Robb: Al Horford Aiming to Return to Floor During Celtics Road Trip
BOSTON (CBS) -- What started as an innocent hit to the head of Al Horford by a teammate in practice has proven to be a major headache for the Boston Celtics over the past two weeks.
The All-Star big man has been sidelined for nearly two weeks now since being diagnosed with a concussion last Tuesday, and his new team has struggled mightily without him manning the middle.
Boston is 2-3 overall since Horford went down, but has sported a league-worst mark in defensive efficiency during that stretch. Rebounding, perimeter defense, and fouling have all been major issues, and each has been magnified without the 6-foot-10 big man anchoring the team's defense.
But good news is on the horizon for the Celtics depth chart: Horford is inching closer to a return. He was seen before Friday's win over the Knicks jogging across the TD Garden floor and he flew with the team for the two-game road trip to Indiana and New Orleans.
In speaking with reporters for the first time since suffering the injury on Friday night, Horford described the progress he's been making since going through the league's concussion protocol.
"I'm getting better each day and the past two days have been really good for me," he said. "I was able to get on the court a lot more and run up and down. Do a lot of movement, a lot of stuff I wasn't able to do a couple of days ago."
While Horford's absence has hurt the Celtics in the standings, Brad Stevens and the organization have preached caution to Horford as he works through the symptoms.
"I don't want to even act like I'm a doctor but, from what I understand, each concussion is unique," Stevens said. "It was diagnosed as a mild concussion but as long as there are symptoms that reoccur then that continues the protocol. And that's good. I'm thankful I'm coaching in an era where that's the case. The most important thing is that his health is prioritized. And mild or not, a concussion's a concussion."
Horford, who doesn't remember experiencing a concussion before this latest episode, has a better sense now of the kind of recovery that goes into a brain injury.
"I honestly didn't understand it before now. I would always hear stuff, see documentaries and stuff," Horford explained. "But you don't fully understand -- you know, with an ankle, with a knee, I've played through plenty of stuff and it's no problem. But with the brain, it's a little different. It's been a challenge for me because I've had to be patient. The good thing is that now I'm at the point that I'm starting to feel good again."
With tough teams looming ahead on the schedule in the next month, including the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors will need to be at full strength to give those championship contenders their best shot. With Horford on the mend and Jae Crowder recovering well from his ankle sprain, Brad Stevens should have a healthy roster for the first time all season as soon as next week.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.