Jeff Green Heart Surgery: Aortic Aneurysm Won't Destroy Celtic's Career

Jeff Green will have heart surgery to repair his aorta that will force him to miss the entire 2011-2012 season, according to the Boston Herald.

Green is expected to make a full recovery, but this is a devastating blow to an aging Celtics squad that can hardly afford to have one of the key components of their youth movement sidelined with heart troubles.

The window for the Celtics to compete in the East is closing, and having a 25-year-old with a heart ailment obviously isn't ideal, but we shouldn't think for a second that this procedure points to the end of Green's career.

He's missing a shortened season, and the Celtics aren't realistically a legitimate contender anyways.

All indications are that he's resolving the issue and once healthy, Green is easily a guy we can expect to see score 15 points and bring down five rebounds a game.

This is a major setback for the Celtics, but Green can afford to sit this season out. While he has to be disappointed that his season is over before it starts, it's he's got a successful career in front of him this won't deter him from becoming a key part of whatever team he plays on.

The 6'9" forward has every opportunity to come back and make a statement in the 2012 season. It seems like it's light years away, but given the shortened length of this season, the season is going to take place in an instant.

Green's heart troubles have thrown a wrench in his and the Celtics plans for the season, but neither party should view this as a crippling blow to their future.

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