Kanter’s travel status, lack of healthy centers may force odd lineups

With the team down three of five centers and Enes Kanter’s ability to travel to Toronto still uncertain, the Celtics’ frontcourt rotations might have to dig deep until late January.

Missing two big men already with an away game against the Toronto Raptors looming, the Boston Celtics could have a frontcourt problem on Christmas Day.

Down centers Rob Williams III and Vincent Poirier, recovering from left hip edema and a broken finger respectively, Boston will need to get creative with its rotations against Toronto if a lingering issue continues unresolved.

That issue would be the uncertain travel status of Turkish big man Enes Kanter, whose vocal stance against human rights abuses has landed him in political hot water with his native Turkey, making travel across international borders a risky affair for the Zurich native.

Kanter’s feud with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan escalated in 2017, when his homeland revoked his passport. The outspoken center found himself accused of having ties to terrorism, and the subject of an international arrest warrant which has made the 27-year-old’s life difficult.

With no clear assurances in place the big man won’t be arrested on entering Canada, Kanter may be forced out of action for a high-profile game, leaving the Celtics to lean on its rookies instead.

The team can try using 6-foot-6 forward Grant Williams, for example, as a small-ball five. They could also turn to defensive menace Marcus Smart, who has made a name for himself defending everything from point guards to 7-foot centers for stretches this season.

They will also call on two way sensation Tacko Fall to log minutes at the five, especially if Kanter cannot make the trip north.

There’s a chance assistant general manager and team counsel Mike Zarren could get assurances for Kanter to play safely in Toronto, but time is scarce.

“I’m probably going to know 100 percent within a week,” The 6-foot-10 center shared with the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett.

“The Celtics are still working on it,” he continued. “I’m just going to go talk to the front office and see what they do and then go from there. It’s pretty serious. We’ll see what happens.”

“With the injuries [to his frontcourt teammates], too, now, I’ve got to be there,” he added.

Boston was aware of the concern when they signed the center after his last stop with the Portland Trail Blazers, where Kanter had to remain behind when his teammates would travel to Toronto.

“I know Mike has been working on that for quite a while — a couple of months, maybe even longer than that,” team president Danny Ainge confirmed. “Mike is in Europe right now, so I don’t know where that stands. We think it’s going to be OK, but I’m just not sure yet.”

“Regardless of who’s healthy, we want him there,” said Ainge, emphasizing Kanter’s importance beyond the short-term injury depth concerns.

“We have four centers on the roster, including five with Tacko, and we’re down to three,” added Boston’s president of basketball operations.

“It’s that simple. If we lose any more, we’re going to have to play power forwards at center. We’ll see more Semi and Grant Williams at center. We may play Jayson Tatum at center — or Marcus Smart.”

“Marcus is always our savior at center,” he continued, hinting at potential emergency plans.

Of course, Smart will need to be available, currently out because of an eye infection that spread from its initial target to beset both of the Texan’s ocular organs.

But now on day right of a seven-to-ten day recovery timeline (at least, for the initial eye) suggests there’s a very good chance the Flower Mound native will be available on Christmas.

Some solutions are in order, though, whether securing a safe trip for Kanter can be achieved or not. Poirier will be out for six weeks with his broken finger, but Timelord could be looking at as long or even longer depending on how his body heals.

“I’m new to [being out injured in the NBA] … I’m trying to talk to the vets. I talked to Gordon [Hayward] a little bit, asked him a couple of questions to see how he got through his injury,” explained the Shreveport native.

“You know, just pounding on the court, falling on my hip [may have caused the edema], I guess, all the time, minor injuries to it … obviously, [it is] a setback. Being out of shape is not fun at all. I hate that. But, like I said, it’s just a little setback.”

“It’s just terrible I can’t be out there with the team,” said Williams.

The Celtics may be stretched a bit thin in the frontcourt right now, but it’s something head coach Brad Stevens has grown accustomed to in recent years, beginning with the team’s improbable run to the brink of the 2018 NBA Finals.

“It’s just the way it’s been,” explained the former Butler coach.

In his usual even-keeled way, Stevens managed to spin the temporary short-handedness as a positive, which he may be correct about given the softer slate of games ahead in the coming month.

“It offers more opportunity for other guys at that position, which I think is important, so that when we do have a full slate of guys, everybody’s a little bit better and has a little bit more experience,” he suggested.

Let’s hope that ‘experience’ doesn’t have too many losses involved, not there’s an abundance of solutions to be had given the number of players on the sidelines.