The Boston Celtics forward has been out for a long period but his time to return has arrived...
Jeff Green singed a new $36 million four year deal with the Boston Celtics over the summer but the questions surrounding his health still remains as he has not played a competitive game in nearly 16 months. The 26 year old player
had surgery for an aortic aneurysm – a rare heart condition - which led him to miss the whole of last season. His rehab has however come to an end and the player recently revealed that he has been cleared to play.
Green is currently organizing a basketball clinic at Holland Elementary School in Dorchester alongside Celtics team-mates Dionte Christmas and Kris Joseph. Speaking on the occasion, he claimed;
"Fully recovered, part of the team, cleared for everything," Green said
Green admitted that coming back after such a long layoff will certainly be tough;
"Getting in a groove, getting in a rhythm -- but it'll come," Green said. "We still have two months until the beginning of the regular season. That stuff will come. I've really been able to do everything -- contact, my movements,
my shot is there, my lift is there. Everything is coming along."
After starting off with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Green was traded in exchange for Kendrick Perkins in the middle of the 2010-11 season. Highly regarded in OKC, Green was unable to make an instant impact in Beantown, and now that
he is on the cusp of starting a second round of his career, the forward believes that he to be more assertive;
"Just probably being more assertive, more aggressive in certain situations,” Green said, “(Rebounding is about) being aggressive toward the ball, It’s a hard thing, but you just have to go out there and want to do it."
Green still has a lot of time before the start of the season and has the opportunity to live up to his promise. He will be an essential cog of the Celtics setup, which has significantly transformed during the off season and is
potent enough to challenge some of the very best teams in NBA.
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