Updates on Shaq & Delonte

Posted by Brian Robb on Apr 15, 2011 1932421 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F04%2F15%2Fupdates-on-shaq-delonte%2FUpdates+on+Shaq+%26+Delonte2011-04-15+14%3A29%3A28Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D19324

A few news and notes, after the C’s went through a walkthrough yesterday in Waltham before watching video and implenting their gameplan. Meanwhile, the Knicks going off the heels of a back-to-back to close out the season took the day off, and made the media rounds with Carmelo appearing on David Letterman and Amar’e stopping by Regis and Kelly. Why not take advantage of the media attention while you can right?

Dan Duggan of The Boston Herald gets us caught up with the latest on Shaq and Delonte, before the team goes full throttle in practice today at noon.

Coach Doc Rivers and general manager Danny Ainge have insisted that O’Neal will be ready for the playoffs. With that time here, the expectation is a little less certain.

“I do, but I can’t guarantee that,” Rivers said of O’Neal’s availability for Game 1. “He’s going to do a little bit today. We’re not going to do enough — we’re going to walk through stuff, so I could do today. But tomorrow and the following day are the two big days for Shaq. He’s going to try to get through practices and see what he can do.”

O’Neal appeared in only 37 games this season, missing all but five minutes of the final 34 games. O’Neal went down with a right Achilles injury on Feb. 1, missed the next two months and returned on April 3. He looked good for five minutes — before straining his right calf, which kept him out of the lineup for the remainder of the regular season.

As big of a boost it would be to see Shaq in Game 1, would anyone be shocked at this point if they hold him out Game 3 in New York? With New York likely to go small for most of the series anyway, Shaq’s impact will be very limited off the bat, so I feel like its a fair question to ask on whether give him the extra week if he truly needs it.

Doc on Delonte’s Sprained Right Ankle

“I think he’ll be fine,” Rivers said. “I don’t know that, but he’s walking with no (limp) today. He said he could play today if there was a game, so that’s a good sign for us.”