Green Street
NEED TO KNOW
Don't forget to follow Ben on Twitter.
AT&T
A WEEI.com Celtics Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network
RSS
Jared Sullinger out for the season after back surgery 02.01.13 at 4:10 pm ET
By

Jared Sullinger.

First it was Rajon Rondo and now Jared Sullinger. The Celtics rookie will miss the rest of the season after surgery Friday to repair his chronic back injury.

The team announced that Sullinger underwent successful lumbar disc surgery at the New England Baptist Hospital. Surgery was performed by the medical staff under the direction of Celtics Team Physician, Dr. Brian McKeon. The Celtics also announced Sullinger is expected to be ready in time for training camp for the 2013-14 season.

Sullinger aggravated his back in the opening minutes of Wednesday’s win over Sacramento. The news came just four hours before the Celtics host the Orlando Magic at TD Garden.

When Sullinger went down four minutes into Wednesday’s game, fears were raised that this was a recurrence of back problems that forced him to miss nearly half of his final (sophomore) year at Ohio State and fall to 21st overall in the NBA draft last June. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge confirmed those fears Friday. Head coach Doc Rivers said before Wednesday’s game that Sullinger was playing at a “top 5″ draft pick level.

The numbers support that. He averaged 7.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in 15 games in January, and finishes the season with averages of 6.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He had four double-doubles, including three in January. Sullinger spent most of the season as one of the best weapons off the Boston bench but Rivers rewarded Sullinger for his development and play by moving him into the starting lineup last Sunday for the game against the Heat.

Sullinger started Wednesday and grabbed one rebound but did not score before coming out with what was first diagnosed with back spasms. He received ice treatment in the locker room and the team was hopeful he could return. Just before halftime, the team revised the prognosis and announced he would not be returning.

The story was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports Friday afternoon.

The loss comes just five days after the Celtics lost Rondo to a torn ACL in his right knee.

Read More: back surgery, Boston Celtics, Jared Sullinger, NBA Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Johnny Spygate

    Wow, who did the initial physical on this guy?  The Red Sox medical staff?
    But seriously, I gotta run.  Have a great weekend and don’t worry about the upcoming Celtics first-round playoff loss.  That’s still months away. 
    Cheers!

    • Sicko

       Don’t come back douch e.

      • Johnny Spygate

        LOL.  I gave you that “Like”.  Cherish it.

        • jj

          Guess what a-hole, next time I see you on here I will find out where you live. 

        • Dope Hunter

          John, do you have any dirty pictures of your wife?  If not, do you want to see some?

    • Sicko

       BTW when was the last time a New York team was even IN the NBA finals let alone winning a championship?!? Yeah, must have been the same medical team that gave Arod 252 million HAHAHAHA.

      • Bruinman86

        1999 – lost 4-1 to the Spurs
        1994 – Lost 4-3 to the Rockets
        Last title in 1973.  They’ve been to 8 Finals and won only 2 of them!!  Model franchise, huh? The curse goes back long before Isiah Thomas!

      • Bruce

        then $325 million

    • Enough Said

      Wow, who decided to give you access to a computer today? Your mom again?
      But seriously, I gotta run.  Have a great weekend and don’t worry about getting laid.  That’s still years away.
      Cheers!

    • DAPATS

      I thought you died……too bad maybe tomorrow…..

  • old milton

    wow… The Celtics need rebounding so badly.  This will really hurt!! Let’s hope that the surgery is relatively non-invasive and that he is ready for next year.

  • Ric33

    If Danny doesn’t make any solid moves at the deadline he should get fired !!!!

    • Touchdowntony

      what move do you want the guy to make? honestly?  The only pieces I would give up are garnett and pierce.  Why get rid of any young talent.  The only way this team gets better this season going into next is if Pierce and Garnett (and I HATE saying this because I love them both) hang up the sneakers and retire.  

    • SamR

      Solid moves with what?  Is this one of these “let’s trade Bass for Gortat straight up” posts where we assume that the goal of the rest of the NBA teams is to help the C’s?  Maybe Cleveland will give us Irving for Terry, am I right?  

      I also like the idea of firing the GM who built a team that last won the Finals in 2008, last made the Finals in 2010, and last year was eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.  Too funny.   

    • Old Time Hockey

      who the hell is he going to trade. he’s two best assets just got hurt. 

  • Bruinman86

    Boy, what’s with the season ending injuries to the young players on this team the last few years???  Something in the water at the Garden???

