To continue with the best Celtics commercials and getting a little more recent and into the present era of Celtics, KG has some great commercials including the one I posted in the Getting to Know KG article below. I love that one. Unfortunately, it has been too true for KG, having to carry teams on his back year after year. I can't help but think that he is excited to play on a veteran team with 2 other All Stars. Here is another good one with KG against the neighborhood and then Tim Duncan shows up.
This is another good one with KG, Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady.
This is a funny one with KG signing a guy's shoe and his friend's forehead.
Here is another funny one for ESPN magazine... tastefully done.
This is another one I don't remember on TV but it is interesting.
Finally, here is KG as the milkman in a Gatorade commercial. It took me the longest time watching this commercial until it finally hit me that it was KG delivering that Gatorade.
Sports Talk has an update from Tony Allen and it is good news. He is hoping to be ready for the preseason.
Celtics guard Tony Allen appears to be well on his way back from the second knee surgery of his career. He told The Sun that he hopes to be able to play in one of the Celtics preseason games next month.
“I might be back for preseason camp, hopefully I‘ll get to play a few games,” said Allen, who spent the off-season in the Waltham area rehabbing at the Celtics training facility. “I don’t want to come back too early, but I’m at full strength. Not at 100 percent, but lets say 70 percent. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time. My rehab was great and that’s all part of strengthening and conditioning myself to get to the tip-top notch shape.”
“Basically, my mindset was getting healthy,” Allen said. “I didn’t think about the previous injury or nothing. I was just focusing on this injury. By my going through that injury it did make me mentally tough for this one, but I wasn’t thinking about the last one.”
They also asked him about the talk about his playing the point some this season and he said that no one has approached him about it as yet.
“It’s really just a big old hoopla right now,” Allen said. “I haven’t gotten word from anybody. So I’m just basically trying to get healthy, and that’s my biggest concern. I'm happy about the new teammates I have and I‘m looking forward to just contributing.”
Tony is excited about his new teammates as well as training camp overseas.
“I’ve never been overseas before. This will be my first time going and I’m looking forward to that.” “I’m just looking at getting a whole lot of rest, getting ready for the practices that are ahead of us, and hopefully, getting into enough shape where I can play in one of those games over there.”
All this is good news. Tony was putting up great numbers and was on the verge of breaking out when he went down with the knee injury. From these reports, it seems that Tony is well on the way to getting back to pre-injury form and that can only be good for the Celtics. He gives us another very good defender and a player who can slash to the basket as well as hit the open jumper. He also can bring energy off the bench. It is exciting to hear that he hopes to be back for the preseason.
First this morning, here is a picture from CalderCup on RealGM boards. I love this picture. These guys are having fun. Pierce has this permanent smile on his face these days. It is going to be a fun season for Celtics fans also.
Hoopsworld takes a look at the development of the Celtics and the Bulls and how they have come to a fork in the road in that developement. Jessica Camerato and Joel Brigham debate the issue. In the meantime, a Chicago blog sees the Bulls blowing over the Celtics. Methinks that he is overrating the Bulls a bit. Their young players were ahead of ours but now that we have Garnett, Allen and Pierce leading the way, no way are they the better team.
Trash Talk Podcast Blog has a look back at the Celtics dynasty of the 80s along with the Spurs and the Bad Boys. Bleacher Report ponders on the KG era. Sox1Fan tells us that Pierce, Powe, and Davis were bowling for charity.
Tewkbury Advocate has a great article on Bill Russell. Well worth the read. I loved this part:
Russell said he put the fact that he was on a team above all else, claiming that he has “always been a member of a team above all else.”
“I’ve often said when I left the Celtics’ locker room, I couldn’t go to heaven because life was so great,” he said. “You have to bond [with your teammates]. I don’t think a week goes by that I don’t talk to one of my teammates and I retired in 1969.”
Our very own Q checks in from vacation to weigh in on the Celtics blessings of good luck. It has been a long time since we could talk about good luck and the Celtics in the same sentence. It sure feels good. Basketbawful sees Red's ghost behind the curse being lifted from the Celtics. It did all start with the season that was dedicated to Red in which things seemed to go horribly bad with all the injuries and the 18 game losing streak and all. But without all that, we wouldn't be where we are today. Maybe Red is somehow pulling the strings to bring back Celtics Pride. I like the thought of Red watching over the team. I know he would be smiling right now since he said more than once that Danny Ainge was the man for the job in Boston and that he had faith in him to do it. Danny had often sought out Red for advice and maybe a little of the patriarch's wisdom rubbed off. It's a good thing.
Only 17 days until training camp begins. Hearing from Rondo how the team is bonding and doing things together off the court along with practicing on the court and building chemistry already has me almost giddy. KG has been in Boston working out with the team and his energy and excitement for this season is going to rub off on the whole team. These sure are exciting times.
Paul Pierce was born and grew up in Inglewood, California. Pierce was the star of his Inglewood High School basketball team having started all four years. Paul also participated in the 1995 slam dunk competition along with fellow future NBA all-star Vince Carter.
Pierce went to the University of Kansas and played there 3 seasons before becoming an early entry in the NBA Draft. Pierce averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at the University of Kansas, and earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. He majored in Crime and Delinquency Studies. In the draft, he inexplicably slid to the 10th pick where the Celtics very happily grabbed him.
Pierce got his nickname, "The Truth," from Shaquille O'Neal. After a Lakers' victory over Boston in March of 2001, O'Neal pulled a Boston reporter over and gestured toward his notepad. "Take this down," said O'Neal. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the (expletive) truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the truth." And from that time on, Pierce has been called The Truth.
