With PJ Brown pretty much decided that he will retire, the Celtics will be in the market for a center to back up Perk. The Celtics will need to find someone to sign for the veteran minimum and also someone who will buy into Ubuntu. Scot Pollard could be an option, but with his injury history, it wouldn't be wise to depend on him. The Celtics should look elsewhere.
Here is a list of the unrestricted free agent centers that the Celtics might consider along with their 2007-08 statistics: Jamaal Magloire 30 years old, 6'11" 1.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, .3 bpg, 9.2 mpg
Theo Ratliff 35 years old, 6'10" 4.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 16.7 mpg
Patrick O'Bryant 22 years old, 7'0" 1.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, .4bpg, 4.3 mpg
Of this list, The Herald mentioned Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo as possibilities. I don't know if Mutombo is planning on playing another year or not and if he is going to play another season, I don't see him leaving Houston where he has his home and foundation. He chose to stay there last season and I believe he would stay for the same reasons this season. Mourning could be a possibility if he doesn't retire. Another player I wouldn't mind would be DeSagana Diop. I think he would be a good choice. Another possibility mentioned in today's Globe is Chris Anderson. He would also be a nice back up for Perk. Of course, the Celtics can also just go with Big Baby and Powe at back up until the trading deadline and bring PJ Brown back again for the stretch run. It worked this season.
In the Herald, Steve Bulpett reports that Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins will both decline the offer to be on the USA Select team that will scrimmage with the Mens National team to prepare them for the Olympics. It doesn't mention Rondo's reason for turning down the offer, but Perk may be headed for more surgery on his troublesome shoulder.
Perkins faces the possibility of more surgery on his left shoulder. The Celtics are comfortable that an earlier procedure on the shoulder met its desired goal. When Perkins injured it again in Game 4 of the Finals against the Lakers, it wasn’t a dislocation. Such instances simply tweak the area around the joint and, in this case, forced him to miss one game. But the center may go in for another cut if it’s believed it will further improve his shoulder.
The article also mentions that they would like to keep Eddie House, but he may choose to look elsewhere due to the drop in minutes he saw during the playoffs. Tyronn Lue and Jason Williams may be possible replacements but they are also hoping that Gabe Pruitt will be ready to contribute this season. The Celtics will also be looking to replace PJ Brown if he decides to retire. Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo are possibilities to fill that slot. No mention has been made of Pollard, so he is probably on the outs.
The Celtics will not be fielding a Summer League team this year but will be holding their own rookie and free agent camp next week. Giddens is expected to be there as will other free agent invitees. Walker is facing surgery and so probably won't participate.
BY DERRENMATTS Already this team has made some changes (via the draft), and more changes are probably going to be made to the roster.
Tonight, we added Jr Giddens and Billy Walker to our roster, and a 7 foot big man from Turkey, who will probably remain overseas for the immediate future. Giddens and Walker are both SG's (though Walker is strong enough to play some SF) who were highly touted high schoolers who haven't lived up to their billing. But, they still have the talent to be good players in the NBA. IMO, Walker has a better shot at being a starter, while Giddens is a safer pick to succeed in the NBA in some capacity (probably as a bench guy). If that confuses you, think of Walker as a hit or miss prospect, and Giddens as a slap hitter who gets on base but doesn't have the homerun power.
Ainge has a big to do list to cover this summer, and at the top of the list is to keep Tom Thibodeau. We won this year because of his defensive game plan. I can honestly say that we don't win without him. Do whatever it takes to keep him, even if it means making him the highest paid assistant coach in the league.
Next big decision on the list is whether to keep James Posey or not. Its not that Ainge doesn't want Posey here--its just that if Posey asks for his fair share of the loot (and he deserves it), he'll be too costly to keep. IMO, if Ainge and Co have their sights on repeating as champs, they have to, at all costs, bring back James Posey. I'd argue that Posey's importance on the team was just as important as any of the starters. Pay the guy, even if it means paying more luxury tax--tht's the price you have to pay to win another title.
