Patrick Fitzgerald O'Bryant was born on June 20, 1986 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. O'Bryant attended Blaine High School in Blaine Minnesota, He was named Second Team All-State following a senior season in high school in which he averaged 18.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game while leading Blaine to a 24-4 record. He went on to attend Bradley University where he majored in food and nutrition. His freshman season at Bradley, he appeared in 27 games, 26 of which were starts and averaged 10.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.78 blocks in 23.1 minutes per game and he led the team in FG percentage at 55.7%.
He appeared in 25 games with 21 starts in his second season at Bradley, averaging 13.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.88 blocks in 25.7 minutes per contest and shot 55.2%. He helped lead the Braves to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament where he averaged 14.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in three tournament games against Kansas, Pittsburgh and Memphis. Despite playing just two seasons at Bradley, he left the school ranked third on the Braves all-time blocked shots list (147 -- 10th all-time in Missouri Valley Conference) and second in career field goal percentage.
His breakout performance at the tournament caught the eyes of NBA scouts and he left school after two seasons and entered the NBA Draft. The Golden State Warriors made him the 9th pick in the 2006 NBA draft. Just 3 months after he was drafted, he was diagnosed with a fracture in his right foot. He was placed in an immobilizing boot on the injured foot and missed six weeks of training camp. He played sparingly in the 2006–07 season.
He spent part of the season in the D-League with the Bakersfield Jam. He appeared in 25 games for the Jam, averaging 12.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.88 blocks in 29.6 minutes. After O'Bryant was recalled from the D-League, Warriors head coach Don Nelson had critical words for him:
"I told him if he goes down to the D-League and isn't a dominant player, there should be red flags all over the place, and he should be the first to notice. He's not only not dominating, he's not playing very well. He's a long-term project. I really liked him the first week of training camp, but I assumed there would be great progress. He hasn't gotten better one bit."
In the 2007-2008 season, he appeared in 16 games, averaging 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.4 minutes of play for the Warriors. He was on the inactive list 42 times and had 24 DNP-CD's for the season. It was very evident that Nellie didn't care for his young center and they didn't pick up his option allowing him to become a free agent after the season.
On July 11, 2008, O'Bryant signed a 2-year, $3 million contract with the Boston Celtics. He immediately started working out with Celtics' big man coach Clifford Ray, even following him to his Big Man's camp that he holds with Robert Parish in Florida every year. O'Bryant simply did not fit in with Nellie's run and guy style of play. Hopefully he will find the Celtics' system more to his strengths and he will have a break out season. At 7’0”, 250 lbs. with a 7’6” wingspan and a 9’5” standing reach, the 22 year old still has a lot of potential and the Celtics are hoping that Clifford Ray can help him develop all of it.
Darius LaVar Miles was born on October 9, 1981 in Belleville, Illinois. Belleville was a very poor community. Basketball became a way of escape from the poverty and conditions around him. He found himself playing against the bigger and tougher kids on the playgrounds and this helped to develop his game and make him tougher.
Miles attended East St. Louis High School in East St. Louis, Illinois where he amassed 1531 points, 1015 rebounds, 648 blocks, 209 assists, and 131 steals in his 3 year varsity career. In his senior year, he averaged 22.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 7.2 blocks, 3.4 assists, and 2.4 steals. He was named to the Parade All America High School first team and USA Today All USA baskeball team. He scored 17 points on 8-14 shooting to push the West to a 146-120 victory in the 2000 McDonald's All American game. Darius was also named Illinois Class AA Mr.Basketball.
As Miles began to dominate the competition in high school, he attracted a lot of scouts. As his high school career drew to a close, he had several colleges making offers. He decided on St. Johns, but was not academically eligible and had to make a decision to try to find a college with lower academic requirements or make the jump to the NBA. He decided on the latter and entered the 2000 NBA draft.
The Clippers chose Miles with the 3rd pick in the draft and at the time he was the highest high school player ever drafted into the NBA and he was the first high school player ever drafted by the Clippers. For the next two NBA seasons, Miles formed, along with Lamar Odom, Quentin Richardson, and Elton Brand, the core of a young Clippers team that became known for their exciting, high-flying style of play. Prior to the 2002-03 season, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In his first season with the Cavs, they finished with a disastrous 17-65 record and Miles' own futility became the target of much media criticism. But, their record wasn't all bad because they won the NBA Draft Lottery and were able to select another high school phenom named LeBron James. With LeBron in the fold, they felt they no longer needed Miles and midway through the 2003-04 season the Cavs traded Miles to Portland. Once again, Miles reputation took a hit as many speculated that he couldn't get along with LeBron and that is why he was traded. But, according to Miles, this couldn't be farther from the truth. He got along fine with LeBron and in fact, they were friends before they were teammates. He was also labeled as a difficult player after he was fined by the Cavaliers for oversleeping and skipping a practice shortly before he was traded.