Pierce has been known for his toughness. He rarely misses a game or a practice. In September of 2000, just minutes after entering a Boston dance club in the early morning hours, he was jumped from behind by three men. He was sucker-punched, a bottle was broken over his right eye, a knife was plunged through the back of his leather jacket six inches deep into his body and he received 10 other stab wounds and he required lung surgery. Three weeks later he was back at practice for the Celtics and played the entire 2000-2001 season, averaging 25.3 points.
In 2004, in a game against the Blazers, Pierce hit the game winner. This in itself wasn't so amazing as he had done it many times before. But, the night before he had been fouled hard by Amare Stoudamire and lost several teeth. He spent 7 hours in the dentist's chair having them repaired and still started the game against the Blazers that night, hitting the game winner.
In the 2005-06 season, he had bursitis in his elbow. At times, his elbow was very swollen and he had to have it drained several times before games. But yet, he played through the pain and didn't miss games or practice because of it until Doc shut him down at the end of the year after the Celtics were definitely out of the playoffs.
Last season, Pierce missed the first significant time of his career when he was out for 35 games with a stress reaction in his foot. Even then, he could have stayed out the rest of the season, but he came back to play as soon as he was cleared, even though he wasn't in the top shape. He didn't care about stats, because obviously he wouldn't put up big numbers in limited minutes and not in top shape, but he cared about helping his teammates who were clearly struggling without him.
Pierce has not only played for the Celtics but has also represented the USA on several teams. He participated in the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival for the West Team that finished 1-3 and in fourth place, averaged 9.5 ppg., 4.0 rpg., and 2.0 apg. He was a member of the 1996 USA U21 World Championship Qualifying Team that also played an exhibition game against the 1996 USA Basketball Senior National Team and almost pulled off a monumental upset. The USA collegians led the NBA stars by as many 17 points, however the USA seniors rallied late to capture a narrow 96-90 decision.
He was amember of the 1996 USA U21 World Championship Qualifying Team that finished 5-0 and won the gold medal, averaged 9.4 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 1.2 apg., 1.6 spg. He was Member of the 2002 USA World Championship Team that finished 6-3 and in sixth place, averaged 19.8 ppg., 4.6 rpg. and 3.9 apg. He very unfairly was made a scapegoat for this team's failure. He wanted to redeem himself and made it no secret that he wanted to be part of the team being put together this past year for the next Olympics. On March 5, 2006, he was named to the the 2006-2008 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program. However he couldn't compete for a spot for the last two years due to the surgery on his elbow last season and the recurrence of the elbow injury along with the foot injury this past season.
Pierce is also very active in the community and does much to help others. He was raised by his mother, Lorraine Hosey and every year at Thanksgiving, he puts on a big dinner for the single mothers in the area in her honor. The Truth Fund was founded by Boston Celtics co-captain Paul Pierce in May of 2002. It was developed as a means for Paul to streamline all his charitable efforts and make an impact on the lives of disadvantaged youth in the Greater Boston area as well as in his hometown of Inglewood, CA.
The mission of the Truth Fund is to provide educational and life-enriching opportunities for disadvantaged youth. Paul's vision of the Fund is to ensure that opportunities are available for young people to recognize their dreams through mentoring programs, technology and other educational needs as well as fostering stable and safe environments for children.
Pierce along with Baron Davis have hosted "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a celebrity All-Star weekend of events raising funds for charity. This event was hosted by NBA legend Magic Johnson for 20 years and was handed over to Davis and Pierce for the first time last year. The proceeds went to The Truth Fund, The Baron Davis Foundation and The Magic Johnson Foundation.
Pierce's attitude and style of play have won him praise from the Celtics' owners and even from Red Auerbach himself. "He's one of my favorite kids," said Auerbach, the former Boston coach and general manager who helped develop Hall of Famers Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Larry Bird. "Pierce is a typical Celtics kid. All he wants to do is win." Auerbach himself was on hand to present the first annual Red Auerbach Award to Paul Pierce two seasons ago. It was awarded to the player who best exemplifies what it means to be a Celtic.
After the 2004-2005 season, many expected Pierce to be traded. He struggled much of the year with Doc River's system that focused less on his one on one play and more on team play. There were even times when Doc had to bench him because he wasn't running and wasn't following the game plan. It all came to a head in the playoffs when he lost his cool and was ejected in a game against the Pacers and then later showed up at the press conference with his jaw bandaged. However, he did a lot of soul searching over the off season and came back a much happier player. He was a mentor to the younger players and seemed genuinely happy to be in Boston and to like the young players that surrounded him.
Trade rumors involving Paul Pierce have swirled ever since Danny Ainge returned as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations in May of 2003. They seemed to be everwhere after his melt down in the playoffs against the Pacers. But after a stellar season on and off the court, Pierce said that he wanted to remain a Celtic. Ainge laid most of these rumors to rest in the 2006 offseason by signing Paul Pierce to a 3 year, $59 million contract extension.
Even this off season going into the draft, there were rumors that Pierce might be traded and that the team would continue rebuilding with young players. After winning a title in Miami, Antoine Walker urged Pierce to leave Boston if he ever wanted to get a ring. Pierce has never demanded a trade or ever said anything other than that he wanted to stay a Celtic for life and his loyalty to the franchise has been rewarded. The draft day deal to bring in Ray Allen left no doubt that Pierce was the cornerstone of the franchise and that the team would do whatever it could to build around him. Bringing in one of the best players in the league in Kevin Garnett is just icing on the cake for him. He enters this season with a chance to win a title in Boston and to cement his legacy as one of the Celtic greats. Pierce will be at the heart of the Celtics' 17th championship team. And that's The Truth...
When looking for a video of a KG commercial I came across a bunch of great commercials and thought I would put up some of the older ones that were especially good.
I always loved this one when it was running back in the day. It features Bird and Mchale among others for the Converse Weapon. I can imagine Bird agreeing to do it only if he got the last word in.