I've read that PJ Brown is going to retire. That leaves us without a veteran big man who rebounds, defends, and hits open shots. To me, a player like Brown is vital. You could trust a guy like PJ not to cough up the game with dumb plays. Finding his replacement is important.
Eddie House is another key contributor whose future Ainge needs to decide on. He and Cassell were brought in to handle the backup PG duties and knock down perimeter jumpers. But with talk that Tyronne Lue might be headed this way, we have House's and Cassell's replacement in place. No worries here. In a couple of years, Gabe Pruitt could fill this role.
What about Tony Allen? If it were my choice, I'm keeping him. Though we hear the same thing every year, that this will be Tony's breakout year, this year is different. I believe Tony saw the importance of being prepared for battle every night, and the importance of keeping focused throughout the game first hand, as he was a part of this championship run. He experienced how it feels to be on a winning team, and he now realizes the price, and the effort it takes to be this good.
If we need to clear some roster space, its time to cut ties with Scalabrine and Pollard. Neither were important in our championship run. Not sure who will take them off our hands, but Ainge must shop them around.
What about Powe and Big Baby? I think they are both safe for now, but one day there may not be enough space to keep both. Ainge needs to decide which one he'll keep. It looks like if it came down to it, Powe would be the keeper. Leon could be our low post scoring presence, even from this upcoming season. And he's a rebounding magnet, and an unexpected shot blocker. Baby can be exciting, but Powe is more productive.
So here's our gameplan.
Keep James Posey (no brainer) Bring in Lue to replace House and Cassell (better backup PG) Find PJ Brown's replacement (easier said than done--what about Kurt Thomas?) Cut off Scalabrine and Pollard and give their roster space to Giddens and Walker Sign Tony Allen to his qualifying offer and give him a year to prove himself
Next year, we'll have the Big 3 and a playoff tested Perkins and Rajon who will be a year older and a year more seasoned. James Posey off the bench, along with Tyronne Lue and PJ Brown's replacement. Powe will provide 15 minutes of low post scoring and solid rebounding and TA will come in and be a defensive pest.
Pruitt, Giddens, and Walker will go to the NBDL and improve their games there.
In a surprise move, Danny once again picked up a player in the late second round in a trade. Danny received Walker from the Wizards, who picked him 47th, for cash considerations. Walker is a 6'6", 235 lb small forward.
Last year Walker was projected as a lottery pick before suffering another ACL injury. He's still very explosive, with an NBA body. If he can stay healthy, this is a nice pickup. Reminds me of Leon Powe who Danny picked up from Denver at #49. Hopefully this pick works out as well as that one did.
Positives: Super athletic, versatile wing is a beast when he puts the ball on the floor and gets to the rim. Jumps out of the gym. Very quick. Good handle. Sees the floor well. Excellent perimeter shooter with deep range. Already possesses an NBA body.
Negatives: Three ACL injuries, one to his right knee in 2003 and one to his left in 2007, are the biggest knocks right now. He's struggled to lose all the weight he gained after his last injury and still doesn't seem 100 percent recovered. There was a time when scouts wondered a little about his ballhandling, but they say he's improved that weakness.
Danny can let him come along slowly and heal completely as he will be more important for the future than this coming season.
Semih Erden
With the 60th pick, Danny took Semih Erden of Turkey. Erden is a 7'1", 240 lb center and is 20 years old.
Erden plays for Ulker in Turkey. He averaged 6.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg in 19 mpg in the Euroleague this year.
Positives: He is a skilled big man with decent athleticism and strength. He has the potential to develop a good pro body. He can be aggressive when he wants to be on the offensive end.
Negatives: He has been known to be very inconsistent. Has a reputation in Europe of not being a hard worker and can disappear on both ends of the floor.
Summary: Erden has talent and has been on the international scouts radar for years. He's slowly progressing as a player, but right now it's fair to say he's a project. Danny will more than likely keep him overseas and let him develop and possibly bring him over in a couple of years.
