August 12, 2006

Esco33 posted this on Celtics Green. He makes excellent points. I think this team will have excellent chemistry. They had great chemistry last year and I believe that the new players will fit right in. I believe that the bench will be much stronger this year and should be able to provide scoring, something that they couldn't do last year. Perk is going to take another step forward and will be very solid. I agree with Esco also that the Power Forward position is the dark horse. Will Jefferson finally begin to play up to the hype? Will his ankles hold up? Will Gomes outplay him for the starting position? I think the biggest question mark about this team will be whether they play defense or not and that rests for the most part with Doc. Here is Esco's post...

Well, having been inspired by DM's post about Bassy, and what he needs to do to be a top 12 PG, I will pose the question what will it take for the Celtics "number/stat wise" for them to be a top team in the East? If we are talking about numbers, (the only way to measure a team's success on paper) then I will post my thoughts on this. Obviously no matter how the good the numbers are, a team will not go anywhere without chemistry, teamwork, cohesion passion/determination, etc. (See the Yankees 2002-present) Assuming that the 2006-2007 Celtics will be a cohesive, energetic, positive, and passionate group of players that play as a team and worry about the name in front of the jersey rather than the name in the back, let's see what numbers need to be produced for us to be successful in the East. Danny acquired 2 pure point guards during the offseason, in hopes of getting everyone to run. This will hopefully lead to more easy baskets for everyone so even Scals can score on the break. (Scary thought though) Just kidding Scals. I like you. Whoever starts at point guard, or combination thereof needs to rack up some serious assists for our team to be competitive the way it has been set up right now with DA. Here is my projected lineup: Point Guard Telfair: 10-12 points, 7 assists, 2 steals These are basic solid point guard numbers. The 7 assists are key. If Bassy puts up 7 assists a game, we will be in a much better position in the East and it will mean that the ball is being spread around most likely giving different players the opportunity to score, and making our offense more unpredictable. No more Pierce isolations and running down the clock. Shooting Guard Pierce: 25 points, 7 boards, 4-5 assists would be enough from him. Wally may play here but I'll just say Pierce. Paul just needs to keep on doing what he has been doing. Continuing to play at a high level and within the running system. He does not need to score 30 points a game for this team to be successful, just make clutch shots late in the game and continue being our go-to-guy. I would not even mind if he plays 2-3 minutes less a game to give him a rest and to let younger type players like G $, TA, and AR a chance to play a little more. Small Forward Wally: 18-19 points, 5 boards, 5 assists I think Wally is really key here. DA acquired him to be that complementary scorer for Pierce. He needs to stay healthy and NOT play 40 minutes a game. If he does his knee will fall off. He needs to play within the running system which he seemed to like doing last year, play tough tenacious D, stay in front of his man, and just keep hitting those deep 2's and 3's as well as posting up his smaller defender on offense. I would like to see Wally average 5 assists a game as well. It is very possible for him to do that in our offense if he moves the ball around, which he does very well. (Last year he had 10 assists in a game.) Power Forward Big Al/Gomes????: 16 points, 8 boards 1.5 blocks (and be able to play offense smoothly within the running game) This is the real dark horse position on our roster, the starting power forward spot. I think everyone all wants it to be Big Al’s but Gomes proved himself last year that he was WAY more ready than Big Al. Ideally, this is Big Al’s spot to lose. With the surgery on his ankle being completed, I am HOPING that his ankle injuries are gone, or at least won’t be a huge issue anymore. Time will tell that story. We need BIG production from our power forward spot. We do not have the luxury of having a center who can demand a double team, although Perk (I love this kid) made great strides last year on offense, so our PF needs to make baskets. I will assume Big Al will start, and he will need to control the low block as well as keep defenses honest with a little jump shot. So far he hasn’t shown me that he can make this shot. Derren seems to think that he can. I am not so sure yet. He needs to play better D and REBOUND. Perk needs some help on the glass unless we all expect Perk to average 16 boards a game. Center Perkins: 11 points, 11 boards, 3 blocks (Nowadays, these numbers are All-Star numbers for a center, but I believe Perk is up to the challenge) The center position I am not worried about, only depth. I really believe that Perk will lock it down this year and cement himself as one of the better young defensive centers in the league. I expect double-double Jamaal Magloire type numbers from him easily, as long as that shoulder stays in there. His number one concern is staying out of foul trouble. If he does that, I think that these types of numbers could very easily be put up from the center spot. These are just the numbers for the starters. No sports team, especially basketball, will be competitive without a good bench that provides depth, flexibility, and versatility. I will assess the bench's stats later..... More source: Esco33 - Celtics Green Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 12, 2006

Today we profile Paul Pierce. Find out how Pierce got his nickname, about the stabbing that not only almost ended his career but his life as well, and about his Truth Fund that does much good in the community.

