NBA Rumors: Avery Bradley Might Miss 2 Months of Play

The Boston Celtics might be without their starting shooting guard, Avery Bradley, for longer than they might have thought as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

Boston Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge told CSNNE.com:

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"We know there’s a possibility that Avery won’t be able to play the first month of the season. So we have to be prepared for that.You never know how these things play out; will it be a month? Or two months? I don’t think it’ll be much longer than that, or he could be back sooner. You try to build a roster where you can get by with any injury, that can sustain you through a short period of time."

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While Celtics management have held out hope that Bradley would be healthy by training camp, this situation is looking more and more unlikely by the day.

Even though having Bradley in the lineup against the Miami Heat on October 30 would have made the matchup closer, it is better for the shooting guard out of Texas to only return when he is fully healthy.

Boston bolstered their 2-guard rotation by picking up Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, both of whom are capable of playing at least 25 minutes a game each while Bradley is out.

Terry and Lee are able replacements for the time being, but they are not the defensive presence that Bradley is.

The third-year guard is one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, with the ability to stay on virtually any guard in the league.

His offensive game has improved steadily, especially with Rajon Rondo as his point guard. Bradley averaged 15.1 points per game in April, when he played 32.9 minutes a night.

Shoulder injuries can be recurring, so it is best for the Celtics to slowly bring back Bradley. Nobody would want Bradley to re-dislocate his shoulder during the season.