Tatum still day-to-day as camp opens, and Boston's clock is running

Training camp is here and Jayson Tatum is not cleared. He has been listed day-to-day since mid-July, and that designation has not moved. The Celtics can talk all they want about the new roster — and there is plenty to talk about — but none of it means much if the player the entire structure is built around can't practice at full speed.

The integration problem is real and specific. Paul George has never played alongside Tatum. Neither has Mitchell Robinson, Mike Conley Jr., or any of the other pieces the front office assembled this summer. Chemistry in a new-look lineup takes repetitions, and repetitions require Tatum on the floor. Every day he's limited is a day George is essentially running drills with a placeholder at the top of the offense.

The Eastern Conference didn't wait. Philadelphia added LeBron James to a roster that already had Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and the freshly acquired Jaylen Brown. Boston made this trade expecting to compete; the margin for a slow start has narrowed considerably since July 24.

The Celtics finished last season 10-10 in close games — a number that haunted the front office enough to blow up a partnership that had been together for years. The fix they chose requires Tatum healthy and George integrated. Right now, one of those two conditions isn't met, and camp just started.