Did Boston acquire Shaquille O’Neal knowing full well that he’d never get through the regular season? Did Danny Ainge plan to hold “The Big Leprechaun” in reserve for the playoffs?
Maybe. Maybe not. But if that was Ainge’s plan, it isn’t exactly coming together. O’Neal will miss game one against the Knicks, at the very least.
“[Shaq's] been making progress and we tried to get him out there to practice today, to simulate a game as much as we could and he’s not ready,” Ainge said. “We don’t know when he’ll be ready, and we’ll just keep evaluating him day to day. So he won’t play in tomorrow’s game.”
Of course, Boston doesn’t necessarily need Shaq’s bulk against the size-challenged Knicks. Maybe Ainge is holding him in reserve until round two…
