Shaq Back Wednesday?

Here is your weekly Shaq injury update...

"According to the Boston Herald, while the Celtics had considered having center Shaquille O'Neal join the club during its current four-game Western Conference swing, a decision was instead made to have the 38-year-old rejoin the Celtics when they return to Boston on Tuesday. The Celtics have just one remaining game on the trip (Monday night in Utah against the Jazz), and so the decision was made not to rush O'Neal across the country for the sake of participating in just one game. Instead, he remains in Orlando, rehabbing his injured right Achilles tendon.

"He’s doing great. Just stay where you’re at, keep working out, and he’ll meet us when we get back to Boston. Then we’ll go from there," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of O'Neal. "He may try to play when we get back (WEEI)."

There is no reason to rush Shaq back, and the Celtics have to be really careful with him now that Perkins is gone. I am not banking on Jermaine O'Neal doing anything for the Celtics, which puts a lot of pressure on Shaq. I want to believe DP, and his thinking on the Celtics/Thunder trade. I agree with him that the Celtics got the best player in that deal (Green), but was he the best fit?

Maybe, maybe not, but my biggest concern is the Celtics frontline. Banking on a 38 year old Shaq to be able to bring it for decent minutes throughout a long playoffs may be asking too much. Same could be said about Perkins, and seeing him out for a couple weeks definitely makes me like the deal more. I just have this stinging feeling that come playoff time we may look back and wish Perkins was here.

Long term the deal is fantastic, there is no denying that, and I have enough faith in Ainge and Doc that I'm willing to give the trade a couple of weeks before getting overly pissed, because it is going to take some time to get Green in the swing of things.