Hayward upbeat in reaching out to update fans
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
Gordon Hayward had the cast removed from his left leg yesterday, and then posted a note on his Facebook page to recount the horror of opening night, when he fractured his tibia and dislocated the ankle after an off-balance landing under the basket in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.
He praised former Celtic Isaiah Thomas for staying with him in the trainer’s room as the game went on, saying of the rehabbing Cavaliers guard, “He was just there for me. I’ve learned in a short time what a special guy Isaiah is.”
Hayward expressed thanks for the league-wide outpouring of support, not only from Celtics fans but also his former fan base in Utah, and wrote about inspirational emails he received from Kobe Bryant and Barack Obama.
He also recounted the horror of the injury, and how because of shock, the pain didn’t register immediately.
“It was like once my brain figured out what had happened, I was hit with shots of pain,” he wrote. “The training staff came running over to me super fast, but however long it was — three seconds, five seconds — I just remember sitting there, looking at my foot the wrong way, and it felt like an eternity. Dr. (James) Rosneck, the Cavaliers doctor, braced me as he explained that they wanted to try and pop my ankle back into place. I held on, and the moment they did it, there was just a massive shot of pain, probably the most pain I’ve ever felt in my life.”
More coming ‘Today’
A prerecorded interview of Hayward with host Matt Lauer will air on NBC’s “Today” show this morning. The forward then plans to sit down with local media for the first time since the injury.
The swing forward’s return to the court is not expected until next season, though Celtics management plans to have him around the team as much as possible.
“Well, he’s been (in Waltham) a couple of days now (with) a couple of follow-up medical meetings and he’s getting some of his treatment,” coach Brad Stevens said before last night’s 113-86 win over the Sacramento Kings. “It’s good to see his spirits being high. Obviously, we’re anticipating and expecting a full, complete, great recovery but he certainly has a long road. The most important thing, again, is how he feels.
“He’s going to be in a (therapeutic) boot for however long — I mean, it’s going to be a while before he’s allowed to put any weight on it, before it can be weightbearing on that foot. He’s getting treatment and getting worked on, he’s doing what he can . ... From everything I know, it’s not a whole lot, but he’s doing his chair shooting everyday. He seems to be in really good spirits, which is most important.”
In his Facebook post, Hayward was forthwith about the likelihood he won’t return this season, saying, “It’s hard mentally to watch the games because I’m sitting here thinking, ‘I’m not going to be able to help the team on the court this year.’”
Morris drawing near
Marcus Morris still has no date for his Celtics debut as he rehabs a knee injury, though he will travel with the team today for a three-city road trip that begins tomorrow night in Oklahoma City.
“Marcus did great in the scrimmage on Monday, had a lighter day yesterday, had a really hard workout today,” Stevens said. “Trending very well . ... We’ll see him sooner rather than later.”
Stevens said the biggest benefit of the 6-foot-9 forward will be “just having another guy who is a proven scorer on the floor.”
Brown forced out
In a moment that looked a lot worse than it apparently felt, Jaylen Brown banged knees with a Kings player in the third quarter last night, drawing an early curtain on his 22-point, 7-for-8, career-high fivetrey night.
“I’ll be OK,” Brown said after the game, brushing off the incident.