I am extremely excited for the upcoming season. With KG in the fold, we have our best power forward since Kevin McHale (sorry Big Al) and our best all-around player since Larry Bird (sorry Pierce). With KG, Pierce, and Ray Ray as our new "Big 3" we will be a LEGIT team for anybody to play against for the next 5 years. I will miss Big Al, but it is sad to say probably by the 3rd game of the season we will not miss him as much.
Ray Allen is a consummate pro who wants to be here. He will be a GREAT example to some of the few young players that we still have like Rondo, TA, and the 2 rooks. He just might be the best pure shooter in the game. If he isn't he's in the top 3 for sure. He is a PURE scorer. He can get his shot off anyone. Most people do not realize either how versatile the guy is. I consider him one of the most versatile 2 guards in the league. I have seen him on multiple occasions drop like 25 points, 8 assists and 8 boards when his team needs him to do that. Having the Big 3 will also be able to give the other 1 or 2 guys a rest.
Most teams would love to have at least 2 of the 3, like KG and Paul OR KG and Ray. We have all 3. It's kinda like when Randy Johnson came out of the bullpen for the D-Backs in the 2001 World Series during game 7. Imagine giving KG a rest and keeping Paul and Ray on the floor, and then in the last 2 minutes of the game KG comes back in to join both Paul and Ray. We have so many warriors.
I think Perk is not going to have a "breakout" season but it will be solid and he will be a legitimate starting center alongside the big 3 and Rondo. What does he have to do other than grab the boards that KG doesn't get to, man up on defense on the opposing 5's of the league and be an instigator when need be?
Rondo doesn't need to do much but get people the ball and hit the open J with which he has been working out all summer. He will never be Reggie Miller, but I can see him turn into a consistent mid-range jump shooter when he is left open. The guy is an athletic freak. He will fit right in. He is a pass-first/TEAM first kind of guy. If he wanted to he could probably average 15 points a game easy on a poor team. I see him dropping 9 or 10 points with 7 or 8 assists on the season.
Our defense is going to be the best that it has been since the Obie years, and much better than that actually.
TA and Posey will form a formidable one two punch on O and D off the bench at the 2 and 3. Both of those players are starting-caliber players on other teams and they will be coming off the bench!
Also, our main guys coming off the bench should be Eddie House (this guy can SHOOT!), Pollard, and then Scal/Powe. The rest will probably be garbage time/NBDL.
I haven't even mentioned Pierce yet.
I do think it will take some time for all 3 guys to adjust to each other, knowing who likes the ball where, and when. But in the end, this team should at least see ECF. I am not of the opinion that they will win it all in the first year.
I say this year ECF. Next year NBA Finals.
Even though we gave up a boatload of youth, what we got in return were proven ALL-STAR/ALL-WORLD veterans who are NOT over-the-hill, but have a good 5 years left, who are passionate about playing the game and winning. Having all 3 play together will prolong all of their careers, because they will not have to carry the whole team on their back every night like they were used to doing. Each night it may be a different person, or they may all share the load together. We are in store for an exciting season
Slam Online has a great article on the Summer Camp for EA Sports NBA Live 08 Summer Camp where it seems that Paul Pierce has been having a lot of fun. They interview some of the players including Pierce and here is a portion of the article including the Pierce interview:
None of the players were fans of the spandex suits. As soon as Paul Pierce had his suit on, he started joking that he “had to take a doo-doo.” This drew some laughs from the children that were on hand watching. And yeah, from me too.
While none of the guys were comfortable in the suits, Sonics guard Delonte West seemed to come alive once he had it on. The second he stepped on the studio’s court with the suit on, he busted out a fantastic robot. He told me later that he didn’t really pick up his robot skills anywhere, it just came to him, like it would to anyone.
“I think everybody has a robot inside them somewhere. You just need the right suit and the right situation and it’s gonna come out,” he says.
The suit seems to bring some foolishness out of Pierce too. In between motion capturing, he takes a break and I sit down and talk with him.
SLAM: Where were you mentally at the end of last season? Did you expect to be going into this season with the kind of team you got now?
Pierce: I don’t think anybody in the organization expected this. It’s quite a surprise, we thought we were gonna get the one or two pick and get a franchise changing player, but it didn’t work out that way, and fortunately we made two blockbuster trades. I’m the happiest guy in the world.
SLAM: What was your mindset like at the end of the year?
Pierce: I was drained a little mentally because of the losing, the injury. I didn’t know what my future held with the Boston Celtics. I didn’t know if it was time for me to move on from that situation, maybe move somewhere else to a team that could help me win a championship, or just stick it out and see what happens. But I was glad I was able to stick it out and not complain to the media about getting traded. They did a good job this off-season acquiring some guys that are gonna help me out next year.
SLAM: Did you find yourself biting your tongue the last couple of years on a trade request?
Pierce: I always voiced my frustrations at the losing, but I’ve showed a lot of loyalty to the franchise who drafted me who I’ve been around in good times and who I’ve been around in bad times. Hopefully I can end my career off with some good times, and when you go through a long-term relationship you’re gonna have some ups and downs.
SLAM: Is this the most excited you’ve been going into a season?
Pierce: Other than my rookie year, I’m gonna have to say yeah. I’m excited to finally step on that court and play with some great players and have an opportunity to win a championship.
SLAM: What’s the mood like in Boston right now with the fans?
Pierce: The fans are really excited and we’re selling a lot of season tickets. All the people I haven’t seen in years are talking about how they’re gonna come out to Boston and watch us. So the atmosphere has definitely changed and that’s what you want, because Boston’s a storied franchise.
SLAM: The one knock on your team right now is depth. You’ve got three fantastic players, but people are wondering if you have those spots like four through nine or ten covered. Is the team deep enough?
Pierce: I think we have what it takes to win a championship. Rondo’s an up and coming star of this league, Kendrick Perkins is a great role player at the center. We just signed James Posey and he’s got championship experience. I just think everything is overshadowed by the three all-stars we have on this team, and people aren’t going to expect anything from the other guys but that’s not true.
SLAM: How is it wearing that suit?
Pierce: The suit is tight as hell. I just wish they had a hole in it so I could take a dump. I’ll deal with it for another hour or so.
I had to end the interview there. What do you say to that?
Just an aside to this, I miss Delonte West. He has such a great sense of humor and I am going to miss his grit on the court this season as well. But, I am also very, very excited about a rejuvenated Pierce, Garnett and Ray Allen on the Celtics. According to Slam, Pierce was by far the most into the game of all the players there. He was talking smack to all of his opponents and still taking the time to look over at the game Marion was playing and critique what was going on on his screen. Good to see that Pierce is having fun. Hopefully he will bring all this excitement to camp next week as all the Celtics converge on Waltham in preparation for the upcoming season. Check out the Slam Article for more good stuff including interviews with Arenas and Marion.
Along with the point guard position, the Celtics seem to be weak at the center position. Right now, we have Perk as our starting center and have Scott Pollard as the back up. Beyond that, just as we have at point guard, there are players who can play the position but who aren't true centers.
