Pollard done for the season
Ankle tendon tear the culprit
Celtics center Scot Pollard's season ended before it really had a chance to start.
Pollard said before last night's game against Detroit that his season was over because of a left ankle tendon tear suffered at Phoenix Feb. 22. The 10-year veteran, who suffered a partial tear on the ankle in September, said an MRI yesterday revealed the extent of the injury. Pollard will likely have surgery in Indiana, where he has been seeing a foot and ankle specialist.
"The season's over for me," Pollard said. "It's frustrating. Hindsight is 20-20. If I had surgery [in September], none of this would have happened. I would have been playing, probably coming back in February. For me to try to play through pain, try to be a tough guy, I've done that too many times in my career.
"That's probably why my body is broken down the way it is, because of playing through pain. It's frustrating. I wanted to be a part of this. I have been a small part of this and I knew I was going to be a bigger part. If I would have been healthy, I would have been a much better part."
Pollard said an MRI in October revealed a partial tendon tear. The 6-foot-11-inch, 278-pounder has played only 22 games this season. He was signed to a one-year, $770,610 deal and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
"I felt something pop," Pollard said of the tear in Phoenix. "Since then, it's just been weak. The pain has actually been better since it's not rubbing against anything anymore. I'm going to talk to the doctor and see what we're going to do."
Pollard expects the injury to take four months to heal if he has surgery. While he hopes to play next season, he also has aspirations of being a television sports analyst and playing small roles in movies.
"I would like to play, yeah. I'm only 33," said Pollard, who has made appearances on Fox Sports' "The Best Damn Sports Show Period." "While I do have a couple poles in the water as far as another career, I'm still not sure I can do those other things and be passionate about them.
"I'm passionate about basketball, and it's all I've done my whole life. There's that fear that, 'Hey, do I hang it up just because I get surgery?' Well, a lot of guys get surgery in their 30s."
With the loss of Pollard, who had been the only reserve big man on the roster, last week's signing of P.J. Brown becomes more significant. "[Pollard] came in early and got hurt," coach Doc Rivers said. "From there, it really hasn't worked out. It's tough. He gets injured and his ankle is still injured.
"If Scot was healthy, we wouldn't have brought anyone in. But he isn't healthy, so you can't take that chance. That's why P.J. is here."
Saunders surprised
Considering how hard Kevin Garnett works, Pistons coach Flip Saunders was surprised Garnett missed a career-high nine games with an abdominal strain. Garnett played under Saunders in Minnesota from 1995-2005."He was MVP until he got hurt," Saunders said. "He's never had to deal with the injury and being out for so long. But he's such a rhythm-type guy. He's a guy who works so hard to have his body right at the beginning of the season. His biggest thing will be his last 27 games getting his body to where he wants it to be."
It's OK with Pruitt
Sparingly used rookie guard Gabe Pruitt was far from disappointed to be assigned for the third time to the NBA Development League's Utah Flash. After arriving in Salt Lake City Tuesday, Pruitt went straight to the Flash's practice in Orem and participated. Rivers said Pruitt is expected to finish the season with the Flash, who have 15 games left. "[Yesterday] morning he was one of the first players to arrive at practice," Flash general manager David Fredman said. "We are two games from a playoff spot right now, and we're hoping he can push us over the edge." . . . New Celtics guard Sam Cassell will be interviewed by John Thompson on "Inside the NBA" after tonight's NBA telecasts on TNT. Rivers said Cassell, who is in Baltimore attending a family funeral, is expected to be at shootaround tomorrow morning.