July 15, 2006

The Boston Celtics vs the Toronto Raptors game will be televised tonight on NBA-TV at 9 pm Eastern time. It was originally played on 7/11 and includes Telfair's between the legs alley oop pass to Gerald for the monster dunk. It will be repeated on NBA-TV from 5am to 7 am Eastern time, in case you miss it the first time. It should be a good one to watch!!!

source:NBA.com Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 15, 2006

Here are the final stats for our guys in Summer League. Not too shabby but our bigs need to work on their Free Throws....

Scoring:

1. Gomes 19.3 pts
2. Green 18.6
3. Ray 14.4
4. Telfair 14.3
5. Rondo 10.4
6. Jefferson 9.4
7. Powe 6.6
8. Akingbala 4.0
9. Jones 2.5
10. Hamilton 2.5
11. Wilkinson .5

Rebounds

1. Jefferson 7.4rebs
2. Gomes 5.8
3. Rondo 4.0
4. Akingbala 3.7
5. Powe 3.6
6. Green 3.4
7. Jones 2.8
8. Telfair 2.3
9. Ray 2.2
10. Hamilton 1.0
11. Wilkinson .5

Assists

1. Rondo 5.8
2.Telfair 5.3
3. Ray 2.0
4. Gomes 1.0
5. Jones 1.0
6. Jefferson 1.0
7. Powe .4
8. Green .2
9-11 Hamilton, Wilkinson, Akingbala 0

FG%
1. Hamilton 66.7
2. Gomes 60.0
3. Jones 60.0
4. Rondo 56.4
5. Ray 51.8%
6. Jefferson 50.0
7. Powe 45.8
8. Green 45.8
9. Telfair 40.0
10-11. Wilkinson, Akingbala 28.6

Free Throw %
1. Gomes 85.2
2. Ray 83.3
3. Telfair 82.1
4. Green 81.0
5. Rondo 70.0
6. Powe 55.0
7. Jefferson 52
8. Jones 33.3

[More] source:LVSL Website Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 15, 2006

I like this kid. He is tough and a hard worker and determined to make the teams who passed on him in the draft sorry. You have to pull for a kid who has come through the adversity he has and has come out on top. I am hoping he spends some time between now and training came working with Clifford Ray and he will be that much better when training camp comes around.

The Celtics haven’t seen a whole lot of Leon Powe, but they’ve seen enough to give him a three-year contract. Like the deal given to Ryan Gomes (also a second-round pick) last year, Powe will get a full guarantee this season, with the latter two years at the option of the team. The Celts obviously had their eyes on the 6-foot-8 power forward awhile before making the draft night trade with Denver to get his rights. “Leon is a really hard-working, low-post, rebounding tough kid,” Ainge said. “He hasn’t had a chance to play all that much here, but we thought he had a really good camp. He hasn’t played a ton of minutes, but he’s done some good things that we like. “He’s done well on second efforts. He’s gotten a few baskets that way that no one else on our team would have got, just hanging around the glass. He’s a high-effort guy.” Powe is pleased to know where he’ll be working. “It’s good to know you’re going to be someplace,” he said. “Now I can just go out and work hard. That’s what I do.” Powe had eight points and six rebounds yesterday, finishing the week with nearly four boards a game in 15.4 minutes. “I’m learning that you’ve got to find your spots up here,” he said. “You have to run the floor and get loose balls and tip-ins.” [More] source: Boston Herald Related Article: Powe Celebrates Signing with Celtics Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 14, 2006

The Celtics rallied from a 49-34 halftime deficit and a 10 point deficit at the end of 3 to beat the Detroit Pistons Summer League team with a final score of 88-85. Rajon Rondo put the Celts up for good when he hit a 3 pointer with 25 seconds remaining. Ryan Gomes and Sebastian Telfair did not suit up for the game and watched in street clothes from the bench.
The Celtics were paced by 26 points from Allan Ray who also contributed 3 assists. Gerald Green chipped in 22 points with 3 steals. Rondo had another solid game with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Dwayne Jones played 21 minutes and finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Al played only 11 minutes and had 3 points and 4 rebounds. Akin Akingbala saw his first real playing time with 24 minutes and had 10 points with 8 rebounds.

