The Philadelphia 76ers will have to move forward in this Round 2 series with the Atlanta Hawks without one of their main pieces in veteran forward Danny Green. The sharpshooter strained his right calf in their Game 3 win and he now will miss roughly 2-to-3 weeks with the injury.
To help him with his recovery from the injury, Philadelphia did send Green home in an effort to help him get more treatment and things of that nature. However, they want to have him back with the team as quickly as possible.
“We sent him home to get some treatment from our doctors so he’ll be right back with us,” said coach Doc Rivers at practice on Sunday. “That’s a tough one, let’s just be honest. Just for the whole team too because he’s so important.”
As the Sixers now move forward, they now have to focus on finding production from others to replace Green. His absence hurts out on the floor in more ways than just what he brings as a basketball player.
“He says so many good things around our guys,” Rivers continued. “He’s been through every possible playoff situation. That is such a great voice for us, and that one hurt us, no doubt, you can see the when guys found out when we told them. There’s no doubt and that’s a tough blow for our guys. No doubt about it.”
It is due to that experience and the wisdom that he carries with him that they want him back with the team quickly. He is still very valuable in that sense even off the floor.
“We’re gonna bring him right back, we want him around,” Rivers added. “I’m telling you, he’s very important and we got to have him around our guys. That’s very important for guys. Especially, in situations, the game gets a little out of control, emotions get out of control, Danny is a flat liner and you need guys like that on your bench, on your team, because he has that calming effect on a lot of our guys.”
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Even being away from the team at the moment, Green is still making an impact. He sent a text message to them to remind them to get the job done as he plans to return during this playoff run.
“He’s in great spirits,” said George Hill. “He’s a tough-minded guy ever since I’ve known him, he’s a competitor. This morning, he’s still texting to tell everybody to take care of business and do it for him, because he’ll be back soon. We’re optimistic about his return and we know that he’s going to do everything in his power to get back out here and try to help this team win a championship.”
The Sixers are in need of a guy who has seen it all to lead them through tough times. Green does have three championship rings and that is invaluable to this team as they try and move forward.
“People miss that with him on the floor, when everybody is going to help the skill to Danny’s going at Danny’s speed, Danny’s pace,” Rivers finished. “His heart rate is probably flat and those guys are very important to have on your basketball team because the other guys see that. We don’t have that anymore, at least on the floor so we’re hoping he can give us as much as he can with his voice.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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