Paul Pierce was born and grew up in Inglewood, California. Pierce was the star of his Inglewood High School basketball team having started all four years. Paul also participated in the 1995 slam dunk competition along with fellow future NBA all-star Vince Carter. Pierce went to the University of Kansas and played there 3 seasons before becoming an early entry in the NBA Draft. Pierce averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at the University of Kansas, and earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. He majored in Crime and Delinquency Studies. In the draft, he inexplicably slid to the 10th pick where the Celtics very happily grabbed him. Pierce got his nickname, "The Truth," from Shaquille O'Neal. After a Lakers' victory over Boston in March of 2001, O'Neal pulled a Boston reporter over and gestured toward his notepad. "Take this down," said O'Neal. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the (expletive) truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the truth." And from that time on, Pierce has been called The Truth. Pierce has been known for his toughness. He rarely misses a game or a practice. In September of 2000, just minutes after entering a Boston dance club in the early morning hours, he was jumped from behind by three men. He was sucker-punched, a bottle was broken over his right eye, a knife was plunged through the back of his leather jacket six inches deep into his body and he received 10 other stab wounds and he required lung surgery. Three weeks later he was back at practice for the Celtics and played the entire 2000-2001 season, averaging 25.3 points. In 2004, in a game against the Blazers, Pierce hit the game winner. This in itself wasn't so amazing as he had done it many times before. But, the night before he had been fouled hard by Amare Stoudamire and lost several teeth. He spent 7 hours in the dentist's chair having them repaired and still started the game against the Blazers that night, hitting the game winner. Last season, his had bursitis in his elbow. At times, his elbow was very swollen and he had to have it drained several times before games. But yet, he played through the pain and didn't miss games or practice because of it until Doc shut him down at the end of the year after the Celtics were definitely out of the playoffs. Pierce has not only played for the Celtics but has also represented the USA on several teams. He participated in the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival for the West Team that finished 1-3 and in fourth place, averaged 9.5 ppg., 4.0 rpg., and 2.0 apg. He was a member of the 1996 USA U21 World Championship Qualifying Team that also played an exhibition game against the 1996 USA Basketball Senior National Team and almost pulled off a monumental upset. The USA collegians led the NBA stars by as many 17 points, however the USA seniors rallied late to capture a narrow 96-90 decision. He was amember of the 1996 USA U21 World Championship Qualifying Team that finished 5-0 and won the gold medal, averaged 9.4 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 1.2 apg., 1.6 spg. He was Member of the 2002 USA World Championship Team that finished 6-3 and in sixth place, averaged 19.8 ppg., 4.6 rpg. and 3.9 apg. He very unfairly was made a scapegoat for this team's failure. He wanted to redeem himself and made it no secret that he wanted to be part of the team being put together this past year for the next Olympics. On March 5, 2006, he was named to the the 2006-2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program. However he couldn't compete for a spot for this year's Worlds due to the surgery on his elbow to prepare for next season. Pierce is also very active in the community and does much to help others. He was raised by his mother, Lorraine Hosey and every year at Thanksgiving, he puts on a big dinner for the single mothers in the area in her honor. The Truth Fund was founded by Boston Celtics co-captain Paul Pierce in May of 2002. It was developed as a means for Paul to streamline all his charitable efforts and make an impact on the lives of disadvantaged youth in the Greater Boston area as well as in his hometown of Inglewood, CA. The mission of the Truth Fund is to provide educational and life-enriching opportunities for disadvantaged youth. Paul's vision of the Fund is to ensure that opportunities are available for young people to recognize their dreams through mentoring programs, technology and other educational needs as well as fostering stable and safe environments for children. Pierce along with Baron Davis hosted "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a celebrity All-Star weekend of events raising funds for charity. This event was hosted by NBA legend Magic Johnson for the past 20 years and was handed over to Davis and Pierce for the first time this year. The proceeds went to The Truth Fund, The Baron Davis Foundation and The Magic Johnson Foundation. Pierce's attitude and style of play have won him praise from the Celtics' owners and even from Red Auerbach himself. "He's one of my favorite kids," said Auerbach, the former Boston coach and general manager who helped develop Hall of Famers Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Larry Bird. "Pierce is a typical Celtics kid. All he wants to do is win." Auerbach himself was on hand to present the first annual Red Auerbach Award to Paul Pierce this past season. It was awarded to the player who best exemplifies what it means to be a Celtic. After the 2004-2005 season, many expected Pierce to be traded. He struggled much of the year with Doc River's system that focused less on his one on one play and more on team play. There were even times when Doc had to bench him because he wasn't running and wasn't following the game plan. It all came to a head in the playoffs when he lost his cool and was ejected in a game against the Pacers and then later showed up at the press conference with his jaw bandaged. However, he did a lot of soul searching over the off season and came back a much happier player. He was a mentor to the younger players and seemed genuinely happy to be in Boston and to like the young players that surrounded him. Trade rumors involving Paul Pierce have swirled ever since Danny Ainge returned as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations in May of 2003. They seemed to be everwhere after his melt down in the playoffs against the Pacers. But after a stellar season on and off the court, Pierce said that he wanted to remain a Celtic. Ainge laid most of these rumors to rest in the 2006 offseason by signing Paul Pierce to a 3 year, (approximately) $59 million contract extension. Pierce had his best season as a Celtic last year, in spite of battling a sore elbow most of the second half of the season. He has improved almost every season so far and we can only hope that trend continues. Pierce will be at the heart of the Celtics' 17th championship team. And that's The Truth... Related Site: Paul's Official Website Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 11, 2006

Derrenmatts over on Celtics Green once again posted a great piece. He asks what it would take for Bassy to break into the top 12 PGs in the league. He makes excellent points and I share his thoughts with you here. What do you think? Can Bassy be a top 12 PG? Will his game take off now that he is in a new system? Will Bassy win the starting job this season? Will Rondo eventually be better than Telfair? A lot of questions to be answered this season...

What will it take for Bassy to break into the top 12 among PG's? First lets look at who the top 12 are: Steve Nash Chris Paul Chauncy Billups Baron Davis Gilbert Arenas Tony Parker Jason Kidd Andre Miller Mike Bibby Kirk Hinrich Brevin Knight Luke Ridnour Comparing Telfair to any of these guys may be out of the question at this point because they've proven to be good PG's for more than a couple of seasons. But this just may be a case of Telfair being undeveloped compared to where these guys are right now. Aside from Jason Kidd and Chris Paul, who came out strong from their rookie season (averaging better than 7 apg), most of these top PG's started off slowly like Telfair. Does Telfair have the skills and abilities that these PG's have, albeit undeveloped and untapped? I think he does. He definitely has the court vision like most of these PG's have, maybe even better than some of them. Telfair's problem is he tries to make a lot of spectacular passes when all he really needs to do is make a simpler pass. He has to learn when to take chances and when not to. But as for having the eyes and vision of a good PG to see plays developing and delivering crisp passes in difficult angles, Telfair has them. Telfair definitely has the ball handling like the good PG's. He's adept at going left or right, making quick, strong and accurate passes with his left and right, and dribbling through traffic and double teams. He's definitely quick enough to shift gears and get past defenders. This causes defenses to adjust, which leaves openings for his teammates. Good PG's control the ball, the tempo, and their teammates look for them to set up the offense and get them shots to take. Telfair has the making to do all of these, its just that his teammates need time to adjust to him and have the trust and confidence in him to run the team. Pierce seemed to work well when Chucky Atkins came over for half the '04 season, and he was probably the closest thing to a true PG Pierce has played with since being in the NBA. Playing along with Telfair is not all that different. Telfair is going to look to create shots and scoring opportunities for himself and teammates. If Pierce and the rest of the guys want shots, they'll need to work with Telfair and get acquainted to moving without the ball. What Telfair lacks physically are long arms and optimal height. But Nash, Paul and Knight have done alright despite not having gorilla arms and SG's stature, so he'll have to find a way to adjust. Part of the argument for Telfair's inability to make an impact so far in his 2 seasons as a pro is his playing for a system that was not built for him. Nate McMillan, Portland's coach as well as a Telfair supporter, notes that Bassy's style just didn't fit in with the way Portland was running the offense. While Portland opted to go with a halfcourt offense to cater to their star PF Zach Randolph, Telfair is like a Ferrari that is built for speed and running. It wasn't a match made in heaven. Switching over to Boston, where Doc and Ainge are preaching speed and athleticism in an uptempo offense, Telfair's game may finally find a good match. It just may be the place where he finally makes his impact. source:Derrenmatts - Celtics Green Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 11, 2006
One of the hardest positions to fill is the Center position. I believe that the Celtics have filled it quite well with Perk. By taking him out of high school and having a little patience while he develops, I believe that we will have a dominant center for years to come.

