Brad Stevens informed the Globe’s Gary Washburn that Malcolm Brogdon was again in Boston and might be wholesome and prepared for coaching camp. He spent the summer time rehabilitating his elbow — seemingly avoiding surgical procedure — and is able to proceed with the season forward.
Stevens acknowledged that Brogdon was upset by the nearly-complete three-team commerce that may have despatched him to the Clippers. That deal fell via when the Clippers expressed issues over Brogdon’s well being and the Celtics entrance workplace pivoted within the wee hours of the evening, as a substitute dealing Marcus Sensible to Memphis with a purpose to purchase Kristaps Porzingis from the Wizards.
“I might say he had each proper to really feel [upset],” Stevens mentioned. “We mentioned that this summer time. However he’s an actual professional and so we’ve had a number of discussions. He’s trying ahead to getting began. We’re trying ahead to getting began and right here we go.”
Provided that the preliminary tread was reported on with a lot certainty and specificity, it comes as no shock that the dynamic with Brogdon turned a bit strained in consequence. In July, after Jaylen Brown signed his tremendous max extension, head coach Joe Mazzulla briefly spoke in regards to the group’s relationship with Brogdon, and alluded to the truth that the crew was intentional engaged on mending that relationship.
“There’s a therapeutic course of, there’s a listening course of and to see the place we’re at and the place we have now to get to,” Mazzulla informed reporters. “We’ve had some conversations as a corporation however on the identical time, we perceive that’s the scenario that it was and because the therapeutic course of goes on, we are going to transfer ahead in addition to you may.”
Then, over the previous few weeks, Brogdon’s harm standing and relationship with the crew turned the topic of a lot hypothesis.
First, Washburn described Brogdon as being “indignant” with the crew and mentioned that he didn’t suppose “communication between the 2 sides have been fruitful.”
Then, ESPN’S Ramona Shelbourne speculated that “a variety of this has to do with what’s occurring together with his elbow” main some to surprise if Brogdon was upset attributable to a mishandling of the harm.
Simply yesterday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst acknowledged that the Celtics have been purchasing Malcolm Brogdon since June and will enter the Jrue Vacation sweepstakes (Jrue was acquired by the Blazers within the blockbuster commerce that landed Damian Lillard in Milwaukee, however is prone to be dealt to a contender shortly).
It’s unclear if any of this hypothesis is substantiated, and whereas Media Day on Monday will present extra readability on the place issues stand, Stevens’s feedback appear to be an encouraging signal.
In the identical dialog with Gary Washburn, Stevens additionally informed the Globe that Porzingis, the Celtics’ massive offseason acquisition, is predicted to be able to go for coaching camp, which kicks off subsequent week. He missed the whole thing of the FIBA World Cup attributable to plantar fasciitis, a form of heel ache that may generally develop into persistent.
The crew’s official social media accounts started posting Porzingis content material earlier this week.
“Kristaps has been working up and down the courtroom the previous few days,” Stevens mentioned. “I assumed the development that his trainers there [in Latvia], our trainers right here, and all people got here up with to get him again in order that he may keep away from something lingering was a key.”
We’ll know extra quickly when gamers and coaches converse to media on Monday, however that is definitely a welcome tidbit from Boston’s President of Basketball Operations on the standing of two key gamers. If everybody holds up, meaning the Celtics roster might be utterly wholesome to begin coaching camp, one thing the group definitely received’t take as a right. And, it seems issues are heading in the right direction for Brogdon and the Cs.
