Chris Wilcox will be subject to further tests to try to rule out any serious ailment
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers announced the cardiac ailment that center Chris Wilcox is suffering from might be related to the aorta, similar to what Celtics forward Jeff Green dealt with earlier this season, and said Wilcox will go through more tests to figure out the seriousness of the condition. 5-cent overnight money line
A preseason physical spotted an aortic aneurysm for Green, who underwent surgery in January at the Cleveland Clinic to patch up the issue and will miss the entire season. Rivers was uncertain what the following step might be for Wilcox, but admitted he’d be bound for the same facility with probably the same end result. 10 cent MLB lines
“There’s not too much I am able to say. They’ve got a bunch of tests to run and it’s what it is,” Rivers recounted. “Obviously teamwise, it’s a hell of a blow for us.
“It’s not a good place. It’s scary, it really is. You think about it, the prospects of having one of these in a year, it’s pretty minute. The possibility of having 2 is like impossible. There’s a possibility that might occur. We just need to wait and see.
“But I mostly try to have a look at the human part of it. The incontrovertible fact is that if something is not right and we found it, I’d rather find it than not. At the close of the day, we’re lucky, and that’s what I told our team, that we’re extraordinarily lucky this occurred — not unfortunate. I suspect that is how you have to have a look at it, and that’s the way we’re looking at it.”
Rivers claimed Wilcox was aware of a potential predisposition to a heart issue and had undergone monthly screenings in current seasons to monitor for red flags. At one of those routine screenings this week, the tests came back with the troubling reports.
While Rivers stressed the importance of Wilcox’s well-being over every other issue, the loss impacts on the team on the floor moving forward. Boston is already playing without Jermaine O’Neal, whose own future remains obscure due to a wrist injury, and the team must determine how to add size with trade cut off point approaching.
At present, more responsibility will fall on rookie center Greg Stiemsma.
Rivers said the team was looking to add a large man given O’Neal’s uncertain future, but Wilcox’s condition will force the issue even more. The problem’s adding a body when the team’s line-up is already at the 15-man limit.
“You do not really wish to do anything silly,” Rivers recounted. “You actually don’t. We’re building for this year and the future. And so we aren’t going to do anything that is going to damage either of those. Obviously, we’re looking to snatch a big from somewhere, hopefully not by giving away a player, but hopefully by going another route.
Rivers claimed the D-League was one potential avenue if the team can clear a roster spot, but admitted there’s not a lot of significant talent obtainable on the markets.
“Usually there’s not a great deal of bigs floating around the D-League, but we’re going to look everywhere,” Rivers said. “Wherever we can.”