This was a great signing for Danny and it does several things for the Celtics.
First, it may keep Doc from playing Pierce and Ray Allen too many minutes. In the past, Doc has been known to overplay his veterans. With Posey coming off the bench this will allow both Pierce and RA to get more rest as Posey will be able to hold the fort while they are on the bench.
Second, having Posey will allow Tony Allen to heal to 100% without having to push himself too hard. He will be able to come back at his own speed without the pressure of having to produce right away.
Third, Posey gives us the possibility of having a lock down defender at every position with Rondo at the 1, Tony at the 2, Posey at the 3, Garnett at the 4 and Perk at the 5. I don't know if there is any other team that could field a better defensive unit.
Fourth, having Posey will mean fewer minutes for Scal, or even the possibility of trading him if anyone is looking for an energy/glue guy.
Fifth, losing Posey weakens the opposition. The Heat will now have Penny Hardaway to guard Pierce instead of Posey. Also the Nets won't have him either as they were in the running for his services.
Sixth, Posey brings playoff and finals experience to the team. He was a vital cog in the Heat's run to the championship in 2006. We will need that experience in our run to the championship this season.
Finally, Posey gives us even more toughness. We now have 4 enforcers in Perk, Garnett, Posey and Powe. Posey has had some history especially with Chicago. There have been 4 incidents with the Bulls alone.
In Game 3 of the Bulls-Heat 2006 first round match up, Kirk Hinrich was running down the court when Posey hit him with a hard shoulder block, knocking Hinrich to the floor Posey was called for a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game and suspended for the next game. Posey defended himself by saying, "I was just trying to get back on defense and cut the ball off." "He didn't see me and that's how collisons happen. That's all it was."
In the first game of the 2006-2007 season, Posey was involved with another incident with Bulls. This time, rookie Tyrus Thomas, who was going for a rebound, was hit in the face by Posey which led to Thomas having his nose broken.
In a December 27 game against the Bulls, Posey was ejected for tackling Luol Deng who was going for a layup. Posey was once again called for a flagrant 2 foul and ejected along with being suspended for the next game.
In Game 2 of the 2007 first round playoff series between the Heat and Bulls, Posey fouled Tyrus Thomas away from the ball on a play that looked very similar to the play on opening night when Posey broke Thomas' nose.
Former Miami Heat player James Posey has agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving in connection with an incident in April on Miami Beach, prosecutors said Friday.
Posey, who is unsigned, agreed to a deal involving lesser charges. He was originally arrested on drunken-driving charges after Miami Beach police pulled him over for stopping in the middle of a road April 9.
Police said he was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and his breath smelled of alcohol. Posey refused to take a breath test.
According to the plea agreement, Posey must perform 50 hours of community service and complete six months of probation. He also must pay court costs, a $250 fine, donate $25 to the Ryder Trauma Center and attend DUI school.
Posey said his deactivation stemmed from a rule the Heat has about body fat. He said his body fat is 9 percent, but Riley wanted it to be 8 percent. "He wants the weight to be down and he has his standards, I guess, for the bigs and the perimeters or whatever," Posey said. "It's the weight and for the perimeters [it's] 8 percent body fat. ... I'm at 9 percent body fat. And, that's not eight."
But controversy aside, Posey brings size to the SF and SG positions. He is 6'8" and can play both the 2 and the 3 and is oversized for both. He has long arms and quick hands and is a very good defender. He is very quick and runs the floor very well and is also a threat from the perimeter. Brandon Wallace has the tools to have a similar game to Posey's and if we keep him, he can learn from Posey and will be able to pick up where Posey leaves off, especially if Posey decides to opt out next season or even if it is in 2 years when Posey's contract is up.
The Posey signing brings a lot to the team. This off season just keeps getting better and better as the bench is now shaping up. With the signing of Posey, there can't be any doubt that this team is going to have a defensive mindset. Posey is one of the premiere role players in the league and will fit in very nicely with this team.
According to the Herald, the Celtics have agreed to terms with James Posey, one of the biggest free agents still remaining.
By this afternoon, the sides had reached agreement on a deal that will pay Posey just over $3 million - the amount left on the team’s mid-level exception - next season. The full contract will pay him $7 million over the next two years, with Posey holding an option on the second season.
Posey’s decision is significant, considering that the Celtics initially considered his price to be too high. But dynamics of the market drove Posey’s price down.
According to agent Mark Bartelstein, Posey could have received more to play in some other locations, but was attracted by the Celtics’ growing allure as eastern conference contenders.
Posey brings playoff and finals experience as well as a defensive presence. This should put to an end the discussions about Rubin Patterson. We now have 15 players under contract. One, Manuel, is not guaranteed so we can expect that he may be waived to give us room for a veteran PG that the team very much needs.
