Danny Ainge could only be kept away for so long.
The Boston Celtics president of basketball operations, who suffered a mild heart attack earlier this month, already has been back with the team for weeks, head coach Brad Stevens admitted Thursday, via MassLive.com.
Ainge wouldn't be forgiven for taking some recovery time after the Celtics bowed out to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. But the NBA Draft and free agency are rapidly approaching, so there's plenty for Ainge to do ... even as his coworkers urge him to pace himself.
"Danny’s a tireless worker," Celtics co-owner Steven Pagliuca said Thursday at a service for late Celtics legend John Havlicek in Boston, via MassLive.com. “We’re trying to make him slow down, but he seems very healthy and he’s on a plant-based diet, feeling good, and we’re just happy to see him back."
It turns out Ainge also is a tireless tweeter. Shortly after Kyrie Irving (also an adopter of the plant-based diet) earned second-team All-NBA honors Thursday, Ainge gave his point guard a shout-out on Twitter.
Ainge also retweeted the Celtics' tweet congratulating Irving.
Irving, of course, can become a free agent this summer and is expected to consider the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, among others. Convincing his All-Star guard to stay in Boston will be a top priority for Ainge, considering Irving's fate could impact the Celtics' pursuit of Anthony Davis.
Ainge's health and well-being obviously is paramount to any business the C's explore this summer, but it sounds like the 60-year-old is fully back in the swing of things.
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