It is no secret that I really love this kid. He, like Powe has gone through some tough times and has come out much tougher because of it. His mother died when Perk was only 5 years old. His dad was rarely around which still hurts him. His grandparents raised him and were there to give advice, direction and comfort. But his grandparents didn't know much about basketball except that Kendrick seemed to have an aptitude for the game. His high school coach at Ozen High School, Andre Bouette, became his mentor as far as making basketball decisions and became the father figure he didn't have in his life. At first, Kendrick wanted to play football but Bouette wisely pointed him toward basketball instead. He chose to forego college and enter the NBA draft right out of high school after leading his team to a 96 and 3 record over his final 3 years in high school. Senior (2002-03): He averaged 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocked shots in his senior year and he helped Ozen to a 33-1 record. He was named All State in all three seasons. He was the 27th pick in the 2003 draft, chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies and subsequently traded to the Celtics. His profile on NBAdraft.net says this about him: "Unlike many young players his age, Perkins is not infatuated with playing on the perimeter. He plays strictly a power game and is capable of dominating the low post ... Fundamentally he has added various offensive moves, from a drop step, to an up-and-under, and even the rarely utilized jump hook which he can shoot over most defenders ... Perkins is very mobile around the lane and he has no problem running on the break despite his size ... Has an excellent pair of hands that can catch most passes thrown into the post. Once there, his soft touch around the basket allows him to convert easily ... Does a good job of drawing contact to bait his defender into fouling . Has shown decent passing skills when double teams occur ... Physically he has an NBA build that has yet to fill out ... An above average rebounder who uses his body to gain good position under the glass ... Possesses solid footwork on defense enabling him to stay in front of most defenders ... Each year he has developed in some area of his game ... Work ethic remains strong despite all the hype." In Perk's first year, he played very little, averaging only 3 minutes per game and racking up 72 DNP's. In spite of this, he worked very hard that year to remake his body and build his conditioning. His second year wasn't much better. He averaged 9 mpg in 60 games. But he continued to work on his body and conditioning and when he got a chance to play, he showed a lot of promise. Last year, his third in the league, he still was given very little playing time and had several DNP's until the Mark Blount trade. He finally was given more minutes and averaged 19 mpg. But he still took a back seat to Raef as far as playing time. He was coming on strong when he dislocated his shoulder and had to sit out while it healed. Over the summer he once again dislocated his shoulder while working out with Clifford Ray and underwent surgery to avoid further problems with it. All reports have been positive and he has been healing well and will definitely be ready for training camp. Perk has made himself into one of the toughest players on the Celtics and in the league. His work ethic is second to none and each year he improves his game in some areas. Center is one of the toughest positions to fill and the Celtics have filled this position with a very tough rebounder and shot blocker. He gives the Celtics something they haven't had in many years, and that is an enforcer. With more playing time and some tutelage from Clifford Ray, I believe that Perk can establish himself as one of the premier centers in the league. Related Site: Interview with Perk Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 10, 2006

Slam online has posted an interview with Kevin Garnett. In it, Garnett says that if the Wolves don't improve considerably, he wants out of Minnesota. He doesn't sound as if he is very happy with what the Wolves have done so far. The Celtics could put together one of the better packages to bring him in. Danny and Kevin are friends and have dealt with each other before. Could Garnett demand a trade by the trade deadline this year? Hoopshype indicates that after this year, Garnett can opt out of his contract. We don't have the cap room to sign him as a free agent but could put together a nice package for a sign and trade.

Would Boston be an attractive enough team to bring him here?
Boston has a great core of very promising young players. Even with trading several to bring Garnett in, we would still have a deep team. We have a star in Pierce and we have 2 very good young point guards. Would that be enough to assure KG that Boston would become a championship team with him on it?

Would Garnett come to the team if Wally was still here since they reportedly didn't get along very well before Wally was traded here? Wally would add another very good veteran presence along with Pierce. That would put Pierce at the 2, Wally at the 3 and KG at the 4 along with Perk in the center and Telfair or Rondo at the Point. A pretty good starting lineup with good depth behind them. Would it be enough?

Would it be wise for Danny to keep the group as it is now and let this group show what they can do and improve this year and wait to see if KG opts out or demands a trade. Chances are that the Wolves won't improve all that much with "Stonehands" Blount as their center and Mike James as their PG. The Celtics as they are right now should be an improved team over last year if they can stay healthy. It would give Al a chance to prove that he is going to live up to his promise. It would give us a chance to look at the newer players to know which to keep and which we can trade. It would give Doc time to prove that he can coach or to prove that the team will never get better unless he is replaced. Giving this team a chance to play without any changes would answer a lot of questions.

I think there is a good chance that Garnett will be available either at the trade deadline or next off season, either by demanding a trade or opting out of his contract after this season. I believe that the Celtics will have as good a chance as any to land him in a trade or a sign and trade. I believe the Celtics will show enough promise to be a viable option for Garnett to want to come here. I believe it is worth the chance to wait and see. What do you think?

"But one thing that I can’t stand is if I’m working hard and the organization upstairs isn’t working hard, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to me. That’s not fair to a person who’s actually trying to get a championship. I feel like when it works is when both sides are just as active and as hungry." "Would you want to leave, if the T-Wolves don’t get better… I got to… …down the road somewhere? …I got to. If you’re not working towards a championship, then why are we in this? I’m in it to win, man, I’m not in it to be coming back talking about next year. I’m 30. I’ve probably got 4 to 5 years, you know what I’m saying?" [More] source:SlamOnline Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 10, 2006

In a little blurb in the Rocky Mountain News, Harrington's agent says that he is interested in Boston among other teams. If Harrington is interested in Boston, that must mean that Danny has contacted him about possibly coming to Boston. I am not sure if he is what we need, though.

HARRINGTON INTERESTED: Free agent forward Al Harrington said the Nuggets have contacted Arn Tellem, who officially becomes his agent Aug. 16. "Yeah, definitely," Harrington said of his interest in going to the Nuggets in a sign-and-trade. "When you look at Denver's situation, they want to make some noise." Harrington last week fired his agent, Andy Miller, citing "personal reasons." In addition to the Nuggets, he said he is interested in Indiana, Boston, Golden State and Minnesota. [More] source: Rocky Mountain News Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 9, 2006

Pierce finally has the surgery on his elbow. Hopefully the rehab will go well and he will be 100% for the beginning of training camp. Let's hope this is the last Celtic that will need to be operated on this summer...

BOSTON - The Boston Celtics announced today that Paul Pierce had successful minor arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow at New England Baptist Hospital. The surgery was performed by Team Physician Dr. Brian McKeon and assisted by Dr. John Richmond. Pierce is expected to begin rehabilitation immediately under the medical staff's supervision and is expected to return by the start of Training Camp. More] source:Celtics.com Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 9, 2006

I was checking for news this morning and saw this headline on Hoopsworld: "The Knicks Looking To Emphasize Defense." Within the article, was this sentence, "Winning championships starts with defense." The article was all about how the signings this summer by the Knicks all lean toward the fact that they are working toward an emphasis on defense, which was an area where the team lacked sorely last year. It also said that the moves they have made gives them "one of the youngest, quickest and most defensively adept front courts in the league."

I have always been a big proponent of defense. I loved that movie with Kevin Bacon where he goes to Africa to recruit a player. My favorite movie line ever is where he is teaching the natives to play basketball and says, "Defense is more important than breathing." My son was Defensive Player of the Year every year he played high school basketball. He would have been in trouble if he had done anything less. I agree wholeheartedly that winning Championships begins with defense. The great teams of the past and the ones that won championships had great defensive stoppers on them and they played tough in your face defense. You can win a championship without superstars, as the Pistons recently proved, but you can't win one without playing tough defense.

I guess that is why Doc's statement last year bothered me so much. He stated that he stressed offense in practice because that is the hardest to pick up and they would develop the defense while practicing the offensive sets. He said, "After all, while half the team is practicing the offense, the other half is playing defense. This statement just really upset me (and still does, as you can tell). It shows that Doc doesn't realize the importance of defense and doesn't know how to coach it.