In Portland, Miles began to flash some of the talent that he had started to show with the Clippers before being traded and the Blazers signed him to a six-year, $48 million contract extension after the season. Then things started to do downhill for Miles again. During the 2004-05 season, Miles made headlines after a confrontation with then-coach Maurice Cheeks in which he repeatedly insulted hi m and remarked he didn't care if the team were to lose the next 20 games since Cheeks was going to be fired anyway. Though he was suspended two games for his outburst, his statements were prophetic: Cheeks was soon fired, and the team proceeded to lose nearly all of its remaining games. Later, Miles would say that Maurice Cheeks was the best coach he had because he was the first person who told him that he had way more potential than he was giving. But, Miles' reputation took another hit and he was rumored to be uncoachable and a bad influence on the team.
Then, he missed the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons after having microfracture surgery on his knee. He attempted a comeback in 2007 but tendinitis in the knee derailed his attempt and in March of 2008, the Blazers petitioned the league for relief from the remainder of Miles' salary and his injury was declared career ending and the Blazers got their cap relief. This is a sore spot for many Celtics' fans because after the death of Reggie Lewis, the Celtics petitioned for cap relief and were refused. But, Miles continued to rehab and according to reports, is anywhere from 85% -95% healthy now. If he is able to play in at least 10 games this season, the Trailblazers will be back on the hook for the rest of Miles' $18 million in salary. This in itself is a reason for Celtics fans to hope that Miles will succeed.
But there are many other reasons as well. Miles could be an opposing coach's match up nightmare. At 6' 9", has the height of a frontcourt player, but the nimbleness and the ball handling ability of a guard. He has long arms and great leaping skills and runs the floor very well. He is a slasher who can provide some exciting finishes at the basket. He seems to have answered the criticism that he is lazy and unmotivated. He could have sat back and collected $18 million from the insurance companies but instead, he has worked non-stop to get back into playing shape and to get an opportunity to play again. If he was not motivated and lazy it would have been too easy to sit back and take the payday. In April, he moved to Phoenix for three months of twice-daily workouts with former Suns trainer Robin Pound, who scheduled the first workout at 7 a.m. to test Miles' commitment. He needed to lose weight and this may have led to the 10 day suspension that will start this season as he tested positive for a diet drug.
As for his reputation, Miles had this to say:
"When I was with the Clippers, we were always family-oriented,'' said Miles, who was a 19-year-old phenom when he joined the Clippers. "My mom would cook and almost the whole team would come over. I used to throw fight parties or Super Bowl parties and invite the players. Some would come, some didn't.''
While Miles disagrees that he has set a bad example, he admits that he needs to play on a veteran team for the first time.
"Coming back into this league, I've got to be on a team where I look up to the players,'' he said. "I've been on the good side, where everything is good for you -- fans, shoe commercials, movie deals, my jersey in the top five. Then I'm on that side where I'm just labeled this criminal, this thug, this bad guy -- 'He can't be coached.' I've been on both sides and it's funny, I don't know how I went from that side to this side. I don't have a [criminal] record. I don't do anything out of the ordinary. I never had problems with my teammates. It's crazy how you get labeled.''
We know that Miles has the jump from high school to the NBA in common with KG, but, he also has something in common with Ray Allen. He has a budding movie career in his resume. He played Desmond Rhodes in the movie The Perfect Score about seniors who decide to steal the answers to the SAT test. He also was in National Lampoon's Van Wilder where he played Darius. And, he played himself in Youngest Guns, Arli$$, Playing it Safe, One on One, and He Got Game...Again.
Miles reports that there is no swelling or pain in the knee and reports have been very positive on his comeback so far. He has a 7 month old son and wants his son to see him play basketball. Perhaps at one time basketball came too easy for him and he may have taken his talent for granted, but that doesn't seem to be the case now as he works hard to recover his gifts and resume his career. Miles could be the piece that puts the Celtics over the top to repeat.
Going into last season there were doubters everywhere, in spite of the Celtics being favored to win it all. The Celtics should once again be favorites to win it all this season, but the doubters have already started to question this team and their ability to repeat.
Athlon Sports picks the Hornets to win the championship. Apparently, they feel that James Posey is the piece that will tip the scales since the major move by both teams involved Posey with the Celtics losing him and the Hornets picking him up. A few others have followed their lead, picking either the Lakers or Hornets to win the title and some even have the Celtics losing the Atlantic to Philly and the East to various contenders.
Before last season, there were a lot of doubters questioning the Celtics bench and depth. They had no one to back up Rondo. House wasn't a point guard. They were weak at back up center. Their bench was full of young and unproven talent in Tony Allen, Leon Powe, Big Baby, and Gabe Pruitt. But, when it came time to produce, each player knew their role and filled it to perfection. Eddie House proved to be a solid back up to Rondo. The young players all came through when called on.
