Anthony (Tony) Allen was born on January 11, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois. Another player raised in a single parent home, Tony was raised by his mother Ella Allen. He has two sisters, Ebony and Dominique, and a brother, Ryan. In his spare time, Tony enjoys listening to music, and is considered somewhat of a music "connoisseur" by his Celtic teammates. He also frequently assists the Celtics in charity work in and around the Boston area. Allen attended Crane High School in Chicago, where he was a basketball standout.
Tony Allen came from a tough part of Chicago and he has said that most of his high-school friends are either dead or in jail. Tony was able to get out of the neighborhood by playing junior college basketball. He played hard enough for Oklahoma coach Eddie Sutton to notice him. And so, while Tony couldn’t get into a Division I program out of high school, Oklahoma State offered him a second chance. That second chance ultimately led Tony to a trip to the Final Four, a college degree, and a place in the NBA.
At OSU, Tony was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year his senior year, after averaging 16 points per game and leading his team to the Final Four. He became the first player in OSU history to score 1,000 career points in just two seasons. He graduated from Oklahoma State with a degree in education. Tony has said that when he retires from basketball he would like to become a teacher.
After graduating, he entered the NBA draft and was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round, with the 25th pick overall. In his rookie year he averaged 6.4 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game, and ranked 3rd in the NBA for steals per 48 minutes, with 2.89. He was selected to play for the rookies in the Rookie Challenge game during All-Star Weekend, along with fellow Celtics rookie Al Jefferson.
The nature of Tony’s old neighborhood was brought to national light in an October 2005 incident. During a trip home, violence broke out in a restaurant/night spot where Tony was celebrating the Celtics signing fellow Chicago native, Will Bynum. One person’s orbital bone was broken and another was shot. Two of those injured in the scuffle filed civil lawsuits against Tony. Despite being able to get away from the violence, it seems that Tony was being drawn back in by it. This time, his success at OSU and the resulting financial security that resulted have given Tony the resources to keep from being brought down by it. The lawsuits hung over him for almost 2 years until he was finally cleared of the charges in April of 2007.
After a rookie year full of promise, his second season was derailed by his legal troubles and an injury. The ongoing legal battles over the Chicago incident had to be a distraction for him. Along with the legal woes, Tony injured his knee and had to have surgery on it. There was a lot of conjecture as to how he hurt the knee after having dominated in Summer League. It was rumored that it was injured in the scuffle in Chicago. He seemed to struggle when first coming back from surgery and didn't have the explosiveness or the lateral movement that made him such a great defender and so exciting to watch in his rookie season. Finally, after the All Star break, Tony seemed to be getting back to normal and had several very productive games, once again exciting Celtics fans with his athleticism and defense.
After his second season, Danny Ainge announced that Allen would again have minor surgery on the knee that was still bothering him. In Tony's third season, he was finally turning the corner. Pierce had gone down with an injury and Tony picked up the slack and was playing the best ball of his career. He had a string of 7 games where he was the high scorer and had over 20 points in each game. Then, on January 10, against the Indiana Pacers, Tony had already scored 19 points and went up for a dunk after he had drawn a foul and crumbled to a heap on the floor with a torn ACL. He missed the rest of the season and the team missed the player who had become their leader.
There is a funny story about the injury though. Even though in pain, Tony kept his spirits up and his sense of humor. Brian Scalabrine had also been injured in the game and after the game, Scal drove Tony and his mother to the hospital. When Tony's mother questioned this and asked if they shouldn't get an ambulance or something, Tony said, "No Mom, this is better than an ambulance. This is Scal."
This past season, Tony started out slow again as he was recovering from his most recent setback. He wore a cumbersome knee brace that seemed to limit his mobility at times. As the season wore on, he seemed to be getting his explosiveness back as he gained confidence in his knee. He averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 18.3 minutes per game.
Tony's play could be crucial to our chances to repeat this season. He is a lock down defender on the wing and can slash to the basket and seemingly score at will when he is healthy. With the loss of James Posey, Doc will be depending on Tony for his defense and scoring off the bench. We are in for exciting times if Tony is finally healthy and plays to his potential.
Much speculation has been going around about Monta Ellis' injury that apparently happened outdoors and not on a basketball court. Here's one for the freak accident file. The Timberwolves new center, Jason Collins,injured a triceps tendon in his elbow when his golf cart skidded on wet ground and tipped over. You can't make stuff like that up.
The Delonte West Saga is finally over in Cleveland. The restricted free agent has agreed to a 3 year contract that will play him around $12 million. The third year is at the option of the team. Details are coming out that they team wanted to limit him to 2 guaranteed years because like many other teams, they are trying to keep as much money as possible free for the 2010 free agent bonanza. It is being reported that only $500,000 is guaranteed for the 2010-11 season if they decide to let him go. I have been watching Delonte, Ryan Gomes and Big Al because I really like those 3 players and was hoping that maybe the Celtics could get them back but with all three signing multi-year contracts with their teams, that won't happen for awhile anyway.
