Article says they're small, like a grain of sand. Bone spurs tells me Ray is dealing with an inflammed tendon. Bad news.
It's always tendons with this team that do us in. KG, Shaq, and now possibly Ray. All tendon issues.
Hopefully it's not so bad he can't play. Also, SG happens to be our position of greatest depth. It's possible we might be able to survive with out Ray for a bit.
Link:http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4692629/ray-allens-timetable-still-cloudy
An MRI has revealed tiny bone spurs (Allen said they are the size of a grain of sand), which appear to be the culprit. He said it was nowhere near the problem he had with his ankles in 2006-07, when he had larger bone spurs that necessitated surgery.
Hmmm, well, not sure where you got the info from, but having a bone spur is not an automatic indication that someone is dealing with an inflamed tendon.
Bone spurs are generally related to age, (as in osteoarhritis), when the soft tissue and cartilege between bones breaks down and deteriorates, causing bones to rub together, or pressure and stress being applied more directly to the bone surface by exterior means.
This causes the bone to produce more of itself to repair the area in distress, and that build-up becomes a bump or
spur, (which is not sharp, as some people assume from the sound of the word).
It also occurs in the heel, and can be from the patient being overweight, having poorly fitting shoes, or abnormal repeated stress to the area, (as in sports).
For example, this happens when the long ligament on the bottom of the foot, (the plantar fascia), becomes stressed and shortened. This produces a build-up of bone which then inflames the ligament, (maybe this is what you're referring to?).
Anyway, bone spurs are not directly a tendon problem, nor an indication of such, though that can
sometimes be an indirect complication or secondary diagnosis.
I personally wouldn't make that assumption in Ray's case, as it sounds like it's from normal ageing and repetitive activity.