JR (Justin Ray) Giddens Shooting Guard 6'5", 200 lbs 23 years old Senior, New Mexico Ranked 6th among shooting guards Was projected to go mid to late 2nd round
Was originally recruited by Kansas state but after a rocky first two seasons that reached the breaking point when he was stabbed in a bar fight on May 19, 2005. He was stabbed in the calf and required 30 stitches. He transferred to New Mexico and sat out his first season there due to NCAA transfer rules. He was suspended from the New Mexico team in February of 2007 for not being a good teammate and attitude problems.
He owned up to his mistakes after the suspension and came back his senior season and improved in every statistical category as well as improving his attitude. His senior season he averaged 32.2 minutes, 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. He shot 52% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc but just 59% from the free throw line.
Accolades: MWC co-Player of the Year (08), First Team All-MWC (08), Honorable Mention All-American – AP (08) Third Team High-Major All-American – CHN (08) Honorable Mention All-MWC (07) Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (04) Big 12 All-Freshman Team (04) McDonald’s All-American – high school (03) Oklahoma’s Gatorade Player of the Year – high school (03)
Strengths: Great athlete. He is very quick and was a track athlete in high school also. He has a huge vertical leap - reportedly 40” or more. He is a strong finisher and attacks the rim. He is an exceptional rebounder for a guard because of his long arms. He has a good strength. He gets into the passing lanes for steals and is a great shot-blocker for a guard. His long arms allow him to play bigger than his 6'5" height. Quick release on his jumper plus great elevation on his jump shot make it hard to stop.
Weaknesses: Needs to work on his mid range game. Not a great ball handler. His attitude and work ethic have been called into question and are the main reasons he was projected to be a late second round pick. I guess Danny is hoping that being on a team with veterans like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett along with young players who have great character and work ethics like Perk and Powe will help to keep his attitude going in the right direction.
Doc said in an interview after the pick that they feel that Giddens fills a need for the team. This could mean the end of Tony Allen's tenure as a Celtic as Giddens is almost a clone of Tony's talents.
Notes He has won a couple different dunk contests. JR was a Mcdonalds All-American and came in second in that dunk contest to LeBron James. Won co-MVP honors (Along with Deron Williams) at the 2003 Global Games, he also won that tournament's dunk contest. JR was an excellent track athlete in high school and cleared 6 feet 10 inches in a high jump competition.
In an AP article reported in the Herald, Danny discussed his thoughts on this year's draft. Some of the highlights: ** The Celtics have worked out about 50 potential draftees, similar to last year’s number, and that list has been reduced to 23 possible players for the 30th pick. ** There’s not much room for the players the Celtics draft with the 30th and 60th picks to contribute next season. ** It’s a real longshot that he would trade to get a better pick ** Ainge thinks Gabe Pruitt can contribute next season. He thinks Pruitt would have been a first-round draft pick this season if he had he stayed in school for a fourth year. ** There's a few players that they wouldn't draft if they wouldn't consider playing overseas for a few years to develop their games. ** Signing Posey is a priority for the team.
It doesn't seem as though anyone really has any idea how the bottom of the draft will go. Here are some of the predictions for the Celtics. CBS Sports Devon Hardin, C, Robin Lopez, C College Hoopsnet Ryan Anderson, PF/SF NBADraft.net Omer Asik, PF/C Hoopsworld DeVon Hardin, C Draft Express DeVon Hardin, C Hoopshype DeVon Hardin, C RealGM Courtney Lee, SG MSNBC Courtney Lee, SG Scout Javale McGee, C SI.com (Thomsen) Roy Hibbert, C Inside Hoops Richard Hendrix, PF NBC Sports Courtney Lee, SG Sporting News Trent Plaisted, F/C NBA Draft University Roy Hibbert, C ESPN (Chad Ford) Courtney Lee, SG 4 pick DeVon Hardin and 4 pick Courtney Lee and a couple for Roy Hibbert. It will be interesting to see what Danny does with the pick.
The Pacers and Raptors have almost completed a trade that would send Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors for TJ Ford and the 17th pick. It makes sense for both teams and I believe it makes both teams better. The Bulls will also be better with the addition of the #1 pick. The Pistons are going to make moves. They have been trying to get Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis. Teams are going to be very different for many teams next season. The Celtics need to keep up with all these Eastern conference teams that are improving. They will all be gunning for the Celtics and so they need to be ready.