This is the classic Bird and Jordan commercial for the Big Mac. "Off the freeway... nothing but net!"
This is one I never saw before because it was for a local restaurant and I didn't have DTV back then to get FSN. The sound isn't the greatest, but it is a good one nonetheless.
This is another one that I never saw on the TV from back in '86. It feels good to think about being contenders again. It has been a loooooong time!!
The big news is that Greg Oden will miss his rookie season due to knee surgery as reported in the Herald and all over the net. I remember before the draft there were some questions about his health with the bulging disc in the back, the wrist, and even then there were some problems with his knees. It could be that what we all thought was bad luck when we lost the #1 pick may actually been a blessing in disguise? Jessica Camerato looks back on Al Jefferson's thoughts on Oden and wonders if he saw something no one else did. Jeff on CelticsBlog discusses the butterfly effect of "what ifs". It would have been devastating to the Celtics after all they have been through to lose their #1 pick for the season. And there are a lot of people comparing Oden to Sam Bowie and Walton already. SI.com assessses the impact of Oden's injury including how the Celtics should feel about it.
How must the Boston Celtics feel about this? It's a fair question because the Celtics looked like the big loser at the lottery when they drew the No. 5 pick after hoping to land the rights to Oden thanks to the second-worst record in the league. But now the Celtics look like the big winner of that lottery. Instead of investing in a young player like Oden or Durant, their disappointment with the lottery forced them to jump-start their recovery with trades for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Today, more than ever, it looks as if losing that lottery was the best thing that could have happened for Boston.
I'm back in Boston now...and I've officially met everyone on the team. These guys are coo. I didn't know what to expect at first because these are All-Stars that I'm playing with, but everyone is really coo and down to earth. We all have been chillin with each other and our team chemistry seems to be great. We got together a few nights this week over Paul's house and played spades, and today we all went golfing. Practices have been going well! I'm really looking forward to the season now! The preseason starts in a few weeks...until then, I will just be practicing everyday. I'll holla!
I love it that the team is building chemistry both on and off the court. I'm with Rondo and really looking forward to this season.
The Boston Celtics franchise is anything but mediocre. The franchise flame has been re-ignited and we need someone to lead us out of the doldrums. Can we really settle for mediocrity? When I looked up antonyms for mediocre, the words above par, atypical, exceptional, extraordinary, unusual were highlighted. These words describe the Boston Celtics… not Doc Rivers. So, can a mediocre coach direct and motivate his core trio of superior players?
I have wondered if Doc can actually lead this team to a championship. I am willing to give him the chance to show us he can, but hopefully if we don't get out to a good start, Wyc and company will be quick to make a change before it is too late. The Globe had an article yesterday that said that Doc is seeking advice from some of the successful coaches in the league as to how to handle 3 stars on a team. Hopefully he will be willing to listen to advice and to assess his performance and will be a better coach because of it. I like Doc and am pulling for him, but I love the Celtics more and if he can't do the job we need someone who can.
Speaking of Doc Rivers, NBA.com has a transcript of a conference call with him. A couple of things stood out to me in this article. One is how Garnett is going to affect the attitude of the team.
Even this morning he walked in and one guy was just sitting here and he busted in the locker room and he's just so energetic he said 'hey guys let's go, it's another great day'. You're looking at guys like Gabe Pruitt and Glen Davis looking at a guy like this who has had so much success with that type of spirit. There's no way they can walk in acting tired or say 'hey man we worked hard yesterday' because Kevin just keeps moving forward and I think that's a good thing.
The other is that Doc has a lot of confidence in Rondo and he has seen a lot of progress from our young point guard this summer.
Point guards are important in our league there's no doubt about that. You win with them, it's tough to win without them. Having said that I really am proud and love to watch what Rajon has done over the summer. His progression is going to be key to our success and I think he'll be up to the test I really do. He's really put in a lot of time and so I think he'll be ready.
Scott Souza talks about the amazing turn of events for the Celtics in his Courtside View blog. From the disappointment of losing the #1 pick to what we have now has been an amazing roller coaster ride for Celtics fans. He makes a good point about what would have been if we had kept the 5th pick:
You can just imagine the reaction from the blogger and message board crowd the first time Doc Rivers was asked about Jianlian and his reponse was: “We probably won’t know for a couple of years.” Close your eyes and you can actually hear him saying it too. Kinda makes you shudder, huh?
but starting with the Allen trade and then the Garnett trade and now the news that Oden is out for the season, it seems that maybe the Celtics fortunes have changed for the good.
Speaking of Jasikevicius, the Boston Celtics are actively speaking to the Warriors in hopes of landing the seldom used Pg. Boston has offered Glen "Big Baby" Davis and/or Leon Powe but the Warriors have been reluctant thus far. Stay Tuned
I don't know how true this is because Saras makes 4 million a year and we would have to trade a lot more than Big Baby and Powe to match his salary. Scalabrine, Powe and Davis works in trade checker but that is giving up way too much for a back up PG and it thins our already thin front court. We could get better PGs to use as a back up for much less so I don't get it.
18 days until training camp starts. With the recent articles about Garnett and his leadership and energy and with Rondo's report on how the team already has great chemistry, I am getting more and more excited for this season to begin. Just a heads up on something to look forward to the Celtics preseason game against the Timberwolves will be televised live on Wednesday October 10 at 2:30 pm on ESPN2.
