Lamenting the departed in Boston
Rajon Rondo was lost for the season and the Boston Celtics continued to win.
Jared Sullinger was lost for the season and the Celtics continued to win.
Leandro Barbosa was lost for the season and . . . well, you get the idea.
The injury-plagued Celtics headed into the All-Star break with a healthy share of eight wins in their last nine games since Rondo sustained a torn knee ligament late last month, the first in a series of bad injury news for the franchise.
Given Boston’s success without its top point guard and two valuable reserves, might the Celtics be best served by doing nothing before Thursday’s trade deadline?
Not necessarily. In an interview with Boston radio station WEEI, Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge recalled the short-term boost his team received a few years ago when Brian
Scalabrine replaced an injured Kevin Garnett in the starting lineup.
“Scal came in and for a short period of time, I think we went like 9-2,” Ainge said. “Our numbers were actually just as good at that moment. But there’s a big difference. Star players can do it over sustained periods of time and . . . sometimes short samples can be deceiving.”
Ainge said the Celtics would assess ways to strengthen themselves via trade or free-agent signings in the coming days. One possible addition would be free-agent point guard
Delonte West, though West’s erratic personality isn’t the only thing that could give Ainge pause.
“It’s a difficult thing for players to not play basketball all year, who haven’t played since last April,” Ainge said, “and expect them to come in and be able to contribute.”