Boston Celtics center Jermaine O’Neal has continued to make progress toward making his return to the court. The center has been sidelined for nearly a month now, and has been criticized as being overpaid. Boston used their Mid-Level exception to sign the former Heat starter, to man the front while the Kendrick Perkins is out. The other O’Neal, Shaq, has been the bigger gem for the team, as he continues to outplay his expectations.
Jermaine is ready to participate in individual drills, with hopes of returning to full participation practices next week with the team. There is no certain time table on his return though, as there has been many of disappointments pertaining to the Center this season, and his injuries. Upon his return, Jermaine could certainly add to the defensive end. With the limited playing time he has had, he’s shown some spectacular defensive hustle, with blocks, and causing weird angled shots. This is though, when O’Neal is healthy.
Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal recently has been suffering from a sore right calf. It caused the 38 year old to miss the second half of the Nets game, although at that point, he wasn’t really needed, to finish off New Jersey. Hopefully the calf isn’t much of an issue to keep Shaq out for any games, as the Celtics are already thin at the center position (Shaq and Semih Erden are the only centers healthy). The team does not need another injury, as they’ve been annihilated by them all year. No word on how severe the calf Is for Shaq, but one would expect him to play tomorrow against the Denver Nuggets.