Kevin Garnett was born in Mauldin, South Carolina to Shirley Garnett and O'Lewis McCullough. Garnett played for Mauldin High School for his first 3 years in high school. During the summer just before his senior year of high school, Kevin was in the area where a fight between black and white students broke out. Although, not directly involved, Garnett was arrested along with the others who were fighting. Due to the racially charged incident and fear of being a target, Garnett decided to leave Mauldin and transfer to Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois for his senior year. He led Farragut to a 28-2 record and was named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today. He was named Mr. Basketball for the State of Illinois after averaging 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks. In four years of high school, Garnett posted an impressive 2,533 points, 1,807 rebounds and 739 blocked shots. He was named the Most Outstanding Player at the McDonald's All-American Game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots. He then declared himself eligible for the 1995 NBA Draft directly out of high school.
Garnett was drafted with the fifth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft by the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves. He was featured on the cover of the June 26, 1995 Sports Illustrated under the title of "Ready or Not..." Garnett initially came off the bench in his rookie year, but moved into the starting lineup soon after the Wolves replaced head coach Bill Blair with Flip Saunders. Garnett did not immediately leap to stardom, but he had a very respectable rookie year. He averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and was voted into the All-Rookie Second Team. He also played for the Western Conference squad in the 1996 Schick Rookie Game during All-Star Weekend in San Antonio. At the time Garnett was the youngest NBA player in history at 19 years and 11 months of age.
During the 1997-98 NBA season, the Timberwolves and Garnett agreed on a six-year contract extension that was worth an astounding $126 million. This was met with shock around the NBA, and the Timberwolves were used as scapegoats for the lockout that occurred the next season. The contract was a risky move and it was widely speculated that this would keep the Wolves from signing players needed to build around Garnett. Despite the furor over his new contract, Garnett continued to improve, averaging 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game in his 3rd season. It was during the lockout-shortened season that followed that Garnett broke through as a superstar, averaging 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.
Over the next few seasons, Garnett continued to improve but the Wolves just didn't have enough surrounding him and the team continued to struggle. One of the setbacks came in the 2000-01 season when Timberwolves' guard Malik Sealy was killed by a drunk driver and in the same season, the NBA ruled that the free agent signing of Joe Smith was illegal. The league stripped the team of three first-round draft picks as partial punishment for the illegal signing.
In the 2003-04 NBA season, things finally seemed to come together for Garnett. The Wolves brought in Spreewell along with Sam Cassell to give Garnett some help. Surrounded by the best supporting cast in his career, Garnett averaged 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, earning him the MVP award. The Wolves made it to the conference finals but were beaten 4-2 by the Lakers. In spite of Garnett putting up All Star numbers year after year, the Wolves have gone downhill and this led to this off season trade.
KG is the first player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for 6 consecutive seasons which he did from 1999-2005. He is also the first player to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for 9 consecutive seasons which he did from 1998-2007. And he is the only player in the NBA to reach at least 18,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 4,000 assists, 1,200 steals, and 1,500 blocks in his playing career.
Ray Allen isn't the only player to star in a movie, KG portrayed Wilt Chamberlain in the movie "Rebound". He also has starred in many commercials. He has a tattoo of his initials, "KG," and another of an arm holding a basketball with the words "Blood, Sweat and Tears".
A quote from Sam Cassell gives you an idea of the impact that KG will have on our team.
I've never met anyone like him," teammate Sam Cassell says. "Ticket, hell, Ticket got me coming -- and wanting to come -- to practice. I've never liked practice. But since I've been [in Minnesota], seeing what he does everyday, how hard he works everyday, man, psssh...and I'm supposed to be the veteran with two rings, right?"
KG is not only a great basketball player, but a great person as well. He was given the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2006. He also donated $1.2 million to Oprah's Angel Network to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. He unveiled 4XL, his For Excellence & Leadership Foundation during 2002 All-Star weekend. The goal of this foundation is to help develop a nationwide Internet search engine for professional mentors for young people who want to do something with their lives but have limited or no outlets or direction. He assumed legal guardianship of his younger sister Ashley, and a few years later, adopted an at-risk teen, Michael Mason. When he was 13 years old KG worked at everything from bagging groceries to washing cars, anything legal to stay out of the system and to keep himself and Ashley fed.
Sonia Grover from IHeartKG and now of the TWolves Blog was kind enough to write a bit about him from the perspective of a Timberwolves fan who has followed KG through the years.
With Garnett, the Celtics get their first serious big man in recent history. KG's work will be easier in the East in that he'll do serious damage to the smaller, weaker PF/C's of the conference.
The league's leading rebounder will have to keep up his ferocity on the boards. In addition, the player will have to work the paint more, something which doesn't seem to come as naturally to him as his patented 10 ft fadeaway. Concentrating more inside will free up his new wingmen to do their thing while allowing Garnett to show off his passing from the post and demonstrate his unselfish nature.
KG hasn't had too many injury concerns and he'll have to focus on maintaining his health as few have ever played as many minutes as he has at his age.
Regardless, Garnett is only three years removed from being the league's MVP. Aside from the fact that he's among the top players in the NBA, his passion and intensity make it amazing to watch him if the team is doing well, but heartbreaking if the team is losing. However, it's difficult to imagine him not doing well in his efforts to revitalize a franchise with a stronger supporting cast than he's had in years.
Kevin Garnett is a franchise player. Even at 31 years old, he is one of the top players in the league today. He works hard and keeps himself in top condition. He brings energy, committment and leadership to the team. He leads by example and is very excited to be in Boston. If anyone can bring #17 to Boston, it is Kevin Garnett.
Scot L. Pollard was born on February 12, 1975 in Murray, Utah. He is the son of Marylyn and the late Pearl Pollard. His father, along with Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller and Celtics GM Danny Ainge, were among the inaugural class of inductees voted into the State of Utah Hall of Fame in 1999.
Pollard played high school basketball for three years at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California He then moved to Kennewick, Washington and played for Kamiakin High School his senior year. Kamiakin High is generally considered to be the top public high school in all of southeastern Washington of size 3A or 4A. The school is named after Kamiakin, a chief of the Yakama Tribe in the 1800s and a leader of the Native American side in the Yakima War.