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/QGDUXCJSOCS2AKGYF32MEJ27QI Ryan

    Sullinger only played TWO years at Ohio State.  ”…forced him to miss nearly half of his senior year at Ohio State.”  Are you talking about high school???  THE GUYS ONLY 20 YEARS OLD so you must be talking about high school, even though the next sentence talks about how his draft stock suffered because of back problems his senior year.  Maybe I’m missing something, but he def only played two years at Ohio State.  This should be obvious stuff for local sports writers.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

     Weren’t there smoke signals about this before the draft? 

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

     Weren’t there smoke signals about this before the draft? 

  • Madcapmusic06234

    How the frig did the Celtics miss this blunder

  • Madcapmusic06234

    How the frig did the Celtics miss this blunder

  • TIME TO EXPOSE FRAUDS.

    The nba draft is a c###shoot only once in a decade do you get a lebron james..The rest of the draft is like playing a game of roulette..Its not exact….I get such a laugh from the wanna be tough guys who leave comments thinking there tough. Or these people have issues that there girlfriend thinks tom brady is cute so they become the biggest anti pats fans or think there better than brady cause there girlfriend said they liked him. These people are also funny to read because there sore losers…The league did what they did for spygate..The pats rings are LEGIT..sorry….to make you cry…These people do not have say which means more than the league…If these people had evidence why didnt they go to the press….OH wait..there was none and the pats have 3 rings and have the best % since 2007…Some players like dan marino went to 1 bowl and lost…So it doesnt matter since spygate..A RING IS A RING AND THE LEAGUE SAYS ITS A RING…the nit wit non working stiff cant say other wise…..

    The CS have to look at other things..If they can get sull better than bring him back..Lets see what danny can do..Predictions are for vegas..not for a foureum…

    Cheers! nit-wits get your last word in…..lets see you make your self look iq deficient..in 3,2,1……..

    felt good to write back huh!! are all the voices in your head laughing….Lets hope..

    Because all of us in reality are laughing at anybody who brings up spygate and has a pic of brady on the ground…

     

  • Whats in the coffee?

    The Celtics Bruins and Pats all with serious injuries. Gronk Herandez Rondo Sullinger and two Bruins last night. There must be an injury flu.

  • HotMess

    Wow! I really thought they would give the Heat a run for their money but without Rondo and Sully on the boards. fuggedaboutit!

  • Whats in the coffee

    Look at Superman Howard with his body is breaking down. Hopefully the operation cleans it up and probably this was the longterm plan from the get go.

  • Frozenrope26

    Bradley, Lee, Melo and our suddenly more attractive 1st rd pick are the only real assets left. And trading Lee along with Bradley in the same deal makes no sense. Ainge is truly stuck now, and this season is lost in limbo. May as well try to grab Kenyon Martin off the street and ride it out with the horse we’ve got. Can see an early shut down for Pierce and KG along about March considering the depth we have now. That Bradley, Sullinger, Lee, 1st round pick for Cousins and Evans deal I proposed recently looks a lot better now huh….

  • Guest2432

    should have traded him when we had the chance

  • Lloyd Christmas

    Big Gulps huh? Welp…..see ya later!

  • redpats12

    Lets hope Sully comes back stronger and better. And lets hope Melo keeps on getting better. Trade Pierce I hate to say it, but we need to get younger and faster. It will also benefit Green to score more.  I wld keep Garnett only to help with melo and sully

  • jaypop

    Well not much we can do about Sully except say see you next year.  Now it’s truly time to see what Doc can do. Now is the time to sit that stiff Collins and see what Melo can do.  Celtics took over the claws to run the same defenses , so can’t say he doesn’t know the rotations. If Doc doesn’t play him because he’s young , Doc should go !!!

  • MrJournal

    the good news is that dwight howard would like to play for the celtics. who wouldn’t want to give up life in california for the nice weather out here ???  ahahahahahahaaa – like the sox, the celtics have no future. boston – the city of chumpians.  aahahahahahhahha.

  • Nate

     Surgeries Suck,  I hope that everything goes well and Jared will bounce back quickly.  I’ve had three since 1997 for heart valve replacement surgeries twice and a pacemaker and I really hope it goes well for you Jared. 

    J Spygate needs to just drop dead like the piece of S that she really is!

    • otis

       jeezus. surprised the sox havent signed you to a mulit year deal

  • Nate

     Surgeries Suck,  I hope that everything goes well and Jared will bounce back quickly.  I’ve had three since 1997 for heart valve replacement surgeries twice and a pacemaker and I really hope it goes well for you Jared. 

    J Spygate needs to just drop dead like the piece of S that she really is!

  • San Diego Dreamer

    Since they can’t rebound they do the next best thing… they tip it out…unfortunately it’s to the opposing team.

Celtics Box Score
Celtics Schedule
Celtics Headlines
NBA Headlines