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Sports Illustrated
It's not all champagne and caviar being tall.
Sure, you get all the cache of being the person everyone asks to get something off of a high shelf, but it comes with drawbacks too, as new Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall was reminded of this week.
While he wasn't especially likely to play in last night's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers (who are a somewhat vertically-gifted team themselves), Fall instead found himself sidelined as he works his way through the NBA's concussion protocol.
Because he hit his head on a ceiling.
To be fair, it was a low one. And he was distracted, washing his hands after a workout at the Auerbach Center earlier in the week.
It wasn't even that hard of a hit -- nothing like the lump Fab Melo (rest in peace) took to the dome in his brief personal war with a South Dakotan door frame in 2013 -- mild enough that the Central Florida product continued about his business that day, even taking part in swim lessons at a local Boys & Girls Club.
The next day, however, he didn't feel so great.
After checking into his symptoms, team physicians decided 7-foot-5 Fall's unfriendly encounter with the ceiling warranted a stint in the league's protocol for concussions -- a serious injury for anyone who plays contact sports like basketball.
"Tacko got hit in the head yesterday after individual work," said head coach Brad Stevens on Fall's situation. "He was a little under the weather. It sounds like [they are] being very cautious about that (via MassLive's John Karalis)." And they should be, despite the jocular tone of this article, repeat injury to the head can have permanent effects, significant enough to end athletic careers if not treated properly.
The good news is the former Knight should be able to play again very soon. "Very close [to exiting the concussion protocol] from what I’ve been told," added Stevens.
And while Philadelphia is one of the tallest teams in the league, given just how raw the Senegalese big man still is, he wasn't likely to see significant minutes against some of the league's most seasoned, skilled big men; " ... he wasn’t going to be active anyway," added the team's coach.
Until he's had some serious run with the Maine Red Claws, it's more likely Tackomania will only be making appearances with the parent club against frontlines of a much lower caliber, as Fall has only 45 days to spend with the Celtics as a two-way player.
But it's also not out of the question a strong showing could get him some real run with a team with little certainty in frontcourt rotations.
Keep your head up, Tacko -- your time is coming soon.
But make sure you look up first, too!