After suffering a broken foot in the preseason, reserve swingman Gerald Green said last Friday that he was hoping to defy the odds and return to the Houston Rockets later this season.
While stressing that he would not rush his recovery, Green noted Friday that he had begun walking on an underwater treadmill and had already regained some strength and definition in his legs.
“Hopefully I’ll be ready to go by the end of this year, maybe towards the playoffs,” the 33-year-old Green told reporters.
Head coach Mike D’Antoni doesn’t seem as hopeful, though. When asked about Green’s comments at Monday’s practice, D’Antoni said with a smile:
Yeah, well he’s crazy. Hopefully he does, but it’ll be hard.
Mike D'Antoni, smiling when told Gerald Green said he wishes to return for the playoffs: "Yeah, well he's crazy. Hopefully he does, but it'll be hard."
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) January 6, 2020
As of Friday, the 6-foot-6 Green was still wearing a walking boot.
In late October, ESPN‘s Tim MacMahon reported via a team source that Green was “highly doubtful” to return this season, even if the Rockets make a deep playoff run into May and June.
The Rockets announced that Gerald Green is expected to miss "approximately six months" after undergoing surgery to repair the broken bone in his left foot. A source told ESPN it's "highly doubtful" that Green could return this season even if the Rockets make a deep playoff run.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 28, 2019
Green underwent surgery on his foot on Oct. 28, 2019, with the team announcing that he would go through a six-month rehabilitation process.
On paper, the timeline of six months could make Green available for basketball activities by the playoffs, which will begin in mid-April. However, since Green would not have played or practiced with the team at all during the 82-game regular season, it probably remains a stretch to expect Green to contribute as a player during the 2019-20 league year.
Over the past two years, Green averaged 10.3 points (36% on 3-pointers) in 21.1 minutes per game with the Rockets, mostly from a bench role.
After re-signing in July, Green is under contract with the Rockets for this current NBA season at the veteran’s minimum salary. He effectively has a no-trade clause, and is set to again be a free agent in the summer.
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Gerald Green meets with the media for the first time since undergoing surgery for a lisfranc injury in October. Gerald’s goal, get back for the playoffs if possible.” #Rockets pic.twitter.com/EIRh5W5U6k
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 4, 2020