There has already been a big trade involving the 17th pick. I expect some big trades and maybe big names moved at the draft. There have been rumors of Wade moving and maybe Marion. Even though the Celtics don't pick until #30, I expect it to be an interesting draft to watch because of what the other teams do as they scramble to keep up with the Celtics.
Draft Express reports that of all #30 picks, 0% become stars, 4% become solid starters, 33% end up solid bench players and 63% end up out of the NBA or just barely hanging on.
The last 10 #30 picks were: 2007 Petteri Koponen 2006 Joel Freeland 2005 David Lee 2004 David Harrison 2003 Maciej Lampe 2002 Steve Logan 2001 Trenton Hassell 2000 Marko Jaric 1999 John Celestand 1998 Ansu Sesay
But, there have been some very solid picks in the second round. Danny has found some gems in Leon Powe (49), Ryan Gomes (50), Big Baby Davis (35) and Gabe Pruitt (32). Other 2nd round steals include: Gilbert Arenas (31) Cuttino Mobley (41) Francisco Elson (41) Manu Ginobili (57) Eddie House (37) Eduardo Najera (38) Michael Redd (43) Mehmet Okur (38) Carlos Boozer (35) Matt Barnes (46) Jason Kapono (31) Kyle Korver (51) Trevor Ariza (43) Monta Ellis (40) Daniel Gibson (42)
Danny has proved that he is good at finding late round gems. Here's a look at his draft history as GM of the Celtics. 2003 Marcus Banks #11 Kendrick Perkins #27 Brandon Hunter #56 2004 Al Jefferson #15 Delonte West #24 Tony Allen #25 Justin Reed #40 2005 Gerald Green #18 Ryan Gomes #50 Orien Green #53 2006 Trade #7, Raef LaFrenz and Dan Dickau for Telfair, Ratliff and '08 2nd rounder Rajon Rondo #21 Leon Powe #49 2007 Trade #5, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West for Ray Allen and #35 Big Baby Davis #35 Gabe Pruitt #32 There are a few misses in that list (Brandon Hunter, Orien Greene) and a few that may still pan out like Gerald Green and Justin Reed. But there are a lot more hits. Danny made a good point that if Powe and Gomes had come in on this team, they wouldn't have developed near as quickly because of the talent ahead of them. Whoever he picks with #30, even if he can become a rotation player will have more trouble getting the playing time to develop. Just like the good old dayw when rookies had to pay their dues before cracking the rotation. Although Perk sure had to pay his dues. 30 minutes is entire first season and only 9 mpg over 60 games his second season. It paid off, through.
Amazing that a year ago we were debating over who to take with the 5th pick and still stinging from the lottery snub. What a difference a year makes. It may not be as much fun debating over the 30th pick as it was the 5th or 7th picks but, I'll take it. Last year we had 2 months to consider our pick. This year, just about a week. I have faith that if anyone can find a steal with the 30th pick, Danny can. After the draft, the emphasis will turn to free agents. Posey will get offers from several teams. His agent has said that he really likes it in Boston and wants to return. Hopefully Danny can get him re-signed. Then he has to decide on what to do with Tony, Eddie, PJ, and Sam.
First of all, thoughts and prayers go out to Tommy Heinsohn. According to Peter Vescey in the NY Post, Tommy is having an abdominal aneurism removed today. We love you Tommy! Get well soon.
According to the Kansas City Star, Tyronn Lue is considering an offer from the Celtics. Lue is an unrestricted free agent. In the article he has this to say:
“I’ve been talking to seven or eight teams,” Lue said. “I’ll probably end up going to Boston or back to Dallas.”
Lue is a career 43% shooter and averages 8.9 points per game. He is also a good locker room guy and a good teammate. KG and Lue are very close friends and I am sure that KG would love to have one of his best friends join the team. Lue would fit right in to the ubuntu of the Celtics. If the Celtics don't re-sign Cassell and sign Lue as the back up point guard, with Gabe Pruitt getting more minutes as he earns them, Eddie House could move to shooting guard where he would be much more effective if he doesn't have to bring the ball up every time.