Chris Quinn is another restricted free agent who finally came to terms with his team. The Heat have re-signed guard Chris who was one of the few bright spots last season for the team, averaging 14.4 points and 5.9 assists in their final 17 games. Quinn will have a chance to compete for the starting PG job with the team against Marcus Banks and Mario Chalmers. He should have a good shot at it because Banks has been a disappointment with every team who have seen his potential and taken a chance on him and Chalmers is a rookie who is already off to a rocky start in the league.
Magic forward Pat Garrity has decided to hang up his sneakers and retire. Garrity had been with the Magic longer than any current player on the roster. Garrity is 32, the same age as the Celtics star players, but his playing time has dwindled in recent years and even though there are teams with some interest in him, is ready to get on with his life beyond basketball. On the other hand, the Magic signed much traveled veteran PG Mike Wilks who will be insurance behind Jameer Nelson and Anthony Johnson.
Former Celtic Raef LaFrentz will have shoulder surgery later this month. Gosh, I thought he had retired but I guess he is still hanging in there. I think he has spent more time on the injured list in his career than he has playing. It was a masterful stroke for Danny to trade Raef, whose bloated contract is still going for Theo Ratliff, whose expiring contract was instrumental in bringing KG to Boston. Raef is finally in the last year of his contract so may finally be useful as an expiring contract. The Blazers may need it, too, if Darius Miles is able to play 10 games this season and put them back on the hook for the $18 million the team still owes him.
Another former Celtic with a bloated contract is finally at the expiring contract stage of his career and that is Wally Szczerbiak. Wally, one of the best pure shooters in his prime, has spent more time on the injured list than playing between his fragile ankles and bone on bone knees. He is being rumored as a prime candidate to be traded by the Cavs this season because his 13 million expiring contract finally will make him attractive to another team.
Larry Bird is still trying to dump Jamaal Tinsley on some unsuspecting team. Pacers fans don't need to worry that they will be stuck with him because Bird has told the Pacer's NBA blog that Tinsley will not be with the team this season. So, either he has a trade brewing that he is certain he can pull off or he will finally relent and buy him out but he is pretty adamant that Tinsley will be gone before the season starts. One deal that has been rumored has the Heat offering Marcus Banks for Tinsley. He is also firm on the fact that they will keep Granger for the future, even though they haven't extended his contract yet. The Pacers wisely took Granger over Gerald Green in the draft allowing the Celtics to grab Green, who still hasn't gotten his potential anywhere near matching his production.
Shaun Livingston is still looking for a team willing to take a chance on signing him. He worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves in the past week. The Miami Heat are also very interested in signing the 6'7" point guard who is fighting his way back from a devastating injury. There have also been rumors that Danny Ainge is interested in Livingston, but I take those rather skeptically at this point with the admission from Ainge that he plans to bring Sam Cassell back. The Celtics will have plenty of point guards. He might consider a non guaranteed training camp contract like he gave Miles, but word is that Livingston is looking for a guaranteed contract and with 3 other teams interested, he will probably get it. The Blazers are the frontrunners at this point but the Wolves are also sold on him after the workout so it will depend on who is willing to give the most.
The Lakers have signed yet another player, bringing their total number of players to 20. That gives them 5 more than the league maximum going into camp. This time, they signed C.J. Giles, a forward out of Oregon State. This comes one day after signing Brandon Heath. Of all the players the Lakers have signed this summer — Dwayne Mitchell, Josh Powell, Sun Yue, Joe Crawford, Heath and Giles, only Powell’s and Sun’s contracts are guaranteed. Sun Yue will wear #9 with the Lakers should he be lucky enough to make the final cut. I wonder if that is in honor of Rajon Rondo who outplayed all the Lakers' point guards in the finals last year.
It is no secret that I really love this kid. His attitude and work ethic won me over right from his first year as a Celtic. And I am an even bigger fan of his now than when he first joined the team. The tough times he has been through in his life have made him tougher and more determined to succeed.
Kendrick Perkins was born on November 10, 1984 in Nederland, Texas. His mother was killed in a shooting incident at the beauty salon where she worked when Perk was only 5 years old. His dad, former Lamar University star Kenneth Perkins, left the family when Perkins was 18 months old and played professional basketball in New Zealand. Perk never got to know his dad until recently. His grandparents raised him and were there to give advice, direction and comfort. But his grandparents didn't know much about basketball except that Kendrick seemed to have an aptitude for the game. Just before last season, Perk became a dad himself to Kendrick Perkins II and is determined to be the kind of father to his son that his dad never was to him.
His high school coach at Ozen High School, Andre Bouette, became his mentor as far as making basketball decisions and became the father figure he didn't have in his life. At first, Kendrick wanted to play football but Bouette wisely pointed him toward basketball instead. During his high school career at Clifton J. Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas, Perkins led his team to four consecutive district championships and one state championship. He averaged 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocked shots as a Senior in the 2002-2003 season. He helped Ozen to a 33-1 record, with the only loss being a 66-54 setback to Fort Worth Dunbar in the state 4A championship game. He was selected to the McDonald's All-American game for high-school players. It was in this game that he first injured his shoulder. In spite of the dislocated shoulder, he still wanted to finish the game.
He chose to forego college and enter the NBA draft right out of high school after leading his team to a 96 and 3 record over his final 3 years in high school. He was named All State in all three seasons. He was the 27th pick in the 2003 draft, chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies and subsequently traded to the Celtics along with Marcus Banks in a deal that sent Dahntay Jones and Troy Bell to the Grizzlies.
