CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Random Thoughts on Random Things

The suspense is killing me as we wait to see what Danny does next. There are rumors being thrown around about Big Baby and sign and trades and Bruce Bowen, but that is all they are, rumors. Rumors are fun to talk about but you can't really tame them seriously until they are reported in the Globe or Herald as done deals.

The schedule is not due out until sometime next month, but there are a couple of leaks. One is that the Celtics will open the season vs The new look Cleveland Cavaliers on October 27. It will more than likely be televised nationally. Perk better work that smile off his face and get the scowl back because his first test will be to stop an energized Shaq. The Cavs also will have the honor of playing the Lakers on Christmas day. Better them than us. That isn't to say that the Celtics won't be playing on Christmas, though, because they do televise 3 or 4 games that day. They just won't be playing the Cavs or the Lakers. Celtics vs Orlando would be nice.

The Globe reported that Gabe Pruitt is probably on his way out of Boston. The Celtics have until Friday to decide whether to pick up his option for next year. So, by Friday, they either have to waive him or trade him. Maybe, just maybe, we will see some of these questions answered by then. This also brings up another question. We pretty much have the back up for Pierce in Daniels. We will either have Big Baby back or get a big in return for a sign and trade. But, who is Danny going to get to back up Rondo. There have been rumors that he is once again after Dooling if they work out a sign and trade with New Jersey. After Marbury's meltdown on his streaming internet feeds, I really don't see him coming back. He stated the other day that he is done with basketball. He is now an entertainer. It is pretty sad, actually.

The Lamar Odom saga drags on. He still is wavering between the Lakers and the Heat. There have been rumors of a sign and trade of Haslem for Odom. That makes sense for both teams. Personally, I'd like to see Odom just walk on the Lakers and leave them in the lurch. Maybe he'll wait just long enough that all the other good players are off the table. In the meantime, the Lakers are in for 5 years of Ron Artest. Somehow, that is poetic justice.

The Cavs are indeed talking to Leon Powe. I am so torn here. I want the best for Leon and know that if a team signs him now, it is the best thing for him. But, I don't want a team to sign him now, because I am still hoping he comes back to the Celtics. I would have to root for Leon no matter what team he is on but it sure would be hard cheering for him on the Cavs.

Charlie Rosen is a bitter old man who now has obviously begun to lose his mind. He picks Kevin Garnett as one of the most overrated players in the league. He quotes his scoring numbers from the Finals against the Lakers and then comes up with this gem:

In other words, it is well-known among the league's coaches that Garnett is a frontrunner who will inevitably choke when a critical game is up for grabs.

He obviously got his information from the box score and didn't watch a single game or he would have noticed KG's efforts on defense that spearheaded one of the best defenses in league history. It is on the defensive end that KG makes his presence known. Anything he adds on the offensive end is gravy.

Red's Army has a really good article that you should read if you haven't already: Paul Pierce: The last great Celtic. I really enjoyed this and it hit home with me. One of the best pieces I have read in this off season. Pierce really is the last of a generation of players. Not many players these days stay with one team their whole careers and only one had the influence of Red Auerbach helping to shape his career. Here is the final paragraph.

Times are better now, thankfully. Paul can go out whenever he goes out with his head held high. He's done it the right way. The Celtic way. The Red Auerbach way. It's something no other player will ever be able to say.

I guess it comes with celebrity, but Paul Pierce can't even have dinner out without everybody in the country knowing what he is eating. I can't figure out if he was taking a couple of shots at a basket or a couple of shots to drink. If it was the latter, let's hope he had a designated driver. We don't want any more stops at 3 in the morning.

Player for the Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce dined at N9NE Steakhouse inside Palms Casino Resort Monday evening. Wearing a blue polo, designer jeans and a white baseball cap, Pierce enjoyed a lovely meal with four others in the private dining room. They started with the signature rock shrimp and fried crisp calamari. For his main course, Pierce indulged in the roasted Colorado lamp chops with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. He was seen taking a couple shots at the end of his meal.

Hoopsworld has the Eastern Conference rankings and they put the Celtics 3rd behind Cleveland and Orlando. Their reasoning is that the Celtics lack depth and are an injury away from being pedestrian. Well, aren't the Cavs and Magic in the same place? The Cavs depend so much on LeBron. What if he goes down with an injury? Certainly no one can step up and fill that void. How about if Howard goes down in Orlando? Danny isn't done with the Celtics yet. There will be another big, whether Big Baby or someone else. There will be a back up point guard picked up before the season. And maybe a couple of other changes. Maybe it is a good thing that people are underestimating them. When they were the frontrunners everyone was out to get them last season. It seemed like even mediocre teams had their best game of the year against the Celtics. Maybe this year, teams will save their best games for Cleveland and the Lakers and give the Celtics a break.

The Herald and Globe have been pretty lax in any Celtics news lately. Thank goodness for the blogsphere that has kept the articles coming. The newspapers that cover other teams has had more articles lately on the Celtics than Boston's papers have.

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