Doc's Gatorade stained shirt sold for $35,000 to an anonymous bidder to benefit the Celtics' charity, The Shamrock Foundation. Gatorade also pledged 10,000 to the Shamrock Foundation and another anonymous donor pledged another $10,000 to the charity. On top of that, Steve Pagliuca offered another $35,000 if the shirt can be displayed from time to time during the year. That is a total of $80,000 to charity for Paul Pierce's spur of the moment urge to dump Gatorade over his coach. Where amazing happens!
ESPN has an excellent article on Len Bias. I still remember that day in 1986. The Celtics had just won their 16th championship and they had the 2nd pick in the draft. When they picked Len Bias I was ecstatic! The future of the team looked bright with a franchise player coming in to pick up where the Big Three would leave off. Then tragedy struck. I heard the news on the radio and just sat there and cried. It was so unbelievable and such a tragedy. To this day, I tear up when I think about it. Excellent article!
I tuned in to watch Perk on QVC and instead of being there, he was live on the phone. I really wanted to see Perk on there but he did a great job on the phone. The guy selling the stuff asked Perk what was the difference between this team and his first 4 years in the league. Duh! This team won! He called Perk "The Enforcer" and I like that. Good nickname for the big guy!
I had heard a lot about Ray Allen's full page ad in the Globe but being out of the area I wasn't able to see it. CIMIT, a poster on CelticsBlog, posted it on his website. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a look. Ray Allen is one of the classiest guys in the NBA. I am very happy he is a Celtic. Walker and his family will be in my prayers as they seek to deal with his illness.
The draft is coming up tomorrow night. I was thinking about what a difference a year makes. Last year, we were all bummed out about missing out on the #1 pick and the debate was all about who to take at #5. And then they announced the trade on draft night that left everyone wondering what Danny was doing. A 32 year old shooting guard coming off double ankle surgery for Wally, Delonte, and the 5th pick? And then, about a month later, Kevin Garnett was a Celtic and we never looked back. This time last year, we had been already discussing the draft for over a month because there were no playoffs for the Celtics. This season, I have barely given a thought to the draft. I've heard some rumblings that Alexis Ajinca is who Danny will target at #30 if he is still there.
I can't wait for next year's schedule to come out. For certain, the Celtics first game will be nationally televised as they get their rings. Wonder who they will play in that game. Also, I wonder if they will schedule Celtics/Lakers for Christmas day just like in the old days. Or, I wonder if the league will continue to fail to give the Celtics the respect they have obviously earned. I can hear it now. Well, they can't do it again so we will concentrate on the teams who we think will be contenders.
I have worn a Celtics tee shirt just about every day for the last I don't know how many years. Rarely did I have people stop me to talk about the Celtics. Suddenly since they won the championship I have people constantly saying things about how good the Celtics were and they were happy to see them win etc. Where were these people for the last 22 years? I would have loved to talk Celtics last year. I loved that team in spite of their record. I loved Big Al, and Delonte, and Gomes and Gerald and of course Perk and Rondo. I really thought that team would have been a lot better if not for all the injuries. Suddenly everyone is a Celtics fan. Who would have thought?
Leaving you with a video of Jimmy Kimmel eating Paul Pierce's headband. I think he got off easy! They should have made him really eat it piece by piece.
The Pink stained shirt has been auctioned off to an anonymous out-of-state bidder for $35,000 big ones. Yes, you read right. The shirt, stained Gatorade pink and signed by Doc and Paul. Also auctioned off was the Gatorade bucket, which Paul had used to dump the Gatorade (which was actually orange) over Doc as the C's won their 17th Championship. The first title since 1986. The bucket received two $10,000 dollar bids. One from Gatorade and another from a second anonymous bidder. The grand total for the auction was $55,000 bucks. All the proceeds go to the Shamrock Foundation. That's not all! Steve Pagliuca, who is the President of the Shamrock Foundation pledged to donate an additional $35,000 greenbacks if the winning bidder allows the organization to use the shirt for display purposes every now and then. No word as of yet on whether the winner has agreed to the offer. On a side note, former Pats Coach Bill Parcells reportedly placed a bid of $20,000.