His profile on NBAdraft.net says this about him:
"Unlike many young players his age, Perkins is not infatuated with playing on the perimeter. He plays strictly a power game and is capable of dominating the low post ... Fundamentally he has added various offensive moves, from a drop step, to an up-and-under, and even the rarely utilized jump hook which he can shoot over most defenders ... Perkins is very mobile around the lane and he has no problem running on the break despite his size ... Has an excellent pair of hands that can catch most passes thrown into the post. Once there, his soft touch around the basket allows him to convert easily ... Does a good job of drawing contact to bait his defender into fouling . Has shown decent passing skills when double teams occur ... Physically he has an NBA build that has yet to fill out ... An above average rebounder who uses his body to gain good position under the glass ... Possesses solid footwork on defense enabling him to stay in front of most defenders ... Each year he has developed in some area of his game ... Work ethic remains strong despite all the hype."
In Perk's first year, he played very little, averaging only 3 minutes per game and racking up 72 DNP's. In spite of this, he worked very hard that year to remake his body and build his conditioning. His work ethic was evident in the change in the way he rebuilt his body over the first season in the league. Here are two pictures of Perk - one from December 13, 2003 and the second from a November 25, 2005. You can see how he worked to become the beast that he is today.
His second year wasn't much better than his first as far as getting playing time. He averaged 9 minutes per game in 60 games. But he continued to work on his body and conditioning and when he got a chance to play, he showed a lot of promise. In his third season in the league, he still was given very little playing time and had several DNP's until the Mark Blount trade midway through the season. He finally was given more minutes and averaged 19 mpg. But he still took a back seat to Raef LaFrenz as far as playing time. He was coming on strong and was reaching double figures in rebounds almost every game when he dislocated his shoulder once again and had to sit out while it healed. Over the summer he dislocated his shoulder a third time while working out with Clifford Ray and underwent surgery to avoid further problems with it. The shoulder healed well and he showed no problems from it the following season. His desire to play was so great that he was sneaking on the court to play before he was cleared to resume basketball activities.
In his 4th season, he got off to a good start but then was slowed by plantar fasciitis in his left foot. In spite of being in pain the entire season, he only missed 10 games. He wasn't able to practice because he had to rest his foot as much as possible. The pain in his foot kept him from being able to jump and also affected his lateral movement. Most players who have had plantar fasciitis miss months to allow it to heal but Perk toughed it out knowing that his team needed him. Toward the end of the season he started feeling a little better and was rebounding very well but still was not in shape because of the injury.
After that painful season, Perk took 2 days off after it was over and then was right back in the gym working on his conditioning and his game. He worked with Tom Thibodeau and Clifford Ray in the off season as he was completely healthy for the first time since his rookie season and he pushed himself to the limit to improve his game and his conditioning for this past season. He has also spent time learning from his new teammate, Kevin Garnett.
All that work paid off because Perk had a great season as the starting center on what was to become the Celtics' 17th championship team. He averaged 6.9 points on 62% shooting from the field along with 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. But, his stats do not show the whole story as far as Perk's importance. Perk does so much on the court that does not show up on the stat sheet. He may not get the rebound, but he boxes out so that his teammate can get the rebound. He may not score the points, but he sets the pick so that his teammate can score. He also plays very tough defense around the basket, forcing opponents to change their games. If you question Perk's importance to the team, look no farther than game 5 of the Finals. In games 1-4 and 6, the Lakers' Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol were virtually invisible much of the time. With Perk out of game 5, however, they took over the game. But with Perk back, even limited by the injury, they went back to being intimidated by him in game 6. Perk once again had surgery this past summer and had a screw put into his troublesome shoulder that will hopefully prevent any further problems with it.
Perk has made himself into one of the toughest players on the Celtics and in the league. His work ethic is second to none and each year he improves his game in some areas. Center is one of the toughest positions to fill and the Celtics have filled this position with a very tough rebounder, shot blocker, and defender. He gives the Celtics something they haven't had in many years, and that is an enforcer. He took a leap forward in his development last season, and I expect him to break out this season with another leap. He is still only 23 years old and I truly believe that Perk can establish himself as one of the premier centers in the league.
Luke Walton Walton underwent surgery in July to remove bone spurs and scar tissue from his right ankle. He is hoping to get medical clearance today to begin workouts and hopes to be 100% by mid October. Of course, I expect Kobe to make an announcement that he will make an announcement that he still plans to play in pain and not get surgery. He can't let someone else get the headlines.
Speaking of the Lakers, they signed guard Brandon Heath, who played last season in France, averaging 12 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25 games. He played with the Clippers summer league team in Las Vegas and averaged 5.6 points in five games. He probably won't make the team, but will get a chance to show the team why he should in training camp.
Last October, the Bobcats' Sean May had micro-fracture surgery to correct a chronic bone bruise that caused him to miss much of his first 3 seasons. May looks to be in great shape and is ready to get on with the rest of his career, hopefully injury free. He has gotten his weight down between between 265 and 270 pounds. He's playing pickup ball every day at the Charlotte Bobcats training facility, and says he's pain-free from the right knee injury that cost him most of his first three pro seasons.