After graduating from Kamiakin, he attended the University of Kansas, where he graduated in 1997 with a degree in education. A two-year starter at center, Scot Pollard helped lead the University of Kansas to four straight appearances in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Pollard compiled career averages of 9.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.70 blocks per game. He shot better than 50 percent in each of his four seasons and had a .549 career field goal percentage. Pollard finished sixth in Jayhawks history among free throw shooters, with 358; fourth in rebounds with a total of 850; and second place in blocked shots, with 218. He graduated from Kansas with a degree in education.
Pollard was selected 19th overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. In his rookie season, he played 33 games with the Pistons and averaged 2.7 points per game, as well as 2.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists. He was traded in January 1999 to the Atlanta Hawks for Christian Laettner, but Pollard never played a game with them and was waived almost a month later. He was signed as a free agent by the Sacramento Kings in February and he played there until 2003. With the Kings he suffered an injury and only played in sixteen games during the lockout-shortened 1999 season. It was during his stint with the Kings that he became a solid backup to center Vlade Divac and often started at Power Forward at times as well when Chris Webber was injured. His best season as a pro was the 01-02 season when he played in 80 games and averaged 6.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and .9 blocks in 23.5 minutes per game. Pollard spent the 2002-03 NBA season plagued, once again, by injuries and played in only 23 games.
He was traded to the Indiana Pacers in July of 2003. His main contribution to the Pacers was on the defensive end. He played an average of about 12 minutes per game. In his 3 seasons with the Pacers, he played in 61, 49 and 45 games, missing considerable time each season with injuries that included a back injury and plantar fasciitis. Pollard's contract with the Pacers expired following the 2005-06 season. In Indiana, Pollard felt restricted as the Pacers played a slower brand of ball than he was used to with the Kings. On August 18, 2006, Pollard signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played in only 24 games last season with the Cavs and averaged 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds. Pollard missed 59 games last year, most due to a stress fracture in his lower back. He finished the season strong, however, including a 13-point, 16-rebound game in a victory over the Pacers on April 1.
Pollard wore number 31 with the Kings and with Cleveland because it was his father’s number in high school and at the University of Utah, but he changed to 62 when he went to the Pacers. With the Celtics, he will wear 66 because as he said, all the other numbers are retired. HoopsHype says this of Pollard:
Plays with heart... Will fight for every ball... Long arms... Outstanding rebounding skills... Loves to grab the offensive rebound... Runs the floor well.
Pete Dorchak, who blogs for Pacers Pulse, had this to say about Pollard:
About Pollard: He's going to be a solid center at the back end of the bench. He can backup Perkins and Garnett well and is a very good rebounder and defender. A good player to have at the end of the bench.
Pollard is known more for his bizarre hair cuts than his is for his play. Pollard's hair-dos have included a Mohawk, a single pony tail and a bald head. On January 2, 2006, he introduced a different hair style even for him when he wore two pony tails during a Pacers home game against the Sonics. On March 11, 2007, Pollard caused some controversy when he looked into the camera during a 20-second timeout and audibly said, "Hey kids... do drugs." He later apologized and said that he was only joking around.
Some lesser known facts about Pollard include the fact that he is an ex-Mormon. He studied to be a teacher at Kansas University. When he was younger he had to do 500 hours of community service for grand theft. When he was in college, he used to paint his toenails. He has two brothers taller than him and he wears size 19 shoes. His first car was a 1972 Cadillac and he enjoys vintage cars and old music.
Pollard should be a solid back up center for us this season if he can stay healthy. But, given his back problems from the last few years, that is a big if. If nothing else, his sense of humor should liven up the locker room and his hair styles will keep the fans guessing.
No news in the Herald or the Globe today. At least the Globe reported on Perk and Vanity's new arrival in their blog yesterday afternoon. Again, a big congrats to my favorite Celtic!
Celtics.com has a great piece on the behind the scenes happenings from yesterday's photo shoot of the new big 3. Some great pictures! My favorite is the one where they switch jerseys. If you missed my article below, here is the link to the gallery of photos again.
But in the case of Oden, the other key is that the relationship between height and career length changes once we get to the tallest players. The players who have the longest careers are 6-10 and 6-11, but career length starts to shorten again once we hit the 7-footers, and accelerates sharply downward as we deal with players who are taller.
The reason is injuries. Think of players like Arvydas Sabonis (7-3) and Rik Smits (7-4), who were good enough to play several more years if nagging injuries hadn't made it impossible to continue. In the present day, look at 7-6 Yao Ming, who is the league's most dominant post player but has missed 59 games the past two seasons.
We are in good shape with our center of the future being 6'10". Perk should have a nice long career.
Celtics 17 finds some positive answers when looking for some balance with this Celtics team. On Celtics 24/7 Fin dawgg takes a look at what is really important.
It seems like Larry Bird isn't doing all that well these days in Indy. One of his players was just arrested on drug charges and there are questions as to whether he is doing enough to improve the roster. Danny Ainge has suddenly risen above his other two contemporary GMs with a boost from one of them in the Garnett deal. Although, McHale got some good young players in the deal and his stock could rise in the next few years if they play as projected. Speaking of drug charges, it is nice to see that former Celtic, Justin Reed, had his drug charges dropped.
Fox Sports has the first of the articles on coaches on the hot seat. Isaiah, Flip Saunders, Mike Brown, Avery Johnson, George Karl and Mike Dunleavy join Doc on the list of coaches who should be on short leashes.
Danny Ainge presented Rivers with the most celebrated Big Three in Beantown since Bird-McHale-Parrish. All that Rivers has to do now is at least coach the Celtics into the Finals.