My thoughts on Perk are well known. I love Perk and feel that he will have a breakout season this year. He has been working too hard not to. Reports are that he took off 2 days after the season and then went right back to training. He has been in Boston all summer working on his game and his conditioning. He has lost 20 lbs which should take some of the pressure off of his foot and thus prevent a recurrence of the plantar fasciitis. He has been working very hard with both Clifford Ray and Tom Thibodeau, both of whom are known for developing big men. He is working on finishing quick around the basket and a jumper from around 15 feet and in. He is also working on his footwork and overall game and conditioning. I am not concerned about the starting position as I feel that Perk will do a good job.
Backing him up is Scot Pollard and this is where the concerns begin. Pollard is 6'11" and is known as much for his crazy hairstyles as he is for his rebounding and defense. He played one season for Detroit, 5 seasons with Sacramento, 3 seasons with Indiana and one with Cleveland. Hoopshype has this to say about him:
Plays with heart... will fight for every ball... long arms... outstanding rebound skills... loves to grab the offensive rebound... will put some points on the board... runs the floor well.
He will be a great back up center if only he can stay on the floor. But that is a big concern. In 2004-05, he played in only 49 games and the injury log reads like this:
Mar 22, 2005: Missed 1 game (sprained right ankle). Mar 20, 2005: Sprained right ankle, day-to-day. Feb 11, 2005: Missed 1 game (back injury). Feb 9, 2005: Back injury, day-to-day. Jan 21, 2005: Missed 1 game (back injury). Jan 19, 2005: Back injury, day-to-day. Jan 14, 2005: Missed 20 games (back injury). Nov 28, 2004: Back injury, day-to-day. Nov 23, 2004: Missed 6 games (back injury). Nov 10, 2004: Back injury, day-to-day. Nov 9, 2004: Missed 1 game (back injury). Nov 6, 2004: Back injury, day-to-day.
Then, in the '05-'06 season, he played in only 45 games and the injury log once again is fairly long:
Apr 10, 2006: Missed 1 game (plantar fasciaitis). Apr 9, 2006: Plantar fasciaitis, day-to-day. Apr 7, 2006: Missed 2 games (sore left foot). Apr 4, 2006: Sore left foot, day-to-day. Mar 21, 2006: Missed 3 games (foot injury). Mar 17, 2006: Foot injury, day-to-day. Jan 27, 2006: Missed 10 games (back injury). Jan 13, 2006: Back injury, day-to-day. Jan 8, 2006: Missed 1 game (flu). Jan 5, 2006: Flu, day-to-day. Dec 4, 2005: Missed 5 games (stomach virus). Nov 25, 2005: Stomach virus, inactive list. Nov 9, 2005: Missed 3 games (calf injury). Nov 1, 2005: Calf injury, inactive list.
Last season, he played for the ECF champs, the Cleveland Cavaliers and played in only 24 games. Once again, he missed a lot of games due to back spasms. His history of back injuries is troubling and we have to ask how many games will he be available for this season.
Beyond Perk and Pollard, there are no other centers listed. KG can slide over and play the 5, although, that really isn't the ideal situation. KG fits much better as a PF than he does as a center. A much better solution would be to play Leon Powe at the center position. He played the 5 very well in summer league and held his own against Greg Oden at that position. He is listed at 6'8" but with his long arms, he plays much bigger and can match up well with most centers. He is very strong and plays very good defense in the paint. I believe that he can play center and do a very good job of it. As with Perk, Powe works very, very hard and we saw a huge leap in ability from last season to summer league and he will be even better when the season comes around. Powe could fill in at center very well with his long arms, strength, and excellent rebounding and defense around the basket. He is learning from another undersized center with long arms in Clifford Ray and that may be why we saw such a big improvement in his Summer League play.
Finally, Kandi is a free agent and since he is our own player, we could re-sign him for the veteran minimum if Manuel is cut after training camp. He is an under achiever, but could give us 10 minutes per game in a back up role if needed and give us insurance in case Pollard once again has back problems. Looking at the free agent centers, he is probably as good as any of them out there. When he was healthy last year, he did a decent job as a back up center. It is entirely possible that Danny will go with just Perk and Pollard at center and fill in with KG and Powe. Training camp will be a deciding factor in whether to look for another big or not. Danny may see the potential in Powe to play center and is counting on that. I can't believe that Danny is going to depend on a player who has only averaged 40 games a season over the last 5 seasons as our only back up center, so he must have something else up his sleeve. [Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!]
But Mark Bartelstein said today he and his client plan to fight the suspension, adding that the plea to the reckless driving charge was designed entirely to get the matter adjudicated and allow Posey to seek a new team without the uncertainty of an unresolved legal situation. “I think the facts on this case are so strongly in support of James’ innocence that we feel confident in taking this up with the league,'’ Bartelstein said. “I understand the NBA has to take a position, but I think we’re going to be able to present them with some very good evidence. I think strongly that, once they get all the facts, James’ innocence in this situation will be clear. The facts stack up strongly to support James here, and I’m sure the NBA will have an open mind on this.'’
According to the police report, Posey was arrested after being approached by officers while sitting in his car talking to pedestrians and those in other vehicles. He reportedly dropped his license when handing it to the officer and allegedly had “bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath.'’ He was also said to be unsteady on his feet. Posey was arrested and taken to Miami-Dade County jail.
Bartelstein insists the matter is not as it appears, with one source saying Posey did not drive the car.
But considering the NBA has established the suspension precedent in guilty pleas and that, under the penalty imposed by the league, Posey is currently scheduled to be fined nearly $40,000 (1/90th of his salary), it begs the question of why he agreed to any charges whatsoever from the incident.
Bartelstein countered that it was necessary for the sake of Posey’s larger picture.
“As an athlete, you get stuck between a rock and a hard place on these things,'’ he said. “James was a free agent and he just couldn’t have open issues like that.
“If he was not an NBA player, we could have fought this to the end. But we had to get it put aside so he could move on. Believe me when I tell you, if we had wanted to, we would have been more than comfortable taking this all the way through the system. But when you look at it from a business perspective, we couldn’t afford to do that. We had to get rid of it as best we could.'’
So, I guess the incident is not closed as yet. It would be nice to have Posey in uniform for the season opener, but it wouldn't be the worse thing in the world if he did have to miss one game. More as it comes available.
The NBA has suspended the newest Celtic, James Posey, for one game stemming from a no contest plea to charges of reckless driving in an incident in Miami on April 9. No contest pleas are neither an admission of guilt nor a denial of the charges, but the defendant agrees to a punishment as if he were guilty.
Posey was originally charged with drunken driving, but he did not take a breath test and said that he was innocent of that charge. He then agreed to plead no contest to a lesser charge.
Posey will serve the suspension on November 2 when the Celtics play their season opener against the Wizards.
Danny Ainge was asked about the incident following Monday’s press conference introducing Posey.
He was quoted in Tuesday’s Herald as saying, “My finding is that I just feel very confident that James is a good teammate. He’s a good guy in the locker room, and I’m confident about who he is. (The incident) is behind him. I asked James about it and I talked to a lot of other people, too. We’re very comfortable with what we found out.'’
Much of the Celtics news today centers on Pruitt and Thibodeau. The Herald has a very short piece mentioning both. The Globe has a short piece on Thibodeau and another on Pruitt that gives some details of his contract. The Thibodeau signing is significant because if you recall, he agreed to become an assistant with Washington and after working with their players for a couple of weeks decided not to. So, it is good to hear that after a couple of weeks of working with our players (Perk and Wallace in particular), he has signed a contract.
