{"id":408947,"date":"2011-04-29T20:00:27","date_gmt":"2011-04-29T20:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/29\/shaq-planning-to-do-partial-workout-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-29T20:00:27","modified_gmt":"2011-04-29T20:00:27","slug":"shaq-planning-to-do-partial-workout-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/29\/shaq-planning-to-do-partial-workout-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaq planning to do partial workout (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP)\u2014For most of the last three months, Doc Rivers has relayed optimistic reports on Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> recovery from a \u201cminor\u201d injury to his right calf.<\/p>\n

One thing the Boston Celtics<\/a> coach doesn\u2019t need to hear from a trainer: whether O\u2019Neal will be any good once he does return.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s still big,\u201d Rivers said before practice on Friday. \u201cWhen he\u2019s on the floor, he\u2019s seven feet tall\u2014plus\u2014and he weighs what he weighs. Of all the players on the team, he has the easiest task of being who he is. Because that\u2019s all he can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rivers said O\u2019Neal would take part in a limited workout on Friday, a day after he ran through some plays and shot baskets while his teammates practiced in earnest for Sunday\u2019s opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Heat in Miami. Rivers said he\u2019s more confident than ever that O\u2019Neal will play in the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know when,\u201d the coach said. \u201cMaybe (Game) 1, maybe 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neal was not available for comment at the Celtics\u2019 practice facility on Thursday or Friday. General manager Danny Ainge said he hasn\u2019t seen O\u2019Neal run, but backup center Glen \u201cBig Baby\u201d Davis said O\u2019Neal \u201clooked good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he says he\u2019s OK,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to him being back.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neal signed with the Celtics for the veteran\u2019s minimum last summer, saying he joined Boston\u2019s Big Three for a chance at another title or two before he ended his Hall of Fame career. He played only 37 games in the regular season, and just 5 minutes, 29 seconds since Feb. 1 because of lingering leg problems that have left him perpetually day-to-day.<\/p>\n

An injury that was originally supposed to keep him out for a few games has now cost him 33 of the last 34 games of the regular season and the entire, four-game series against the New York Knicks<\/a> in the first round of the playoffs. Ainge said the future Hall of Famer has been struggling with his downtime and eager to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he was probably discouraged in the New York series. He was really determined to get out on the court,\u201d Ainge said Friday. \u201cSometimes, the body doesn\u2019t do what the mind wants. But it definitely wasn\u2019t because of a lack of will.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Heat are expecting O\u2019Neal to bring his 345 pounds\u2014and six fouls\u2014onto the court for what is expected to be a physical series between the teams that, while not exactly rivals, have plenty of history. Twice in the last three years the Celtics knocked LeBron James\u2019<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> out of the playoffs; last year, that was one round after Boston sent Miami home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on there. But, obviously, it\u2019s a big series for both teams,\u201d said Heat center and former O\u2019Neal teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span> \u201cSo, unless it\u2019s something healthwise, I would expect him to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

And health is the only thing that would keep O\u2019Neal away. The team is being extra careful because O\u2019Neal did return once, on April 3, only to re-injure himself.<\/p>\n

He hasn\u2019t played since.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a competitor. He wants to be on the floor to really help that team,\u201d James said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see when Sunday gets here and throughout the rest of the series if he\u2019s going to be in uniform. But it doesn\u2019t change our game plan at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

When O\u2019Neal returns, Rivers said, he will come off the bench; he wasn\u2019t able to guess how many minutes.<\/p>\n

Davis said O\u2019Neal will help clog the lane on defense, and bring more playoff experience than the Celtics\u2019 other centers. With four All-Stars already in the lineup, Davis said, \u201cwe just need a little bit of offense from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the good news is that O\u2019Neal doesn\u2019t need to relearn how to be tall and strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has six fouls. He clogs the paint. He\u2019s a big body,\u201d Heat star Dwyane Wade<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cOf course, it\u2019s a positive for them if he\u2019s as full-strength as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story from Miami.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

See the original article here:
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