The roster still has some gaping holes at the point and in the middle, and the team's ultimate success will depend on how well Rajan Rondo and Kendrick Perkins can compliment Allen, Garnett, and Pierce. Aside from this necessity, and ignoring the possibility of injuries, there remains one overriding question: Can a mediocre coach direct and motivate his core trio of superior players? Rivers has one shot to get the job done.
Some good stats on the big 3 from Hoops Writers as they discuss the Omega 3 plan of the Celtics. Ira Winderman has more of his drivel as he ranks Rondo last in the East among PG's. He obviously hasn't watched many Celtics games and doesn't have a clue.
20 days till training camp. The majority of Celtics are in Boston and working on building some chemistry before training camp. It would be nice to get some reports out of these workouts. I bet Perk, KG and Powe are having some heated battles already in practice. It's going to be an exciting season!!
Eddie House was born on May 14, 1978 in Berkeley, California and is the son of Edward and Debbie House. He has two brothers, Diallo and Mychal. he married his wife, Charlsie, during his rookie season with Miami in 2000-01 and they have three sons, Jaelen and twins Kaden and Kalek. His wife is Kings' guard Mike Bibby's sister and his father-in-law is former Southern California head coach and NBA player Henry Bibby. He likes watching movies and has an extensive collection of DVD. He has two dogs named Passion and Rizzo.
House attended Hayward High School in Hayward, California. Hayward is one of four high schools that serve the city. Their official mascot is the farmer, which dates back to Hayward's agricultural roots. After high school, House went on to Arizona State, where he played 4 years.
He finished his four-year Arizona State career as the school's leading scorer with 2,044 points, and also the school's all-time steals leader with 258. He was just the second player in Pac-10 history to notch 2,000 points and 250 steals with Gary Payton being the other. He did not miss a game in his 124-game career with the Sun Devils. His toughness was never in doubt, as in his junior year he broke his jaw in practice on October 22, 1998, and had it wired for the first six games. Living on a diet of milkshakes and soup he averaged 19.3 points, including a 31-point effort vs. Kansas State when he played all 45 minutes of an overtime game. He scored 39 points versus UNLV in the first game back from having the wiring removed. In his freshman season (1996-97), he suffered chipped teeth and had to get three root canals following a 2 p.m. game in the Great Alaska Shootout, but he had seven three-pointers the next day vs. Maine in a noon tip-off. House set a single-game Arizona State record with a 61-point effort in double-overtime against the University of California Golden Bears on the road in his senior season.
House was selected by the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft with the 37th overall pick. He played 3 seasons for Miami from 2000 through 2003. In those 3 seasons, he averaged 6.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He signed with the Clippers for the 2003-'04 season ans averaged 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 19.8 mpg over 60 games.
In the 2004-05 season, he played for 3 different teams. He was traded to Charlotte in July and started the season with them, playing in 13 games before being waived in December. He was picked up off waivers by Milwaukee but was waived by them in January after playing in only 5 games. He was picked up off waivers by the Kings and finished the season with them, playing in 50 games. Over the year, he averaged 6/3 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He signed a one year contract with Phoenix in September of 2005 and played in 81 games for them averaging 9.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.5 minutes off the bench. He signed with the Nets in August of 2006 and played in 56 games averaging 7.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists over 16.9 minutes per game.
Since he played for the Nets last season, and they had tried to get him to come back, I asked for an opinion from a Nets blogger to see how they perceived him. Joe Caporoso who writes for Nothin' but Nets had this to say about him.
House is a good energy player, who is a streaky shooter that can light up the scoreboard if he gets hot. He has injury concerns, and he missed signifigant time last season. However, despite being fresh off an injury he received crucial minutes in the Nets/Cavs series, because the Nets were desperate for outside shooting and scoring. He best suited as a role player, and will help Boston off their bench with his 3 point shooting and speed.
He had a rough end of the season. He suffered food poisoning on March 27 but played in the game on the 29th and in that game suffered a concussion when he was fouled on a layup attempt and the back of his head appeared to land on a photographer's knee. He also suffered a partially torn hip muscle and was out for the remainder of the regular season.
"Eddie is one of the best shooters in the league," Danny Ainge said. "He adds firepower to our bench and depth to our backcourt."
House is a combo guard and although he has played the point before, he is not much of a playmaker. Although he has had some injury concerns, he is a tough player who will play through many of the injuries. He will give us scoring off the bench and should be able to back up Rondo for 10-15 minutes per game.
Celtics center Kendrick Perkins' longtime girlfriend gave birth to Kendrick Perkins II on Monday. Born in Boston on Monday, the baby was 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches long.
A big congrats to mom and baby and, of course to Perk! Way to go big guy!!
Celtics.com is featuring today's photo shoot in Waltham today where Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen had a good time mugging for the cameras.
Wearing their kelly green road jerseys together for the first time, the Celtics' three stars looked ready for action as they posed for several different magazine covers, cut a few video promos did the obligatory stop in with NBA Photos in just under 65 minutes on Monday afternoon.
Some poses were serious; a triple-profile against a green background we dubbed the "Mount Rushmore", composed by NBA photographer Nat Butler, looked pretty regal and could one day become a famous shot. Other photos were playful; the guys tried on each others' jerseys for another NBA picture, and in the process Pierce stretched Allen's jersey a little out of shape.
Even at their most enjoyable, photo shoots are often tedious as photographers attempt to bring their visions to life, but the guys were clearly enjoying themselves in each others' company. Training camp is still a few weeks away, but the camaraderie between the Celtics stars is already evident.
This is some exciting stuff. They sure do look good together and the chemistry is evident in their interaction. Hopefully it will tranlslate to the basketball court as well.
