Celtics Notebook: Gordon Hayward (illness) misses practice, Tacko Fall in concussion protocol

The Celtics are putting the final touches on preparation for the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of their season opener on Wednesday, but were down a big piece on Monday as swingman Gordon Hayward was not at the Auerbach Center due to illness.

“[Hayward] may come in later and see [team doctors] but he started feeling under the weather Saturday night. Thought he was better Sunday morning but it got worse last night and told him to stay away,” said Brad Stevens on Monday.

While the team is hopefully Hayward will be back in time for Wednesday, there is growing optimism about the status of Rob Williams as well after the big man suffered a concussion in Cleveland last week. The second-year center took part in non-contact drills on Monday and will advance to the next stage of concussion protocol on Tuesday if he responds well to the activity today. He took part in 1-on-1 drills to close out practice.

Elsewhere on the roster, Romeo Langford (sore knee) did some non-contact drills as he gets closer to taking part in full practices after falling last week against the Cavs. Tacko Fall also entered concussion protocol as well after taking a hit to the head in what Brad Stevens terms a 'freak accident.' He was on the floor with his teammates on Monday but did not take part in the drills.

The Celtics will be able to have 13 active players on opening night so it appears Langford is unlikely to suit up at this point. The other inactive could be Williams if he is not ready to go, otherwise, Stevens will have to make a tough choice at the bottom of the roster between one of the rookies. What direction he goes in should be telling about where certain players stand in the depth chart at this point. Two-way guard Tremont Waters also has a chance to be active after a strong training camp with the Red Claws season not starting for another week or so.

Wide Open East 

Brad Stevens pegs Toronto as one team to watch when handicapping the wide-open Eastern Conference heading into this season:

"I think there's a lot of teams in the conversation," Stevens said. "Milwaukee deserves all the praise they are getting. They had an amazing year last year. I think that Philly is as talented as anybody in the league and deserves that. I think Toronto is being under-discussed because I think they've looked really good in the preseason from what I've seen. There is a lot of opportunity for a lot of teams and we just hope to be the best we can be. We'll see."

Stevens on 15th roster spot 

The Celtics made things official on Monday with their 15-man roster after telling 26-year-old rookie Javonte Green that he had made the final roster. However, the choice was not easy according to the head coach.

"It was as hard of a decision as we've had," Stevens said. "We've had some hard ones over the years but (Max) is just a total worker, brought great energy every day, worked hard and is clearly a good player. The hardest thing about that is when you lose guys that add that mindset to your environment, but Javonte is the same. Javonte works every day. He's a great worker and a great person. We're thrilled he's on our team and the hard part is having to waive a guy like Max. The good news for Max is he will have plenty of opportunities. I'm a big believer in Max and think he'll be on an NBA roster at some point in the very near future."