QUINCY -- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge indicated Thursday that rookie guard Avery Bradley is still in the final stages of recovery from ankle surgery and is not expected to be ready when training camp opens Tuesday.
Bradley, the 19th overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, sprained his left ankle in a pre-draft workout for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on July 2, the same day he inked his rookie deal with the Celtics, but will have to wait a little longer to showcase his talents.
"I don’t think Avery will be ready for training camp," Ainge said before teeing off at the team's 3rd annual Shamrock Classic at Granite Links. "He’s a couple weeks away, at least."
Pressed on the timetable, Ainge added, "I don’t know, it’s day-to-day with Avery, so we’ll just see how that goes. We certainly won’t rush him."
Numerous times this offseason, Bradley has expressed a desire to get on the court. The surgery prevented him from participating with Boston's summer league squad in Orlando in early July and he admitted it was hard to watch his fellow rookies get a jump on their first seasons.
"It's really tough," Bradley said last month. "You kind of feel like you're behind. So I try to do as much as I can -- lift weights -- so I can at least be out there with other people. I'm still in shape. But it's definitely tough not being able to play and show your coaches and teammates what you got."
Bradley has spent all summer in Boston and expressed hope last month that he would be back on the court by early September, but the team is exercising caution, particularly with enough depth even with Bradley sidelined to start camp.
"I can run and do everything now, but I need to just let injuries like this heal and just take their time," Bradley said last month. "So that's what we're doing now."