Another Bobcat who has missed a lot of time due to injuries is Adam Morrison. Morrison missed last season with a torn ACL in his left knee. He is now playing without a brace or pain. As Celtics fans know from their experience with Tony Allen's recovery from an ACL tear, one of the biggest challenges is restoring confidence in the knee on a day to day basis in making the moves he will need to be effective on the court. The Celtics have 4 players on their team now who have overcome serious knee injuries and come back: Leon Powe (3 surgeries), Bill Walker (3 surgeries), Tony Allen (2 surgeries), and Darius Miles (career ending injury).
The Bobcats have always had a young and athletic team and they appear ready to have a strong season this year if May and Morrison are both healthy. The Bobcats' athleticism has always given the Celtics problems and for some reason they have had the Celtics' number. Like the Wolves and Nets, the Bobcats are getting an early start on the season. With three weeks to go until training camp, all but four players under contract were working out and playing in the team's practice facility. They have a new coach and have some great young players and may surprise a lot of teams, not just the Celtics, this season.
There was speculation that Patrick Ewing, Jr would wear his dad's #33 for the Knicks. But now we learn that Ewing Jr. will wear No. 6 when he plays for the Knicks rather than his famous father's 33. Patrick Sr's #33 was retired but had given permission for his son to wear 33 as he did at Georgetown. But, wisely, Jr is going to forge his own path with his own number in the pros and #33 will always belong to his dad.
Deron Washington. the third of the Pistons' three second-round picks, impressed the Pistons' management in Las Vegas with his athleticism and tenacity. He opened more eyes in August when he was working out with the other young Pistons at the practice facility. But, Washington won't be playing with the Pistons this season. He signed a contract to play with Hapoel Holon of the Israeli Premier League and continue to develop his game in Europe. Another of the Pistons' second round picks, Trent Plaisted, signed in July with Angelico Biella of the Italian league. The Celtics had considered letting their second round pick, Bill Walker, play in Europe this season but were so impressed by his workouts in Boston this summer that they decided to keep him with the team.
With the furor over Monta Ellis' accident fading now that he has told his team the truth about how he was injured, the Warriors are back to the business of getting ready for training camp. They signed three undrafted free agents, guard DeMarcus Nelson of Duke, swingman Dion Dowell of Houston, and forward Rob Kurz of Notre Dame. This gives the Warriors 18 players under contract, 3 over the league maximum to start the season.
Shaquille O'Neal has slowed down considerably from his peak as a player, and now he has announced his plans for retirement. He intends to play out the remaining 2 years of his contract with the Suns and then call it quits. His plans after basketball include include going into law enforcement. He has already served as a deputy both in Miami and Phoenix in his off time and he would like to enter some form of law enforcement full time after his career is over.
Sam Cassell has also announced his plans and they took many Celtics fans by surprise. He stated in the Baltimore Sun that he plans to play one more year and will sign a contract next week and then become an assistant coach for the Celtics after the 2008-09 season. The Celtics declined comment on the subject but the team already has 15 players under contract, all of which seem to have a future with the club. Unless Danny has a 2 for 1 trade in the works or maybe Darius Miles isn't really in the plans, or possibly Scal and his remaining 2 years will be cut, but I just don't see Sam fitting on this team right now.
Brandon Roy is looking good after having surgery a month ago. Reports are that you can't even tell that he had surgery. He is shooting jumpers and making some very light cuts, seemingly pain-free. His shot looks to be improved this season. I like the way the Celtics ended up last season and Ratliff's contract was crucial in bringing KG to Boston, but there will always be the thought of what if the Celtics had taken Brandon Roy with that pick instead of making the trade. What if they had continued to build with youth. We'll never know for sure, but I think it could have worked just not as quickly.
Rajon Pierre Rondo was born on February 22, 1986 in Louisville, Kentucky to Amber Rondo and has three siblings: Dymon, William, and Anton. His nickname is Johnny and he has a prized shoe collection. He also loves rhythmic roller skating and spends much of his spare time at the roller skating rink practicing his moves. He claims the title of best skater in the NBA.
Rondo played basketball at Louisville's Eastern High School for his freshman, sophomore, and junior years. His coach there was Doug Bibby. His junior year, he averaged 27.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 7.5 apg. He also earned All-State honors and was named the 7th Region Player of the Year. He transferred to Virginia's Oak Hill Academy for his senior year where he averaged 21.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 12.0 apg. Rondo was also named to McDonald's All-American Team in 2004 and scored a total of 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds in the all-star game. He also participated in the 2004 Jordan Capital Classic game, scoring 12 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. In his senior year, Rondo had one game where he dished out 31 assists, just four away from the all-time national record. He is still in touch with his high school coach and has a strong friendship with him.
When it came time to choose a college, his first choice was the University of Louisville playing for Rick Pitino. Pitino really liked Rondo, but he also had his heart set on Brooklyn, N.Y., point guard Sebastian Telfair, who everyone suspected was going to skip college and enter the NBA draft. Pitino put Rondo on hold and gambled on Telfair, hoping he would put on a Cardinals uniform for at least one season. He wound up losing both players as Telfair did indeed jump directly to the NBA and Rondo got tired of waiting and signed with the University of Kentucky.