All in all a great way to finish the Summer League out. This game will be televised on NBA-TV on 7/14 at 10:30 eastern time.




[Recap]

[Box Score]

source:LVSL Website

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July 14, 2006

There is still smoke about the Iverson trade. Most reports say that the Celtics are their best bet to trade him, but there are also reports of the Clippers and Nuggets also making offers. Reports are that King was ready to trade on draft night to get Foye but Danny realizing that he wouldn't have a shot at him picking behind Minny wisely opted for the Telfair deal instead.
Danny has said that he will only trade if the price is right and also that he won't trade the future to win a few games now. If we can believe him, then the price tag for Iverson may just be too much. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Celtics have expressed interest in a sign and trade for Gooden. Cleveland hasn't offered him a contract yet and Boston along with Philly, Phoenix and Chicago are reportedly showing interest.
I would much sooner sign Gooden than AI... Hopefully Boston's interest isn't in Gooden as the 3rd part of the Iverson team since Philly is also interested.

[More] source:Cleveland Plain Dealer Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 14, 2006


The Celtics' Summer League team will play their final game today at 4 pm Eastern Time against the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons are 2-2 in Summer League Play and have been paced by Alex Acker with 19 points and 5 rebounds, Amir Johnson with 9.8 points and 6.8 rebounds along with 13.3 points from Jason Maxiel. The Pistons' victories have come against the Wizards (80-67) and the Suns (90-87) while they were handed losses from the Knicks (91-68) and Clippers (89-73).

The Celtics also have a 2-2 record. Our stars have been Ryan Gomes with 19.3 points and 5.8 rebounds, Gerald Green 17.8 points and 3.8 rebounds, Al Jefferson with 11 points and 8.3 rebounds, Rajon Rondo with 9.5 points and 5.3 assists, Sebastian Telfair with 14.3 points and 5.3 assists, and Allan Ray with 11.5 points per game. As you can see, the Celtics' talent goes across the board with balanced scoring from several players.

Recap and Box Score source: LVSL Website Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 14, 2006


Steve Bulpett gives an encouraging look at the Celtics from their Summer League performances.
I noted a few things from this article in particular:
1. Powe is a tough kid who knows how to handle himself inside. So far Danny hasn't offered him a contract but I sure hope he does. We have 15 players under contract as of now but hopefully Danny will be able to make room for this kid. I think he will be a player and can help us with our defense and rebounding under the basket.
2. Al didn't play as badly as most reports said he did. He needs to get ready for the kind of passes he will be getting this year from Rondo and Telfair. I think it may take a time of adjustment for everyone to get used to those passes. Just as back in the 80s Bird's teammates always needed to be ready for his unexpected passes, this year's Celtics need to be ready to get a pass at any moment...whether the PG is facing them or not.
3. Rondo has been called the steal of the draft by several GM's. Danny had considered holding him back but now he figures to be right there in the mix for playing time. I see our PG rotation being Telfair, Rondo and West backing up both of those with Delonte being mostly used at SG.
4. Dwayne Jones wasn't played much because they were looking mostly at Powe. Whether that was the whole reason remains to be seen but I do hope they find a roster spot for Powe. Jones showed at the end of last year he has a knack for rebounding and could help us there but he is still raw especially on the offensive end and could probably benefit from more time in the DLeague.
5. Summer League has me excited about the prospects of this team this year. The kids are making progress. We now have 2 pass first pure PG's who are capable of pushing the ball up the court and finding the open man. I would love to see how they play with Pierce and Wally. I want to see how this group does before any major trade goes down.

