Tacko Fall has an uncertain NBA future. His massive frame of 7 feet, 6 inches, soft hands, and above average athleticism for a guy his size makes him an intriguing prospect.
However, he still has a lot of work to do to actually stick with the Boston Celtics or in the NBA. In an effort to do that, he’ll be back in Boston in the coming days to begin regular workouts at the team’s practice facility.
Fall had been in Senegal, where he was on the preliminary roster for the Senegalese national team. Senegal announced its official roster Thursday, which didn’t include Fall.
Despite widespread reports that he had been cut, it was never Fall’s intention to play for his national team in the FIBA World Cup. He had traveled back to his home country for the first time in seven years for a Basketball Without Borders event and a visit with his family.
“For me it’s about going around the neighborhoods, seeing where I came from, and just kind of reflecting on how far I came,” Fall recently told the Boston Globe. “I think that will honestly give me more encouragement to keep pushing and keep inspiring people from Senegal and Africa and be the best I possibly can and continue to strive so I can have a long career in the NBA.”
Fall became a summer league phenomenon during the Celtics’ run in Las Vegas last month. Since then he’s forged close friendships with his fellow Boston Celtics rookies, even getting a FaceTime call from Grant Williams from the field in Fenway Park before throwing out a first pitch on Tuesday.
Fall went undrafted out of the University of Central Florida, and signed an “Exhibit 10” contract with the Boston Celtics, which allows him to be part of training camp. If Boston sees enough promise in him to want to keep his exclusive rights, they’d have to sign him to a guaranteed contract (they have one roster spot available), or upgrade one of their two-way players (Max Strus and Tremont Waters) to a guaranteed deal and give Fall the open two-way slot.
HEAT: The injury that sidelined forward Kelly Olynyk during a Wednesday exhibition with the Canadian national team in Toronto turned out to be nothing more than a bruised knee.
Part of the roster that Canada is preparing for the World Cup later this month in China, Olynyk took an awkward tumble during the third quarter of an exhibition against Nigeria.
That led to initial concerns of something more serious. Instead, there was encouraging news, with Michael Grange, a reporter for Canada’s Rogers Sportsnet, posting on Twitter that Olynyk, “will take a week off but continue on to the Worlds as planned.”
X-rays were negative.
KEVIN DURANT made news with published comments in which he absolved the Golden State Warriors of any blame for the torn Achilles tendon he suffered while returning to action in the NBA finals.
“How can you blame (them)? Hell, no,” he said to a suggestion from Yahoo Sports that Golden State mishandled the calf injury that sidelined him for several weeks before Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors. “I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back.
“It was only me and (director of sports medicine and performance) Rick (Celebrini) working out every day. Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. . . . Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game.”
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