WEDMAN, WALTON MAY BE FINISHED INJURIES ARE 'CAREER-THREATENING'; BIRD STILL OUT

January 9, 1987

WEDMAN, WALTON MAY BE FINISHED INJURIES ARE 'CAREER-THREATENING'; BIRD STILL OUT

They are the wounded. Collectively, they represent all that has been ailing the Celtics. They are Larry Bird (strained back), Bill Walton (ankle) and Scott Wedman (heel).

While Walton and Wedman were present at the Celtics' practice yesterday at Hellenic College, Bird again was a no-show. The star continued his carefully monitored recovery from a strained back he suffered against the Chicago Bulls last Friday night.

Still, Bird is expected back soon. But Walton and Wedman are entirely different stories. Both veterans have missed the majority of the season because of injuries not related to game situations and, as a result, face possible career-threatening situations, according to team physician Thomas Silva.

"I would say that this has developed into a career-threatening situation," Silva said. "I think that this club has to consider whether or not their veteran players are out of it for this season."

Silva said Walton could be back as soon as March but added, "I really don't see him doing much until then.

"You have to remember that he hasn't practiced one minute since we began back in October. There has been no swelling of the ankle and he has been walking with the aid of crutches. It is not full weight-bearing, but that is the next step."

Walton expressed guarded optimism about returning.

"It's still too early to tell," Walton said when asked whether the ankle was beginning to feel better. "I'm still experiencing a little stiffness after having the cast removed, and there is still some pain from the incision, but I just started weight-bearing on it Tuesday night . . . I feel great. I feel confident and I'm looking forward to returning to action."

The prognosis concerning Wedman's return does not appear as promising as Walton's.

"The outlook of Scott returning as an active player does not look very good right now," Silva said. "He had surgery on his (left heel) back in the middle of June, and that has not improved. The tendon (near the Achilles') has been persistently sore."

Would this present more of a career-threatening situation than Walton's?

"I would say that is a very real possibility," Silva said. "This ballclub and the doctors he has seen have been behind him all the way, but now that one-third of the season is over, he's got to face that reality."

And it's a reality that Wedman is well aware of.

"Well, I can't disagree with that," Wedman said when apprised of Silva's comments. "I have to be realistic; it doesn't look good. And it seems that I don't have a lot of options left as far as healing goes, because I've tried just about everything."

Silva described Bird's injury as one in which Bird "experienced pain spread across his lower back.

"The pain does not extend down to his buttocks or his legs, and that's very important, because it indicates no herniation or lower disc problems."

Silva said Bird's back injury may have stemmed from a combination of two things: (1) he twisted his back during the game; (2) he continued to play with the injury.

"I think those were the two things that may have caused this problem," Silva said. "He's a fellow who had just come off a long (four-game) road trip from the West Coast and had a tired body. My recommendation to him is to rest and not think about playing the next few games, but he is improving at this time."

Bird will miss tonight's home game against Sacramento (7:30, SportsChannel). In addition, Bird will not be with the Celtics for their road game against Detroit tomorrow night. Bird is expected to be ready for Tuesday night's game at New Jersey.

"The plan this weekend is for him to start his running so that he'll be ready to practice on Monday and may be ready to play on Tuesday," Silva said.

Today will mark the ninth day of Conner Henry's 10-day contract. After his ballyhooed fourth-quarter effort (11 points, including a trio of three- pointers) against the Bucks Wednesday night, Henry may have bought himself at least another 10 days with the club. "If I said anything negative about him now, I would be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail, especially after what he did (Wednesday) night," said Celtics general manager Jan Volk. "But I would say another 10-day contract is a definite possibility." . . . K.C. Jones on tonight's game with the 9-22 Kings: "We can't have any letdowns. We just have to go out there with the same intensity as we had (Wednesday) night and try to get something going early."