Danny Ainge talked a lot about the need for our defense to improve this year. He says that he and Doc are on the same page. If they are, is Danny as clueless about how to institute a team defense as Doc is? Danny talks a lot about our need to improve the defense, but what kind of free agents did he sign this year? He signed Pittsnogle, noted for his 3 point shot and his lack of playing defense. According to NBAdraft.net "Not a defensive presence, lacks great explosiveness to block shots." Danny also signed Allan Ray. Here is what NBAdraft.net says about Ray, "His lack of size and strength makes him a defensive liability on the next level ... Off the ball defense is just average, not good at anticipating passes for steals ." It seems that he talks defense and on one hand brings in a player like Rondo on the strength of his defense and then on the other hand he brings in players who are the exact opposite.

We have athletic players who are capable of playing great team defense. We have a couple of defensive stoppers in Rondo, and Tony Allen. We have other players who can play defense if they have a coach to teach them. Will Doc teach defense in practice? Will Doc encourage them to play defense? Will Doc actually put an emphasis on defense? The answers to those questions will determine how good this team can actually be.

Will Danny give Doc the ultimatum that either the team plays defense or he will get a coach who will? Danny and Doc both talk about wanting to run, but in order to run we need to rebound. You can't be a good rebounding team when you play small ball against a bigger team and that is what Doc seems to like to do. And Danny signs bigs who seem to have an aversion to rebounding - Raef, Blount, Pittsnogle... We are weak in the middle. Perk is going to continue to improve and will be a solid center. Ratliff will be good, if healthy, but that is a big if. We really can't depend on that. Jefferson still is a question mark as we don't know how his ankles will do and if he can ever get over the fear of re-injuring the ankle. Powe and Gomes have a knack for rebounding and will be solid, but are undersized for the 4. Jones shows promise but for some reason gets no playing time, even in the Summer League. He can rebound and play defense, but Doc would rather play bigs who don't rebound and shoot the three.

One bright spot that brings hope of change is the signing of Clifford Ray. He has done some great things with bigs in the past and I believe that he will really help here in Boston. In the Summer League, if you watched the games, you would have seen him yelling instructions on the sidelines and being very vocal. I believe that he may show Doc how to used the bigs under the basket instead of out past the arc.

The Knicks have addressed their needs and plan to stress defense... Hopefully the Celtics will do the same, but the burden rests on Doc to do so.

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August 9, 2006

Gerald Green has shown a great deal of improvment from when he was drafted until now. No one doubts that Gerald can score but he has had to learn NBA defenses and getting his points within the team concept. He has made big strides in improving these areas. Hopefully he will continue to get minutes this year and continue improving. I am also excited about another Celtic winning the Slam Dunk Contest... But I am getting ahead of myself ... Here is today's profile of Gerald Green.

In the 2005 draft, the Celtics got what is considered by most GM's as 2 steals. They picked up Ryan Gomes with the 50th pick and with the 18th pick, the Celtics picked Gerald Green, the high school phenom out of Gulf Shores Academy in Houston, Texas. Gerald is the son of Gerald, Sr, a retired firefighter, and Brenda Green. He was born on January 26, 1986, at half time of Super Bowl XX. His nickname is G-Money. He didn’t play basketball his freshman and sophomore years at Dobie High School in Houston. He played his junior season at Dobie but then transferred to Gulf Shores Academy, where he repeated his junior year and played his senior year. He originally committed to Oklahoma State but decided to enter the draft when it seemed that he would be a lottery pick. He was named a 2004 McDonald’s All-American and played in the McDonald’s High School All-America game. NBAdraft.net compares Gerald to Tracy McGrady and has this to say about him, "Everything this kid does is silky smooth, even hard drives to the lane capped with the empahatic dunk seem easy... Has supreme athleticism, and gets many points off ally oop dunks as well as on drives to the hole... Has a very quick, effortless release on his jump shot. Combine that with great elevation and you have an almost unblockable shot... Most of the shots go in, in fact his jump shot from midrange to outside is one of his defining qualities... Loves to spot up for the open three, or stop and pop for the 15 footer... Overall just a sick scorer from outside ... Even At 6'8 he handles the ball like a guard, often starting (and finishing) the fast break... Loves to run the floor for the ally oop dunk, but also knows when to pass the ball... Most of those passes get right where they need to be ... However, those fast breaks don't just start themselves, Gerald is often the one creating the turnovers.. His long arms and tremendous athleticism lead to lots of blocked shots and steals. Often creating the turnover, starting the break, and finishing with a monster dunk... Also rebounds exceptionally well for a guard/forward his size... The total package, an all around player who will do whatever it takes to win. There aren't many with his gifts at his size... With time and effort this kid will be something special." Green was projected to go in the top 5 by virtually every mock draft on the internet. It truly amazed everyone in the Celtics Nation when he was still there when they picked at 18. No one really knows why he slipped that far, but there have been a couple of conjectures. One is that Gerald is missing part of a finger on his shooting hand. When he was 11, Gerald was playing in his Houston home, where he had put up a makeshift hoop over a doorway. He was wearing his mother's class ring and caught the ring on a nail that was holding up the basket. "I was trying to see how high I could jump,'' he said. Almost a decade later, Green's father, Gerald Sr., still cringes when talking about the accident. "They couldn't re-attach it,'' the elder Green said. "So they had to shave off part of his finger. I had nightmares about it.'' In spite of this injury, Gerald had developed a silky smooth shot and doesn't seem to have any problems handling the ball. A more realistic possibility is that his agent wouldn't let him work out against other players in the pre-draft workouts in order to limit the chance of injury. Several of the teams who may have taken him began to doubt his competitiveness. He never even worked out for the Celtics because they felt he would be gone long before they picked at #18. Gerald's is a great kid and all of his Celtics' teammates really like being around him and some have even described him as being like an eager puppy. One writer said that "He oozes humility." .His dad has done a good job of keeping him grounded in that he had Gerald out mowing and edging the lawn the day before the draft. After being selected by the Celtics, Gerald said, "I've always been a big Celtics fan, especially Larry Bird. I haven't gotten a chance to meet him yet, but hopefully I will. I own a bunch of throwbacks, and I had a Larry Bird jersey that I loved to wear, but my little brother accidentally spilled some Kool-Aid on it. It was an all white one, so now I have to get a new one. Thing is, now I'm going to have my own Celtics jersey, so that's even better. It's a trip to think people are going to be wearing my jersey. First time I see it, that's just going to be crazy." It is that kind of refreshing attitude that has endeared Gerald to everyone around him. Once being chosen by the Celtics, it didn't take Gerald long to make others notice him. In his very first Summer League game, Green wowed the Cox Pavilion crowd with an electrifying dunk that was still being shown on a videotape loop in the arena lobby five days later and that Boston team president Danny Ainge called "one of the best" he's ever seen. Taking a pass on the wing just beyond the free throw line, the 6-foot-8 Green spun around his man, drove baseline, elevated high over 6-11 Clippers forward Mark Bortz and threw down an emphatic tomahawk jam. Bortz, who had slid over in a futile attempt to stop Green, wound up getting called for a blocking foul on the play as he landed backward on the floor. Green got a free throw -- which he sank -- and a lot of hoots and hollers from his Celtics teammates on the bench. "I was open and I dunked," Green said later with a shrug. "I wasn't real worried about it. The game was close. I was just trying to win. Some of the guys said they'd never seen anything like that before, but I think they were just blowing me up. I'm sure they've seen it before, especially on this team with guys like Ricky Davis and Paul Pierce and Tony Allen." There's that humility again. When the regular season started Gerald wasn't getting much playing time and Danny felt it would be best for him to go to the D League for awhile. Gerald was sent to the Fayetteville Patriots where he averaged 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists. When he was called back up to the parent team, he seemed to have grown a lot. He also had a very brief stint with the Florida Flame. His time in the D League gave him much needed confidence and a chance to work on his defense. After being called up from the D League he got a chance to play because of the injuries to Wally and Pierce and West and did very well. He appeared in 32 games and averaged 11.8 minutes, 5.2 points, and 1.2 rebounds during these contests. Who could forget his dunks against Toronto at the end of the year? Certainly Toronto didn't. There were pages and pages of posts on the Raptors' message boards about those dunks, not to mention quite a few on the Celtics' boards also after the first dunk. Then, a few days later, he once again finished the game against Toronto with another emphatic exclamation point! This summer Gerald once again brought down the house and supplied the Summer League with the play that everyone was talking about when he received a between the legs pass from Telfair and took it in for a monster jam. It has been rumored that Green was being offered in trades by Danny. Gerald is the player with the highest ceiling of all our kids and the one who has the best chance of reaching that ceiling. With a little more patience, the Celtics will have a perennial all star, not to mention a future slam dunk champion. Most Celtics fans are hoping that he stays a Celtic for many years to come. Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 8, 2006