The Oregonian proudly reports that most of the Blazers are already at work in Portland. Former Celtic Raef LaFrentz is one of 3 players not in camp already. The Celtics have had quite a few players in Waltham for much of the off season. Perk took 2 days off and has been there ever since. Paul Pierce has moved back to Boston and has been in the gym working out there, and Perk, Rondo, Pruitt, Wallace, Davis, Manuel, and Tony Allen have all been regulars for much of the summer. Last night on FSN, they reported that by the end of next week, the entire team should be in Boston and working out together.
Celtics 17 takes a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of James Posey. Red's Army sees the Celtics as getting defensive. Green 17 discusses the face of the franchise. Parquet Pride looks at our projected starting lineup. Some Bloggin' on the Noggin asks if Banner 17 is on the horizon.
Section F Sports feels that the Clippers are signing players who should be in Boston. I agree with him that Brevin Knight may have been a good fit for the Celtics but just don't see Reubin Patterson as Celtics material. Wages of Wins Journal has a good article that looks back on Larry Bird's rookie season.
SLAM is wondering if Rondo is about to get demoted. I don't see that at all. Rondo is the team's starting PG and the only way that would change is if Rondo doesn't come into camp in shape and doesn't do the job. I just don't see either of those things happening. It would be nice to have a veteran back up though in case of injury and for the playoff experience. FanHouse reports on why KG isn't a cornerstone player. KG is going to be in the HOF and will be remembered as one of the top players of all time. It isn't his fault that he hasn't had the players around him to win a championship. That is, until now.
Finally, there is an article on YES Network that I enjoyed reading. It starts out by saying that the Nets have owned the Celtics since that ECF matchup in 2002. It then goes on to say that Thorn and Stefanski are better executives than Danny Ainge and have made much better moves. But this is the part I really enjoyed.
The Celtics had, far and away, the best offseason of any team in the NBA and you could make a case that they did it at the Nets' expense.
Really, it's Boston against the entire NBA, but the Celtics landed four players, two of the whom Thorn always coveted, another whom the Nets really wanted and were close to getting and another who left them to play in Boston.
Their names are Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Eddie House and now James Posey. To be fair, Thorn and just about every other league exec covet Garnett and Allen.
The Nets had no shot at Allen, and frankly, haven't needed him ever since they got Vince Carter. They made the obligatory calls for Garnett, but Minnesota wasn't interested. They tried to re-sign House, but the Celtics gave him about $500 Gs more and Posey was also a money thing.
House wouldn't have made or broken the Nets' season, but Posey would have been a great pickup, especially for the bi-annual exception of about $1.8 million.
Last week, the Nets were close to getting the versatile swingman who can defend multiple spots and has buried them with his three-point shooting. But Ainge kept upping the offer, nearly doubling what the Nets' could pay without doing a sign-and-trade.
Sweet!! We managed to make Kobe very upset with Pierce getting help with the Celtics signings this summer and the Lakers still haven't made a move. Now, we have the Nets mad that we took the players they wanted. Very, very sweet! 32 days until training camp. Things are getting ready to heat up and I am excited!
Anyone who was a fan of the Celtics prior to 1990 would recognize the raspy voice of Johnny Most. Johnny was the voice of the Celtics from 1953-1990. He passed away on January 3, 1993, but he leaves lasting memories of his love of the Celtics and his unique style of calling the games. Most never pretended to be objective: his Celtics were near-saints who could do no wrong and anyone not wearing the green was the enemy and the scum of the earth.
Fiddlin' and Diddlin', the phrase I use title the news and links columns on this blog, is a tribute to Johnny Most. Johnny used the term fiddlin' and diddlin' originally to describe how Philly point guard Maurice Cheeks dribbled the ball for 4 or 5 seconds as he waited for the Sixers to set their offense but he ended up using that expression to describe the play of DJ and Ainge. They weren't true fast break style PG's and would dribble the ball up the court when waiting to set up the offense. They'd dribble the ball to one side of the court and then dribble the ball back to the middle. Rather than describe all the ball handling for 5 or 6 seconds at a time, he would use the phrase fiddlin' and diddlin' to describe their dribbling around.
Born to Jewish parents, Most began his career in the 1940s mentored by Marty Glickman. He called road games for the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers baseball teams as well as the New York Giants and Army football team. In 1953, Boston Celtics owner Walter Brown and Red Auerbach hired him to replace Curt Gowdy as the team's radio play-by-play man on WBZ radio. He always referred to his perch at Boston Garden as being "high above courtside."
Most was never shy about criticizing the other team's players. One time Most described the Los Angeles Lakers' Kurt Rambis as "something that had crawled out of a sewer." He also nicknamed Washington Bullets players Rick Mahorn and Jeff Ruland as "McFilthy" and "McNasty." Kareem Abdul Jabbar was "Kareem Puff" and Isaiah Thomas was referred to as "Little Lord Fauntleroy." He called Magic Johnson "Crybaby Johnson" when he challenged a referee's call. Most's pro-Celtic descriptions could turn shoving matches into "bloodbaths" and minor fouls into "vicious muggings" and once during a game in Detroit, he loudly proclaimed, "Oh the yellow, gutless way they do things here." When a player such as Xavier McDaniel would come to the Celtics after being a favorite target of Most's venom, he would suddenly be rehabilitated into a wonderful guy.
Johnny's most famous call came the closing seconds of Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals between the defending champion Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics' lead had shriveled to 110-109, and Philadelphia regained possession with five seconds left after an inbounds pass attempt by Boston's Bill Russell hit one of the wires that ran down from the ceiling of Boston Garden and helped support the baskets in those days. Hall of Fame guard Hal Greer prepared to toss the ball inbounds under his own basket. The logical target seemed to be Wilt Chamberlain in the low post, but Russell fronted Chamberlain and took away that option. K.C. Jones, guarding Greer, leaped along the baseline and frantically waved his arms to distract him as the five seconds ticked away.
To get a better view of the court, Greer jumped up and spotted high-scoring forward Chet Walker, seemingly open beyond the key. But Boston's John Havlicek had taken a position several feet off the direct line between Greer and Walker, making it look like Walker was open when he really wasn't. After counting off a couple of seconds in his head, Havlicek sneaked a peek over his shoulder at Greer just as he prepared to release the ball. He moved into the passing lane . but let Most tell it:
"Greer is putting the ball into play. He gets it out deep," Most intones, before his voices rises into a frenzy. "Havlicek steals it. Over to Sam Jones. Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over! Johnny Havlicek stole the ball!"
The call has been played and replayed through the years, representing a high point for Most while transforming him into a cultural icon.
The 1969 series between the Lakers and the Celtics was a classic that pitted Bill Russell against Wilt Chamberlain for the final time. When the Celtics arrived at the Forum for Game 7, they were surprised to see that the Lakers' owner was so confident of a Laker victory that he’d arranged for thousands of balloons to be tied to the ceiling. He’d also brought in the USC Trojan Marching Band. Cases of champagne were stacked high outside of the Laker locker room. The media were handed press releases before the game which began: “When the Lakers win the championship…”
All of this gave added motivation to the Celtics. The game became famous for Wilt’s phantom injury, and his coach’s refusal to let him re-enter the game. Don Nelson launched the shot that hit rim, bounced straight up, and dropped cleanly through the net. A jubilant Johnny Most was beside himself and in true Johnny Most form announced:
“We busted their balloons! The USC Band is packing their instruments and all the champagne has suddenly gone flat. And then there’s poor Wilt, who probably is icing his boo-boo right now while picking up a crying towel.”