There are a lot of articles this morning on Reggie Miller's decision not to come to the Celtics. The Herald and Globe each have one. Hey, better late than never. SI.com covers the story. Celtics 17 tells us that Reggie (fl)ops out. ESPN blames the long NBA season for his decision. And the Indy Star, who broke the story, tells us that for Reggie there was no bad decision.
Boston Sports Review has a good article on Garnett and his presence on the Celtics. Green Bandwagon discusses the movie Celtics Pride. I guess I may be one of the few people out there that genuinely likes this movie. Got Garnett discusses bigs.
The Nets have joined in the chase for Posey who is likely to leave the Heat for a better offer. Will that offer be from the Celtics? Stay tuned.
Scott's Shots gives us more info on Marc Spears, the new Celtics beat writer for the Globe. I am hoping that he will be better than what they have now. I like Shira, but she doesn't give a lot of substance in her articles which are mainly fluff pieces. I don't like Peter May who mishandles the facts and gives the impression that he really doesn't like the Celtics. I am looking forward to having a real basketball writer covering the team this season. And, speaking of Marc Spears, he will be the guest on CSL this Sunday night along with Ryan McNeil of HoopsAddict. Should be a good show. 38 days till training camp.
The Oregonian had this to say about Ruben Patterson.
Patterson said he would prefer to sign with Boston or Miami, and added he's not concerned about Hardaway signing with the Heat and Miller considering the Celtics. "It's going to be interesting," Patterson said. "Reggie is what, 41, 42? He's going to be just shooting threes, and he isn't going to be a 30- to 40-minute per night guy. "You look at those squads (Boston and Miami) -- where's the stopper? The energy guy? The defensive guy? That's me. I'm the only guy they're missing." Patterson would be thrilled to sign a one-year deal at this stage of the offseason. The veteran forward wants to play basketball, and he's angling to play for a championship contender. "I'm 32. I'm not old yet, but I'm up there. I'm just trying to win a championship, even if it's a one-year or two-year deal, I'll be happy," Patterson said. "I'm just going to sit back, relax and see what happens."
It still seems like a dream to read the words Celtics and contender together. But, Patterson wants to come to the Celtics because he feels that they are contenders.
He asks where the stopper and energy guy is on our team. Uh... Kevin Garnett? He has been named to the All Defensive Team 8 times, 6 first team and 2 second team. And talk about an energy guy! But we also have Tony Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, and Brandon Wallace who are expected to be defensive stoppers. And we have Scal who is an energy guy along with Eddie house.
Mark Murphy in the Herald said that the Celtics are considering Patterson along with Jones and Posey.
The Celtics are also reportedly considering Dahntay Jones, the Memphis swingman who the Celtics originally drafted with the 20th pick of the 2003 draft as part of their eventual deal for Marcus Banks, and Miami swingman James Posey.
Right now, our roster looks like this: PG: Rondo, Pruitt SG: Ray Allen, House, Tony Allen, Manuel SF: Pierce, Scal, Wallace PF: Garnett, Powe, Davis C: Perk, Pollard
This is 14 players. We have 15 slots. Manuel isn't guaranteed and the two draft picks aren't signed yet. If we figure that Manuel probably will be cut, that leaves 2 more spots for bench players. It is obvious that the weakest positions are at PG and Center. The players that Murphy says that we are considering are all swingmen, playing the SG and SF positions. I believe that we would be better off looking for a veteran PG and another Center but Danny is going after defensive minded swingmen which may not be all that bad to add to the bench.
Ruben Patterson is a defensive minded guard/forward who averaged 14.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season. He has averaged 10.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals for his career. He is 32 years old and has a history of off court trouble.
In 2001, he pleaded guilty in Washington state to third-degree attempted rape for allegedly forcing his children's 24-year-old nanny to perform a sex act on him. A judge suspended all but 15 days of a one-year sentence, and Patterson served the time in his Cleveland home. He also was suspended for the first five games of the following season by the NBA. After signing with the Bucks last year, he was fined $1,000 for failing to register as a convicted sex offender after he moved into a new neighborhood.
Patterson was also convicted of misdemeanor assault outside a Cleveland night club in 2001 and arrested in 2002 on felony charges of domestic abuse that were later dropped. Patterson has said his struggles with alcoholism were the culprit for his past problems and reiterated to the Bucks staff that he's moved on. Harris agreed. Now, maybe it is just me, but we just got a player who had a drinking problem off the books and I don't feel like spinning the wheel and taking a chance on another.
