthy absence from NBC Sports Boston’s broadcasts of the team’s games Friday night when he rejoins Mike Gorman and Co. via telephone in during the second quarter from a local inpatient rehab facility. Heinsohn stepped away from Celtics broadcasts in November in order to address health issues, which his doctors now believe are related to sleep apnea. The 84-year-old will leave the facility Saturday but not before delivering his long-awaited insights on the Celtics.
Although Heinsohn hasn’t been in his usual seat, he has watched the Celtics from afar as they endured an up-and-down start to the season. He predicted they might struggle early on, as they tried to re-integrate Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward into the team following the serious injuries they suffered last season.
“Now we should be judging this team (in January),” Heinsohn told NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg. “What’s happening now for the next month because they’re playing a lot of home games.
“To me, the whole training camp, which was what, eight days? Not even? Four days before they played the first preseason game? How the hell do you put a team together when you’re trying to incorporate two hurt players from last season? I mean, please. (Head coach Brad Stevens) isn’t Houdini, you know.”
Celtics fans will welcome Heinsohn’s reality-based opinions as they continue to celebrate the new year and look forward to coming good times.
