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Celtics' Olynyk deciding when to undergo 'inevitable' shoulder surgery

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk finds himself in a quandary: have surgery on his right shoulder now - and miss his native Canada's last-ditch qualification attempt for this summer's Olympics - or try to postpone it until next summer.

"I'm still looking at it," Olynyk told CSN's A. Sherrod Blakely on Sunday. "Probably make a decision sooner than later because the recovery is so long if you do get it. It's hard to give up, (the) Olympics, but when you do look at it, if you get hurt it's even worse to give up the next season. It's a tough decision. The doctors are saying it's kind of inevitable."

Olynyk injured the shoulder in February and missed a month of action. However, it continued to limit the 7-footer when he returned, and he only played 32 minutes of action in six games against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs.

Doctors told Olynyk it will take about five months to recover from the surgery, which means he's likely to miss some or all of training camp if he decides to undergo the procedure immediately. He has about a week to make the decision.

"If I rest it, I would definitely partake in the Olympic (qualifying tournament)," Olynyk said. "That would be the reason to not get surgery at this point. If you rest it, it'll get better but never solve the problem. That's what we're looking at."

Olynyk is a key part of Canada's men's national team, and his absence would be a major blow to their chances of qualifying for the Summer Games. A loss to Venezuela in last year's FIBA Americas forced the up-and-coming Canadians into a last-chance qualifier this July in the Philippines, where they must finish atop a pool featuring France and Turkey in order to reach their first Olympics since 2000.

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