Johnny's dislike of Chamberlain was legendary. He viewed Wilt as a stat monger, more concerned with getting his points than winning titles. Johnny used every opportunity to take a jab at the Laker's big man. “Wilt the Stilt” was a nickname that bothered Chamberlain a great deal, and Most constantly referred to the seven-footer as The Stilt.
One time when Sixers Julius Erving and Moses Malone attacked Bird out of frustration, Most unleashed a scathing a torrent on Malone, whom he saw as a coward for his role in the whole thing. A sampling of that 1984 broadcast shows how excitable Most could be at times like this:
“I want to see him [Malone] fight Bird face-to-face…because he won’t fight anybody face-to-face…Malone came up from behind…a real, yellow, cowardly act…Malone is a coward – I mean I say that irrevocably – Malone is a coward!”
Another of Most's famous calls (and my personal favorite) came in Game 5 of the 1987 playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, the series tied at 2-2. Detroit had a one-point lead late in the game and needed to inbound the ball to secure the victory and take a 3-2 Series lead with Game 6 on their court. Isiah Thomas was inbounding the ball to Bill Laimbeer, who was in the backcourt. But in the words of the immortal Johnny Most:
"Now there's a steal by Bird! Underneath to DJ! He lays it up and in!! ... What a play by Bird! Bird stole the inbounding pass, layed it up to DJ, and DJ layed it up and in, and Boston has a one-point lead with one second left! OH, MY, THIS PLACE IS GOING CRAZY!!!"
You can hear it for yourself on the clip below.
But perhaps his most memorable on air moment wasn't the call of a play, but was when he dropped a lit cigarette into his lap, setting his pants on fire while he was on the air. One of my favorites was when the Celtics played the European teams in the 80's and Most had so many problems pronouncing the names, he resorted to calling it on the players' appearance:
"in to...the lefty, now inside to the big guy, passes it, now its the little fella...over to the big blonde guy.."
On October 10, 1990, Johnny Most, who was a lifelong smoker announced his retirement due to health concerns. On December 3 of that year, Most was honored with the permanent installation at Boston Garden of his microphone, silver-plated and encased in a Celtic-green frame. The microphone was attached to the façade of the vantage point that Most always described as "high above courtside." On January 3, 1993, Most died at the age of 69 of a heart attack in Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Shortly after his death, Johnny Most was awarded the prestigious Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Trustees of the Basketball Hall of Fame for his contribution to basketball. It was very ironic, considering that Most replaced Gowdy as the Celtics' play-by-play announcer. On October 4, 2002 (almost ten years after his death), Most was inducted into the media category of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame at the University of Rhode Island.
Johnny Most is fondly remembered by any Celtics' fans fortunate enough to have listened to his broadcasts. There was never a doubt that Johnny Most loved the Celtics and was an unashamed and self proclaimed homer. It was evident in his absolute defense of the Celtics and in every call that he made. He was truly one of a kind and is very much missed. I can't help but think of Johnny as we get ready for this season with all of the hopes and excitement following our new look Celtics. Johnny would embrace all of the players who had recently been the enemies and I can only imagine his excited calls as these Celtics push for Banner 17. As this season unfolds, I will think of Johnny often and imagine him "high above courtside" looking down on these Celtics and smiling.
The Herald and the Globe are both reporting that the Celtics have agreed to terms with Gabe Pruitt. The article says that Pruitt will be brought along slowly as they work with him at the point. Negotiations are still ongoing with fellow draft pick Glenn Davis who may have more of a role on the team this season.
The Celtics are happy with the terms of the contract for Pruitt, which is expected to pay $650,000 this upcoming season, $711,517 during the 2008-09 season and $729,005 during the 2009-10 season. The former Southern California star was the 32nd overall pick in this year's draft. The projected terms for the contract for Davis, the 35th overall pick in the second round out of Louisiana State, are still in the works. Celtics executive director Danny Ainge is currently vacationing and is expected to complete the Pruitt and Davis contract signings after Labor Day weekend.
Also reported is that Tom Thibodeau officially signed as an assistant coach. He has been working with the players for a couple of weeks now. According to Scott Souza:
In truth, the Salem State product has been working with the Celtics during voluntary sessions at HealthPoint for a few weeks now. Two weeks ago, he went through the paces with Kendrick Perkins and Brandon Wallace in the post during a workout that was physically draining just to watch.
This is Yi as he holds up his jersey at his press conference. Is it me, or does Yi look like someone told him he was going to have to kiss a pig? In every photo I have seen of his press conference, he doesn't look very happy.
Now contrast this with the photos below.
Those smiles at the Celtics' press conferences couldn't get any bigger. I really feel sorry for Yi in a way. For whatever reason, he is going to play for a team he didn't want to play for. That can't make for a happy roster. On the other hand, I am pretty happy to be a Celtics fan right now. KG, RA, Pierce, and Posey (along with Big Baby and Pruitt) are all thrilled to be in Boston and happy to be a part of what is being built here. Nothing earth shaking, but the contrast between the photos from the signings just stuck me.
The lead story today comes from the Herald where Danny says he is probably done dealing for now. Asked if there were any other moves to be made, Danny Ainge shook his head and said, “Probably not.” Along with a lot of others, I have been hoping that Danny would sign a veteran PG to back up Rondo. Here is what Danny had to say about the PG situation for this season.
“Here’s the thing with point guard,” Ainge said. “You know how much we love Rajon, and that’s really important, but Ray Allen wants to play minutes at point guard, and Tony Allen two years ago, when he had a chance to play point guard, played fantastic. Our offense was more efficient with Tony Allen playing point guard than with any other guy during that stretch. “And we think Gabe Pruitt can help us there. Even though we don’t want to count on Gabe as a rookie coming in and playing a major, major role, we feel very confident with him (in that) role in case of an injury. We think he can help us there as his game evolves. “And then Eddie House has played the point, and we think Eddie is actually a very good fit playing alongside Ray or Tony,” Ainge continued. “So we think we have five guys more than capable of playing the point.” Wait. There’s more. “We also feel like we have big guys who are able to get out on the perimeter and handle the ball and make good passes,” Ainge said. “I think KG (Garnett), Scal (Brian Scalabrine) and Big Baby (Davis) are going to really help us with their ballhandling and passing. Those guys will be able to come back and help breaking pressure. We have (power forwards) that are great passers and ballhandlers in their own right. So I just don’t think point guard is going to be an issue for us this season.”
I don't know about you, but I am not as convinced that our PG situation is all set. We have Rondo who is a point guard and I believe he can handle it, but House, Pruitt, and the 2 Allens are not PG's, they are shooting guards who can play the point. That just isn't the same. And I don't remember the TA at PG experiment quite as favorably as Danny does. Maybe he just isn't happy with the PG's who are out there and will wait awhile until one comes along that he does like. I guess we just wait and see.
In the Globe, Bob Ryan feels better about our playoff chances. My question is how could he not? Taking it to the Rack has an interview with Doug Christie who says he wants to come back to the NBA and that he has interest from 2 Eastern Conference teams. There is speculation that they might be Miami and Boston. If we were to go for another golden oldie, I would rather go for Payton. He has been in our system, and he has at least been playing recently. Green 17 states their case that they would like to see Payton back in Boston and they show us what a great motivational speaker he is.