Another possibility is James Posey. Posey is a 6'8" guard/forward who averaged 7.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals last season. He has averaged 9.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals for his career. He has been a starter for the Heat and brings playoff and finals experience. He is also noted for his three point shooting ability. His defense was a big factor in the Heat's championship run in 2006. On April 9, 2007, Posey was arrested on a DUI charge and was taken to a Miami-Dade Count Prison. He is now negotiating with the Heat for a return to the team but he is an unrestricted free agent and if negotiations with the Heat break down, the Celtics may be his second choice.
Dahntay Jones is a new name in the mix. Jones is a 6'6" Guard/Forward who was drafted by the Celtics in the first round (20th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, and his rights were later traded, along with the rights to Troy Bell, to the Grizzlies for the rights to Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks. So far, Jones has played his entire professional career for the Grizzlies, averaging 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and .9 assists last season. He has averaged 5.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and .6 assist for his career. He is an awesome athlete who can get to the basket. He is a very good offensive rebounder and a good perimeter defender.
It seems as though Danny is looking at swingmen to improve our perimeter defense as all three of these are good defenders. However, the positions we are weak at are center and point guard. We are only 2 deep at center. While I expect Perk to have a break out season and do fine as the starter and Posey may be ok as a back up, we are only 2 deep at that position and an injury to either one of them would be devastating. And I expect Rondo to handle the starting PG spot fine, but who is there to back him up? House is more of a shooting guard than a point guard and the same with Pruitt. Whether we sign any of the above players or not, we really need to sign a back up point guard.
First of all, I need to rant about the Boston media. For weeks we have been waiting on Reggie Miller's decision. He finally decides against the comeback and the Indy Star reports on it but not the Boston Papers. The Globe finally has a little blurb in their blog section that quotes from the Indy article. Where are the beat reporters for the Celtics from the Boston papers? There is a lot going on with the Celtics. Several players are in Boston working out. Tony Allen is rehabbing. Everyone wants to know how he is doing. Pierce was in China. Garnett is working out in LA. Ray Allen is working out and doing a lot of things in the community. We should be getting articles daily. Maybe the shake up at the Globe will yield some results eventually. I hope so because the lack of coverage on the team is getting frustrating. I am not the only one frustrated by the laack of coverage, Red's Army has a little article about it also.
Even though the Herald didn't cover the Reggie Miller story, they did manage to report on the USA team's 123-59 win over the US Virgin Islands. The Herald Bulletin and Open Mike both got their wishes that Reggie won't be making a comeback. Celtics Blog talks about the possibilities now that Reggie has said no.
39 days till training camp. With Reggie out, Danny will now be looking at other free agents and possible trades. It will be interesting to see who he targets next.
The Indy Star is reporting that Reggie Miller has decided against coming back to the NBA.
The last two weeks, he has been doing two-a-day workouts. The body, he said, wasn't the deciding issue. The mind was. "I've been wrestling with it all day,'' he said. "I'm still wrestling with it. A part of me, a big part of me, knew I could do it. It's been very, very tough. But now I have to live with it. "So never, ever, ever again. If anybody is ever interested in me playing again, please don't call.''
So, after weeks of waiting and all the positive signs that he would probablly come back, Reggie has decided against it. Of course, we wouldn't know if we didn't read the Indy Star because The Boston papers didn't mention it. Now, Danny can turn his attention to the other players who are looking at Boston as a destination such as Sarunas and Patterson, although unless we can get him cheaper, Sarunas seems out of our price range at 4 mil a year. And Patterson, being a registered sex offender doesn't seem to fit with Danny's code of ethics. But, we shall see. And maybe the Boston papers will actually report on it!
If I had a dollar for every time I said that phrase, I would be rich today. Even in the worst of times for the Celtics, I just could never give up on them. It was always this year may have been bad, but wait until next year. The Celtics always bounce back.
Times were great in the 60's when I first started following the Celtics. Every year was a championship year. There were a few years in the 70's when the Celtics faltered, like the 1969-70 season where they finished out of the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. But 2 years later they were back in the playoffs and 2 years after that, they were champions again. After winning the championship again in 1976, the Celtics once again hit a dry spell that lasted until the 1979-80 season when Larry Bird joined the team. The 80's were a fun time to be a Celtics fan as they were contenders every season and won 3 more championships. Then, tragedy hit in 1986 just after their last championship and the Celtics would not recover.
Over the next 21 years, things went from bad to worse for the franchise. In the late 80's and early 90's, there was always hope because they had Larry Bird. When Larry was on the court, anything could happen. But, injuries had slowed even Larry Bird to the point where he couldn't work the magic that he once did. Then in 1992, Larry Bird retired, but Reggie Lewis had developed into a great player and so I could still say "Wait until next year" and believe that next year the Celtics would once again be contenders. But then, in 1993, tragedy once again struck as the Celtics lost their Captain. The 1993-94 Celtics finished 32-50 and out of the playoffs once again.
