I've written a couple articles lately about how Red put character first in choosing his players and how important signing players with good character is to developing chemistry on a team. I said in one article that I thought Danny did a good job in bringing in that type of player for this year's Celtics.
Today, in the Sun News, there is evidence of this very thing. We know that Chris Wilcox was seen in the Garden cheering on his former teammates while recovering from heart surgery and we know that he was very grateful to the Celtics for re-signing him this season and has been very humble in his interviews. As far as I could tell, he retweeted every message he got from Celtics fans welcoming him back.
He is also active in giving back to the community and helping out others who are less fortunate. Wilcox is hosting his 4th annual golf tournament today at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club to help fund the battle against Lupus. He has been very vocal about the cause on Twitter and has given a lot of himself to fight this very debilitating disease.
But his charitable spirit didn't stop with organizing the golf tournament, he also helped the local food bank out by delivering a pickup truck load of food to help restock their shelves in a time when many charities are struggling. He was even considerate enough to call ahead to ask them what kind of food they needed instead of just picking random items and then he and his family helped to unload the truck after they delivered it to Helping Hand food bank.
The article also talks a little about Wilcox's heart problem that ended his season last year. At a routine physical, the doctors discovered an expansion of the aortic root in his heart, which caused it to become thin to the point that it was susceptible to tearing and could possibly have blocked his heart valve.
“When [the doctor] came in the room he told me I had to have surgery and all this,” Wilcox recalled. “I was like, ‘Let me go get a second opinion. You might have the wrong paperwork or something.’ When I got a second opinion, the second opinion was worse than the first one. That’s when I really knew right then that it was serious. Now things are going great,” Wilcox said. “Things are working out for me. It’s been a blessing through it all. … They caught it right on time.”
And as far as his return to the Celtics, Wilcox is grateful to be able to return and to get back to playing baaketball.
“I’m definitely excited to be back with them,” Wilcox said. “They’ve been with me through everything I’ve gone through in the last year. They stuck by me and have given me an opportunity to get back and play on the court, so I’m just looking forward to that."
And the Celtics are fortunate to have a guy of Wilcox's character back with them as well. This is a guy you want to cheer for. He had developed a great chemistry with Rondo on the court last season before his surgery. I'm excited to see them pick up where they left off. In case you forgot where that was, here's a reminder.
Bringing Chris back gets my vote for the most underrated FA signing of the summer. Lacked the cachet of Garnett or Jet, or the Lee acquisition, I think he will be a major rotation piece. And it was for short money so the BAE is preserved and could be used without hitting the $74M trigger.
I agree. Last season Chris was playing very well and he and Rondo had developed a nice chemistry. I hope he can pick up where he left off. And he's a great character guy as well.
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