Leon Powe: He’s gotten better with time here. One of the toughest things to deal with for most of those entering the NBA is going from having the ball when you want it to finding out how to make the most of limited opportunities. After being tentative in the opener, Powe began picking his spots and scoring via offensive rebounds. He’s a tough kid who knows how to handle himself and the ball inside. - Al Jefferson: He wasn’t nearly as off here as some believe, and he actually did quite well when the Celts were able to get into a set and work the ball to him. He definitely needs to do a better job of expecting and catching the passes of Sebastian Telfair and Rajon Rondo, and his defense continues to be an issue, but the first step for Jefferson is to be less tentative with his steps (the right ankle is still a problem). Rajon Rondo: After checking him out here, execs from two different teams pronounced him the steal of the first round. The Celts had planned to wait on Rondo this season, but with the ability he’s shown here to upset an opponent with his defense and get pretty much anywhere he wants with the ball, that timetable might be sped up considerably. His outside shot is still suspect, but even with foes backing off him, Rondo was still able to get into the lane. [More] source: Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 14, 2006
Pierce's deal has been agreed upon by both the Celtics and Pierce's agent and has been sent to the league offices for approval. Neither side expects there to be any problems with the deal.

After Pierce completes the final two years of his present contract (giving up an opt-out next summer to do so), the three additional years will be for a total of $59,387,127.

This should put to rest most of the trade rumors that have been circulating about Pierce. Giving him the extension proves that they plan to keep Pierce and continue to build around him.

[More] source: Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 13, 2006
According to the Boston Herald Pierce and the Celtics have reached an agreement that would extend Pierce's contract for 3 years as well as assure the player option on the end of his current contract. The Globe says the extension is close. So depending on which paper you believe, Pierce is either locked up or very close.

LAS VEGAS - Paul Pierce and the Celtics have reached agreement on a contract extension, a vital step for the club at this stage of its development. Sources last night said the agreement was essentially completed late yesterday and that an announcement is forthcoming. Danny Ainge said earlier yesterday that the sides were “just ironing out some of the final details,” and he reiterated that last night. But, according to a source, the largest of those issues were apparently resolved before Pierce’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, left Las Vegas in the late afternoon. It is known that Ainge and Schwartz spoke again yesterday. [More] source: Boston Herald Related Article: Globe Article on Pierce Extension Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 13, 2006
Good to see Al coming out with hustle and 17 points with 11 rebounds. Telfair was more of a scorer last night than a playmaker with 26 points and 3 assists but had an astounding 11 fouls. Rajon Rondo was very much the playmaking PG with 11 points and 11 assists. Gomes contintued to be solid and Gerald Green turned it on offensively. We seem to have problems with bigger teams as Brown continues to field a very small team in spite of having more size on the bench.

LAS VEGAS – If you like emotional basketball, this was the game you were waiting to see from the Summer League Celtics. They didn’t come away with the win, but they battled to the end and went down swinging in a 112-108 loss to the Denver Nuggets, a game that was more intense than your garden variety Summer League tilt. The Celtics trailed for most of the night, and while there were some positives to take away from the game, Boston’s struggles were mostly defending their own basket. With the Nuggets threatening to pull away in the final minutes, Sebastian Telfair (game-high 26 points) took over for the Celtics, leading a rally with 10 quick points by getting to the basket and the free throw line. When asked about it afterward, Telfair had a simple response: “That’s what we needed.” “I like that about him,” Coach Tony Brown said of Telfair. “He saw that we needed to do something to try to turn the game, and his penetration, getting an opportunity to get to the free throw line, that’s what you have to do.” [More] source:Celtics.com Related Link: Box Score Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 12, 2006

ESPN will air a documentary on the fall of the Boston Celtics listing 5 reasons besides the death of Len Bias. Admittedly, the death of Len Bias probably cost us at least two more championships. I think the next 7 1st rounders we drafted were all lemons (except Reggie Lewis of course and Dee Brown) and the draft picks right before Len Bias did not make the grade, although, it is tough to beat out Bird, Parish, McHale, DJ, and Ainge for a starting spot. Then you had Cedric Maxwell, Jerry Sichting, Bill Walton, and Scott Wedmen for role players. Rick Carlisle, Greg Kite, and Connor Henry rounded out your roster.