I just saw this post from our own JB of CelticsStuff Live. Justin his partner in crime has posted it over on Celtics 17. You know, JB is right, we should be counting our blessings that we don't have any news like we have gotten in the past and like other teams are getting on a daily basis. New York fans have to cringe every time they open the paper not knowing what kind of dumb move Isaiah will make next. I like the team that Danny is putting together and wouldn't be disappointed to see us go into the season without making any other moves. In a week or so we will get news out of Chicago about Tony's trial that starts on the 14th. We should be getting some good reports as our walking wounded start to heal and work out. But JB is right... sometimes no news is much better than the alternative...

Instead of lamenting the fact that there are no Celtic stories in the main stream media today, I'm counting my blessings. No headlines means that no Celtic has had a sudden, unexpected "medical procedure." There have been no bar fights involving any of our rookies. In fact, not a single Celtic player has even been seen pissing on any patron's shoes. Not a single player was arrested driving through suburban villages at ungodly speeds. None of our veteran "character" guys have had to to be tasered in Miami. Our coach and general manager were not spotted giving clandestine interviews on traffic islands in New Jersey. We have not traded our future for the most selfish, most tattooed, coach baiting, posse hanging, gun totingest player in league history. We didn't pay $10,000,000.00 per season to a Brazilian power forward, or a Long Island shooter, or a Jayhawk center, with bad knees. In fact, we haven't even signed a sluggish, overweight, non rebounding, non shooting, red headed free agent, to a five year deal. Our owner has not been indicted for discriminatory housing practices, lost the team at the crap tables, or threatened to sell the team to Chinese investors, or move the team to Cranston, or been charged as an accessory to sexual harassment. Yup, no news is good news in the off season. [More] source: Celtics 17 Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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July , 2006

Ok, Banks just arrived in Phoenix and is already causing controversy. That's the way to win friends and influence people, Marcus!! Now, the question in my mind isn't who is the fastest, but who is the most effective. Banks is fast, there is no doubt about that, but he rarely was totally under control and rarely looked to find the open man.

The Celtics have two pretty quick guards now who have replaced Banks after he was shipped to the Wolves. Rondo and Telfair are every bit as fast as Banks, if not faster. But the difference I see with them is that they play more under control and they look to direct the offense and find the open man rather than to set themselves up for the shot. Banks was always me first and never did seem to get the team first concept. He tended to pout when asked to put the team before himself and became a malcontent in Boston. Unless he changes, I expect the same to happen in Phoenix.

As for the Celtics' current PGs, Rondo impressed me in the SL games I watched. He is incredibly fast (I would say faster than Banks, but I guess I am a bit prejudiced) but he was always under control and always looking to set up the open man. I have read that Rondo can't shoot but either he has been working on it or the Denver game was a fluke because his shot looked pretty good there. Telfair is also very fast and also looks to find the open man and direct the offense but he didn't seem to have the control that Rondo did. From the reports out of Las Vegas, Rondo and Telfair became quick friends and so I don't expect any controversy or problems in Boston between their PGs. They will both work for the good of the team. Both just want to win.

It should be interesting to see how it all plays out in Phoenix, but I am quite happy that Banks is no longer here. He will cause division wherever he goes as long as he puts himself before the good of the team. It should also be interesting in Boston this year to see who wins the starting PG job and who emerges as the leader by the end of the year. I predict Telfair starting at PG to begin the season but Rondo being the starter by the end of the year. West will play mostly at the 2 but also back up at the 1 when needed. He may be a candidate for 6th man of the year. What do you think?

Barbosa vs. Banks The controversy may not end until the middle of Suns training camp in October. Amaré Stoudemire's comeback? No. Boris Diaw's contract extension negotiations? No. Steve Nash's hair length? No. No, everyone is waiting to see whether newcomer Marcus Banks really is as fast or, gulp, faster with a basketball than Leandro Barbosa. Nash's new backup didn't back down when he arrived last month to sign his five-year, $21 million deal, saying, "I'm a competitor, so I'm going to say myself." When Barbosa rolled through town last week to sign his five-year extension worth at least $33 million, Republic NBA writer Paul Coro informed him Banks had laid down the gauntlet. Barbosa smiled and his eyes widened with that "We'll see about that" look. "I think he's fast but not faster," Barbosa said. Barbosa's agent, Merle Scott, said he was talking to Banks two months ago in Miami when Banks made the claim that he was the league's fastest. "You might be one of the fastest but Barbosa is one of the fastest, too," Scott said. "Nobody is the fastest." source:AZCentral.com Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 8, 2006

In his post on 8/2 that I have included below, Derren brings up something that is in many of our minds... Most of us are sure that the team will be better. The kids will improve and if healthy, the team will be better just by virtue of having everyone playing at full strength. But will Doc improve? We can point to several games where Doc's substitutions or in game coaching were the reason for a loss. Two come to mind without even having to search... Not covering the inbound pass and allowing Rip Hamilton to rip out our hearts in the second game of the season and leaving Kyle Korver open for a 3 to win the game when if we had fouled and not allowd them to shoot the 3, we would have won.

As anyone who has read my posts knows, I was completely disgusted by the fact that Doc didn't put a premium on defense. Teams can't win a championship without being a strong defensive team. Doc said in one interview last year that he stresses offense in practice because that is the hardest to learn and they pick up defense while practicing offense because while half of the team is working on the offensive sets, the other half is playing defense. That statement has grated on me ever since I first heard it.

Danny mentioned the need for better defense in just about every interview after the season. Will Doc get the message and actually work on defense this year? We have players who are capable of playing tough defense... Rondo, Tony, West, Telfair, Perk, Ratliff, and more. But will Doc position them to play defense? Will he have Perk and Al out on the perimeter or will they be allowed to play under the basket where they can block shots and rebound? Will he actually work on team defense in practice or let them pick it up from playing defense while practicing the offensive sets? Will he continue to play veterans like Scal who are doing nothing good out there while Perk or Gomes or Powe sits on the bench who could play much better?