His freshman season, he averaged 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists and led the SEC in steals per game (2.56). He also set a single-season school record for steals with 87. His sophomore season, he led the SEC in assists with 4.9 per game and ranked second in steals with 2.0 per game, while averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds. Rondo had trouble fitting in to Tubby Smith's system though which never played to Rondo's strengths and he left school in 2005, after his sophomore season, for the NBA.
He was named to the 2005 USA Men’s U-21 World Championship Team, which traveled to the FIBA World Championships in Argentina and finished fifth there. Rondo averaged 11.0 ppg on 65.5% shooting and 4.5 apg in the eight-game tournament. His 27 steals set a new competition record, while he doubled the single-game steals record with eight versus China and tied the record for field -goals made with nine versus Nigeria. The USA U-21 team claimed a gold medal at the Global Games in Texas in late July.
He was drafted with the 21st pick by Phoenix and then traded to the Celtics on Draft night. Danny said afterward that Rondo was his man all along, even if he had kept the 7th pick which had been traded for Sebastian Telfair, and when he saw him slipping he started to make calls to try to make a deal for him. It is interesting that Rondo joined the Celtics along with Sebastian Telfair on draft night because of their somewhat strange history together when both were being recruited for the University of Louisville.
After watching Rondo during his first season, it wasn't hard to see why Danny really wanted him. Seattle was trying to demand that he be included in the Ray Allen deal and Danny made it clear that including Rondo was a deal breaker, even for Ray Allen. The same happened when Kevin McHale tried to insist on Rondo being included in the KG trade. Danny was quite adamant in wanting to keep him.
He is extremely fast. He's got a blinding first step that is tough to stop. His long arms and athleticism make him a terrific perimeter defender. He's an amazing rebounder for his size. He plays with poise, sees the floor well and really excels in the open court. He is capable of running the pick and roll quite well. He also has huge hands that help him to control the ball and to get steals and is constantly getting into the passing lanes and forcing turnovers.
He is a tough player who has no problem getting physical to get the job done. He also isn't afraid to take a charge to prevent a score. Many times we saw Rondo take the charge and go flying as he got in front of much bigger players on their way to the basket. Defensively, he can change the complexion of a game because of his long arms and huge hands and his penchant for getting steals that lead to easy baskets.
The one knock against Rondo coming into the league was that he couldn't shoot. Over his two seasons in the league, he has improved his shooting considerably. Over the last season, he spent a lot of time working out with one of the best shooters in the game in Ray Allen and has learned a lot from him.
Going into last season, there were a lot of questions surrounding Rondo. Was he a championship caliber guard? Could he run a team with 3 superstars? Could he hit enough shots to keep the defenses honest? Would he hit a sophomore slump when his team needed him most? One by one Rondo answered each of these questions and then some. He led the team with poise and played beyond his years for the most part the entire season. He proved that he was equal to the task of leading a team with 3 superstars to a championship.
In Rondo, we have a player with a great work ethic and excellent character. He is soft spoken off the court, but ready to become a vocal leader on the court, running a team with 3 stars and keeping them happy. He is a defensive minded point guard who will do whatever it takes to win. As good as he was last season, he will be even better this season with another year of experience under his belt. You might say that he fits this Celtics team like a "Glove."
Sam Cassell told the Baltimore Sun that he plans to sign a contract next week to play one more year with the Celtics and then become an assistant coach.
Baltimore native and three-time NBA champion Sam Cassell said today he plans to become an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics after playing one more season.
Cassell, a 38-year-old guard who was part of the Celtics' title run this year, told a reporter about his plans shortly before speaking at a City Hall news conference. "This is my last year playing with the Celtics," he said. "Next week, I'll sign the contract."
After finishing the 2008-09 season, he plans to exercise an option to join the coaching staff. "I am playing this year," he said. "After that, I have the option to do coaching for them."
The Celtics are already at 15 players and I don't see any would likely be cut other than Darius Miles. Danny has high hopes for Gabe Pruitt, JR Giddens and Bill Walker. I don't see any of them being cut. Patrick O'Bryant is needed to back up Perk. Other than POB, there are only undersized power forwards to back up the center spot. Tony Allen and Eddie House were just signed to two year contracts. Leon Powe and Big Baby are needed to back up the 4 and 5 spots. Brian Scalabrine may be expendable, but he has 22 years left on his contract. So, unless Danny isn't expecting Darius Miles to make it, or they are planning to dump Scal, or Danny is looking to do some trading with a 2 for 1 return, I don't see the Celtics signing Cassell to play one more year. I would rather have all the guys we have now than Sam. But, if Sam is talking about siging a contract next week, there has to have been some talk between him and the team. Stay tuned. I am sure there is more on this to come.
The big news today is actually no news. After his big announcement that he was going to make an anouncement about when he was going to have surgery on his pinkie, Kobe Bryant finally said that he isn't going to have surgery on the pinkie finger. He is going to bear the pain and put off the surgery so he won't miss any of training camp. While on the one hand this is admirable that he doesn't want to win time, this guy is such a prima donna. Why didn't he just say I am not going to have surgery instead of making an announcement that he was going to make an announcement. Talk about a media hog.
