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Despite being added to his home country’s team, Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis decided to sit out of the 2023 FIBA World Cup because of plantar fasciitis. Porzingis explained his new foot injury with the Latvian outlet Sporta Studija, explaining how it started and why he decided to sit out.
“I have an idea where the injury occurred. But an injury develops during a career and then jumps onto the field. During the training process, it started to hurt. There has never been anything like it. I felt that there were no options to achieve the shape I wanted. There was no logic in trying to break my feet,” Porzingis told Sports Studija, as translated into English.
Porzingis also explained why he has elected to stay around the team despite being unable to see the floor.
“I said being around is important, even though I’m not playing. They supported my decision. Also, there’s a long season ahead. It’s important for me to spend time with my teammates, with my family, and Boston respected my decision.”
On August 15, the Celtics announced via their official X account that Porzingis would need to rehab for four to six weeks and is expected to be ready for training camp.
Michael Cooper Scoffs at Kristaps Porzingis Trade
Former Celtics rival and five-time Los Angeles Lakers champion Michael Cooper appears not to be a fan of the Celtics acquiring Porzingis. While talking with CLNS Media’s Nick Gelso, he explained why he didn’t like the deal despite Porzingis’ big role with the team.
“Who the hell is he? The one thing I’ll say about him is that he looks like a Celtic…That guy there was a flop in Dallas, was a flop in Washington…This guy was brought over from Europe. He is probably here to be a marquee player,” Cooper said.
Knowing Cooper’s history with the Celtics, it’s possible these thoughts are motivated simply by seeing them as his enemy, which is understandable, having been in the thick of the Celtics-Lakers storied rivalry during his NBA career.
While Cooper didn’t give many details as to why he saw Porzingis as a flop with his last two teams, the fact remains that he’s only been to the playoffs twice in his NBA career and hasn’t gotten past the first round ever. That may very well change in Boston, but they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.
Frank Kaminsky Named as ‘Kristaps Porzingis Insurance’
With Porzingis’ reputation for being fragile, NESN’s Keagan Siefel floated Frank Kaminsky as someone the Celtics could add as “Kristaps Porzingis Insurance.”
“Frank Kaminsky might not necessarily be a sexy name (in more ways than one), but he feels like the kind of guy who could be added at some point over the later portion of training camp.
“The 30-year-old shot 39.4% from three-point range in 2023, and at 7-feet tall, he can guard the forward and center positions. Like we said, no one is going to jump for joy if this is the signing, but he’s more than capable of filling in minutes.”
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