I agree with Derren's assessment below that Doc is on the hot seat. I think he will need to do a better job of managing the substitutions and make better in game decisions. He will also need to stress defense. If he doesn't get it done on the defensive end, he may not be around after the All Star break. I believe that what will make or break Doc this year will be his attitude toward team defense. I hope that he takes Danny's talk about the need for defense seriously and sees the importance of working on it. He is great working with the players and has done a good job of getting Pierce to play the best ball of his career. But that won't be enough to keep him if he doesn't do all the other things.

I've been a Doc Rivers supporter since day 1. I like him as a person and I think he has good people skills. I even overlooked some of his coaching strategies, summing it up to inexperience as a head coach. But this has to be the last chance for Rivers to show that he can coach this team to a title. He doesn't have to coach our team to a title this year (though it would be nice ), but he certainly has to show that he can coach this team to a winning record. We have good players on the team to get us at least to .500. Actually, if we finish this season at 41-41, that would be a big disappointment. Doc should be able to coach this team to a 45 win season at the minimum. But most importantly, he has to show that he can get this team to become a defensive unit. All the strategies and schemes he used last year didn't work out so well, and I don't want it to be the same story again this year. I want us to be a strong rebounding team and I want our team to be able to get stops when we need it. Ainge has a lot of excellent players to build his dynasty team around, but without a coach who can make the right calls and get the team to play the right way, we aren't going to capitalize on our talents we have. I say that Rivers is on the hot seat this season. I like him, and hope he can pull through and make believers out of his doubters. But there comes a point when the right move is to move onto something else before the window of opportunity begins to shrink. Granted, injuries and getting players to change their attitude toward the new offensive system was a big challenge for him in his 1st 2 years. But some of his coaching moves were questionable (like not using Gomes earlier in the season, playing Blount and Raef too much instead of letting Jefferson and Perkins have more developmental time, etc). He has to show better player management this season and make better substitutions. Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 8, 2006

Wally has been in the news lately with talk of his bone on bone knees. But since they have been that way since his college days and he has played at a very high level, averaging almost 40 mpg over the last several years in Minny. His rehab is going very well and there is no reason to believe he won't come back and be a very important part of the team this year. He may be the veteran star we have been looking for all along!

Wally Szczerbiak has literally grown up on the basketball court. He was born in Spain while his father Walter (a former ABA player) was playing for the Real Madrid basketball team, and spent much of his childhood in Europe during his father's playing career. (The first photo is of Walter and Wally in 1980). When Walter retired, he moved his family back to his native Long Island, where Wally attended high school in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. Wally has a brother, Will, and a sister, Wendy. He married Shannon Ward in 2000 and they have 2 daughters, the second of which was born just after his trade to Boston. He was able to watch his daughter born in the morning and then play with the Celtics against Milwaukee that night. Szczerbiak played his college basketball for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He graduated from the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University with a major in marketing. At Miami he led his team to the Sweet 16 in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. In his senior year, he averaged 24.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg. It was during his years at Miami Ohio that he got his nickname of "Wally World" or just "World" for short. Wally has even launched his own line of Wally World products in an arrangement with Universal Studios. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Szczerbiak 6th overall in the 1999 NBA Draft. He moved right into the starting lineup as a rookie. Wally exploded with 27 points during the 2000-01 All-Star Weekend in Washington D.C. He was named MVP of the Rookie Challenge Game, a game that was won by the second-year players 121-113. Another honor for Wally was being selected to play for Team USA in the 2002 Goodwill Games in Australia. In five games Wally shot an amazing 70 percent and averaged 13 points, helping the American team capture the gold medal. His best year as a pro was 2002 when he was a coach's selection to the Western conference all star team. Szczerbiak was coming off the bench for the 2004-2005 NBA season. He was uncomfortable with the role and wanted to be a starter. In the 2005-2006 season, the former All-Star returned to the starting role. On January 26, 2006, Szczerbiak, along with Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a conditional first-round draft pick, was traded to the Boston Celtics for Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, and two second-round draft picks. Although I really missed Ricky when he was traded, Danny's reasoning for trading him made sense. Ricky and Pierce were too much alike. Their games didn't complement each other but Wally and Pierce seemed to mesh right away. Wally is such a competitor and wants to play so much that he flew to Boston on little or no sleep, went through the physical and ran into the locker room with shoes in hand ready to play that night. Doc hadn't planned on playing him but Doc said that every time he looked down the bench there was Wally staring at him asking to be put into the game. Not long after joining the Celtics, Wally banged knees with Milt Palacio and struggled with pain and stiffness in his knee from that point on. He underwent surgery to clean out the knee on April 11 and missed the last 7 games of the season. By all reports out of Boston, his rehab is going well and his knees feel better than they ever have. Recently, after a comment by Gary Tanguay on CelticsStuff Live, there has been a lot of concern about Wally's knees being "bone on bone." Wally had part of the lateral meniscus removed from his left knee nine when he was playing for Miami Ohio. He has been playing without padding in his knees since he came into the league and since it hasn't slowed him down so far, I don't think it will in the future either. Szczerbiak is one of the premier shooters in the NBA, and can score in bunches without dominating the basketball. After the trade we noticed much better ball movement and much of that had to do with Wally being in the line up. He is shooting almost 50% from the field and over 40% from beyond the arc for his career. He's almost automatic from the free throw line, shooting almost 90% from the charity stripe. When talking about the trade, Danny Ainge had this to say about Wally, “In Wally, we are receiving an All-Star player who is playoff-tested and who has been a winner at all levels.” And Wally had this to say about his motivation, "A lot of my dreams have been fulfilled, but I want to keep getting better, because I've always believed that the better you are individually, the better your team will be. I have high aspirations in this league, and I want to fulfill them a little more every year." We didn't really have a chance to see what Wally could do last year because he was injured not long after joining the team. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, there are a lot of Celtics fans who can't wait to see what a healthy Wally can do on this team. Related Site: Official Wally Szczerbiak Site Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 7, 2006

I have come to the realization that Celtics Green has some of the most knowledgeable posters on the net. The post below from Derrenmatts is one that is a terrific example of this. I am hoping that Danny keeps Dwayne Jones around for the very reason that Derren mentions. We need rebounders and Jones is a very good one. Pittsnogle as a big man doesn't address this because he is more comfortable on the perimeter than under the basket. Even Scal doesn't fill that need near as well as Jones. Jones got 24+ minutes in only 2 games last year and he responded with 10 and 13 rebounds in them. Doc wants to run, but in order to run we need the basketball and so we need to have players who can rebound the ball. Perk, Powe, Gomes, Jones and Ratliff are all good rebounders. Rondo and West are very good rebounders for guards. Hopefully all will find playing time this season.

As far as the turnovers, our turnovers were cut down after the trade. Blount was averaging almost 4 a game when he was traded. I think our turnovers will further be cut down this year with pure points running the offense and not as much dribbling into triple teams by Pierce.

Great observations Derren... More rebounds, fewer turnovers and injuries and the Celtics will be a force to reckon with for sure.

