National Basketball Association

Celtics must treat Garnett with care

Published Dec. 30, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

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Early Wednesday evening, all of Boston let out a gasp of terror at the sight of a limping Kevin Garnett leaving the floor at the Palace at Auburn Hills.

On Thursday, the gasp had subsided, and in its place, a slight sigh of relief had set in.

Has there ever been a happier calf injury than the one sustained by Garnett in Wednesday's loss to the Pistons?

The Celtics have put an organization-wide emphasis on this not being a knee injury. KG has an ailment of the lower right leg -- a strained calf and muscular in nature. It has absolutely nothing to do with the knee problems that have bogged down the Celtics' All-Star forward for the last two seasons.

But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously.

The Celtics should be sure to exercise caution with Garnett over the coming days and weeks. He should only play if he's absolutely 100 percent ready -- no exceptions. At the slightest hint of soreness, sit him down. The C's need KG right.

It's been a tumultuous couple of seasons for the Celtics' power forward. He was never the same after the All-Star break in 2009, when he strained his knee and lost his explosiveness before the team shut him down for the '09 playoffs. He suffered a hyperextended knee a year ago as well, limiting his activity at midseason, and it took him several months to fully recover.

Since the Celtics won the Finals in 2008, Boston has probably seen a total of just two months of vintage KG. If C's fans want to see him at the top of his game again, the club better be careful.

When you've played 42,644 minutes in 1,154 games over 16 seasons in the NBA, you're going to be injury-prone. When you kill yourself for every single defensive stop and every single rebound and never take a play off, you're going to be injury-prone. When you play for a Celtics team that's been cursed this season with endless health problems -- well, you get where I'm going with this.

The C's can't afford to take chances anymore. They've got to play it as safe as possible with the few healthy bodies they have left, and they can't cut any corners with bringing guys back.

It may cost them a game or two in the near future, but the Celtics should remain focused on the bigger picture. Having a healthy Garnett in May and June is much more important than rushing him back in January.

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