Bird's back was giving out on him and quite frankly in reading his book, I don't understand how he made it through 1992. McHale's wheels were going bad and he retired 1 year later after Alonzo Mourning hit that 20 foot miracle shot in Charlotte which also turned out to be Reggie Lewis's last game in 1993. Parish's contract expired in 1994 as the Celtics missed the playoffs and Dino Radja took over. We drafted the likes of Acie Earl and Eric Montross when Eddie Jones was available. Gaston listened to ML Carr instead of Larry Bird. Dave Gavitt was fired. Probably the best coaching job of the past 20 years for the Celtics belonged to Chris Ford for leading a motley 36 win crew of Sherman Douglass, Dee Brown, Outta Service Ellison, Rick Fox, Dominique Wilkens, and Dino Radja to an eighth seed and a pairing with Shaq and Penny's Orlando Magic. It turned out to be Boston Garden's last stand as the Celtics went down 3-1 fighting tooth and nail until Sherman Douglass' desparation 3 to tie the game fell short.

The summer of 95 proved to be the worst in Celtics history. Chris Ford was fired and ML Carr took over as coach and GM. Gaston decided it was time to cut budget and let Sherman Douglass go in favor of Todd Day. Greg Minor was brought in. Eric Williams was drafted. In reality, the mid 90's proved to be disasterous for bringing in college talent. Team ball turned over to imitating Jordan dunks. Other less talented teams tried to imitate Detroit's rough defensive style good for two titles. (Those titles would likely have been Boston's had Len Bias been playing). Glen Wesley was a lone bright spot.

We got the 6th pick in the draft and got a precocious kid, Antione Walker (It was concluded a few years later that Walker was trying to get away from Pitino at Kentucky). The Celtics bottomed out at 15-67 that year with a 40% chance of getting Tim Duncan. That is why Pitino took the job to coach Boston. We got the 3rd and 6th picks instead and took Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer. The fullcourt press was on and we shocked the Bulls on opening night of the Pitino era. But Ricky made the 1st of his trade blunders - Chauncey Billups for Kenny Anderson. I think this trade set the tone for the quick fix deals to get the Celtics back to the playoffs and make Gaston some money. The next year, Paul Pierce fell into our laps at #9. Then the NBA lockout happened and the Celtics came to camp out of shape and unresponsive and blundered there way to a 18 and 32 campaign in 1999.

Walker got his fat contract and a hard head and evidently clashed with Pitino. In fact Pitino clashed with everyone and finally in January 2001, Pitino resigned and left the team in Miami. Everyone on the messageboards was calling for Pitino's head. Jim O'Brien took over and the Celtics managed to put together some road wins including a memorable game in Portland. But the Celtics simply did not have the talent to make the playoffs and were left with a 10th, a 13th, and a 21st pick in the 2001 draft. 10th pick was Joe Johnson, 13th was Kedrick Brown (a JVCC kid who could jump high) (Zach Randolph was on the board), and the infamous Joe Forte over Tony Parker pick (Chris Wallace later justified that one on public radio by saying "Well, Quin, we don't use a PG in our system and we traded Forte for financial reasons). Joe Johnson, Milt Palacio, and a couple of other pawn scum were traded for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk and away we went to the 2002 playoffs. We beat Philly in 5 as Pierce went crazy in game 5 and also beat Detriot in 5 games to set up a showdown with K-Mart, Kidd, Richard Jefferson, 2 reliable centers. Finally after 6 games, Pierce and Walker were sent home. There was no way the Celtics could beat the Lakers.

2002 was memorable in that we would not sign Rodney Rogers and we traded for Vin Baker and his albatross contact for about half our team. Somehow we made it back to the second round of the playoffs only to see Walker completely embarrass himself against Kenyon Martin and the Nets.

