You can call it a relapse if you want… the fact is that this was never going to heal properly. At least not in time for him to contribute to this postseason.
And with that, we have probably seen the last of Shaq. I can't imagine him coming back and trying to play another full season. I can, however, see him taking a buyout… not signing anywhere but not retiring either… and then trying to come back next March and give a team a few months of something.
Shaq's ability to rebound from this injury was clearly miscalculated by Danny Ainge when he made the Kendrick Perkins trade. Shaq's return was important to bridging the gap between this season and next. Luckily, Jermaine O'Neal has been pretty good since his return… so the C's have sort of survived. But there's no doubt 15 minutes a game from Shaq would have been a big help in this series.
So thank you Shaq for a brief, yet memorable stint in Boston. Maybe we'll see you down the road somewhere in a brief comeback for another ring.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