The most painful season I have endured as a Celtics fan was in 1996-1997 when the Celtics went 15-67. It was hard being a Celtics fan that season, but I could still say "Wait until next season" because we were expecting to get the top draft pick and that would turn the franchise around. We got Rick Pitino, but not the #1 pick and Pitino made even a worse mess of the team than it was previously, if at all possible. But, one thing he did right was pick Paul Pierce in the 1998 draft. With one player after another, the Celtics have tried to build around Paul Pierce and every year, it was "wait until next year." We will get new players...our young players would develop... I always had a lot of excuses but always, it rang hollow. I never really expected to win a championship. It had gotten so bad that I would get excited if we just made the playoffs, even if we never made it out of the first round.
And, now I find myself saying "Wait until next year" once again. But now it has taken on a whole new dimension. I REALLY can't wait until this season. It is very exciting waiting for this coming season because the Celtics are truly contenders again! I have waited over 20 years to say that!!
Word is Garnett's team did not lose one game on Wednesday. Several attendees raved about how he dominated easily. On one play, he caught an offensive rebound on the block and jumped and dunked without taking a step.
And that's not all. There is Ray Allen as well. Ray is one of the best shooters in the NBA. And then there is Paul Pierce who is one of the top all around players in the NBA. And we have Perk and Rondo who are going to break out this season. Both are very exciting young players who will greatly benefit by playing with 3 All Stars. Even though we still need a back up point guard and there are still some questions about the roster, it is all very exciting. All I can say is "Wait until this season!!!"
According to the Globe KG is getting into shape for the season by playing ball out in LA. He is also working out with Reggie.
Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has been playing pickup ball against current and former NBA players, Los Angeles standouts and college players at UCLA this week. Word is Garnett's team did not lose one game on Wednesday. Several attendees raved about how he dominated easily. On one play, he caught an offensive rebound on the block and jumped and dunked without taking a step.
Word is Garnett and potential Celtics teammate Reggie Miller have been working out together at Pepperdine. He was there Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
This is an update from new Globe reporter, Marc Spears. Nice to have a reporter who actually covers the Celtics! Are you getting excited yet?
Celtics.com has an article on Rondo today and the fact that he welcomes the challenge of leading this team.
"When I'm out there playing with them, we're all basketball players. I don't look at how many All-Star (appearances) they have or how long they've been in the league. If they're in the wrong direction I'm going to speak up and direct them, whether it's Paul Pierce or an incoming rookie like Gabe Pruitt," Rondo said. "I'm just going to have to be more of a leader. Even though those guys have been in the league so long, I'm still going to have to direct them and tell them where to go."
If Rondo can become the leader he talks about becoming and if his hard work this summer gives him a decent jumper, we could be in for a very fun season. Celtics Blog takes a look at the "other starters."
Rivals.com has an article that discusses the fact that the dreaded ACL tear is no longer a career ender. They use Leon Powe as an example of a player who came back better after the ACL injury.
Once we know it's an ACL tear, we can be fairly confident that in 4-6 months you'll be doing what you want," Purdue trainer Jeff Stein said. "In two years, you'll be doing it just as good, if not better than before. This is not a career-ending injury. It's just a bump in the road." Powe might be the best example of that. Powe suffered a second ACL tear (his first came in high school) after a freshman season in which he led the Pac-10 in rebounding (9.5 rpg). After sitting out all of 2004-05, he came back to average a double-double, 20.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg.
We can also hope that Tony Allen will be one of those examples also and next season we will be talking about how he came back even better.
Speaking of Tony Allen, NECN has an interview with Tony and Big Baby. Go to this website and then go to the links to other videos at the bottom and look for "Rookie Glen Davis & Tony Allen have high hopes for Celtics" about 2/3 of the way down the list. Tony says he is about 65% right now but should be back 100% by November. Big Baby is going to keep the locker room loose, that is for sure. He and Pollard are going to be the class clowns.
Team USA wins big over Venezuela in the opener. Time Warner is looking to acquire NBA-TV. Flea sees an evil Celtics conspiracy against the Lakers. But isn't that the way it should be? When the Celtics fans cheered for Kobe in the Garden, I felt sick to my stomach. NO Celtics fan should EVER cheer for the Lakers no matter what. Celtics Pride has slipped but hopefully it is back again.
Seems like a lot of people want to come to Boston now. First it was Reuben Patterson wanting to come to Boston. Now, it is Sarunas Jasikevicius who wants in Boston. Whilc Patterson may come cheap, Sarunas has a 4 million dollar contract in Golden State. Since we need a PG more than we need another small forward, picking up Patterson doesn't make much sense. It also doesn't make sense to bring in a guy who is registered as a sex offender following an attempted rape, has an assault conviction for beating up a guy who scratched his car, and a domestic abuse chage for beating his wife. But, getting back to Sarunas, if they waive him, and he clears waivers, we may get him cheaper. Or if they buy him out we may get him cheaper. But as of right now, he makes too much for him to make sense for the Celtics.
