CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Fiddlin' and Diddlin' on 8/9

The big news today is Reggie Miller. Danny has indeed offered him a chance to come back with the Celtics. Maybe Danny should go after all the greats who didn't get a ring. We could use a point guard. Maybe Stockton isn't doing anything. Or how about KC Jones? Or maybe Doc could be a player coach. And then there is Karl Malone. The Stockton to Malone thing might still work. Or maybe Charles Barkley. He did win that race at the All Star game. But why stop at the players without a ring? Kareem may need a few bucks and Parish looks to be in good shape still. And we could always try coaxing Bill Russell and Jordan out of retirement. What about Cowens and Cousy? Then again, maybe I am getting a bit carried away. Here are some links to Reggie Miller stories: Herald, Globe, Miami Herald, Sporting News, Boston Sportz, and Sports Illustrated. There were a lot more but most of them just said the same things over again. But on the other side of the coin, Pacers fans are hoping that Miller doesn't defect to the Celtics. Celtics Blog has a couple of good articles worth reading. JB takes a look at the Celtics and their rapidly aging group of players while Jeff discusses the Surreal Life.

Bob Ryan reports that suddenly, the Celtics are a destination. The NY Sun feels that Ainge's moves may end up hurting Boston. SouthCoast Today feels that proven talent was the way to go for the Celtics. Knix Fix reports that the Celtics bench is not getting much better.

I will be following the progress of our former players in Minnesota. The Celtics and the Wolves will be entangled until one or the other wins a championship and even longer. McHale talks about KG, the new Wolves, and himself. Glen Taylor is very eager to fix the Wolves. TWolves Blog is questioning whether the PG spot should be turned over to Sebastian Telfair. Hoopsworld reports that the new players should be given a chance. Timberwolves.com has a piece scouting the new Wolves. SI.com reports that Jefferson is ready to carry the Wolves. I believe that he will and every point he scores against the Celtics is going to depress me.

In their new Power Rankings, Inside Hoops puts the Celtics at #9 behind the Spurs, Suns, Mavs, Jazz, Rockets, Cavs, Bulls and Pistons. We were at 29 in their last rankings so I guess a leap of 20 spots is a good thing.

Boston Celtics (24-58) - The previous InsideHoops.com power ranking from two months ago for the Celtics was 29. Almost the worst in the league. Now, with a major roster shakeup putting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen alongside Paul Pierce, on paper the Celtics have three players that should terrify the rest of the league. Ray Allen just had ankle surgeries, but he should be OK, and consider that he did extremely well playing hurt last year. Pierce and KG are superstars. And they're all smart players with basketball brains. Let me (InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner) stand in the corner on offense and I'll pour in open threes as long as I can stand still and keep my feet set. And find a center. But for now, Rajon Rondo runs point and Kendrick Perkins is the man in the middle. The team needs a bench, badly. And yeah, we've probably underrated them, down here at #9. On paper we certainly have. But I'll wait for them to develop chemistry and then move them up quickly. Even if you agree #9 is too low, I find it hard to put them higher than, say, #6.

Indiana is still going back and forth about an O'Neal trade. Now that KG is off the market, JO is the best bet for another big trade. The Indy Star is investigating Jermainegate. The Sporting News doesn't feel that O'Neal will be dealt.

There is yet another Celtics blog out there. Get Garnett, the fan site that was pushing to get Garnett to the Lakers, has branched out to include Got Garnett, a sister site for the Celtics to renew the Lakers/Celtics rivalry of old. They have done a good job on the site so be sure to check them out.

CBS Sportsline reports that putting the All Stars aside, it is Rondo who is the key to this team. LOY's Place reported on this very thing this past week. Sidelines also reports that the Celtics are concentrating on Rondo.

Finally, a couple of general things. Remember Tim Donaghy? The ref scandal is still out there in spite of KG and the Celtics taking over the headlines. Philly.com reports that the FBI is still taking interviews in the case. It has been 15 years since that first Dream Team came back with Olympic gold and NBA.com has a good article on the original Dream Team.

54 Days Till Training Camp.... We have 1 spot left on the roster, 2 if you don't count Manuel whose contract is not guaranteed, and 4 if you don't count the 2 draft picks who haven't yet been signed. Danny is looking to bring in Reggie Miller but we still need at least a back up point guard. We could also use another center since we have only Pollard and Perk at that spot now and Pollard has missed a lot of time with a bad back and there is always a chance of the plantar fasciitis flaring up for Perk. There has been talk of interest in Sarunas Jasikevicius which would have to be a trade since he isn't a free agent. We have a little over 3 million of the MLE left to sign a free agent. It will be interesting to see what Danny does next. The team still has holes and not much to work with to fill them.

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