No Celtics were selected to play for the USA Olympic squad. According to the Globe, KG passed, Ray Allen wasn't considered and Pierce wasn't eligible because he couldn't participate in USA Basketball activities the past two summers because of injuries. Pierce is still very supportive of USA Basketball and plans to attend the exhibition against Canada in Las Vegas July 25.
But, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo have been selected to play on the USA Select Team who will scrimmage against the Olympians in Las Vegas from July 21-24 to prepare them for Olympic competition. The Select team includes the top young players in the league who could be considered for Team USA in the future. If they play well on the select team, Perk and Rondo could be considered for the 2010 World championships and the 2012 Olympics. The select team will learn offensive and defensive sets from US assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo before practicing and scrimmaging against the national team.
Both Perk and Rondo were honored by their selection and play to participate. Perk didn't feel that his injured shoulder would prevent him from playing and had this to say:
"It would be an honor to play against them," said Perkins. "I would love to play against them and hope to play for them one day. It's an honor. It will be fun."
Rondo was also excited about his selection to the team:
"This is a great surprise," he said through his publicist. "I'm honored to be invited and I hope I will be able to participate."
If losing the championship and being embarrassed on the court and then being lampooned by Jay Leno weren't bad enough for Kobe, now Shaq is rapping about the fact that Kobe can't do anything without him. Too funny. Click here to watch the video of Shaq skewerig Kobe in his rap.
Just like Rodney Dangerfield used to say, the Celtics just couldn't get any respect this season. From the very beginning, there were doubters every step of the way from training camp all the way through the finals. And, every step of the way, the Celtics answered their critics and proved them wrong.
Here is a run down of all the criticism and doubts the Celtics faced this season. The first doubters said that you couldn't put three stars together and expect them to gel quickly. Rasheed Wallace was quoted as saying that you can't put a championship team together in a year. It just can not be done. Most "experts" thought that it would take a couple of years before the team would develop enough chemistry to win a championship. In answer to their critics, the Celtics gelled almost immediately and their chemistry was incredible for a team with 9 new members.
Not long after the Garnett trade, Bob Ryan said that the Celtics had the worst 4-12 in the league. Criticism of the Celtics bench came from every corner. Doc would have to play the starters big minutes because they had no bench. If it was a league of 3 on 3, they would do fine, but their bench was the worst in the league. Over the course of the season, the Celtics bench proved itself. Night after night, different subs would come up big for the team. James Posey, Eddie House, Leon Powe, Big Baby, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, all had a part in the Celtics 66 win season. Even with those contributions, there were still doubts about the back up point guard and center positions. Then Danny signed PJ Brown and Sam Cassell and both of those players had a hand in helping the Celtics to win both in the regular season and the playoffs.
At the beginning of the season, Rasheed Wallace also stated that the Celtics didn't have a point guard or a center. There were a lot of critics that chimed in saying that a 2nd year point guard couldn't lead this team to a championship. Perk also had his critics who said that he was at best a back up center on a good team but not a starter on a championship team. The Celtics would never win with Rondo and Perk in the starting lineup. They were too young and too inexperienced. Perk had an answer to Rasheed's comments when he said:
At the beginning of the season I heard Rasheed Wallace say the Celtics don't have a point guard and they don't have a center. You know what? We got a title. We got a title.
That kind of says it all. Throughout the season, Rondo proved his critics wrong as he led the team to one win after another. Perk was also solid all season and his value was proved when he missed game 5 and suddenly Gasol and Odom looked like Bill Russell. But, when Perk came back in game 6, they went back to playing more like Bill Cosby.