40 days till training camp. We still have needs and Danny is taking his time to fill them. We are still waiting on Reggie to decide and still haven't signed our 2nd round picks. The Boston media is still very lax in covering the Celtics. I would love to get more from Tony's rehab or reports on the players working out in Boston now. There are lots of things they could report on. Let's hope they get with it soon. Celtics fans want to know....
Yesterday on NBA TV they had the March 15, 1992 double OT game between the Celtics and the Blazers. In that game, Larry Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steal. I just sat in amazement watching him. Sometimes we forget how truly great Larry Bird was.
Bird shouldn't have been that good. He wasn't fast. He wasn't athletic. He couldn't jump. But somehow, Larry Bird became one of the greatest basketball players ever. He compensated for his lack of speed and athleticism by having an immaculate work ethic. In Magic Johnson's biography he makes fun about Bird's mediocre athletic talent, slow feet and minuscule vertical leap but he immediately adds that Bird was the only player he truly feared. As Magic Johnson said of Larry, "There will never, ever, ever be another Larry Bird." Tommy Heinsohn said of Bird, "Larry was playing chess when everyone else on the court was playing checkers.
I started thinking about all the wonderful memories I had of watching Bird play. All of the game winners and improbable shots he hit. All of the incredible passes that he made. When he won the first three 3 point contests. His last 3 point contest where it came down to having to hit every shot on the last rack and he walked toward center court with his finger in the air before the money ball even went in the basket. Just so many times he did the improbable, or even the seemingly impossible. With Bird on the floor, Celtics basketball was always exciting.
There was the 60 point game against the Hawks and the duel with Dominique Wilkins. There was that game where Bird registered a triple double (30 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) in only three quarters of play against the Utah Jazz. Despite being only one steal away from a quadruple-double, Bird sat out the fourth quarter. After the game, he said "I already did enough damage. Why go for it if we're up by 30?" And there was the playoff game against the Pacers where he dove after s loose ball and came crashing face-first onto the Boston Garden floor. He went to the locker room but came back in the 3rd quarter despite a concussion and a severe headache, Bird scored 32 points on 12 for 19 shooting, leading Boston to victory for the game and the series. After the game he said that he was seeing 3 baskets and he just aimed for the middle one.
And then, perhaps his most memorable play, in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Boston trailing the Pistons 107-106, Bird stole the inbound pass from Isiah Thomas that was intended for Bill Laimbeer. With the clock ticking down and with his momentum carrying him out of bounds, Bird turned and fired the ball to a cutting Dennis Johnson, who converted a layup with 1 second left to win the game for Boston. That play saved the series for the Celtics, who, had they lost Game 5, would have had to win Game 6 in Detroit (where they were winless in the series) to force a decisive seventh game. Instead, after losing in Detroit, Boston won Game 7 and advanced to the Finals.
Bird was the embodiment of "Celtics Pride." He was a classy, confident, hardworking player who thrived on pressure and inspired teammates to excel. In addition to his three championship rings, Bird piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. He became only the third player (and the first non-center) to win three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times.
The year before Bird joined the Celtics, they were 29 and 53 and at the bottom of the league. When Bird joined the Celtics, his impact was immediate. With the addition of Bird, the team improved to 61–21 in the 1979–80 season, posting the league's best record. He was one of the greatest ever and as Magic said, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird. He was truly an amazing player.
Just a few things today that caught my attention. First, the Carnival of the NBA #48 is up over on Taking It to the Rack. Be sure to check it out. Lots of good reading there.
China Daily has a report on Pierce's trip to China. This is an interesting note from the article.
The former Boston Celtics star, who finished as the NBA's top scorer after leading Boston to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in 2002, believes childhood street matches were the source of his inspiration.
The FORMER Celtics star? This may not bode well for the upcoming season.
Rondo was on the Dale and Holley show yesterday and you can listen to it here. Both SI.com and ESPN have articles on Reggie Miller still mulling his return over and not giving any hints.
The ref scandal is still garnering attention. A US Attorney is going to review the NBA officiating. Bill Russell talks about the Celtics and the ref scandal. And Philly.com tells us that Donaghy is ready to name the other refs involved in gambling.
Patterson said he would prefer to sign with Boston or Miami, and added he's not concerned about Hardaway signing with the Heat and Miller considering the Celtics. "It's going to be interesting," Patterson said. "Reggie is what, 41, 42? He's going to be just shooting threes, and he isn't going to be a 30- to 40-minute per night guy. "You look at those squads (Boston and Miami) -- where's the stopper? The energy guy? The defensive guy? That's me. I'm the only guy they're missing."