Coaches are getting rewarded for their successful seasons. It doesn't get any more successful than winning a championship and Doc Rivers was given a 2 year extension through the 2010-2011 season. Maurice Cheeks was also rewarded for the Sixers' success last season with his second contract extension in seven months. Details were not released, but it is believed that the extension will keep Cheeks on the Sixers’ sideline through 2010. The Sixers will have an even better roster this season and have been picked by some to unseat the Celtics as Atlantic Division champions.
In good news for the players, the NBA has canceled development of their new composite ball and will be sticking with leather for at least the foreseeable future. The NBA introduced a composite ball at the start of the 2006-07 season but the players complained that the ball was slippery when it got wet from perspiration and some players, particularly point guards were complaining of tiny cuts left on their fingertips from the balls which forced the league to return to the old leather balls in January of the 2007. The plan now is to develop a two-paneled ball, rather than the current eight-panel model. They will introduce the two paneled ball in the D-League next season.
Mario Chalmers won't be suspended for the incident that got him kicked out of rookie orientation last week. Chalmers' penalty will be a $20,000 fine, as well as the requirement that he repeat the program next year. Chalmers and Darrell Walker were caught with women along with evidence of marijuana use in their room at the rookie transition program, both of which were against the rules and got them kicked out of the program. Both Chalmers and Walker have denied using marijuana, but they now have that reputation to live down. Chalmers is back in South Florida and working out with the Miami coaching staff.
The Orlando Magic are close to signing a point guard. They are looking for a third point guard to back up Jameer Nelson and and Anthony Johnson. Free agents Eddie Gill and Mike Wilks are said to be in the mix to fill the spot. The team is also likely to bring in another wing player and another big man for training camp.
Amare Stoudamire is fired up for this season. He is in the best shape of his career and has been working hard in the offseason to make a difference for the Suns this coming season. He is talking about and working on his defense and has declared his passion for the game to be at an all-time high. He plans to be a ferocious defender this season, one that guys fear when they see him guarding them. The Suns could really use this type of defensive presence. They have had one of the top offenses in the league with their run and gun style, but could never get the stops when needed. With new coach Terry Porter, they may just be able to put it all together with a defense to match their offense.
Look out for the Toronto Raptors this season. They already have one of my favorite non-Celtic players in Chris Bosh, and they traded for Jermaine O'Neal this summer. Their GM is talking about moving Andrea Bargnani to small forward and putting out one of the tallest front lines in the league. Bosh, Bargnani and O'Neal would form a triple towers that would force some matchup nightmares for other teams.
The Knicks are still pondering the deal with the Grizzlies that would allow them to finally dump Zach Randolph and move one more step away from the Isiah Thomas era in New York. The hold up is that the Grizzlies want a first round draft pick along to take Randolph off their hands and send Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric to New York. The Clippers would have taken Randolph off their hands earlier but wanted a first round pick to do so and the Knicks nixed the deal moving the Clippers to bring in Marcus Camby instead. Still, it seems as though the deal is going to get done as Darko was quoted on a Serbian website saying it was 99% certain that he was going to be a Knick. Mike D'Antoni has a way of filling his rosters with European players one way or the other.
The summer injuries and surgeries continue as the Trailblazers have announced that forward Channing Frye will be out of action until at least November after surgery on Monday to remove bone spurs from his left ankle. Frye was expected to enter training camp as the backup power forward to LaMarcus Aldridge but that plan will have to wait awhile now. The Blazers have quietly gone about building a very talented young team, partly with help from Danny Ainge's desire to dump his lottery picks. They are going to be a dangerous team. Danny seems to be getting them back though with the signing of Darius Miles who could not only possibly help the Celtics if he is healthy, but eat up a good portion of the Blazers' cap space if he plays in 10 games this season.
Heat guard Jason Richardsis going to miss the season with a torn ACL. Richards was signed as an undrafted rookie who was expected to Marcus Banks and rookie Mario Chalmers at the point. Seems like the Heat may be in for some point guard trouble. Marcus Banks has been a bust at every stop so far and Mario Chalmers is off to a rocky start by getting thrown out of the rookie transition program. Dwyane Wade is high on Chalmers and would like to see him start. Seeing that Banks is their only other option at this point, that might not be a bad idea. The Heat have made 2 offers to restricted free agent point guard Chris Quinn and he is expected to be signed by the team and could challenge for the back up spot.
With 16 days left until training camp starts, there are 17 Nets players at their training facility working on conditioning, chemistry, and skill development since no supervised scrimmages are allowed as yet. Eduardo Najera who is running his basketball camp in Mexico and Stromile Swift who is aiding hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana are the only players not already working out for the team. This team may be young and there are a lot of questions surrounding them, but they have the hunger that the Celtics had last season and that could make them dangerous. One of the questions facing the Nets will be how Yi will fare after a grueling summer playing on the Chinese National team. He seemed tired last season and seemed to run out of steam and it remains to be seen how he will fare in a season after playing in the Olympics.
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.
After high school, Ray went on 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, Ray finished No. 3 on the Huskies' career scoring list with 1,922 points and also set a UConn single-season record by hitting 115 three-pointers in 1995-96. Allen was the first UConn player ever to earn All-America recognition in back-to-back seasons and was named to AP's and NABC's Third Team as a sophomore in 1994-95.