Good news was that Gaston sold the team to Wyc Grousebeck and company and Danny Ainge was hired to rebuild the Celtics again. We have accumulated a lot of young talent so I think the seeds have a chance of sprouting into some beautiful basketball. There were some mistakes Ainge made like hiring Ainge and signing Blount and Scalabrine. He needs to be careful of trading talent to get Big Names like Iverson that may bring us a few playoff series wins in 2007 to 2009 but will not accomplish the ultimate goal. For this reason, I am not in favor of trading for Alan Iverson.

Ron
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July 12, 2006

In this era of 10 minute oil changes, 1 hour photo developing, and instant everything, we tend to get impatient with anything that takes awhile. This includes basketball. Where in most cases a little impatience won't change much, in basketball impatience can be the difference between continual mediocrity and building a contender. Pitino was impatient with Chauncey Billups and traded him for Kenny Anderson so he would have an instant PG instead of trying to develop Billups into the PG of the future for the Celtics. Billups helped to lead the Pistons to championships while the players we traded for him are out of the league. Jim O'Brien was impatient with Joe Johnson and traded him for instant help to propel them down the stretch. Joe Johnson is now helping other teams get better while the two players we traded him for (Delk and Rodgers) are aging role players. Another example of impatience is Jermaine O'Neal. I see any number of message board posts saying that we should get O'Neal and how good he is. Well, it took O'Neal years to get that way. He was drafted out of high school by Portland in '96 and only averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds his first year. Second year he upped it to 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. In O'Neal's 3rd year in Portland, his averages dropped to 2.5 points and 2.7 rebounds and played in only 36 games due to injury. If he was in Boston I can just read all the posts saying what a bust he is. (Is this sounding familiar by any chance?) In O'Neal's 4th year he averaged 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds. This kid showed promise in high school. Enough that he was the 17th pick in the first round. But yet in 4 years he doesn't seem to be showing a lot of progress. Then, in 2000, he was traded to Indiana for Dale Davis. In his 5th year in the league he finally started to show the talent that was promised when he was drafted. He averaged 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds. If Portland had just a little more patience, they could have this young and promising All Star center on their team. J O'Neal has continued to improve his averages every year after that break out year in his 5th year in the league. By now, you know where I am going with this, I am sure. The Shaq's, the CP3's, the LeBron James's who come into the league and are impressive right away are few and far between. Centers and PG's especially take more time to develop. Especially when you draft a player out of high school or an underclassman, you have to realize that they probably won't be stars right away. Especially with high school players, it is like a whole new world. They have to learn the game all over again on the pro level as it is nothing like the high school game. Along with that, they have to learn to live on their own for the first time, learn how to condition their bodies for the NBA season and their whole lives are in upheaval. Now if we compare Al to J O'Neal, Al is way ahead in terms of his game and development. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 points his first year and 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds his second year, in spite of the injuries. Al is going into just his 3rd year and his numbers improved from his first to his second year. A number of fans are getting impatient and want to move Al because of the injuries and because he isn't dominating like they think he should. But this kind of thinking is why J O'Neal is an All Star in Indiana and not Portland and why Chauncey Billips led the Pistons to a championship and not the Celtics. Sure we can trade our young kids with so much promise for a player who can help us right now... but just as Chauncey, O'Neal and Joe Johnson are starring in the league long after the veteran players they were traded for have fallen by the wayside, if we trade our youth, 3 years from now we will be in the same position and OUR young players breaking out and starring and leading their teams to championships when whoever we get for them are long gone. I for one hope that Danny has learned that patience is a virtue and that being impatient may just doom the Celtics to a perpetual state of mediocrity. source: Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 12, 2006
The Salary Cap has been set at 53.135 million for next year. This represents an increase of 3.6 million dollars. Today is the first day that free agents can sign and many deals had to wait until today to be finalized or even announced. There are reports on several message boards that there is a 6 team blockbuster trade going down today. It was supposed to have begun with a report from a Sacramento sportscaster and there have even been reports that it was reported on WEEI. Several posters mentioned hearing it on Sacramento sports radio. I saw just one poster mention that Simmons confirmed it on WEEI. The next 24 hours are going to be suspenseful and possibly eventful... time will tell.