41 days till training camp. Still no Celtics news from the Boston papers. Hopefully they will wake up soon and give us some news on Tony Allen's rehab, the Celtics who are working out there every day, and what is going on with the team.
The Celtics are now loaded with talent and have gone from last to contenders. But there are some keys to this upcoming season that that need to work out in order for the Celtics to be contenders.
First and foremost, there has to be chemistry. The team is almost all new to each other. There are only 6 players returning from last year's squad: Tony Allen, Perk, Pierce, Powe, Rondo and Scal. We will have the big 3 who will have to blend their games together. How will Paul Pierce react to the fact that Kevin Garnett will be the main option and will be getting more attention and publicity than him? Will he be able to check his ego and move from top dog on a bad team to second or third option on a very good team? Once we get past the KG, Pierce and Allen, how will the other new players work together? Will Pollard and House be able to fit in? Chemistry is very important because you can have stars on a team and if they don't mesh, the team doesn't win. We need only look to the Laker team with Shaq, Kobe, Payton and Malone or the Rockets team with Barkley, Pippen and Hakeem. How these 3 stars mesh will go a long way to how far this team can go.
Second will be the health of the team. No matter how many stars and how good a team is, if they are hit by injury after injury, they aren't going to win. Last season, the Celtics lost an incredible 312 player games to injury. No team can win when they are playing with a different lineup every night because of players being out with injury. Pierce, Garnett, and Allen expecially will need to stay healthy. Also, Perk and Rondo need to stay healthy because we are very thin at the center and PG spots.
Another key to the season will be production from the center position. Perk is poised to break out this season and we will need him to produce this season, especially on the boards and being able to finish quickly when the ball is passed inside to him and when he gets offensive rebounds. He will also need to avoid cheap fouls and stay out of foul trouble. Along with progress from Perk, we will need Pollard, and whoever else Doc uses to back up Perk, to produce on the second unit.
This brings me to the next key and that will be bench play. We had to give up a lot to bring in Kevin Garnett and that has depleted our bench. If Reggie Miller decides to join the Celtics and can contribute at least 10-15 minutes per game, that will help a lot. Scott Pollard has averaged 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds for his career. We will need him to play well off the bench while Perk gets a rest. House should be able to contribute firepower off the bench. Will the rookies be able to contribute anything this season? Can Powe continue his play from summer league and give us an enforcer off the bench? But the biggest question mark right now is who will back up Rondo at the point.
Another factor that will determine how the bench will contribute is how long it will take for Tony Allen to recover from his injury. Tony will be a big key off the bench. If he can quickly get back to where he was last season before the injury, that will be huge for this team.
The Celtics commitment to defense will also be a key to this season. Last year, we proved that we could score, but we just couldn't stop the other team when it counted. With the hiring of Tom Thibodeau, it seems that the Celtics are going to commit to defense but Doc has to go along with it and the players have to also commit to it. Defense is a matter of effort and desire and each player has to put out the effort to make it work. We won't win in the playoffs without a strong defense.
The final key and maybe the most important, will be the play of Rajon Rondo. Rondo has all the tools to be a top PG in this league. He has worked very hard on his jumper this summer and I expect it to be greatly improved this season. With a jumper to keep the defenses honest and the ability to get to the basket at will along with a pass first mentality and an uncanny knack to find the open man, Rondo should be able to handle the starting PG spot. Will he be able to run a team with 3 and possibly 4 super stars on it? That may be the biggest key to this season of them all but I believe that Rondo will be up to the task.
We have been in a quiet time as far as Celtics news. The mad scramble over the Garnett trade has died down and Reggie is in a holding pattern. I still believe that Danny needs to sign a veteran PG to complete this roster but there hasn't been much coming out about any possible signings. Our 2 draft picks haven't been signed yet so Danny may be waiting on Miller to make any further moves.
There is an article today that says that the Celtics won't win a championship with Rondo. I tend to disagree. He cite's Rondo's inability to shoot as a reason. When Rondo was starting at the end of the season, his shooting improved quite a bit and with working on it over the summer, I believe that he will be able to shoot enough to keep the defenses honest. As the last CelticsStuff Live show proved, Rondo is a very polarizing figure on the Celtics. I happen to be on the side that believes that Rondo is going to do just fine as the PG on this team but we do need a veteran PG to back him up.
The Globe Blog talks about Rondo helping out in the community. It also mentions how much Gomes will be missed for his community work.
