ATLANTA - Doc Rivers acknowledged yesterday that Kevin Garnett’s hyperextended right knee is a temporal as well as physical issue. Were this May instead of January, KG would likely have been on the floor last night.
“We’re just going to wait,” Rivers said before the 93-85 loss to the Hawks. “The only thing we do know is that historically with hyperextended knees, if you want them to be 100 percent you’ve got to allow it to heal 100 percent before you put him back in there.
“You can play him - Kevin could play today - but then it would just keep getting worse, keep getting tighter. We’re just not going to go down that road.”
The fact Garnett hasn’t been arguing to get back into the lineup after a week out is testament to knowledge gained from his previous knee problem.
“No, he’s been good,” Rivers said. “He’s been very good. If anything with Kevin, I think going through the thing last year, I think he’s kind of learned that lesson. I mean, for Kevin he’s been very good. Extremely good.”
Back in House
The C’s got Eddie House back last night (seven points, 16 minutes), but they were without Tony Allen, who stayed at the hotel with flu-like symptoms.
Rivers was happy to see House, who missed the previous game with a stomach virus. “But now we’ve got Tony feeling bad and Paul (Pierce) feeling bad,” said the coach. “I just think it’s going to run through the team, so we’re going to get through this probably in the next couple of weeks. Most likely every single guy will get sick at some point.”
Said House: “It wasn’t the flu, so y’all don’t have to worry about that. I’m cool. It was just a stomach virus or something like that.
“I felt a lot better (Thursday) than I did the day before. The day before that I was terrible. I feel 100 percent right now.”
Memphis bound
Lester Hudson was claimed off waivers yesterday by his hometown Memphis Grizzlies, meaning the remainder of his rookie year contract (some $260,000) is guaranteed.
“That’s great,” said Rivers. “I’m happy for him. I had a great talk with Lester. I do think Lester’s an NBA player, and I’m very honest with guys when we release them. He’s got to get an NBA mind. I think he has an NBA body, he has NBA ability. Now he’s got to turn his mind into an NBA player - being a better thinker, understanding how important all the little things are.”
Hudson and the Celtics [team stats] parted on good terms, and his agent said there is a possibility they could be reunited down the line.
“Danny (Ainge) has been singing his praises to other teams,” Lance Young said yesterday. “He said it basically came down to a little bit with the money but more the roster spot. Danny thinks some pretty good players are going to be released or bought out.”
Rajon Rondo [stats] spoke to Hawks assistant Mark Price before the game. He worked last summer with the former Georgia Tech and Cavaliers star on his shot.
“He just worked with my mechanics, just getting my elbow in,” Rondo said. “That was the biggest adjustment he wanted me to make. It takes repetition. For so long, I’ve been shooting with my elbow out. It’s hard to break a habit in a couple of months.”
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