Last season, we should have been a much better team. I think we had a right to use youth as an excuse, being that we were pretty young and inexperienced. But even with youth, we should have been better. Losing Jefferson in training camp hurt us some because we were ready to use him more as an offensive option. Losing Tony Allen to legal problems and a bum knee hurt because at the conclusion of the previous season, he came on strong and we hoped to capitalize on his improvements. Had he not have been injured, we could have continued with using Ricky Davis off the bench, which was a strategy that worked for us the year before. But even with all that, there was still reason for optimism because Delonte was looking like a solid PG and Pierce was playing extremely well. Ricky was also having a strong season. But here's what killed us. We were a terrible rebounding team, and we gave up way too many turnovers. We ranked 24th in the league in rebounding (up 3 slots from the previous season, but still very poor) and we ranked second to the bottom in TO's per game. Giving away offensive possesions and not securing defensive rebounds gave opposing teams too many second chance opportunities to stick the fork in us. No matter how many points we could put on the scoreboard, we were giving up more than we scored. We may not have Detroit Pistons-like defense, but one has to wonder with our defense, if we lowered our turnovers and rebounded to the point where we were at least an average rebounding team (ranking 15th in the league instead of 24th), could we have been a better, more tolerable team? Could we have been the Bulls of '05 (on the verge of breaking out)? I mean, we played teams tough for most games, only having a 4th quarter lapse that cost some wins. We lost a lot of close games that we may have won if we played a few possessions better. Had we been a better rebounding team and had we taken care of the ball better, I don't think its a stretch to think we could have won at least 41 games to pull to .500. This season, if we improve our rebounding numbers and cut our turnovers down drastically, even if we don't bring in a veteran big man or another star player, but stick with what we already have, its not hard to imagine being at least 3 ~ 5 games better than last year's 33 win team. If we improve our defense and cut down the amount of easy shots we give up on the perimeter and in the lanes, we improve another 3 ~ 5 games. Remember how many close games we had lost last season? Those losses were attributed to inexperience, a lack of defense, costly turnovers and a lack of timely rebounding. We improve in those areas, and I don't think anyone can dismiss a 45 ~50 win season. Keep these stats in mind, and when the season rolls along, keep stats of these key categories: 24 out of 30 in rebounding 29 out of 30 in turnovers committed Improving in these areas will boost our win total. And if we step up our defensive intensity, even by just a smudge, we move into the winning bracket and look like a young team on the verge of becoming a formidable team. [More] source: Celtics Green -Derrenmatts Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 7, 2006

Tony Allen will soon be on trial for assault charges. Danny is waiting to pick up his option until he knows how that trial ends up. There is no doubt that a healthy Tony Allen could be a real difference maker for this team. Today we take a look at Tony in our Profiles series.

Anthony (Tony) Allen was born on January 11, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois. Allen attended Crane High School in Chicago, where he was a basketball standout. Tony Allen came from a part of Chicago, where he says that all of his high-school friends are either dead or in jail. While Tony was able to get out, by playing juco basketball, his troubled history brought a temper and impatience to his game. But Tony played hard - hard enough for Eddie Sutton to notice him. And so, while Tony couldn’t get into a Division I program out of high school, OSU offered him a second chance. That second chance ultimately led Tony to a trip to the Final Four, a college degree, and a place in the NBA. Tony is a 6'4" shooting guard who played for Oklahoma State University, where he was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year his senior year, after averaging 16 points per game and leading his team to the Final Four. He became the first player in OSU history to score 1,000 career points in just two seasons. He graduated Oklahoma State with a degree in education. The nature of Tony’s old neighborhood was recently brought to national light. During a recent trip home, violence broke out in a restaurant/night spot where Tony was. One person’s orbital bone was broken and another was injured by a bullet. Two of those injured in the scuffle have filed civil lawsuits against Tony. His trial is scheduled for later this month. Despite being able to get away from the violence, it seems that Tony is being drawn back in. This time, his success at OSU and the resulting financial security that resulted have given Tony the resources to keep from being brought down by it. After graduating, he entered the NBA draft and was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round, with the 25th pick overall. In his rookie year he had 6.4 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game, and ranked 3rd in the NBA for steals per 48 minutes, with 2.89. He was selected to play for the rookies in the got milk? Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend, along with fellow Celtics rookie Al Jefferson. After a rookie year full of promise, his second season was derailed by legal troubles and knee surgery. The ongoing legal battles over the Chicago incident had to be a distraction for him. Along with the legal woes, Tony injured his knee and had to have surgery on it. There was a lot of conjecture as to how he hurt the knee since he dominated in Summer League. It was rumored that it was injured in the scuffle in Chicago that led to the charges filed against him. He seemed to struggle when first coming back from surgery and didn't have the explosiveness or the lateral movement that made him such a great defender and so exciting to watch the year before. Finally, after the All Star break, Tony seemed to be getting back to normal and had several very productive games, once again showing the promise that he had shown the previous year. After the season, Danny Ainge announced that Allen would again have minor surgery on his knee to clean out more of the damage that was still bothering him. In a couple of weeks, he will have his trial on the battery charges in Chicago. Danny picked up the options for all of the players except Tony, choosing to wait until after the trial to be sure that everything is ok on that front. Doc Rivers once predicted, “Tony, I believe, is going to be a hell of a player. Easily. I mean for a long time. I think you can see little stretches of it. When he gets the ability to put those together, I believe he’s going to be special player. I do.” Another player raised in a single parent home, Tony was raised by his mother Ella Allen. He has two sisters, Ebony and Dominique, and a brother, Ryan. In his spare time, Tony Allen enjoys listening to music, and is considered somewhat of a music "connoisseur" by his Celtic teammates. He also frequently assists the Celtics in charity work in and around the Boston area. Tony has said that when he retires from basketball he would like to become a teacher. The Meet the Celtics page has this to say about Tony: Tony Allen plays lock-down defense, harasses his opponents into turnovers in the open court and ranks as the Celtics best one-on-one defender. Nicknamed 'TA', he returned from an off-season knee injury in the second half of the 2005-2006 season and looks primed for a breakout year in 2006-07. Tony is going to have a battle on his hands to keep his title as best one on one defender now that Rondo is on the team, but if he is healthy and his legal troubles are settled, he could very well have a break out year and surprise a lot of people. Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 7, 2006

Powe's deal is fairly complicated with a lot of incentives. I like this kid and feel that he will be able to play in the NBA if given a chance. Good to see that both he and Rondo are in Vegas working with Tim Grgurich.