SI.com has a good article reminiscing with Bill Russell. Green Band Wagon has an excellent article on Red Auerbach's Book Let Me Tell You a Story. I am reading this book now and all through it have been thinking of writing about it when I finished but Jim beat me to it. I may still post my thoughts on it when I am finished, but Jim did a great job of capturing the flavor of this wonderful book. If you are a Celtics fan, I highly recommend you put this book on your must read list. Full Court Press has some random thoughts about Perk and Rondo as "default starters" as well as some other thoughts. On FSN.com, Tanguay discusses Miller time. Sports of Boston has an article on Big Baby Davis. Celtics Blog discusses Minnesota's need to sign Al and Gomes after the season.
Just 42 days until training camp. It is slow now, but I expect things to heat up when Reggie makes his decision or when Danny signs our draft picks or another player and as training camp approaches. With the number of players in Boston working out, it seems as though the Boston media would have plenty to write about, but I guess they are busy writing about the Sox and Patriots.
A few years ago, not many people had heard of plantar fasciitis but in recent years, it seems that every year several players come down with it. The earliest reference I could find was in 2001 when Shaq was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. In 2004, Rashard Lewis missed time because of it. In 2005, there were Pau Gasol, Ira Newble, and Tim Duncan who were sidelined with plantar fasciitis. In 2006, Sam Cassell, PJ Brown, Marcus Camby, Bobby Simmons, and Mo Williams were diagnosed with this injury. And in 2007, Andres Nocioni, Shawn Marion, Brad Miller, Larry Hughes, Chris Bosh, and the Celtics own Kendrick Perkins suffered from the injury. I am sure there were even more but I found all these with just a quick search. It certainly seems as though it is an injury that is becoming more prevalent or maybe they are just getting better at diagnosing it. Every time we turn around it seems another player is sitting out due to this injury. Since many people may not be aware of what plantar fasciitis is, I thought I would discuss it here.
The plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated and inflamed. Plantar fasciitis refers to the inflammation of the plantar fascia. The inflammation in the tissue is the result of some type of injury to the plantar fascia, typically from repeated trauma such as running or walking on hard surfaces.
Plantar fasciitis typically starts as a dull, intermittent pain in the heel and may progress to sharp, constant pain. It is usually worse in the morning or after sitting, and then decreases as the person begins to walk around. In addition, the pain usually increases after standing or walking for long periods of time, and at the beginning of a sporting activity, such as playing basketball. Repeated straining of the plantar facia can cause tiny tears in the ligament. There are several factors that can lead to plantar fasciitis including if your feet roll inward too much when you walk; if you have high arches or flat feet; if you walk, stand, or run for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces (this would be the factor that would most likely fit the NBA players who suffer this injury); if you are overweight; if you wear shoes that don't fit well or are worn out; and if you have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles.
Treatments for PF are varied but all are intended to reduce the amount of inflammation within the plantar fascia either directly or indirectly. Direct treatment can be oral and/or injected medicines or topical medications under ultrasound. Oral medications such as Motrin, Ibuprofen, Naprosyn and Celebrex are usually the first line of direct treatment. These medications are used to reduce the inflamation. Oral steroids can be used to directly affect the inflammation as well.
A second type of direct treatment includes injections into the bottom of the foot, which concentrate the anti-inflammatory medications directly at the affected site. These medicines are most commonly short and long acting steroids.
The most important treatment for plantar fasciitis is rest. Since activity most often causes it, you have to stop the activity to allow it to heal. Also, applying ice to the area and stretching the Achilles tendon before standing will help relieve pain. Night splints can be worn to keep the heel stretched out when you sleep. By doing so, the arch of the foot does not become contracted at night, and is hopefully not as painful in the morning.
Most cases of plantar fasciitis will heal with rest and treatment as described above, but more severe cases that don't react to treatment may require surgery. For the most part, players will heal with rest and treatment, and not experience any recurrences but some players, such as Tommy Heinsohn are plagued with pain that causes them to retire because of it. When players are diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, the recovery time can be anywhere from 6 months to several years.
Hopefully the Celtics will be spared from having to deal with this injury this year since we had more than our share of injuries including plantar fasciitis last season. But, it seems a sure thing that at least a few players will be diagnosed with plantar fasciitis this season and hopefully you will now be able to better understand it.
Anyone who has been around me for any length of time will know that I love Perk. I have stated many times that I believe that he will have a break out season this year. Some Celtics fans don't believe this and so I have compiled some facts to support my feeling that this will be Perk's break out year.
First, Perk came into the league directly from high school. If he had gone to college, he would just be going into his rookie season this year. Usually, it takes longer for centers to develop an NBA game. We can compare Perk's first four years with the first four years of another center who came into the NBA directly from high school, Jermaine O'Neal.
In his first year, Perk only played in 10 games and averaged only 3.5 minutes per game. That is a total of 35 minutes for the entire season. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and .2 blocks in those 3.5 minutes. O'Neal got a bit more playing time in that he played in 45 games and averaged 10 minutes per game. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and .6 blocks per game. But even though he played only 35 minutes the first season, he used the time to remake his body and get into NBA shape.