And speaking of the center and point guard positions, there were plenty of so called experts who didn't give Rondo or Perk a chance at being championship caliber players. Some even have said that they were backups on a good team at best. Rondo proved very capable of leading a team with 3 superstars to a championship and Perk proved to be a very solid starting center on a championship team. And, the exciting thing for Celtics fans is that they are still very young and will be even better this season. But that doesn't stop some so called experts from doubting them again.
Then there were the assorted doubts like the Celtics 3 stars were too old. They had 9 new players and couldn't develop chemistry quickly enough. The stars would never mesh because each was used to being the focus on the team and one basketball wouldn't be enough. And it went on and on. And let's not forget the ESPN "Experts" predictions going into the finals where only 1 chose the Celtics to win. They were even doubted going into the finals. One by one, the Celtics answered every doubt and every question.
Now, going into this season we are hearing the same old doubts and questions. The stars are too old. The bench is too weak. The bench is too young. They can't sustain that defensive intensity two seasons in a row. The rest of the league has improved while the Celtics have regressed. The loss of James Posey will be too big to overcome. I have read all these opinions in the past few days. The Celtics have stated their intent to repeat and will once again have to fight all the doubters as they seek to do so. Last season they were motivated to win the first Celtics championship after 22 years of futility. This season, they are motivated to become the first Celtics team to repeat since 1968-69. It will be fun watching them answer the questions and reaching their goal once again. I for one have no doubt that they will.
Brian Scalabrine is the Celtic that most fans love to hate. He is a hard working player that isn't necessarily good at anything but is a good "energy guy" and a good "locker room guy" according to Danny Ainge and most reports. He has been voted as one of the nicest guys in the league by his peers, but on a team loaded with more talented players, he is often the least popular player on the team. Although, his red hair guarantees that he is high on Tommy Heinsohn's list.
Scalabrine played his prep basketball at Enumclaw High in Enumclaw, Washington. He attended Highline Community College and averaged 16.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game as a freshman in 1997, helping lead Highline to a 31-1 overall record and the state junior college championship. He red shirted his second year at Highline. He then transferred to the University of Southern California and was named the 1999 Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year and also earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors as a 1999 sophomore ... He was the only Trojan to start all 28 games.
On graduating from USC, he entered the NBA draft and was chosen in the second round by the New Jersey Nets with the 35th pick overall. He played sparingly his first 3 seasons in New Jersey. His fourth season he seemed to come on a bit more and averaged 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 21.6 mpg. He became a fan favorite in New Jersey.
After 4 seasons in New Jersey, Scalabrine signed a 5 year deal with the Celtics worth 15 millions dollars. Like Danny Ainge, Scal depends on the Brain Doctor for advice. Much has been made of his brain type being the same as Michael Jorndan's and some feel this is why Danny signed him.
He has several nicknames. In college, his nickname was Red because of his very obviously red hair. After being chosen by NJ in the draft, they started calling him Secaucus Red. Former Nets assistant coach Mike O'Koren nicknamed him "Veal" because he thought Brian's last name sounded like an Italian dish and the nickname has stuck. However, he very much dislikes being called Veal. Another of his nicknames is Scal.
On the personal side, Brian has 2 brothers and 1 sister. He married Kristin Couch in August of 2003 in Hawaii. He is very active in the community and started the Brian Scalabrine “Take it to the Hoop” Basketball Camp in Stamford, CT and runs several basketball camps for kids during the summer. Last season he shaved his head to benefit kids with cancer and is very involved with charities in the area.
The last 3 offseasons, he has participated in the SEEDS of Peace camp in Otisfield Maine where he was a counselor for campers from all over the Middle east.
Doc has played him a lot more these past two years than most Celtics fans wanted him to play. He is the player most fans would like to see cut from the team or traded. He seemed to be out of shape his first season and never really fit in. He played in 71 games, averaging 13 mpg, 2.9 ppg, and 1.6 rpg. His second season he was in better shape and played better than his first season but still didn't excite many fans with his play. In his second season, he played in 54 games and averaged 4.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19 minutes per game. Last season, his third with the team, it was felt that with a veteran cast around him, he would come closer to the success he had in New Jersey. But, he took a step backward instead, playing in 48 games and averaging 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and .8 assists in 10.7 minutes per game. He did start in place of KG for the 9 games he missed and did a good job of holding down the fort until KG returned. He spent the playoffs on the inactive list. There has been speculation as to whether Danny is looking to make a trade in this offseason and at the heart of every trade scenario is Scal. It will more than likely take one of the Celtics young and talented players to be able to trade him, though.
Scal has been billed as a scorer and 3 point shooter and he certainly hoists up enough 3's during games, but for his career, he is only shooting 39% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. Even Rondo, for whom shooting is known as a weakness shot 49% from the field last season.
