Injury News

CELTICS

Brian Scalabrine missed the Celtics' two hour team practice yesterday. He performed admirably in Saturday night's key victory playing through the injury with Marquis Daniels away from the team.

Bill Walker, who is coming off of arthroscopic knee surgery, returned to the court yesterday. The upside for the second year 6'6" G/F out of Kansas State is limited given his injury concerns, but he provides adequate depth at the end of the bench.

The Celtics spend more time in the gym practicing this week as they only have three games to prepare for three games rather than the five they played last week. The team plays Wednesday (vs. Utah), Friday (vs. Atlanta), and Saturday (@ Indiana).

PATRIOTS

Good news on the Patriots injury front. C Dan Koppen, who went down in a heap on Sunday with a knee injury, was spotted walking through the locker room without crutches or a limp. There had been speculation about who would handle backup center duties coming into the season with long-time backup Ross Hochstien being shipped to Denver, but Dan Connolly stepped in very admirably for the 30-year old Koppen. Bill Belichick expressed confidence in the four-year practice squad player (Connolly) and has, once again, admirably proven his football genius.

Sammy Morris could return to action as soon as this Sunday. With Morris out, Maroney has seen the majority of the load on the ground. Morris' return will be a welcomed addition down the stretch, as he has shown at times that he could be the best of the bunch on the ground for the Pats.

MORE:

• Tully Banta-Cain played all 72 defensive snaps. He has truly emerged as the most reliable OLB on the team, and has blossomed from his previous third down role. The Patriots recently rewarded TBC when they signed him to a contract extension through 2011. In comparison, Adalius Thomas played 44 snaps.

RED SOX

What's up with Wakefield?

The knuckleballer insists his back is feeling great. The 43-year old Wake signed a two-year extension yesterday and said he is already walking without a limp after surgery just a few weeks ago. Wake remains a good bet to toss a lot of innings despite last year's injury that limited him to three second half starts. His deal is worth $5 million over the length of the contract, but could escalate as high as $10 million based on the number of starts he makes.

BRUINS

David Krejci, who was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus last week, returned to practice yesterday and appears to be a good bet to play tonight. Krejci missed two games but says his fever is gone and that he is feeling "much better."

Milan Lucic, out with a broken finger, skated with the team yesterday. He was in pads and had full participation, but the team insists a return closer to the second half of the month remains most realistic.