In their second seasons, both played in 60 games. Perk averaged 9 minutes per game and O'Neal averaged 13 minutes per game. Perk averaged 2.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and .6 blocks while O'Neal averaged 4.5 poings, 3.4 rebounds, and 1 block per game.
In their third seasons, Perk finally got more playing time than JO due to O'Neal battling injuries. Perk averaged 19 minutes, 5.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks while O'Neal averaged 8.6 minutes, 2.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, .4 assists and .4 blocks.
In their 4th seasons, Perk played in 72 games and was hampered by plantar fasciitis much of the year but he still averaged 21.9 minutes, 4.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks. O'Neal played in 70 games and averaged 12.3 minutes, 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, .2 assists, and 2.8 blocks.
Over their first four years, their stats are fairly comparable. In his 5th season, O'Neal jumped to 32.6 minutes per game and averaged 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game. I fully expect Perk to make at least that kind of leap this season. Since their careers have been comparable to this point, it follows that Perk will make the same kind of progress in his 5th season. Although, I expect Perk's defensive stats to be higher than his offensive stats simply because that is what this team is going to need from him.
In spite of limited playing time and battling shoulder and foot injuries, Perk has made steady progress in his game. Last off season, he was recovering from shoulder surgery and was unable to practice until training camp. He was unable to work with Clifford Ray in the off season. Then, once his shoulder healed, he developed plantar fasciitis and played in considerable pain much of the season. He had limited mobility because of it. Because of the pain in his foot, he was unable to practice much of the season and only played in the games so wasn't able to work with Clifford Ray even during the season. Perk is healthy now. His foot is fully healed and he is healthy and a healthy Perk has always played very well.
This off season, Perk has the benefit of working with Clifford Ray and now with Tom Thibodeau also. Clifford Ray is the best big man coach in the league and we saw the leap that Big Al made last season after working with Ray in the off season. We also see the play of Dwight Howard as a testament to Ray's coaching. But along with Clifford Ray, Perk is working with Tom Thibodeau who is credited with turning around Yao Ming's game. The Herald said that Perk had just finished a draining workout with Thibodeau. With his work ethic, I can see Perk working out all morning with one coach and with the other in the afternoon. Both of these coaches are known for getting results from the big men they coach and both are working with Perk this off season.
This brings me to another reason I believe that Perk will break out this season and that is his work ethic. No one works harder than this kid does. From the Globe article:
Between now and the start of training camp in six weeks, Kendrick Perkins hopes the Celtics' coaching staff pushes him to extremes. He wants to be run ragged, past the point of exhaustion in offensive and defensive drills. When he joins Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo in the starting five this season, the 6-foot-10-inch Perkins wants to be in the best shape of his career. "Each day I can come in here and a coach can kill me and make me throw up after my workout, that's what I want," said Perkins, who has dropped 20 pounds and is 10 shy of his desired playing weight of 260. "If you do that all the way through the month of September, everything else is going to be easy."
Anybody who works that hard at his game has got to succeed. Larry Bird always said that he stayed after practice and put in extra work because he didn't want someone else working harder than him who would beat him. I can say with some certainty that there isn't anyone outworking Perk.
Perk has the perfect attitude to be a great basketball player. Again, from that Globe article:
"[Defense] is what gives me playing time," said Perkins. "That's my role. I don't care if I shoot the ball one time. I've got Paul, Ray Allen, and KG on the court with me. If I go the whole game and have zero points and we win, I don't care. Why should I care? That's called selfish. If we're winning, everybody's going to get the same publicity and everything else. That all comes with losing yourself within the team. "I want to win too much to care about anything else. I don't care about my stats. I don't care about how people view me as a basketball player. I just care about getting wins. Anything else is irrelevant to me. I don't care about somebody telling me to shoot the ball or do this more. I'm going to do what my team wants me to do. It's as simple as that."
Perk will do whatever it takes to win. This is the attitude that the Celtics teams had in the olden days when the Celtics were a dynasty. Each player was willing to accept his role and each player was willing to do whatever it took for the team to win. Perk has this old school attitude and by being willing to play team ball and fill a role, he will be successful.
Finally, Perk will be playing alongside Kevin Garnett, who is one of the best big men in the league. Playing with KG would make any player better. He almost even made Blount look like a good player. But with Perk playing with Garnett, he will learn from him and they will back each other up and form a formidable front line.
Experience, health, coaching and a work ethic second to none, attitude, and a future hall of famer to play alongside, all point to Perk having a break out season this year. As I have said before, better get on the Perk bandwagon now because it is going to be very crowded by the end of the year.
