Bird to Rest Elbow; Surgery Shunned

Larry Bird, his advisers and the Boston Celtic management have decided to let his right elbow rest during the off-season to see if that will cure a lingering, but undiagnosed, ailment.

“We had a meeting (Wednesday), and it was agreed that Larry would rest his elbow and hope that it will be better that way,” Celtic General Manager Jan Volk said.

The Celtic star had elbow trouble during the closing games of the 1985 season and during the playoff and championship series. Medical opinions have stated that the problem is either tendinitis or bone chips.

Bird has repeatedly said he would like to avoid surgery. When he had a similar problem several years ago, he said, it was healed by rest.