Meniscus tear sends rookie to surgery
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
WALTHAM — Daniel Theis fit so seamlessly into the Celtics rotation this season, it seemed like the German forward had been around for years.
Now he’s about to undergo season-ending knee surgery as the result of a torn meniscus, suffered during Sunday night’s loss to Indiana. It was a costly night. Marcus Smart suffered a sprained right thumb in the same game and is seeking a second opinion regarding his treatment.
“Tough what happened to Daniel,” Marcus Morris said after yesterday’s barebones practice. “That really hurt me because he played well — a great dude, great teammate, always comes to work, and for something like that to happen is definitely tough. It’s just the NBA.”
Like his teammates, Terry Rozier didn’t hear about Theis’ misfortune until he arrived at practice.
“It sucks because it’s my locker-room guy,” Rozier said. “We’re right next to each other at the arena and here, so we built a relationship. It’s just tough to see it, not come to an end (because) he’s obviously still going to be able to play basketball, but with the season almost coming to an end and then that happens, it just sucks to see it. Great guy.”
Theis earned respect quickly thanks to his ability to make a smooth NBA transition after a highly successful career in Germany.
“Just how much effort he plays with. He’s like a sponge,” Rozier said. “He learns so quickly coming from playing in Europe and then coming here and playing. I know it’s not the easiest thing, but he made the best of it. He’s learning a lot. . . . You enjoyed seeing it.”
Theis, who as of yesterday still was considering options for surgery, met teammates in the locker room.
“I just told him we’re with him. His spirit is still high,” Morris said. “It’s tough for his first year in the NBA because he was coming along. He’s been a high-level player for us this year . ... I know when he goes home and settles down and knows he’s not going to play, it’s going to be real tough for him.”
Close eye on Kyrie
The Celtics certainly have no intention of rushing Kyrie Irving back from a much-needed rest as the All-Star guard deals with left knee soreness.
Irving talked Sunday night of possibly missing time, with only 15 games left in the regular season and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference fairly secure.
“We’ve done that pretty consistently,” coach Brad Stevens said of mapping out a rest program for Irving. “We’ve said if we need to rest or the knee becomes an issue, then automatically everything stops and we go from there. What we’re really focused on now is making sure that knee feels as good as possible heading into April. I don’t know what that means from the standpoint of playing this week, next week, any of that stuff. We could conceivably be down some bodies, so I’ll be paying attention to your horse games after the media session to see if anyone can shoot it.”
Morris ready to lead
New leaders will be needed in the short term, and Morris certainly is ready to fill the role.
“Continue to play hard, bring some emotion and voice what’s going on out there,” Morris said. “Just bring it together. For the young guys, it’s going to be tough, but if there were any young guys I would prefer to play with, it’s the ones we have. They’ve played all year, and mentally they can take criticism.
“(We have a) lot of injuries, a lot of wear and tear on guys’ bodies. It’s why you have 15 players on the roster.”