CHARLOTTE, N.C.The MRI results on Leandro Barbosa's left knee confirm that he has suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury.
In the third quarter of Boston's 94-91 loss at Charlotte, Barbosa fell to the ground after making a move that did not draw any contact. It appeared he planted awkwardly and soon went down in severe pain.
The Celtics suspected he had some torn ligaments in the knee following Monday's loss, but he needed to have an MRI to see whether it was an ACL, MCL or PCL-related injury.
He becomes the third Celtics player in less than a month to suffer a season-ending injury, and the second to go down with a torn ACL injury. Rajon Rondo tore his ACL on Jan. 25 in a double-overtime loss to the Hawks.
Barbosa's injury becomes the latest blow to a Boston Celtics roster that has been decimated by injuries.
The C's are down to just 10 healthy players now, and one of those players -- rookie Fab Melo -- has appeared in just two NBA games while splitting time between the C's and Boston's D-League affiliate in Maine.
While many will call for Danny Ainge to make a deal and bring in another point guard, that's a lot easier said than done.
Boston Celtics
Arguably the best free agent point guard available right now is Jannero Pargo who was not re-signed after a second, 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks.
Boston may look to its D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, to bring up a player like Andre Barrett or Shelvin Mack, both of whom have prior NBA experience.
Not only are there few quality point guards available either by free agency or via trade, but the C's now have the challenge of trying to swing a deal with limited trading chips at their disposal.
Following injuries to Rondo and Jared Sullinger (back surgery), Ainge made it clear that he was not willing to sacrifice the team's long-term goals for a short-term fix this season.
With the C's relatively close to hitting the luxury tax threshold, they are not looking to make deals that bring on additional salary.
So while Boston's chances of making a blockbuster-type deal still exists, it's more likely that the C's will make a minor trade.