All of this is unsubstantiated but just putting the rumors out there. Loy's Place will update you when and if anything goes down that involves the Celtics.

[More] source: All around the Boards Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 12, 2006
Reports are that The Truth is close to signing the extension with the Celts. This should put to rest all of the rumors of Pierce wanting to take off for greener pastures. Hopefully it will also give Pierce peace of mind during the season so he can put his all into this team with the goal of winning a championship here in Boston.

LAS VEGAS - The Celtics appear set to solidify Paul Pierce’s future in Boston. While there may still be some details to be ironed out, expect an announcement in the next day or two that the captain has agreed to a three-year extension with the club. Pierce has two years remaining on his present deal and will thus forego his option to sever the contract next summer and become an unrestricted free agent. The issue of Pierce taking off for a team closer to a championship has been raised quite a bit lately, but apparently he was serious about wanting to stay with the Celtics and continue the building process. While it is likely to contain an early out clause, the new arrangement will cover him through the end of the 2010-11 season. [More] source: Herald Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 11, 2006
I can't wait to watch this game on Saturday (9pm Eastern Time on NBA TV). Here is a quote from Gabe Kahn's recap over on Celtics Blog. "...the Summer League team showed off an array fast breaks, alley oops, and outside shooting, highlighted by Telfair’s between the legs pass to a streaking Green who laid down a thunderous dunk with 3:43 left in the third period. It may have been the most spectacular play the Celtics have had since coming to Sin City three years ago." Now if that doesn't excite every Celtics fan, I don't know what will.

Al played a good controlled game and finally looked comfortable out there. Here is a quote from Big Al also from Gabe's recap: “I came out with the mindset of defense first and I felt comfortable,” he said. In regards to his sprained right ankle he said, “It’s a little sore but I still played good. It’s gonna be gone by the summer. When training camp comes, there ain’t gonna be no more problem. Trust me.” Now to paraphrase a quote from Mark Twain... "The reports of Al's demise have been greatly exaggerated!"

Leon Powe had a solid game with 11 points and 5 rebounds in just 16 minutes. Rondo was 5 of 5 from the field and had 6 assists. Telfair had 9 points with 3 rebounds and 10 assists including that highlight reel assist to Green described above. Gomes was again solid with 22 points on 7 of 9 shooting and 9 rebounds. Allan Ray continued with his sharp shooting with 18 points and 2 steals.

The Boston Celtics outplayed the Toronto Raptors in every way possible, easily beating the Raptors, 111-62. The Celtics outscored the Raptors in every quarter in the blowout win. Gerald Green paced the Celtics in scoring with 23 points (8-12 FG, 6-7 FT) and four rebounds, while Ryan Gomes had 22 points (7-9 FG, 8-8 FT) and nine rebounds. Allan Ray pitched in 18 points (7-11 FG) and Rajon Rondo had 13 points (5-5 FG) and six assists. [More] source:LVSL Website Related Site: [Box Score] Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 11, 2006
I have been reading here and there about an eye injury to Allan Ray while he was at Villanova. I found an article from ESPN discussing it and also a video on YouTube. It was definitely a very gruesome injury and the kid has a lot of grit to come back and play in the tournament. I can't help but think that along with that smooth shot Danny likes the kid's heart and toughness. I also like that Foye called Ray the team's vocal leader out there. The more I read and hear about him, I can see why Danny wanted to sign him.

Ray, one of the No. 2-rated Wildcats' integral parts, took an inadvertent finger to his eye from Pitt's Carl Krauser 32 seconds into the second half as Krauser, Ray and Pitt's Ronald Ramon went for a loose ball. According to those who were physically close to Ray, he immediately grabbed his eye and said he couldn't see. "I just seen him hit the floor, cover his eye and holding it," said Krauser, who added that he has known the fellow Bronx native for years. "I thought I hit him in his head because my finger is kind of swollen." Krauser then showed a few members of the media in the Pitt locker room a swollen left index finger. Everyone involved in the Big East tournament took a serious tone about the injury. One member of the Villanova extended family was even seen crying with the initial reports that it was a "severe" eye injury. [More] source:ESPN Related Links: [WARNING: This is a very graphic video of Ray's eye injury. If you have a weak stomach, do NOT view it.] [Allan Ray's Profile] Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 11, 2006
Danny says that he thinks that Gerald will be a special player. I agree. We need to give him time to grow to see it. We are too often impatient and want a player to contribute immediately. But picking mid first round, to get that special player you have to take a chance on a guy who will be special but who will take a couple of years to develop. If we don't give up on him, we will reap the benefits of staying with him.