The Celtics' deal with Leon Powe, the 49th pick in the draft, makes it look as though he'll be sticking around for at least this season. According to a league source with knowledge of the rather convoluted arrangement, the deal is for three years, with the first year guaranteed at $432,000. The second year ($687,456) becomes guaranteed if Powe appears in 41 games and if his average of points, rebounds, and assists totals at least 14 per game. (There's also a clause that guarantees the second year if he makes the All-Rookie team.) There's a similar arrangement for the third year ($797,581) in terms of appearances and averages (the magic number in Year 2 goes from 14 to 16). However, if Powe appears in fewer than 41 games next season and doesn't make the All-Rookie team, the Celtics can get out of the last two years of the deal simply by placing him on waivers prior to July 1, 2007. Powe and first-round pick Rajon Rondo were in Las Vegas this past week participating in the annual camp run by veteran NBA assistant coach Tim Grgurich, who was UNLV's head coach for one year and an assistant on Jerry Tarkanian's Runnin' Rebels teams for 12 years. [More] source:Globe Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 6, 2006

Don't miss CelticsStuff Live tonight at 9-11 pm Eastern time. JB and Justin do a great job of filling up 2 hours with lively talk about the Celtics. Tonight's guests will be Scott Souza who covers the Celtics for Metro West Daily News. He should have some good insights from his interview with Danny. Also will be Eric Pincus who is up to date on the NBA and all of the player movement and rumors out there. He will analyze the free agent market and run down the hot trade and free agent rumors. Always catch the breaking news as it happens on this great Celtics' Podcast!! Log on to the Broadcast Page at 9pm for a link to listen to the broadcast. You can call in on the 800 number or you can chat there on the page in the chatroom provided. If you have questions, call in with them and these guys will do their best to get you an answer.

See you there....

	source:Celtics 17 Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 6, 2006

In today's Metro West Daily Scott Souza talks to Danny and relays some good news. Some thoughts on what Danny has to say:

I am glad that Danny isn't looking to make a deal just for the sake of making a deal. We have young talent and all that is needed is patience for them to turn into the caliber of players that other teams are going to want to trade for. I have waited 20 years for a championship team in Boston... I can wait a couple more. I would rather wait another year or two and go with what we have than trade away too much just to get a veteran.

Danny feels that Al will be ok. He said that they wanted to clean it out similar to what they are going to do with Pierce's elbow. I still think that Al's friend who posted on RealGM had it right in that the medical staff missed something along the line of bone chips and it was causing the pain, not a sprain. I hope this clears up the recurring pain that he was feeling because I know what it is like to have bone chips causing pain and having doctors tell you it is in your head and to just work through it. It really messes with your head.

I knew Perk would be fine. He is one tough kid. I know he will be ready for camp and in great shape too. I hope this is the end of shoulder problems for him.

We will soon know how Tony's legal problems turn out. His trial is in just a couple of weeks. Danny seemed to think that he would be ok but isn't sure enough to pick up his option until he knows for sure. I am hoping it all goes away because Tony could really make a difference.

Very good news on Wally. I think Tanguay was being an alarmist. Wally has been playing at a high level since college with no cartilage in his knees. I expect him to come back and play very well with no problems from the knee. Either Danny is trying to put a good spin out there to up his trade value or he really feels that Wally will be healthy and able to contribute. I am hoping for the latter.

"I really like what I am seeing," he continued, "with how the players we have played out in Las Vegas. So maybe, based on that, I am less disappointed than I would have been on draft night (for not making another trade). "I am still trying to make some things happen. I am going to continue spending time, all the way through October, looking to see if there is something available to make us better. If there is, then I would still consider bringing in a veteran for a couple of young guys. But I don’t feel like I have to do anything right now." [More] source: Metro West Daily Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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August 6, 2006

Today let's take a look at Dwayne Jones. He has been in the background since arriving from Minny, but I can't help but feel that if given a chance, he will be a force in the center. I certainly like his game more than Pitts or Scal. On a team that needs rebounders, especially to run, Dwayne could fit really well. Danny insisted on his being included in the Minny trade. I have to believe that he is going to play a role on this team and get some minutes this year. If nothing else, the battles between Perk and Dwayne in practice must be something to see.

Dwayne Jones is a bit of a mystery to Celtics fans. I couldn't find much biographical information on him. He is 6'11" tall and specializes in rebounds and blocking shots. His hometown is Chester, Pennsylvania and he went to high school at American Christian School in Aston, PA, where he was a three-time first team All-Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference selection and averaged 25.8 points, 17.8 rebounds and 6.4 blocks per game as a senior. His father, Dwayne, played football for West Virginia in the 1980's. He went to St. Joseph's in Philadelphia and was a teammate of Delonte West there. He redshirted for the 00-01 season. His sophomore season, he started all 32 games and led the A-10 in blocks with 2.0 bpg and he ranked 10th in the conference in rebounding at 7 rpg. His junior year, he ranked fifth in the nation in rebounds with 11.6 rpg and blocks with 3.0 bpg. He also averaged 10.1 points. He had 19 double doubles on the year and became the first SJU player since 95-96 to average a double double. He was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week twice. He led the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots in 03, 04, and 05. He was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the year in 2005. He was an early entry candidate in the 2005 draft but went undrafted. Minnesota signed him to a contract in August of 2005. Minnesota sent him to the Florida Flame of the NBDL and while there he lead the D League in rebounds (11.7) and blocked shots (2.04). He also averaged 8.9 ppg. He was traded by the Timberwolves to the Celtics in the January trade that sent Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed and Ricky Davis to Minnesota for Jones, Kandi, and Wally. He remained in the D League until February when the Celtics called him up to the parent team. It was said at the time that Danny insisted on Jones being included in the trade. Jones didn't see much playing time until the last two games of the season. When he finally got playing time, he showed that he can really help on the boards. in 28 and 30 mpg, he grabbed 13 and 10 rebounds respectively. He hasn't shown that he can be much of an offensive player and most of his points came on put backs after a rebound. In this year's Summer League, he didn't see much playing time. It may have been because they were looking at other players or perhaps they didn't want to showcase him so that other teams wouldn't ask for him in a trade. He only played 10 mpg and averaged 2.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1 assist, and .5 blocks per game. One of the observers at the games mentioned how absolutely immovable that Jones is when he gets position under the basket. Draft Expresshad this to say about him in their profile: "Dwayne Jones has all the physical tools you look for in a solid big man rotation player in the NBA. He is built like a rock and has great size of 6'11 on a terrific NBA body that is already chiseled to perfection. He is extremely athletic, he runs the floor very well, possesses a very good vertical leap and is extremely quick off his feet. He has gotten better consistently every year in many key areas since his freshman year, and there is no reason to believe that he won't continue to do so since he has a very good work ethic. Defense is Jones' forte as of right now. He is a terrific shot blocker, thanks to his strength, wingspan, and outstanding vertical leap, and can block shots with either hand which is a nice skill to have from a player of his size. Weak side shot blocking is where he excels the most right now, he is quick to rotate over and elevate for an emphatic rejection. His timing is extremely impressive and this leads you to believe that this is certainly a skill that will translate over to the NBA. Thanks to his body, timing, and athletic ability, Jones is a terror on the offensive glass. This is where he scores most of his points, as getting touches offensively are very hard for him to come by in St. Joe's extremely perimeter oriented offense. That, along with setting picks seems to be his main role right now in St. Joe's offense. Occasionally he will get the ball after sealing off his man, and Jones is always sure to finish strong around the basket with an emphatic dunk." He certainly has promise and the fact that he hasn't seen much playing time, even in Summer League, is quite puzzling. On a team that has rebounding and defense as its biggest weaknesses, you would think that they would be giving a big man who can rebound and block shots more minutes. When he has had a chance to play - in the D League and the last 2 games of last season - he has produced. It isn't clear what his role on the team will be or even if he will be on the team at all, but you have to think that a player with his size and talent should find playing time. I would love to see him have the chance. Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!

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