Team USA is still unbeaten and haven't even had a close game yet. It seems as though every game a different player steps up. Last night, LeBron James led the charge as the US beat Uruguay.
West Central Tribune has an article on Al Jefferson's efforts to help the kids who were affected by the bridge collapse in Minnesota. We gave up some really good young guys and I am going to miss them. I really hope we win a championship with this group or I am going to be very, very upset for the next 10 years as I read articles like this about the kids we gave up.
Celtics 17 discusses Mark Cuban's attempts to reel in Garnett. Paul Pierce is having fun while becoming a video game icon. Pierce hammed it up with the kids present and said that he wants to wear the lycra suit clubbing, even though later he would say it was so hot it made him feel as though his body was on fire. Yes, we have a very happy Pierce these days.
Not all the moves the players performed Wednesday will make it into NBA Live 08. David Tinson, public relations manager for EA Canada, said some data are banked and put into the following year's game. As the NBAers are told the basic moves needed, Pierce breaks into an odd funky dance that looks more suited for the Roxy than the TD Banknorth Garden. This guy certainly knows how to have a good time, even when his body feels like it's on fire.
Red's Army discusses the hoards of bandwagon fans who will be flocking to the Celtics this season. I personally could never understand going from one team to another just because the team was winning. It just doesn't seem to give much satisfaction. Having been a steadfast Celtics fan through the Pitino and Carr years and never wavering, it is very satisfying to see them considered a contender again. Only 10 Things has a Primer for Celtics fans who may need some help with foreign words such as winner, championship and playoffs.
Only 33 days till training camp. Even though Danny has said he is probably finished, I still expect a move to bring in a veteran PG, even if it is after training camp. It just doesn't make sense not to.
I am very excited about this coming season. It is amazing how the fortunes of the team have turned around. From last in the East to a contender for the title. It is still hard to believe. But there are still a few nagging concerns about the team.
First, Pierce has been the top dog in Boston since he was drafted. He is used to being the #1 option and the most popular player. How will he react to Garnett getting more attention and being the top player for the Celtics? In the last Pierce interview I saw, he mentioned "my team" several times. Will he be willing to move over and have it be "our team" or even "KG's team"? If the team turns around this season, most of the credit, and rightly so, will go to Garnett. Will Pierce resent this? A lot of the success of this team is going to rest on how Pierce's ego will react to being Robin to Garnett's Batman. I don't worry as much about Ray Allen because he seems to have his ego in check and I believe that he will be a great teammate and will play whatever role he needs to for the team to succeed. KG will automatically rise to the top because he is one of the top 5 players in the game today. Pierce is going to have to be willing to take a back seat in order for this team to succeed.
Second, how quickly will this team gel and build chemistry? The top tier teams like the Pistons and the Spurs have played together for years and have built up a chemistry where they know each other's games very well. Since last season, of the 15 players on the team, only 6 players are back from last year's team: Pierce, Perk, Scal, Tony, Powe and Rondo. Of those, two are just in their second season and one is returning from a major injury. We have 9 new players to get acclimated to each other. I believe that RA, KG and Pierce all have complementary games and should mesh well, but as a team, how long will it take for them to get to the level of chemistry that it takes to win a championship?
Third, will Doc be able to take advantage of the talent on this team and win games? Doc's decision making and rotations have been called into question over the past 3 years here in Boston. He has never won more than 45 games with a team, but in fairness he has never had a team that had 3 stars on it either. His first year coaching, he led the Magic to a 41=41 record and won Coach of the Year honors for it. In the past 3 seasons, he has had to deal with youth and injuries and over the three seasons our wins went from 45 to 33 to 24. There was always the excuse that our young players weren't running the plays and were at fault and then last season there were all the injuries. This season there are no excuses and he has the chance to prove that he is either a good head coach or a failure.
Fourth, is the Sophomore Slump. We have two players going into their second season, one of which is a big key to this season. Given our point guard situation, if Rondo hits the sophomore slump, we have Eddie House and Gabe Pruitt who are there to back him up. This is a scary thought. House or Pruitt for 10-15 minutes per game at the point is ok, but if they have to take over for longer periods, that isn't exactly a thought that inspires confidence. And going along with this are my concerns about the point guard situation. We have Rondo, who I think should do fine in spite of being a sophopmore, but behind him we have several guys who can play the position, but who aren't point guards. The back up PG situation is definitely a concern.
And that brings me to the final concern and that is health. Our top 4 players are 30 or older and 2 are coming off injuries. Last season, it seemed that every game another player was injured. Injuries can't be predicted but if majur injury hits KG or Pierce, it will put a big kink in our plans to win a title. Also, we are weak at the center and point guard positions and if Perk or Rondo goes down with an injury for any length of time, we could be in trouble.
Now, I hope that we don't have to worry about any of these. We had enough injuries last year, that we are due for a healthy season this year. I expect both Rondo and Perk to have big seasons and hopefully the team will be able to build chemistry quickly. My biggest concern personally is the coaching and hopefully, if Doc struggles early, they will be quick to replace him. But Doc may surprise us too and actually be a decent coach given star players to work with.
Not a lot of Celtics news out there. Team USA is rolling along and clinched a berth in the semi-finals with a win over Puerto Rico. ESPN tells us why this USA team didn't pick captains. Hoopshype tells us that Kidd is the catalyst for the team. But, more often than not, it is the PG who is the catalyst on a team. He is the floor general and responsible for getting teammates their shots and making sure things smoothly on the floor. This is why Rondo is so important to the Celtics this season.
Around the NBA, Yi finally signs with the Bucks. I am sure he is wishing he was a Celtic right about now, but will settle for playing with the Bucks. Raefer Alston has been charged with felony assault. This is his second arrest in a month. Nice to have the Celtics making the headlines for good things and not bad this off season. Payton wants to play another season and Miami doesn't want him back. Could we see Payton: the Return in Boston? The same article tells us that the Heat are also not interested in Troy Hudson.
Full Court Press gives a chill pill to the Kingmakers and Naysayers alike. I can't help but be very, very excited and a chill pill isn't going to do much good in my case. I have waited for 21 years for the Celtics to be called contenders again and no matter what anyone says, I cam very, very optimistic. Of course, my ears perk up when anyone talks about Perk:
Over the course of last year Perkins battled his way through a nagging plantar fascia injury to become one of the team's more consistent defenders. While at times the team's protection of Al Jefferson left Perkins with the tougher big man cover on the defensive end, he battled even when he was (mis)matched with quicker power forwards like Dirk Nowitzki and yes, Garnett himself. In fact, after the Celtics played the Timberwolves in Minnesota last February, the following quote appeared in Steve Bulpett's Celtics notebook:
"Kendrick Perkins may still be slowed by his sore left foot, but he hasn't lost any of his fight. He had 11 points and five boards in 26 minutes of the 109-107 loss to the Timberwolves, and spent some time on Kevin Garnett, who was forced into some tough shots on his way to 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Asked about covering Garnett, Perk said, "It's a challenge, but that isn't really what it is. It's a challenge, but he's still kind of overrated in my opinion. He's a great player, but at the same time we all strap up our shoes the same way. Not taking nothing from him, but I play basketball like he plays basketball."
Speaking of videos, Celtics Blog posted this one this morning.