LAS VEGAS - In his first NBA season out of high school, Gerald Green proved he could play against good players. Now he must prove he can play with them. The point may seem subtle, but to Green and his hopes of playing a larger role with the Celtics, it is perhaps the most significant. “Offensively he has to learn how to score with the team,” said C’s coach Doc Rivers. “Right now the only way he scores is if you give him the ball and then stand around and watch. He has to be able to score and include his teammates.[More] source: Herald Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 10, 2006
I am surprised that Danny gave up on Orien so quickly. I liked Greene and hope he isn't yet another player who comes back to Boston and makes us pay.

The Indiana Pacers don't have room for another point guard at the moment, but they considered this opportunity too promising to pass on. Orien Greene, waived by Boston on Friday, was claimed by the Pacers on Sunday and will join their summer league team in Orlando, Fla., this week. Greene, a second-round draft pick in 2005, played 80 games for the Celtics last season, starting five, and averaged 3.2 points in 15.4 minutes. He shot just 39.5 percent from the field, including 22.5 percent from 3-point range, but is regarded as an outstanding defender. He was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Louisiana Lafayette despite playing with a fractured bone in his right foot. "I was surprised we were able to get him," Pacers president Larry Bird said. "I really like him." Greene was squeezed off the Celtics' roster after they acquired two more point guards June 28 -- Sebastian Telfair via trade and Rajon Rondo with a first-round draft pick. Last year's starter, Delonte West, also returns. The 6-4 Greene signed with the University of Florida out of high school, but transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette after two seasons. Boston coach Doc Rivers praised Greene's intelligence and defense early last season, and described him as "tough as nails." Greene joins a Pacers roster with three point guards already under contract for next season, but a trade could alter that situation. [More] source: Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 10, 2006

In scouring every post and every article I can about the Celtics this summer I see 2 distinct camps emerging. The Koolaid group says that the Celtics have a very talented core and want to see them develop as Celtics and roll the dice with what we have. The Doom and Gloom group seems to think that the Celtics are mediocre at best and we need to trade at least several of our young players to get a big name in here. Going into the first game it was all high expectations but after 2 less than stellar outings by Al and Gerald, the calls for a trade are coming fast and furious. I tend to think that a lot of this is reactionary. Yes, Gerald came into Summer League in less than optimum shape but he is young and will work hard and will get his conditioning back by training camp. He is still young and still has a lot of potential. After Summer League, I expect him to stay on in Boston with the other guys who have been there daily working on their games and he should be in good shape by training camp. This is his first off season and I imagine he was home with his family and not playing a lot of basketball or working out like he should. He will learn and in future off seasons will stick to the regimen. Al, on the other hand has been in Boston and working daily with the conditioning coaches and is in the best condition of his career so far. He is still having problems with the ankle, which is a bit troubling in itself, but he has been working out daily with Clifford Ray and that should be paying some dividends. However, reports from the Summer League say that he often looks lost out there and has been off to slow starts in both games. The one camp says get rid of him now as he will never be any good. The Koolaid camp says that Summer League really doesn't count... his ankle still bothers him, he isn't used to the teammates, he is playing center instead of power forward. All of which could be valid points. The bottom line is that some people are always going to see the bright side of things and some will see the dark side. Summer League really doesn't mean all that much. For one thing it seems like they are playing small ball and that doesn't let the bigs really show what they can do. For another they are playing with guys who won't be on the team and are just getting used to each other. Count me among the Koolaid drinkers who expect this year to be a good one, even without a trade. I expect the work with Clifford Ray to pay off for Perk, Al and DJones. I expect Green to continue his progress and just get better and better. I expect a lot from Gomes, West and Allen this year. From what Danny has been saying, Allan Ray should be a good shooter off the bench if he sticks with the team. I would really like to see Powe get a chance on the team as I think he could really be a good player. He has the grit and determination along with the talent to be a player. Danny may or may not make the blockbuster deal. Pierce may or may not sign the extension. The Summer League team may or may not finish the last 3 games strong. But either way, I expect the opinions and rumors to be coming fast and furious the rest of this off season. So, fasten your seatbelts, pass the Green Koolaid, and get ready for a wild ride. source:FLCeltsFan Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 10, 2006

