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Robb: Vitor Faverani Faces Long Road to Recovery Following Knee Surgery

WALTHAM (CBS) -- Through 12 games this season, one thing is clear about the Celtics roster: It dearly needs some help in the defensive frontcourt. A lack of rim protection has enabled many teams to attack Boston's interior defense at will, as they penetrate past Boston's guards and find less-than-imposing presences at the rim, such as Kelly Olynyk or Tyler Zeller.

One player the Celtics were counting on this season to give them a boost in that department is second-year center Vitor Faverani. The 6-foot-10 big man was Boston's starting center at the beginning of his rookie campaign last year, but has been a ghost since February, when he underwent season-ending surgery on his left knee.

The Brazilian native spent the majority of the offseason rehabbing back in Spain in hopes of being ready for this season, but experienced a setback in just the second day of Celtics training camp last month. Days later, he was back in Spain, undergoing surgery again on the troublesome left knee, weakening Boston's defense in the process.

"The bad thing is because I worked really hard all summer, you know?" Faverani said Saturday at practice. "And then come back here and got injured one more time. So I don't know. Just recover. It's my life. It's all I can do right now."

Faverani is back in the States right now, rehabbing with team Celtics team doctors, but more than a month after his surgery, the 26-year-old still isn't close to returning to the court.

"We're just taking time to jump on the court because – I don't know, I don't want the same [injury] to happen with me. Like, work and (come) back to play before I can. I don't want to injure it anymore," Faverani said.

The Celtics announced last month that Faverani would be expected to be back in six to eight weeks following the second procedure, but with Faverani still waiting to ramp up his rehab, it remains unclear whether the center will be able to return to the court during the calendar year.

"This is the second surgery in one year, so we don't talk about the time (for a return)," Faverani told reporters. "Just try to get better faster."

Stevens acknowledged earlier this week that the recovery timetable has been longer than he anticipated.

"When he initially had that surgery, I heard six to eight weeks, just like you did," Stevens explained. "I've been told it's going to go longer than that, probably well into December, maybe first of the year. So, I hate standing up here and acting like I know medically what's going on, but I know that he's frustrated, and I know that he's working every day and they are working with him.

"What I had thought was he'd be practicing some time in December, but again, I don't want to put a timeline on him because I'm speculating now. We'd be hopeful that he'd be practicing sometime in December and maybe ready to play by the first of the year."

Faverani averaged 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in just 13.2 minutes per game last season up until February when he developed his initial knee injury. Since then, even while rehabbing in Spain over the summer, Faverani has not played any full court 5-on-5 in any setting, and the lack of progress has been troubling for the promising big man.

The Celtics may be getting some defensive help soon in the form of Marcus Smart, who is expected to return from an ankle injury within the week. For Faverani though, the wait may be much longer.

While the Celtics may continue to make strides without him on the defensive end, the Brazilian big man will keep working while trying to maintain an upbeat attitude.

"It's tough," said Faverani of his situation. "Everybody has injuries, this is my first injury. I'm just happy because [the team has] great doctors, great therapy guys. I just hope to get better."

Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.

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