The best news to come out recently is that Tony Allen has been cleared to play as reported in yesterday's Globe. No Blood No Foul has an article that says that Tony is the key to the Celtics championship hopes.
Also in the Globe, Marc Spears reports that David Stern is happy for the Celtics with their new roster and hopes for a title. The last paragraph is pretty exciting.
Ainge said about 10 players were working out voluntarily in Waltham yesterday and more are expected soon. Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce were among the players working out.
Garnett, Ray Allen and Pierce are in Boston already working out with 7 others. Rondo has a new blog posted that tells us that he is still in Louisville and probably won't be in Boston till the end of the week. I imiagine that the whole team will be here by next week. We are in for some exciting times.
Oregon Live reports that Greg Oden will be undergoing surgery on his sore knee. I can imagine that the Blazers are a bit worried about their franchise player having problems before the season even starts. Sports of Boston is previewing the Celtics rivals and today covers the Sixers. Fresh Blog of Basketball has a preview of the Celtics' season.
In an outrage, The Sun Sentinel has a piece on the Eastern Conference centers and puts Perk last. I am upset, but the Crack Staff at Perkisabeast is totally outraged. This guy obviously hasn't watched Perk much.
21 days till training camp and Pierce, Garnett and Allen, along with most of the team is in Boston already working out together. When was the last time you remember a trio a stars reporting in 3 weeks before training camp? It's enough to give one goosebumps.
We here at Celticsgreen have been some of the most staunch defenders of Kendrick Perkins since he entered the league in 2003. While most Celtics fans have had varying opinions on him, we here at CG have, for the most part, been behind him 100 percent, almost to the point of hysteria. One could even make the argument that some of us have gone Perk-crazy.
Well I wouldn't go that far. It's not like I've pretended to win a contest to spend a day with Perk. . . until now.
11:44 a.m.- Pick up Perk at the Fargo airport. I meet him in the airport and walk him back to my pristine 1988 Pontiac Sunbird. After spending several futile minutes trying to explain to him how to open the passenger-side door (it involves a needle-nose pliars), we decide to take his rental car.
12:13 p.m.- We arrive at the our dining destination, the Hi-Ho (bottomless mugs of Coke? All you can eat French fries? Check. Mate.). Perk orders a shake and comments that he eats a lot of carbs to supplement his weight lifting program. I mention that I eat a lot of carbs because Frito-Lay has yet to make a corn chip made strictly out of meat. Silence.
I spend that next 90 minutes wolfing down crinkle cut fries and quizzing Perk about the eating habits of his Celtic teammates. Does Rondo eat fast? Did the Kandiman ever hide Good 'n' Plentys in his hair for timeout snacks? What is Scalabrine's opinion on veal? Shockingly, Perk answered either "I don't know," or "Why would you even think about that?" to most of the questions.
1:53 p.m.- We hit the local courts for a spirited game of two on two. It is Perk and I versus a couple of local college players. I spend most of the game doing my best World B. Free impersonation, throwing up half court shots that-if I'm lucky-catch a slice of the backboard. Not surprisingly, Perk gobbles up every offensive rebound and we take a commanding lead.
In the last play of the game, Perk catches another one of my air balls, and throws it down, giving us a 142-5 victory. In the heat of the moment, I ask Perk if I could get on his shoulders and dunk the basketball. He comments that that would be pretty awkward, seeing that I'm a grown man. Our opponents agree. I blamed it on a momentary loss of judgement mixed with my low blood sugar level.
3:13 p.m.- We head to local watering whole for a few beers. I offer to buy a round, but Perk just orders a water. When I ask why he didn't want a beer, he mentioned that he wasn't a big drinker, and that it was a Tuesday afternoon. Fair enough, I replied.
Remembering that Perk never played college ball, I thought he'd enjoy hearing some of my college stories. After 90 minutes of me regaling him with tales of my college years, Perk said that he was confident that he made the right choice skipping school. He also questioned how I could fit that much beer drinking, N64 playing, and farting into four years. That's when I let him know that it took six and half years to build that kind of legacy. He didn't seem impressed.
4:54p.m.- Even though he was originally supposed to spend the rest of the day in Fargo, he decided that he should catch the next flight. I mentioned that I may be in Boston this winter, and asked if I could get his phone number. I am a little suspicious that he gave me a fake number (1-555-555-5555?), but I guess I'll find out when I'm in Boston.
The Celtics are cautiously optimistic that guard Tony Allen will be ready once training camp begins.
Allen missed the final 48 games of last season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge said today that Allen was recently cleared to play, was working out on the floor today at the team's facilities in Waltham and is expected to be ready for the upcoming training camp. The 6-foot-4, 213-pounder averaged 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.48 steals in 33 games last season.
"(Allen's) been cleared to play and do everything on the court," said Ainge, in a phone interview. "We've been totally conservative. It takes time to get the confidence back. You worry about significant injuries, but I'm optimistic for Tony."
This is very good news for the Celtics as a healthy Tony Allen will be very important to the Celtics fortunes this season.
Walter Ray Allen was born on July 20, 1975, to Flora and Walter Allen, a military couple stationed at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California. He played high school basketball for Hillcrest High School in Sumter, South Carolina where he took his team to a high school state championship.
Ray went to college at the University of Connecticut and has kept his New England roots, even while playing on the West coast for many years. At UConn, Allen finished No. 3 on the Huskies' career scoring list with 1,922 points and also set a UConn single-season record by connecting on 115 three-pointers in 1995-96. Allen was the first UConn player ever to earn All-America recognition in back-to-back seasons, after being named to AP's and NABC's Third Team as a sophomore in 1994-95.
