Marquis Daniels suffered a bruised spinal cord in the second quarter of the Boston Celtics' Sunday game against the Orlando Magic. After incidental contact with Magic guard Gilbert Arenas, Daniels collapsed to the ground and didn't move. Medical staff brought out a stretcher and immobilized Daniels before loading him into an ambulance and taking him to a local hospital. Daniels did give a thumbs-up before leaving the court, and the Celtics quickly reported that he had suffered a bruised spinal cord.
Marquis Daniels’ Injury A Bruised Spinal Cord, Will Keep Celtic Out 1-2 Months
The team now says Daniels will miss 1-2 months of action. Celtics GM Danny Ainge told Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald that Daniels has actually experienced nerve issues before.
“I saw him at the hospital,” said Ainge. “I think he was scared when he was out on the court, because he couldn’t move for a short period of time, so that scared him. But he’s had some issues with this before - some tingling in his body and arms. He had it last year in Orlando in Game 5. He’s had a couple of episodes throughout his career.”
Daniels was forced to leave that game in the Eastern Conference finals with what was initially diagnosed as a concussion. The severity of his current condition, however, will require even more care.
While the focus is on Daniels' full recovery, we can't ignore that his immediate loss on the court leaves Boston a bit thin (comparatively speaking) in the backcourt. Marquis had played in 49 of Boston's 50 games this season, averaging 19 minutes a night. Delonte West remains out while recuperating from wrist surgery, which means that Celtics coach Doc Rivers will either have to lean more heavily on Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Nate Robinson, or he'll be forced to summon rookie Avery Bradley from the end of the bench.
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