The Celtics meshed immediately and got off to a quick start. Then the rap on them was that they were peaking too early. They couldn't sustain it all season. They would win in the regular season but would be worn out by the playoffs. When the Celtics were taken to 7 games in their first two series, these mumblings got even louder. But, the Celtics again proved the critics wrong as they got stronger as the playoffs went on, dispatching the both the Pistons and Lakers in 6 and winning the final game by an incredible margin of 39 points.
Then, there was the age of the Celtics 3 stars. They are too old and won't be able to go through the entire season and playoffs. They would tire and fade as the playoffs went on. There were also those who doubted the hearts of the 3 stars. But again, as the season and playoffs went on, it was obvious that they were up to the task and that all three had the hearts of champions. Ray Allen especially came in for criticism as he struggled with his shot in the early rounds of the playoffs. He was old and washed up. His legs were tired and he couldn't hit jumpers any more. But then, in the finals, Ray proved all those critics wrong, setting a new finals record with 20 3's in the series and tying a finals record with 7 3's in game 6.
KG was a good defender, but Pierce and Ray Allen wouldn't be able to defend. Ray was too old and Pierce was too lazy. But, right from day one, the Celtics, including Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were committed to defense. Ask Kobe Bryant and LeBron James whether Pierce and Allen can play defense and they will tell you without a doubt that they can.
And then there was Doc Rivers. Doc never made it out of the first round of the playoffs as a coach. The team was winning in spite of Doc not because of him. But, in the playoffs when coaching is more important, Doc would falter and the Celtics would never make it to a championship. Doc acquitted himself very well, out coaching the Zen Master in the finals to earn the respect of the doubters.
Then there were those who insisted that you can't put 3 stars who have always been the man on their individual teams and expect them to share the ball. One ball wouldn't be enough. All three would try to be the alpha dog and they wouldn't be able to get along. They wouldn't be happy with fewer touches and having to share the spotlight. Right from the beginning these three meshed. They left their egos at the door and it didn't matter to them who got the shots or who got the spotlight, just so the team got the win. They were like one star with 3 heads that thought and acted like one from the start of the season until game 6 of the finals.
The Celtics won 66 games in the regular season. They dominated the West. They swept the Texas Triangle. They had the best road record in the league. And yet, they were still doubted. The Hawks took them to 7 games and then the Cavs took them to 7 games and suddenly, the Celtics couldn't win on the road. They wouldn't beat the Pistons, who had been there before and were the better and deeper team. Then, when the Celtics did beat the Pistons on the road and took that series in 6 games, the doubters were saying that they may have gotten out of the East, but they would never win the championship because the West was a much better conference.
Who can forget this little gem from ESPN?
Everyone was picking the Lakers. The Lakers' offense couldn't be stopped. The Lakers had Kobe Bryant, the best player on the planet. The Lakers had the better bench. The West was the better conference and the Lakers waltzed their way to the Finals where the Celtics struggled in the weaker East. Everyone had an opinion as to why the Lakers would beat the Celtics. The Celtics answered every challenge. Their defense did indeed stop the Lakers vaunted offense. The Celtics bench clearly out played the Lakers bench. Kobe Bryant not only wasn't the best player on the planet, but he wasn't even the best player on the court. He wasn't really a factor. KG and Perk completely neutralized the Lakers' front line.
Everyone said they couldn't do it right up to the Finals and every step of the way, the Celtics answered the questions and proved the critics wrong. The Celtics have gotten the respect of the league and the world the hard way... they earned it.
The 12 man roster for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was announced today. Players selected for the 2008 Senior Men's National team include: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz) Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons) Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks) Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
Although Paul Pierce was in the 24 player pool from which the Olympic team was chosen, he wasn't chosen for the team. It could be due to concerns over the knee injury he suffered in the playoffs. Pierce missed the FIBA championships due to an elbow injury and that may also have played a role in his being left out.
According to the Globe, Team USA is interested in having Celtics guard Rajon Rondo and center Kendrick Perkins on a young select team that could play against USA in Las Vegas during training in July to help them prepare them for the Olympics. By participating, Rondo and Perkins could put themselves in position to play for USA in the future. Hopefully Perk's shoulder will be well enough for him to take them up on the offer.
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