In the nightcap of Sunday's action at the Toshiba Vegas Summer League, the Los Angeles Clippers ran away from the Boston Celtics in a 78-62 win. The teams played to a one-point differential after the first quarter, but the Celtics' six points in the second allowed the Clippers to build an eight-point cushion by the half. Los Angeles pushed its lead to a 28-point advantage late in the fourth en route to an 18-point victory. [More] source:Celtics.com Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 10, 2006

LAS VEGAS - Danny Ainge’s confidence in working out a new deal for Paul Pierce isn’t a unilateral concept. Pierce’s agent confirmed he and the Celtics are on pace to reach their mutual goal of getting the captain signed to an extension. “We’ve been talking and we’ve been making progress,” Jeff Schwartz said. Pierce has two years remaining on his current contract, but he can opt out of it and become a free agent next summer. Schwartz dismissed talk that Pierce might like to take that route and join a team with a better chance at the title.[More] source: Herald Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July 9, 2006
Gomes sure has become a huge steal for a 50th pick. We can hope that Danny found another couple of steals this year in Leon Powe (#49) and Allan Ray (Undrafted). Free Throw shooting has been a problem for this team, including Pierce, since last season. We need to work on that because we have a lot of players who can get to the rim and draw the foul but if they can't hit the FTs, it really hurts us.

LAS VEGAS -- In a mass of rookies and young free agents at this year's Toshiba Vegas Summer League, Amare Stoudemire, Ron Artest, and perhaps Sebastian Telfair, were considered the established veterans who would be able to toy with the inexperienced competition. Not too many people at UNLV's Cox Pavilion were talking about Ryan Gomes early in the week. By the end of yesterday's first game, though, he might have been leading the way in the "men playing with boys" list. If the Celtics plan to experiment with a double point guard lineup this season they got off to a fast start yesterday with Telfair and first-round draft pick Rajon Rondo both in the starting lineup and sharing the duties. Both had more of an impact when being the primary ball-handler. Telfair also looked to show off his maligned outside shot as he finished with a trio of 3-pointers on 3-of-5 shooting from outside. Overall, he was second on the team with 17 points and had a team-leading six assists to go along with six turnovers. Rondo shone defensively and on the break with eight points, four steals and four assists. Al Jefferson was forced to play mostly center given the Boston roster. He got off to a rough start, but had a much stronger fourth quarter and wound up with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. He showed little effect of the "tweaked" ankle that has been acting up recently. Allan Ray showed off his outside shooting ability with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from distance. Much of his time came in a three-guard set with Telfair and Rondo both joining him on the floor. The Celtics took full advantage of the league's liberal rules regarding fouls. Boston committed 37 infractions in a 40-minute game. Jefferson led the way with seven (there is no fouling out), while Gerald Green and Rondo each had six and Leon Powe, Gomes and Telfair all had five. Boston's poor foul shooting helped keep the game close. The Celtics hit only 18-of-33 from the line (54.5 percent). It was barely better than their 53.0 percent shooting percentage from the floor (35-for-66). The Celtics next play tonight at 10 p.m. (EDT) against the Los Angeles Clippers. They then have tomorrow off and face the Toronto Raptors Tuesday afternoon. [More] source:Milford Daily News Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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