Robb: Don't panic about Kyrie Irving's second opinion

The Celtics’ ceiling without a healthy Gordon Hayward has always been a little bit murky this year. When this group has been healthy outside of him, it has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best teams across the NBA. Boston earned wins over the Rockets, Warriors, Raptors and Cavs, and seem to have enough talent on paper to make a deep run inside the Eastern Conference. A 6-1 record out of the All-Star break only reinforced that notion. They also have a knack for executing during crunch time, as evidenced by Tuesday’s undermanned late-game rally against the Oklahoma City Thunder that produced a 100-99 win.

An optimistic outlook for the postseason has always been predicated on the health of the remainder of the team’s core, however. After losing Daniel Theis for the regular season and Marcus Smart for the next six-to-eight weeks, Boston’s depth was already starting to show additional vulnerability. Now, with the revelation that Kyrie Irving is seeking a second opinion on his surgically repaired left knee, any remaining hope for this overachieving squad is understandably starting to shrink for the postseason.

“He’s going to get a second opinion, that’s why he probably won’t go on the (west coast) trip,” Brad Stevens said Tuesday night. “And again, I think that’s smart of him. But I haven’t talked with him yet since that decision was made. Or I haven’t talked to Danny or our staff about it.”

After missing four-straight contests and with a mere 11 games left in the regular season, it’s time to consider how Irving’s condition factors into both the short and long-term. If surgery is looming one way or another on Irving’s left knee, getting it out of the way now (in theory) to ensure a healthy start to next season for this squad is a fair scenario to ponder. When you consider all the factors in play though, surgery before the end of the year feels like a long shot for a few reasons.

First, it’s important to note Irving won’t be a fan of this route. He admitted that earlier this month.

“I don't know. I hope not,” Irving said when asked about the surgery possibility two weeks ago. “I’ve been that road before. I’ve had a fractured kneecap already. So I think taking games like this, being smart about it probably will put me in a better position not to be out for a long period of time. That’s the last thing I want to do.”

Outside of Irving’s personal wishes, giving up on the season for the second-seeded team in the East comes as no small decision for Boston. The Raptors look dominant at top of the standings but have shown playoff warts for years that could reemerge again this spring. The Cavs have LeBron James, but they look more vulnerable than ever on the defensive end. No other team in the improved East should be a serious problem for Boston to beat as long as Irving remains in the lineup. The potential return of Smart in the second round gives this group some reasonable hope to get past the Raptors and/or Cavs and push their way to the NBA Finals.

While the possibility of a deep run is alluring, it’s important to remember the Celtics are still in the business of winning championships. Without Hayward and with Irving nursing a sore knee throughout the playoffs, the prospect of getting past the Rockets or Warriors (if they get that far) is not a realistic one. If Irving is not improving with rest and might worsen the injury with more wear and tear in the postseason, it’s hard to justify having such an important building block to the team’s future putting himself at risk.