As a junior, Ray 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 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.
Ray was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1996 NBA Draft but was traded, along with a future first-round draft pick, to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to fourth pick which turned out to be Stephon Marbury. Allen enjoyed a strong rookie season with 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. Ray competed in the Schick Rookie Game during All-Star Weekend, scoring eight points in the contest. 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 up until February of 2003 when he was traded to the Supersonics where he played for 5 seasons. In Seattle, he established many records and was one of the most popular players in the history of the franchise. On March 12, 2006, Ray became the 97th player in NBA history to score 15,000 points. On April 7, 2006, he 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.
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 also bowls with an average over 150. 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, in which he starred 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. It is a movie worth watching if you like basketball movies. Ray could very well have had a career in acting.
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.
Last year leading up to the draft there were many discussions of who the Celtics would take with the 5th pick and a few trade proposals, but Danny surprised everyone with a draft night trade of Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the 5th pick that became Jeff Green for Ray Allen and the 35th pick that the Celtics used to grab Big Baby Davis. The trade made it very clear that the Celtics were building around Paul Pierce and were planning to win now rather than building for the future. At the time, Kevin Garnett and Shawn Marion had both said that they wouldn't sign an extension if they were traded to Boston and did not want to go there.
There was a lot of grumbling among the Celtics faithful because Delonte was a fan favorite and Ray Allen was 32 years old and coming off a double ankle surgery. It seemed as though it was a bandaid for what ailed the team and not a cure. But, as it turned out, Ray Allen was the key to the Celtics 17th championship. With Ray Allen in place beside Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett changed his mind and okayed the trade to Boston and the rest is history.
Ray seemed to struggle for much of the season, shooting below his normal percentage. At times during the season, Ray was the forgotten man but when the team needed him he came through. He hit a couple of memorable game winners during the season and when the playoffs came, Ray took his game to another level with very clutch play. Many felt it was Ray Allen who should have been the Finals MVP. In game 6 against the Lakers, he shot 8-12 from the field and 7-9 from beyond the arc, scoring 26 points, pulling down 4 rebounds and grabbing 3 steals in spite of worrying about his young son who was just diagnosed with diabetes the previous day.
One thing we learned about Ray Allen during the season is that he is borderline obsessive compulsive and depends on repetition and order in his world to function. His routine is very important to him and he follows it to the letter in his warmups and practice. It took awhile for the three stars to mesh their personalities and pre-game rituals but with some give and take from all of them, it all worked out.
This past August, Ray Allen married his long time girlfriend, Shannon Walker Williams at a private home in Martha's Vineyard. It was a very romantic wedding as they walked down the aisle on rose petals in their bare feet. They walked down the aisle to Brian McKnight's hit song, "Never Felt This Way" which was the song that Ray proposed to her with.
Kevin Garnett garnered most of the publicity during the season but make no mistake, the trade for Ray Allen was the key to the Celtics' 17th championship. Without Ray, there wouldn't have been a Kevin Garnett in Boston. He was the glue guy that held it all together and he came up big when it counted. People point to his age and question whether he can contribute this season but, Ray keeps himself in excellent shape and if this past season has taught us anything it is that you can never count Ray Allen out.
Knees seem to be the word today in the rumors and news. First of all, on the mind of most Boston fans is not a basketball knee, but a football knee. Tom Brady, NFL's reigning MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion, crushed the hearts of Patriots fans as he went down with a scream in last night's game. The word is that he has a torn ACL and will be out for the season. So much for all those polls that picked the Patriots to win the next championship in Boston. Without Brady, that seems like an unlikely prediction.
The Kings' Shareef Abdur-Rahim is in Africa right now with Basketball without Borders, but will soon be back in Sacramento with a big decision to make. His right knee was operated on for the second time in six months about 2 months ago will determine whether he takes part in the Kings' training camp. If not, he may decide on retirement and possibly a coaching career. His rehab from the knee injury has been slow and he plans to focus on that and the decision as to whether to participate in training camp when he returns to the US.
Allan Houston retired on Oct. 17, 2005 after chronic knee troubles. He attempted a comeback last season, but fell short as he lasted through one preseason game and then called it quits. But Houston continued to workout throughout the winter and played at the Nike Pro City league this summer and is ready for another attmpt at a comeback. Houston has spoken recently with Donnie Walsh about an invite to training camp and word is that Walsh is interested in giving Houston a chance. If Houston's knees and game can't hold up, then Walsh may offer him a job in the basketball operations side of the franchise.
The Cavs are waiting to hear from the league on a disability claim they filed on guard Eric Snow. The veteran guard is retiring and will not play this season because of chronic problems with his left knee stemming from an injury last season. If the claim is accepted, the team could save more than $10 million when combining insurance coverage and luxury tax savings. Every time I hear about the league granting cap relief for an injury it really irks me because when the Celtics applied for relief when Reggie Lewis died, the league refused them any relief whatsoever and that helped to deepen the downward spiral that resulted in the 22 year championship drought. I am really pulling for Darius Miles to do well and play in 10 games this season to stick it to both the Blazers and the league. They grant cap relief for supposed career ending injuries, but not for a death and you don't get any more career ending than that.
