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Former Buckeye Sullinger Undergoes Back Surgery

Updated: Friday, February 1 2013, 08:03 PM EST
BOSTON (ESPNBoston.com) -- Boston Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger will require surgery for a back injury and will miss the remainder of the season, Yahoo! Sports reported on Friday.

Sullinger left Wednesday's game against the Sacramento Kings just four minutes in with back spasms and did not return. Though he did not practice on Thursday and missed the team's morning shootaround on Friday, coach Doc Rivers and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge both initially downplayed the severity of the injury.

"No, I'm not that concerned," Rivers said before Thursday's practice. "Could he miss games? Like I said [Wednesday], here and there he may. But it's not anything career-threatening or anything like that."

Ainge, meanwhile, told Boston sports radio station WEEI on Thursday: "Sullinger is just getting tests done. He didn't practice today. He was still sore today and [with] back spasms, you just never know. They really are day to day, and we're hoping that he has a quick recovery and gets back soon."

Sullinger had been enjoying a fine rookie season, emerging as one of the Celtics' best rebounders and most consistent big men. Through 45 games, he boasted averages of 6.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 19.8 minutes, while shooting 49.3 percent from the field.

Sullinger, initially pegged as a lottery pick in last June's draft, was medically red-flagged due to concerns over his back and slid to the Celtics, who selected him with the 21st overall pick out of Ohio State.

The news comes as another crushing blow to the Celtics, who lost All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo for the season on Sunday when an MRI revealed he suffered a torn right ACL in last Friday's double-overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Brandon Bass likely will take Sullinger's place in the starting lineup and should see an increase in minutes. Boston also recalled its other first-round pick from last June's draft, Fab Melo, from the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League on Tuesday to receive treatment on his right quad. But with Sullinger now gone for the season, Melo could be kept around for depth purposes behind Kevin Garnett, Bass, Chris Wilcox, and Jason Collins.

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Web Producer: Kellie HannaFormer Buckeye Sullinger Undergoes Back Surgery