Jeff Green Missing Season Is Major Loss for Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green will miss the 2011-12 season to repair aortic aneurysm, which came out during a physical on Dec. 9. 

It's sad news for Green, but he expects to be back and better than ever:

Luckily for Green, he is expected to make a full recovery. He should be able to return to the game that he loves by next season.

And while that healthy return is the main concern from a situation like this, his absence will leave a major hole in the Celtics' roster in 2011-12. 

Perimeter depth will be a major issue for the Celtics this season. With Ray Allen and Paul Pierce on the downside of their careers, another scoring threat off the bench to spell those players will be missed without the presence of Green.

Green averaged 13.3 points, 1.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game last season. He showed his share of struggles when he came from the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he gave the Celtics a much-needed youthful boost off the bench.

The 25-year-old provided athletic ability, another scorer off the pine and the ability to defend multiple positions for the Celtics one year ago.

Boston must now lean on Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling and a host of others to fill the role.

With the Celtics aging in their backcourt, missing a guy like Green will cause major problems for this season especially. A shortened season in a shortened time span will cause for more back-to-back games.

Allen is 36 and Pierce is 34 years old. They aren’t going to hold up if the Celtics can’t find suitable bench players to give them rest.

We might see an issue where the Celtics rest players at the tail-end of the season, risk a couple playoff positions and go from there.

Green was a valuable piece to the Celtics this season. It will be interesting to see where Danny Ainge goes from here.