Andrew Bynum has declared his knee 100% healthy and ready for training camp. Lakers' fans pointed to the absence of Bynum as one of the reasons they lost in the finals, but I really don't think it would have mattered. Kendrick Perkins seems to have Bynum's number as in the two games against the Lakers with Bynum last season as he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes opposed to 6 points and 5 rebounds for Bynum in 25 minutes. With Bynum's knee healthy again, his presence at center will move Pau Gasol to power forward where I expect he will be just as soft as he was at center. Before last season, Kobe leveled some withering criticism against Bynum and he was playing well and answering the criticism before the injury. But, as we have seen from Tony Allen's injury, sometimes it takes awhile for players to get their game back after a serious knee injury. Athlon Sports doesn't see Bynum's return as enough to get the Lakers past the Hornets this season as they pick the Hornets to win it all.
Bill Walker, the Celtics 2nd round pick, is very positive about his progress after his post draft surgery. This was his third knee surgery but was minor compared to the two ACL tears he already recovered from. He was originally projected to be a lottery pick but the knee injury during workouts caused him to drop to #47 where the Celtics got him from the Wizards for cash considerations. Originally, the Celtics planned to try to send him overseas for this season but after watching his workouts in Boston after the surgery, they decided that he can help the team this season and signed him. I have been very impressed with his attitude and work ethic and can't wait to see him play. I think Danny got a steal and he is going to be part of the present as well as a big part of the future of this team.
Another player returning from knee surgery is Greg Oden. While reports of his workouts have been very positive, Oden is more conservative when it comes to assessing his physical condition going into camp. My guess is that after his first major injury, he just isn't sure how the knee will react to day in and day out contact. I am sure he will be fine and is my pick for rookie of the year.
Speaking of Kobe, he announced last week that he would announce today the date for his pinky surgery. How melodramatic can you get? He will make the big revelation on his website, KB24.com. Recovery time is expected to last at least six weeks, so if he has the surgery immediately, the soonest he would be back on the court would be the second week in October. This means he would miss most of training camp, but likely be ready for the season opener on October 28.
Shaun Livingston continues to work out in his attempt to return from what was considered by many to be a career ending injury. The Warriors are giving him serious consideration in the wake of the serious injury to Monta Ellis. The Heat are also looking for a point guard and have been reported to have interest in Livingston. If he is healthy, he is a very intriguing point guard and at 6'7" with his defensive skills, could be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. The fact that no one has signed him as yet makes me wonder if he isn't as far along in his rehab as has been reported.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle Supersonics) are in the news for several reasons. First, the franchise set sales records for Thunder merchandise in the first 24 hours after the team announced the nickname. This isn't surprising since every Sonics fan and every new OKC fan had to get all new shirts, jerseys, etc since none was in existence before this. Second, the Ford Center where the Thunder will play is getting a new floor for the new franchise. The same company that constructed the Boston Celtics' famed parquet floor, has built a new court that will be used by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 6,720-square foot maple court, built to NBA specifications is expected to be delivered by October 20 and ready for the team's season opener. Third, Thunder tickets are in such high demand that many fans in line to get them will be left out and put on a waiting list. They expect the 15,000 to 16,000 seats for season tickets to be sold out by the weekend.
The Hornets will resume business operations in New Orleans today. They had shut down on Aug. 29 so employees could make evacuation plans ahead of Hurricane Gustav. Fortunately, New Orleans didn't take a direct hit from Gustav and it came ashore weaker than originally expected. Also fortunate was the fact that this time the levees held and the Hornets have an arena to come back to. Unfortunately, they are coming back just in time to evacuate for Hurricane Ike that is now headed their way. I am watching Ike carefully as it could also be coming my way.
The Knicks' quest to trade Zach Randolph's cap-killing contract, and rid the franchise of one more reminder of the Isiah Thomas era, is heating up with talks between Memphis and NY on a trade that would send Randolph to the Grizzlies in return for Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric moving closer to the deal happening. This trade would save the Knicks around $10 million in the summer of 2010 when they hope to make a pitch for LeBron James. (personally, I would rather go after Chris Bosh) The trade would give the Knicks 17 players which is two over the maximum. I expect another reminder of the Isiah administration, Stephon Marbury, to be bought out sometime before the season starts.
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 talent 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 Latrell 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 continued to go downhill which led to his trade to the Celtics in the summer of 2007.
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 Celtic player to star in a movie, KG portrayed Wilt Chamberlain in the movie "Rebound". He also has starred in many commercials which we highlighted in this post. 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 when he played with KG in Minnesota gives you an idea of the kind of impact that KG has on a 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. He is also a very private person and tries to keep his personal life out of the limelight.
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. Last season, the abdominal strain was very hard for him since he wasn't used to sitting out. He has been one of the more durable players in the league throughout his career.
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. He lifts the entire team to another level with his work ethic, leadership and intensity.
Kevin Garnett is a franchise player. Even at 32 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. It was his leadership that is responsible for bringing banner #17 to Boston and if they are to repeat, it will be Kevin Garnett's intensity and will to win that will lead them to banner #18.
