Boston Celtics (0-0) at Houston Rockets (0-0) Wednesday, October 7, 2009 7:30 PM ET TV: CSN HD Preseason Game 1 Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, Texas
Probable Starters PG: Rajon Rondo SG: Ray Allen SF: Paul Pierce PF: Kevin Garnett C: Kendrick Perkins
Off the Bench: Rasheed Wallace Marquis Daniels Shelden Williams Big Baby Davis Eddie House JR Giddens Brian Scalabrine Lester Hudson Michael Sweetney
Injuries Tony Allen (ankle) questionable Bill Walker (knee) questionable
Players to Watch The most obvious player to watch is Kevin Garnett. Reports and video out of training camp have been very encouraging. But, this will be our first chance to see him in game action. Scott Souza reports that KG was limited in Tuesday's practice by pain in his calf and shin splints but is still expected to start this game. We may not see much of him, but what we see will be closely monitored by Celtics fans everywhere.
Perhaps the most important player on this team other than KG is Rajon Rondo. KG has described him as razor sharp in practice. He has gained 11 lbs of muscle and also has reportedly worked on his jumper all summer. It would be nice to see him hitting his shots early to gain confidence. Honorable Mention: Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels, Shelden Williams, Perk and Big Baby This will be our first opportunity to see how the new players are meshing with the team and how the weight that Perk and Big Baby lost affects their games.
Probable Starters PG: Aaron Brooks SG: Kyle Lowry SF: Trevor Ariza PF: Luis Scola C: David Andersen NOTE: This is a wild guess as to their starters. Rick Adelman has said that he doesn't know who his starters are going to be and it could change from game to game in the preseason. I PM'd a Rockets fan and asked for his best guess as to who would start and went with that. In their opener, Chuck Hayes started at center, Chase Budinger started at small forward and Trevor Ariza was the starting 2 guard. That doesn't mean anything because Rick Adelman has said that he may have a different starting lineup for each preseason game until he settles on a rotation.
Off the Bench Brent Barry Chase Budinger Will Conroy Brian Cook Joey Dorsey Chuck Hayes Carl Landry Pops Mensah Bonsu Jermaine Taylor Garrett Temple
Injuries Shane Battier (hamstring) questionable Yao Ming (foot) out Tracy McGrady (knee) out
Players to Watch Luis Scola was a key player for the Rockets last year and he should pick up where he left off last season. The matchup between KG and Scola will be fun to watch as KG gets his first taste of competition since last February.
Trevor Ariza was the Rockets' key acquisition over the summer. He swapped places with the combustible Ron Artest and should be a better fit for this team all the way around.
Honorable Mention Aaron Brooks, Brent Barry, David Andersen It will be fun to watch the PG matchup between Brooks and Rondo. Anderson is not a lock for the starting center spot and if he gets the start, he will be playing to make an impression that he should be there. Brent Barry has been a key player off the bench and it will be interesting to see if he is slowing down any. Notes
This is the Celtics first preseason game and the second for the Rockets, who opened their preseason last night with a 99-85 win over the Spurs. Word from the Celtics Tuesday practice was that KG had some pain from his shin splints and a sore calf and was limited in practice. It was also mentioned that he was limping as he left the floor to sit out the end of practice. Doc insists that he is not injured and that it is just soreness from not playing for so long. He is expected to start, as are the other regular starters, but how long they will play isn't known.
Celtics basketball is finally back. Buckle up and hang on because it's going to be a fun ride this season!!
And now, playing Power Forward for your Boston Celtics.....
# 13, Shelden Williams !!!
by DerrenMatts
Once regarded as one of the premier big men in all of college basketball, Williams is now probably known more for being married to the uber talented and beautiful Candace Parker (I wonder who wins when they play 1 on 1 in their backyard?). His days of being a force in the paint at Duke seem so distant now, but it is the hope of many Celtics' fans (myself included) that Shelden will regain some of that form and swagger, and once again be a recognized name.
Standing between 6'8" ~ 6'9", Shelden Williams isn't a towering figure on the court. But being a big man in basketball isn't necessarily all about height (though it certainly helps). There have been many big men who earned respect among their peer despite being undersized, and almost all of them had power and strength to stand their ground and not get muscled around. Shelden has this in his favor too--he's got a strong body, as well as long arms to lengthen his standing reach. And on top of this, he's got better than average agility for a man his size (the fluidity in his motion is comparable to Big Baby's).
I'm actually surprised that Shelden hasn't stuck with any team in the NBA yet, or found success as his skills and pedigree would indicate. He's certainly got a lot of physical tools to work with, plus he's got a good motor, and he's seems like a guy who fits in with his teammates.
Sure he may be a bit mechanical offensively, but I've seen far worse than him (ironically, this is where he might develop the most under Clifford Ray's guidance). He's basically got an idea of how to score in the post, unlike past examples like Dikembe Mutombo, Manute Bol, and Mark Eaton. With his mobility and power, I've seen Shelden maneuver his way around the basket and finish expertly--he's just got to learn how to do it against better competition.
Its clear that Danny Ainge didn't bring Shelden in strictly for his offense. What Shelden brings to the table is a combination of offensive and defensive skills. Rebounding is probably his greatest asset. He's not an instinctive rebounder like Al Jefferson (who has a tremendous natural nose for the ball). What Williams does to secure rebounds is use his body to wedge out his man to clear space for himself so that he has the best path to the rebound. He does seem to have soft hands and he has good lift on his initial jump, which tells me that he can be better than average in the rebounding department once he learns the ropes and the tricks of the trade.