I had seen it before on You Tube and it seems to me that this is how KG must have felt in his 12 years in Minnesota with having to carry the team every season. Pierce and Ray Allen can also share in this feeling. But now, they can share the load among them. Must be a good feeling. No wonder they couldn't stop smiling at the press conference.
I got the most awesome tee shirt from the NBA Store yesterday. It has Lucky's outline in grey behind a circle with Celtics Pride is Back around it and in the center of it is a clover with the numbers 5, 20 and 34.... I love it!!! It replaces the one with Red in the clover on the front and "Celtics are not a basketball team, they are a way of life" on the back as my favorite Celtics shirt. 34 days till training camp and the excitement builds.
In several articles, it was mentioned that Danny's moves this off season were Auerbachian and that got me thinking about some of those moves that Red made back in the day. And then, Red's Army, Celtics Blog, and Celtics 17 got into the discussion about whether Danny is good or lucky. For the record, I think that both are good, but also have a certain degree of luck.
Red was famous for his lopsided deals and for being able to recognize talent and bring them to the Celtics. But even with all his saavy moves and eye for talent, he also needed some luck. For instance, Red had acquired the Pistons' first round pick in the 1980 draft. If Ralph Sampson had left school early, Red would have drafted him with that pick. But as luck would have it, Sampson opted to stay in school and Red had to go to plan B. Red then looked to trade the pick. The consensus No. 1 that year was a center, Joe Barry Carroll from Purdue, but Auerbach didn't like his game. He did like the 6-11 Kevin McHale from Minnesota. With prodding from coach Bill Fitch, Auerbach approached the Warriors, who had an unhappy Parish and were worried about being able to re-sign him. Golden State agreed to give up Parish and its pick, No. 3 overall, for two Celtics picks, No. 1 and No. 13. The rest is history and the first Big Three was born. This deal is remembered as one of Red's greatest coups, but we shouldn't forget that this deal was Red's plan B.
Bob Cousy is one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA. The "Houdini of the Hardwood" wasn't Red's first choice either. There was a lot of pressure on Red to take Cousy because he was a local favorite. Auerbach wasn't short on opinions about who should play on his team. "Am I supposed to win here, or take care of local yokels?" he asked, suggesting that Cousy was touted merely because he played at nearby Holy Cross. Auerbach passed on Cousy in the draft, instead selecting 6-11 center Charlie Share. Local fans were irate. Cousy was taken by Tri-Cities and quickly dealt to Chicago. He never played a game for either team because Chicago soon folded. Its three top players were Cousy, Max Zaslofksy, and Andy Phillip. Their names were put into a hat for the three teams that could afford them or want them: New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Auerbach wanted Zaslofsky first. Then Phillip. But when the Celtics drew the last name out of the hat, it was Cousy's. They had him for $8,500. Cousy wasn't plan A, B, or C but was actually plan D for the Celtics and as luck would have it, he went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Celtics.
Another Auerbachian move was the drafting of Bill Russell. Auerbach figured he had no shot at Russell in the draft, as Russell had led San Francisco to consecutive NCAA championships and the Celtics had the 7th pick in that draft. But Auerbach made inquiries as the 1956 draft approached first to Rochester, which had the No. 1 pick, and then to his old boss, Kerner, now the owner of St. Louis, which held the No. 2 pick. Rochester felt it couldn't afford to pay Russell. Royals owner Les Harrison, a future Hall of Famer, agreed to accept a deal from Celtics owner Brown, who also owned the money-generating Ice Capades. Brown agreed to give the Royals extra Ice Capades dates if Harrison passed on Russell. Harrison did, drafting Sihugo Green of Duquesne. The Hawks had the second pick. Auerbach agreed to part with St. Louis-native Macauley and the rights to University of Kentucky star Cliff Hagan for the Hawks pick. Kerner was willing to make the deal in part because St. Louis was arguably the worst NBA city in those days for African-American players. Now, it took work to make this deal come about but it also took some luck that the Royals would take the Ice Capades instead of Russell and the team with the second pick was a team where African Americans didn't fit as well.
Red was never afraid to take chances either. In 1969, several teams shied away from Jo Jo White because of a supposed military commitment. Auerbach drafted White, who went directly to the NBA and fulfilled his military service in the reserves. In 1981, Danny Ainge, then a professional baseball player, was said to be firm in his decision not to play in the NBA. Auerbach drafted Ainge in the second round and had him in a Boston uniform for 53 games the following season. In 1978, Larry Bird was eligible for the draft but had made it known that he would return to school for his final season. 5 teams passed on Bird before Red took him with the 6th pick. "They didn't know he'd be that good, and I didn't either," Auerbach said. "I only saw him play once." He thought Bird would be impressed with the Celtics' history and mystique and would eventually sign without re-entering the draft and he was right.
Danny had a plan when he took over the team. He wanted to gather chips through the draft and then trade those chips for stars and that is exactly what he did. He was good in that he judged talent in the draft and lucky that players like Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes fell to him. Getting Oden or Durant may have been plan A, but Danny worked hard to get Plan B done to bring Garnett to Boston. Danny was willing to take a chance and give up his young and talented players to get Garnett whereas other teams where hesitant to do so. Also, he didn't give up when Garnett at first said he didn't want to come to Boston and instead worked on another deal that would make Boston more attractive without giving up the chips it would take to get Garnett. Yes, I think Danny's moves were Auerbachian - a combination of smarts, hard work and luck. I think Red would be very proud.
USA team wins big over Mexico and are dreaming big again. Stern tells the refs not to worry. Congratulations to Celtics fan Michael McCann for landing a spot with Sports Illustrated. His first article is one on the legal aspects of the Michael Vick case. Back when there was no news from the Tony Allen legal issuse, I wrote to Michael and he was kind enough to write back with some info and Celtics talk. He is good people.
The Basketball Jones sees more work for the Celtics ahead. Armchair GM has the top 10 WTF moments in recent memory. Sports Alchemist tells us why the Lakers should trade Kobe. I just love seeing the Lakers miserable. Fox Sports previews the fans of the NBA teams. SI.com tells us that the flurry of moves this off season has the Atlantic division thinking big.
Basketball Forum asks the question that if the Coaches were to play the Execs, who would win. Dealbreaker looks at the revamped Celtics against the struggling Raptors. No Blood No Foul tells us that the Celtics can't win with Doc as our coach. I have to admit, that my biggest concern is the coaching. Doc made a lot of coaching errors over the past 3 seasons that cost us games. I sure hope he is studying tape over the summer so that he can be up to the task this season.
35 days till training camp. The roster is shaping up and with another PG to back up Rondo, we should be in very good shape. It has been 20 years since I was this excited about an upcoming season. I absolutely can't wait!!!
Most Celtics fans feel that the biggest need still remaining is the point guard situation. There is no doubt among the Celtics faithful that Rajon Rondo is going to be the starter, but beyond that, there are plenty of questions.
First, let's look at Rondo and what he brings to the team and concerns about his performance. Rondo is entering just his second season. In the beginning of the season, he was coming off the bench behind Telfair at the point. Then, midway through the season, Doc made West the starter and Rondo even racked up several DNP's. But, finally by the end of the season, Doc put Rondo into the starting lineup and he responded.
