Jermaine O'Neal To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Jermaine O'Neal era in Boston is going to end with a fizzle. The Celtics big man will undergo season-ending surgery on his left wrist.
According to the Celtics, "O'Neal has a chronic degenerative wrist condition that was exacerbated after a fall during the Celtics' game against the Dallas Mavericks on February 20th. The wrist has not responded to immobilization and physical therapy, and the decision was made to proceed with surgery."
The decision doesn't come as a surprise, as he's been considering the surgery since the beginning of the month.
The surgery will, in all likelihood, mean O'Neal has played his final game in a Celtics uniform. He signed a two-year deal prior to last season, and he reportedly wanted a buyout from the Celtics last week.
He played in just 24 games last season and 25 this year, scoring just 5.2 points and averaging just 4.6 rebounds per game.
It will be the fifth time in the past six seasons that O'Neal played in 42 games or fewer.