As a junior, Allen was a consensus All-America First Team selection and was also named UPI's College Player of the Year...He was a unanimous All-Big East First team pick after averaging 23.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.3 apg in 35 games. He was named the 1996 Big East Player of the Year. On February 5, 2007 his number was retired at Gampel Pavilion on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs, Connecticut during halftime of the men's basketball game against the Syracuse Orangemen as part of the "Huskies of Honor" ceremony which recognized the accomplishments of 13 former players and three former coaches.
Allen was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1996 NBA Draft but was shipped, along with a future first-round draft pick, to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to fourth pick Stephon Marbury. Allen enjoyed a strong rookie season for the Bucks, ranking third on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. He was the team's primary long-distance threat, shooting .393 from three-point range. Allen competed in the Schick Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend and scored eight points. He also was the national spokesman for the game. In addition, he became the first Buck since Paul Pressey in 1986 to compete in the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk Contest. He was also named to the NBA's All-Rookie 1st Team. He won the 3 Point Shootout during All Star Weekend in 2001. During Milwaukee's 2001 playoff series with the Hornets, Ray painted his toenails green and purple for good luck.
He played for the Bucks for 7 seasons, until February of 2003 when he was traded to the Supersonics where he has played the last 5 seasons. In Seattle, he has accomplished many records and has become one of the most popular players in the history of the franchise. On March 12, 2006, Allen became the 97th player in NBA history to score 15,000 points. On April 7, 2006, Allen moved into second place on the NBA's list of all-time three-point field goals made with only Reggie Miller ahead of him. On April 19, 2006, against the Denver Nuggets, Allen broke Dennis Scott's ten-year-old NBA record for three-point field goals in a season by sinking his 268th, a record he still holds.
Sonics.com had an article entitled "The Value of Ray" that should make Celtics fans very happy to have him. It details the importance of Ray Allen and the difference he makes when he is on the court. When RA was out with an injury, the Sonics scored 95.1 points per game, 19.9 assists per game, 15.0 turnovers per game and they shot 43.4% from the field. With Ray back in the lineup, their scoring increased to 103.4 points per game, their assists increased to 23.6 per game, turnovers decreased to 14.3 per game and field goal percentage increased to 45.3. The article goes on to say:
Everyone knows that Allen is one of the league’s best shooters, so the improvement in scoring is no surprise whatsoever. What might be a little more surprising, especially to anyone who did not see Allen’s maturation last season in Seattle, is the improved ball movement the Sonics have had with him in the lineup. Their assists have increased from a shade under 20 per game to 23.6, again one of the league’s top marks. The Sonics have assisted 61.2% of their made shots with Allen in the lineup, as compared to 57.1% without him. Even team statistics, alas, are not enough to capture just how important Allen is to the Sonics, because they fail to give proper weight to where Allen really shines – clutch situations. Post-Intelligencer columnist David Locke first quantified Allen’s fourth-quarter prowess last season, reporting that Allen averaged 6.5 points on 48% shooting in the fourth quarter of “close” games. The closer the game has been, the better Allen has played. According to the website 82games.com, Allen has played 35 minutes in what they define as “clutch” situations – five-point margin or smaller, fourth quarter or overtime. In that span, he has scored 42 points on 17-30 shooting (56.7%) and handed out six assists against two turnovers. In those 35 minutes, the Sonics have outscored their opponents by 32 points.
He won a gold medal at the World University Games with the USA team in 1995. He was also named the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year in 1995. He continued his USA experience with another Gold Medal at the 2000 Olympic Games with the USA Team and won the Tournament of the Americas with the US team in 2003.
Along with his basketball accomplishments, Ray is one of the good guys in the NBA. He was named Sporting News "Good Guy" in 2000 and 2001. He is a member of the All-Star Advisory Council for the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA youth basketball support program. He is the NBA Spokesman for the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. He initiated the "Ray of Hope" Foundation, which assists charities in several communities. He was given the NBA Joe Dumars NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2003.
Ray is a 12 handicap golfer and recently won a Celebrity Golf Tournament with fellow UConn alum, Donny Marshall. He also bowls, and averages over 150. I can see the bowling competition now between James Posey, Ray Allen and Pierce, all of whom take great pride in their bowling prowess. His nicknames include Jesus, Sugar Ray, and The Silent Assassin. As almost every basketball fan knows, Jesus refers to Jesus Shuttlesworth, the character that Ray played in the 1998 movie, He Got Game, that Ray starred in along with Denzel Washington. Allen's character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, is a talented basketball player being pursued by the top colleges in the nation. Washington's character, Jesus' father, Jake Shuttlesworth, is a convicted felon serving time at Attica State Prison for accidentally killing his wife (Jesus' mother) by pushing her during an argument. The governor, an influential alum of one of the colleges Jesus is considering, temporarily releases Jake so that he might direct his son to sign with the governor's college.
Not as well known is that Ray starred in a second movie in 2001 titled Harvard Man, in which a basketball player strikes a deal with the mob to fix a basketball game. RA plays Marcus Blake in the movie. Also starring in the movie were Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eric Stoltz.
As with our other new players, I wanted the opinion of someone who followed Ray while on the Sonics. To that end, I asked Rick Michels who writes for Supersonic Scoop on the MVN network to tell me his thoughts on Ray Allen and this is what he sent:
Ray Allen is a tremendous offensive player. When he's healthy, he's Jordanesque. He is able to create his own shot, has tremendous range, and dangerous anywhere on the floor. There really isn't any way to defend him one on one, except to do it dirty and hurt him, Bruce Bowen style. The only thing that slows Allen down is injury. He also is a team leader.Enjoy him. I'm going to miss him.
In Ray Allen we are getting a leader and a quality person along with a terrific basketball player. He makes others around him better as evidenced by the Sonics' stats with and without him. He will be a difference maker on and off the court and while most of the hoopla has been about KG coming to Boston, don't underestimate the value of Ray.