Over the last 20 games, Rondo averaged 34.3 minutes, 10.3 points on 49% shooting, 5.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.2 steals. His assist to TO ratio was over 2 to 1. Over the final 10 games, as his confidence grew, he averaged 36.5 minutes, 13 points on 55% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals. His assist to turnover ratio improved to 2.5 to 1. Hoopshype has this to say about him: Great athlete... strong, long arms... has all the tools to become a great defender in the NBA... a slasher... more than a decent playmaker... can't shoot, that can really hurt his team.
Personally, I think all of the people who say that Rondo can't shoot haven't been watching him. He struggled with his shot at the beginning of the season and still would rather pass than shoot, but by the end of the season, he had developed a decent jump shot. 49% field goal percentage over the last 20 games and 55% over the last 10 games doesn't seem like a player who can't shoot to me. He also has been working out non-stop this off season on his shot. I thoroughly believe that he will be able to shoot well enough to keep the defenses honest this season. From the Celtics.com interview:
He's told reporters that he's focusing on his outside shooting rather than simply putting his head down and rumbling toward the basket. While he's confident in his ability to blow past defenders and finish at the basket, his outside shooting remains an Achilles heel. Rondo's heard about it since high school and knows that the scouting report will follow him until he proves otherwise, so he's spent all summer working on his shot. He claims he hasn't made many mechanical changes aside from getting more lift on his jumper, but has instead emphasized shooting in game-like situations (simulated pick-and rolls, for instance) rather than just plucking Spauldings off a rack and letting them fly. Most of all, he's been working on repetition -- getting up as many shots as he can as he tries to build confidence in what's admittedly been the weakest aspect of his game.
The PER, Player Efficiency Rating, can give a good idea of a player's value to the team and ability to play. The Player Efficiency Rating is an all-in-one basketball rating, which boils down all of a player's contributions into one number. Using a detailed formula, Hollinger developed a system that rates every player's statistical performance. Rondo had a PER of 13.16 last season. We can look at other PGs in the league to show that Rondo is comparable to many of them. Larry Hughes 12.17 Eric Snow 8.67 Stephon Marbury 15.47 Jarrett Jack 14.65 Mike James 13.3 Damon Stoudamire 12.66 Marcus Williams 11.55 Keyon Dooling 11.16 Jameer Nelson 13.92 Luke Ridnour 13.74 Delonte West 14.07
In almost every interview, Rondo talks about building his confidence. It is clear from looking at the stats over the final 10 games that indeed his confidence is growing. He has the speed to get to the basket at will, he has long arms and quick hands to average 2 steals per game and had an incredible 7 steals in one game at the end of last season. He is a great rebounder for his size, averaging 5.2 over his last 20 games as a starter and pulling down 14 in one game, which is quite incredible for a 6'1" point guard when you think of it. Rondo is more confident and ready to take a more vocal leadership role on the team. Without a doubt, our starting PG spot is taken care of.
The back up PG position right now is murky. Topping the list is Eddie House who is listed alternately as a PG and a SG. He has played mostly at the 2 position, but has played the point, most notably in his time with Phoenix. He will look for his shot first and foremost. Hoopshype has this to say about House:
A poor man's Allan Iverson... terrific scoring punch coming off the bench... full of talent... pretty quick... a steal waiting to happen... not a playmaker... undersized for a shooting guard... struggles at the PG spot... not quite an athlete, especially since he got that extra weight.
House has played for Miami, Clippers, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Phoenix, and New Jersey and has averaged 7.5 points, 1/6 rebounds, 1.7 assists,.6 steals, and .83 turnovers per game.
The secret to House's success is creating shots without turning the ball over. He is definitely a shoot first player and virtually never goes into the paint. His .05 free throw tries per field goal attempt was dead last in the league. Basically this means that he took 40 shots before drawing a foul on one of them. He is very good under pressure and last year he scored 8 points or more in the 4th quarter 12 different times. House has a PER of 15.88 for last season and is fairly consistant in that his PER for the previous two seasons were 15.30 and 15.11.
House will be able to fill in for 10 minutes or so at the point behind Rondo, but if Rondo were to be injured for any time, I don't see him as the starting PG. He is a great player and will give us scoring off the bench, but the question is whether he can run a team as the floor general. With the second unit, it may be a good thing that he looks to score first, but if he is with the first unit, he would definitely need to look to pass.
Third on our PG depth chart is Gabe Pruitt, our 2nd round draft pick. Pruitt played shooting guard his first two seasons at USC, but following the death of the team's point guard, one of Pruitt's best friends, he moved into the PG position for his junior year and did a good job at the position. he has terrific ball handling skills and quickness. He is flashy in terms of the moves he can execute with the ball in his hands, which will probably need to be toned down for NBA play. He has a nice array of fakes and hesitation moves. He ran the pick and roll and half court offense in college very well. He is very good defensively. But, and it is a big one, he is a rookie and will need time to get used to the pro game. He also might be good to fill in at the point for 10 minutes a game but wouldn't be sufficient to start if for any reason Rondo was out.
We also have the possibility of Ray Allen or Tony Allen filling in at the point for brief stints, but both are shooting guards and would be a last resort at the point. As I listed in yesterday's article there are still several point guards who are unrestricted free agents that the Celtics could get with the veteran minimum.
There are also rumors of players who may be waived or traded. There are a lot of rumors about Cassell being cut because of the signing of Knight and Diaz and the presence of Livingston. But Cassell is a very popular player and will be an expiring contract at the trade deadline so I don't see them waiving him but they may look to trade him at the deadline, however.
Damon Stoudamire has asked to be traded. He is under contract for 8 million over the next two seasons. I don't see them buying him out unless he becomes a cancer on the team. They will look to trade him first.
Also making 4 million this season is Jasikevicius, who wants out of Golden State because they haven't used him. They could look to buy him out if there are no takers for a trade.
The Blazers have 4 PGs and at least one will be traded or waived. They just drafted Taureen Green and seem to be high on him. Blake was just signed to a 3 year deal. That leaves Jarrett Jack and Rodriguez. Jack has 3 years left and will make 1,217, 400 this season. Rodriguez has 4 years remaining and will make 980,400 this year. One of them could be on the move.
Indy may look to cut Darrell Armstrong after training camp,as he is on a non guaranteed contract.
Houston has several PGs and may be cutting Lucas, Head or Sura. Atlanta also has several PGs. Law appears to be the PG for their future. Claxton is owed 20 million over 4 years. That leaves Tyrone Lue, who has one year left at 3.5 million and Anthony Johnson who has 1 year left at 2.8 million. An even swap of Scal for Lue works in the trade checker. One thing to consider is that Lue and Garnett are best friends and Lue was one of the people that Garnett called for advice before the trade.
Danny may want to wait to see who becomes available later, or he may have his eye on someone already and is trying to work out the details. He may also target someone he would need to trade for but our tradable assets are at a minimum right now. As this article shows, we need a veteran PG to back up Rondo and it is up to Danny to get it done.
While in Boston I worked out with some of my new and old teammates...Gabriel Pruitt, Glenn Davis, Brandon Wallace, Jackie Manual, Kendrick Perkins, and Tony Allen. Tony (we call him TA) is recovering well...he actually played a few one on one games with us, so hopefully he will be 100% before the season starts. The workouts basically consisted of weight training, individuals, and team building.
He sounds like a great kid. He has been running basketball camps and scheduled an extra because the first two filled up. There is some great stuff here from Rajon including some thoughts on the trade, his favorite stuff and some great pictures in his profile. Be sure to check it out!
