Celtics center Robert Williams expects to be back on the court by Christmas Day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said tonight on the network’s pre-game show (video link), relaying a conversation with Williams’ agent.
Williams is “progressing well” with his rehab after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee in September, Woj adds, noting that it was the second knee operation for Williams this year. Williams was originally projected to miss eight to 12 weeks, and the Celtics have been cautious about his return. He began participating in three-on-three drills a few days ago.
Williams became a full-time starter last season and emerged as a defensive anchor during Boston’s run to the NBA Finals. The Celtics are off to a 14-4 start without him, but Wojnarowski believes they’ll be in the market for another center to provide insurance against further injuries.
“I think for Boston now as you start to look out to the February trade deadline, I think another big man, another center who could play minutes in the case of Rob Williams missing time or a 36-year-old Al Horford being out,” Wojnarowski said. “They are trying to close every hole they can to be a championship team. We can watch Boston as they get closer to the trade deadline, seeing if there are any frontcourt help off their bench they could acquire.”
The Celtics were already rumored to have interest in Spurs center Jakob Poeltl, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. He also points out that Noah Vonleh and Justin Jackson both have contracts that won’t be guaranteed until early January, making it easy to waive them if an open roster spot is needed. Boston also has two trade exceptions that could be used to acquire players earning between $5-7MM without sending out salary in return.
No need to rush Rob back, they need him healthy for the playoffs!
20 minutes a night. Hoping Mo Bama will be coming.
I wonder if Stevens regrets giving Bol Bol away at this point? He’s turned out to be very good as a president of bball ops, but none of them are perfect.
He also got rid of Moses brown too. Trade white for a center taller than 6’10. Waive Noah and Jackson and sign rondo and _
Derrick White is way too valuable to trade.
Exactly right. Derrick White is the Jerry Sichting for these Celtics. NO WAY would I trade him for a “center taller than 6’10”, unless it was for a stud center, which there are very few of. I think, as this article mentioned, that a trade for Jakob Poeltl would be a very smart and solid move. There’s no way we can count on Williams and Horford to stay healthy all year. Horford is out tonight because of a stiff back.
I had the same thought. Bol Bol was only here with the Celtics on paper while recovering from injury. I believe Celts have a couple draft choices coming from Bol Bol. Bad move. Go Celtics!