Obviously, Scal is a good teammate and good guy. He was voted to the first team "All Good Guys Team" last season. He is always the first one off the bench to congratulate a teammate coming off the floor and is always cheering his teammates when he is on the bench. When Tony Allen went down with the knee injury, Scal drove him to the hospital, in spite of having a knee injury of his own. Tony's mom was with him and voiced her concern that they didn't call an ambulance to take him and Tony told his mom, "Don't worry Mom. This is better than an ambulance. This is Scal!" For what he is being paid, I guess having him there to be an energy guy and a glue guy and to help with the comradery in the locker room isn't all that bad. We could do a lot worse. We could have Mark Blount...A player with Scal's skill set AND a bad attitude.
Ronald Glen Davis was born in Baton Rouge on Jan. 1, 1986 to Donald Robertson and Tonya Davis. He got the nickname big baby when he was playing in peewee leagues. Because he was bigger than the other kids his age, he was playing with older kids and would whine at times and they would call him a big baby and the name stuck.
Big Baby has a way of seeing the bright side of everything in life. He went to live with a friend when he was 11 years old because his mother had been jailed. He bounced around foster homes and lived with friends and family as his mother battled drugs and was in and out of jail. Instead of seeing this as a negative, he chose to see his mother's strengths as she has fought drug addiction.
He concentrated on basketball his senior season at University High school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana although he also had a stellar career at University High as tailback of the football team as well as tossing the shot for the U-High track team. He earned Parade and McDonald's All-America honors and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Louisiana, the Athlete of the Year as chosen by the Baton Rouge Advocate, and was named Mr. Basketball by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. He was a top 100 football recruit when he came out of high school. Florida State and Tennessee, among others, wanted him for their football programs.
However, he chose to attend LSU and play basketball. As a freshman, he averaged 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocked shots and was named SEC Freshman of the Year by the league coaches. In his sophomore season, he led the SEC in scoring with 18.6 ppg and rebounding with 9.7 rpg He was only the fifth player in league history and the first since Shaquille O’Neal in 1991 to accomplish that feat. In his junior season he led the SEC in rebounding with 10.4 rpg and ranked third in scoring at 17.7 ppg. He Earned Second Team All-America honors from The Sporting News and Third Team honors from The Associated Press as a sophomore. He was also named SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore and earned First Team All-Conference honors his sophomore and junior seasons. He finished his collegiate career as LSU’s 10th all-time leading scorer with 1,587 points and he also ranks sixth all-time in rebounding with 916 and third in blocked shots with 110.
Big Baby left LSU after his Junior season for the NBA draft. In spite of promises from a couple of teams that they would take him in the first round, he slipped to the 35th pick in the second round where he was taken by the Seattle Supersonics and then traded to the Celtics as part of the deal that brought Ray Allen to Boston.
Big Baby reportedly weighed 358 when he reported for his junior season and he played at 338 but he then hired a nutritionist and completely changed his diet, eating more chicken than hamburgers and eliminating junk food from his diet. When he worked out for teams before the draft, he was reportedly down to 280 and working out hard to remake his body to be ready for the rigors of an NBA season. Last season, he came into summer league at his lowest weight ever and averaged 12 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 27 minutes per game.
Last season, he had a good rookie season but was inconsistent in that some games, he played like a seasoned veteran and others he seemed out matched. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game and played in 69 games. He showed flashes at times of being a very good player and with seasoning, he will gain consistency and be even better.
Big Baby is a unique player because of his body strength. Most basketball players are not built like tanks but when Big Baby sets a pick, players definitely know they have been picked. Glen Davis has a charismatic personality which is similar to Shaq's, another LSU alumni. His physical strength is virtually unparalleled for a player his height. Glen Davis has the ability to physically overpower players, but also has the skills and finesse of a smaller player. Glen Davis has a tremendous body control, very soft hands and surprisingly quick feet, which could be attributed to his days on the gridiron. You can see how light on his feet that he is in the video below from his days at LSU.
One of Big Baby's strengths is is character and his leadership. When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, the LSU Maravich Center was opened as a crisis center and several of the basketball players came in to help. Big Baby was the first to arrive and the last to leave and did whatever was needed that night. He stood for long hours with his arms out holding bags for IV's and never once complained. He has been involved in the community in Boston and is always ready to keep the mood light in the locker room.
He will once again share minutes at the back up power forward and center positions and will rotate with Leon Powe at the 4 according to matchups. He brings a great sense of humor to the team and helps to keep things loose. One thing is for sure, with his sense of humor and his love of life along with his all out playing style, he makes things a lot more interesting around the Boston and the Garden. Word is that he spent most of the summer in Boston working hard on his game and we should see an even better Big Baby this season.
