VERSATILE NADER CAN ROLE WITH IT
LAS VEGAS — Ed Lacerte, the longest-tenured trainer in the NBA, dating to 30 years ago when he was responsible for the health of players like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, is stepping down.
The Celtics are revamping their sports science and training operation, and, in addition to strength coach
Bryan Doo choosing to forgo an altered role, the club is parting ways with Lacerte.
The longest-serving trainer in franchise history will not be back for a 31st season. In addition to numerous honors within his profession, Lacerte was notably the trainer for the U.S. Olympic Dream Team in 1992.
Doo announced his departure Friday via Instagram. He was with the Celtics for 14 years, and with the coming restructuring elected to step away from the club to focus more on family (he and his wife have five children) and the company he founded, Optimal Fitness.
The Celtics are about to move into a new training facility in Brighton, with the targeted opening of June 2018, and have already expanded their operation in that regard. Johann Bilsborough was added to the staff two years ago as the team’s director of sports science, after beginning his career working with rugby and Aussie rules football teams in his native Australia.
Several teams have gone in this direction, including the Philadelphia 76ers, who have entrusted their entire fitness and training operation to David Martin, a product of Australia’s acclaimed institute of sports science.
IT due for checkup
Isaiah Thomas will be in Boston the first week of August for his annual basketball camp, and at that time the Celtics will finally have a better idea of the condition of his right hip, which has been diagnosed with a torn labrum and bone bruise. As coach
Brad Stevens said almost two weeks ago, the team is under the impression that surgery is unlikely.
“He’s had that torn labrum since he was a teenager, so I don’t think that’s something he has to have surgically repaired,” team president Danny Ainge said. “But we’ll get that all figured out when he comes back to Boston. He’s progressing at a slow pace, but bone bruises take time. I remember needing six weeks one time to heal a bone bruise.”
Tatum stands out
The Celtics fell to Dallas in the quarterfinals of the Las Vegas tournament last night, 91-74, without a single member of the summer starting lineup. Demetrius
Jackson had been waived earlier in the day, and Jaylen Brown (bruised quad), Jayson Tatum (knee tendinitis)
Abdel Nader (strained calf) and Ante Zizic (hamstring) all sat this one out.
Tatum missed the final three games, but he drew only accolades as arguably the best rookie on the floor. The No. 3 overall draft pick averaged 17.7 points and eight rebounds here and liked the taste he got of the NBA game.
“I felt I did pretty well, continue to work hard,” Tatum said. “There’s things I could have done better. I have to get stronger, more efficient. It was fun. I had a great time.”
The Celtics faced the Mavs’ Dennis Smith Jr., the latest star opponent in what has turned out to be an above-average summer league rookie class, with Tatum at the top of the list.
“It’s early, but right now I’m very impressed,” Ainge said.
Roster shapes up
By waiving Jackson, the C’s are already at the point of making decisions about the end of the roster.
The expected additions of Guerschon Yabusele, Daniel
Theis and rookie Semi Ojeleye would bring the roster to 15, with the team allowed to offer two other players twoway contracts that limit the amount of time a player can be on an NBA roster.
Jabari Bird, Brown’s former teammate at the Uni- versity of California, is currently making a strong bid for one of those contracts.