Sometimes the Obvious Must Be Stated

Doc Rivers on KG (and Pierce?) before the game today (via the Globe):

“Yeah I can,” said Rivers. “But not right now. Right now, none of our guys that have come back [from injury], you can’t hold any of them to normal standards. The biggest issue with our injuries is they’re healthy now, but they’re not ready to play basketball at this level yet, full-time.

“The only way they’re going to get back is to keeping them on the floor and letting them play through it. Unfortunately while you’re doing that, your team is going to struggle a little bit.”

This is obvious, and Doc is absolutely right that in order for KG to get as close to possible to 100 percent—whatever that is for him now—he has to actually play more than 15 games at a time. Last year, everyone crossed their fingers that keeping KG out of the 20 or so games leading the post-season would get him healthy in time for the playoffs. 

Doc’s quote here is sort of an acknowledgment that that is not enough anymore. The top half of the East is too tough now, and the bottom half has a few times capable of pushing the C’s in the first round. The C’s cannot have KG playing himself back into rhythm and game shape in late April. They’ll need him there when the playoffs begin. 

Can that happen? We’ll see. 

Oh: BEAT LA!!!

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