Wearing his championship ring, James Posey was introduced today as the newest Celtic. Posey is ready and willing to accept his role as defensive stopper on the team.
A 6'8" swingman, Posey has mostly made his name in the league on perimeter defense and rebounding. His quick hands, long wingspan and large frame make him an above-average defender who can guard up to four positions. There are plenty of players who want to be scorers in the NBA, but it takes a different mindset to become a stopper in this league. Posey credits his college coach Skip Prosser with helping him develop as a defensive force and he can see himself becoming the Celtics stopper. "Bringing the energy and accepting that challenge every night, that's what I take pride in. I take pride in trying to stop people," Posey said. "I like that challenge and if that's what coach wants I'm all for it."
He feels that coming to Boston is his best chance to pick up another ring. This says a lot in that Miami was trying to re-sign him and both Cleveland and New Jersey had made offers as well.
Despite his successful run with the Heat, Posey found himself looking for other employment options this summer. He says he had dialogue with the Celtics throughout the summer but Kevin Garnett's arrival made playing in Boston a very appealing option for guy who's clearly interested in adding to his jewelry collection. "I waited patiently and I landed here in a great situation where we have an opportunity to win a championship," Posey said. "There [were] other teams out there but I wanted the best chance to win a championship. This is the place to be."
"I've watched him throughout his career," said Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge. "I've watched him score in the post. I've watched him put the ball on the floor and shoot well. Defensively he's a great addition because of his versatility. He can play the three. He can play the two. He can play the four. He can play defense on the point guards in our league. And that versatility is going to give us a lot of options over the course of the season." "He plays hard and has that experience, and he knows what it takes," Ainge said. "He's played with good players. He knows how to find his spots, also. He's good at slashing off the ball. You have to work for your shots when you play with great players like Shaq and Dwyane Wade."
Posey will be the only player on the team next season who has won a championship and that may pay big dividends come the playoffs this season. He can dangle his ring in front of the rest of the team like a rabbit in front of a greyhound. Posey will wear #41, which may put to an end the thoughts of Kandi possibly coming back this season. [Associated Press article from Herald] [Press Release] [Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!]
Danny said that we will be signing Davis and Pruitt this week. That will give us 15 players under contract with a payroll over $70 million. The roster looks something liks this: PG: Rondo, Pruitt SG: Ray Allen, House, Tony Allen, Manuel SF: Pierce, Posey, Scal, Wallace PF: Garnett, Powe, Davis C: Perk, Pollard
Of the 15 players signed, only Manuel isn't guaranteed. On the depth chart, we do have players who can play more than one position. House, Tony and Ray Allen can all play the point in a pinch. Scal can play PF as well as SF. Pierce, Posey, and Pruitt can play SG. Powe can play center on a small ball lineup as with his long arms, he is bigger than his listed height. But, looking at the depth chart, We could use more help at the 1 and 5 positions. Although we have other players who could fill in at these positions, we are still weak there.
We can get that help by trading or by using the LLE or the vet minimum. We have very few assets left to trade, however. The LLE is a bi-annual exception that can be used either this year or next and is worth $1.83 million this season and will be worth $1.91 million next season. We can also sign more players using the veteran's minumum.
There are still a lot of centers and PGs who are still unrestricted free agents and as we get closer to the season, I am sure many of them would be glad to sign a minimum contract to play on the Celtics and have a chance at a ring. Here is a run down of unrestricted free agents who we may be able to sign.
Center Calvin Booth, 6'11", 8 years experience. Averaged 3.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 blocks for his career. Huge wingspan, good shot blocker,runs the floor well.
PJ Brown, 6'11", 14 years experience. Averaged 8.4 points, 7.9 points,.9 blocks for his career. Very tough player, good defender, great as setting screens, hard worker. Looking for more than the vet minimum.
Kelvin Cato, 6'11", 10 years experience. Averaged 5.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks for his career. Good leaping skills, can block shots and rebound, conditioning is a question.
Dale Davis, 6'11", 16 years experience. Averaged 6.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, .9 blocks for his career. Tough post player and good rebounder. Not an offensive threat. Still in good physical shape.
Melvin Ely, 6'10", 5 years experience. Averaged 6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, .6 blocks for his career. Has above average physical skills, strong and runs the floor well. Has finals experience.
Dikembe Mutombo, 7'2", 16 years experience. Averaged 10.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 blocks for his career. Long arms, excellent shot blocker, slow in the open court, limited offensively, but makes a big difference on the defensive end. Wants to stay in Houston.
Michael Olowokandi, 7'0", 9 years experience. Averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks for his career. Has great size and good mobility, has a nice hook shot. Has underachieved his entire career. But, would make sense to bring him back for the vet minimum to give us 5-10 minutes a night. He knows the system and played well last season when he wasn't injured.
Vitaly Potapenko, 6'10", 11 years experience. Averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, .3 blocks for his career. Good size, good hands, and decent footwork. Brings toughess on the boards.
Jamal Sampson, 6'11" 5 years experience. Averaged 2.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, .4 blocks for his career. Has potential but very raw. Has good athleticism but attitude is a problem.
Jake Tsakalidis, 7'2", 7 years experience. Averaged 4.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, .7 blocks for his career. Great size and brings an intimindating presence in the paint. Has a decent hook shot, mobility is not very good and is foul prone.
Kevin Willis, 7'0", 21 years experience. Averaged 12.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, .5 blocks for his career. Still in decent physical shape, works hard on conditioning, fierce rebounder. May not have enough left in the tank.
Point guards Earl Boykins, 5'5", 8 years experience. Averaged 9.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, .6 steals for his career. Shortest player in the league, has amazing ball handling skills, excels under pressure but a liability on defense because of his size and gets posted up often.
Troy Hudson, 6'1", 9 years experience. Averaged 9.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists for his career. A combo guard who is a better scorer than playmaker, can drive to the basket, tends to be inconsistent and injury prone.
Darrick Martin, 5'11", 12 years experience. Averaged 7.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists,.7 steals for his career. Good scorer and good assist to turnover ratio.
Jeff McInnis, 6'4", 10 years experience. Averaged 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists for his career. Has good size, plays under control and takes care of the ball, has a good mid range shot, can be a good defender, attitude is a question mark.
Keith McLeod, 6'2", 4 year experience. Averaged 5.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists for his career. Quick point guard with good first step, has a great crossover, hard worker.
Gary Payton, 6'4", 17 years experience. Averages 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.8 steals for his career. A great competitor, very saavy player but is just a shell of what he once was. May still be able to contribute some mentoring and 10-15 mpg off the bench.
Mike Wilks, 5'10", 4 years experience. Averaged 2.5 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists for his career. Has great quickness, is a good defender, good attitude, but undersized.
There have also been a couple of point guards who have been rumored to be traded or waived. Sam Cassell is one and Sarunas Jasikevicius is another. There may be others and possibly Danny is going to wait until after training camp to see who is cut and who may be available then. There are also plenty of restricted free agents left and that may be a possibility as well. There may be restricted free agents whose teams don't have any desire to keep them and wouldn't match the minimum offer if given.
We certainly can play with the roster we have now, but it would be nice to have more depth at the center and point guard positions. As outlined here, there are plenty of possibilities, now we just wait and see which ones Danny takes.