Shot blocking is also an area where Williams can earn brownie points with Doc and the team. Using Perk as an example, Williams uses his strong body to his advantage when guarding his man, as he pushes back and stands his ground, not letting his man get into his comfort zone (though Perk does this much better). And as his man settles for an off balance shot, Shelden has the ability to reach up and alter the trajectory of the ball. But more likely, most of his blocked shots will come from the weakside as the play is funneled into the heart of the defense.
Will Shelden be a force and sidestep Big Baby and Rasheed to become the primary big man off the bench? Its likely not to happen. But does he have the ability to do so? I think so--again, the tools are there to work with. With Clifford Ray's expert hands molding Williams, nothing is out of the realm of possibility. Maybe not this year, but maybe at some point in the future, Williams can be a big part of the rotation and be a heavy contributor for us.
But first steps first--Shelden has got to get his foot in the door first by making the 12 man roster. Then he'll have to earn Doc's trust to put him in games. Next he'll have to play well enough to garner regular minutes. After that, he needs to play consistently at that level to get more minutes and play a bigger role.
Once that happens, then we can talk about Shelden's long term outlook in Boston. In the meantime, we'll keep our eyes out for him, and monitor his progress.
Doc was on Dennis and Callahan and had some interesting things to say. Here are just a few of the tidbits he came up with.
On significant highlights from camp so far:
I think Rasheed [Wallace] and Marquis Daniels, they really have solidified our bench. It’s a veteran bench, very similar to two years ago. Rasheed’s ability to stretch the floor will be amazing when he plays with [Kendrick Perkins] or Kevin [Garnett], it doesn’t really matter which one he plays with, he still stretches the floor, he has the ability to take 5s out. And Marquis Daniels, he’s really good for our team. He’s a small forward, he plays 2 guard as well. From his position, he can handle the ball, and that frees up Eddie [House]. The old point forward — if you remember the Paul Pressey days in Milwaukee, where he handled the ball, and then Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson and those guys came off picks. Well, it will be very similar to us with the second team.
On how long Rondo will be a Celtic:
I think Rajon Rondo will be a lifetime Celtic. I really do. I think this process he’s gone through is the process all players go through at times. The maturity process is another thing that all players go through. I don’t think he’s behid in that department at all. I just think he’s young and he’s growing. So, I never had a black mark against him. For maturity issues, that’s part of his process of growing up, and he’s doing that. He’s been as good as anyone. In camp thus far he’s doing everything we ask him to do — and he usually does. I would be very surprised if he’s not a lifetime Celtic.
About his concern for KG's knee:
I am. I think he’s fine. When you come back from an injury like that, or any injury where you miss an extended period of time, you’re more concerned about the other injuries that pop up coming back — hamstring pulls and things like that, tendinitis, which he’s actually having. So, those are the things you’re more concerned about. There are many concerns. You know there’s a possibility that it could take him out of a practice or even a game here or there. But overall, the best news from Kevin is that he has no knee pain. That’s great news. As a matter of fact, over the last two or three years, he’s had knee pain. But he has none. So, that makes you feel great.
So, Marquis will play the point forward. He will back up Pierce, but do most of the ball handling. He expects Rondo to be a lifetime Celtic. That means that Danny is willing to do what it takes to sign him to an extension. Otherwise lifetime would be very short. And KG's knee is fine, but he has tendinitis. First it was shin splints and now tendinitis. Hopefully that will work it all out by the season.
He also touched on the recruiting of Sheed, Sheed's presence in the locker room and ability to lose his cool without losing focus, and Big Baby's intimidation factor. Good stuff.
MVN Outsider asked me to write a preview of the Celtics for their site. Here is the opening paragraph:
The 2009-10 Celtics team is even deeper than the team that won the championship in 2008, but they enter the season as the underdog with very few picking them to win it all. Last year's team won 62 games and many believe that with a healthy KG and Leon Powe, they likely would have repeated as champions. They had some holes in the roster last season, however, and they did a great job of filling those holes in the off season.
I am extremely excited about this upcoming season. Even more so than I was going into the 2007-08 season. Going into the 2007-08 season there was a lot of excitement about KG and Ray being signed and what they could do alongside Paul Pierce. But there were also a lot of questions about that team. Could they build the necessary chemistry? Would Rondo be able to handle the PG responsibilities for a team with 3 future Hall of Famers on it? Was Perk a championship center? (I knew he was, but others were still questioning.) Was the bench strong enough? Throughout that seasons every one of those questions was answered in the affirmative.
Going into this season there only seems to be one question and that is how the health of the team will hold up. Will Ray Allen and Paul Pierce be able to go a full season healthy and still have legs at the end for the playoffs? Can Perk's shoulder stay together for the entire season? How will Rondo's ankles do this season after multiple sprains last season? And the biggest question of all: Is KG's knee really 100% and how will it hold up under a season of pounding?
There are questions about health as there are with any team. Can Kobe and LeBron stay healthy? If either of those two are out for an extended time, their teams would take a much bigger hit than the Celtics if any of their stars missed time. But, this season, there are no questions about the players, the depth, or the chemistry on the Celtics. We have a Big 4 this season and possibly even a Big 6. There are so many reasons to be excited about this team and this season.
Rondo has proved that he is one of the better PG's in the league. He averaged close to a triple double in the playoffs last season and came into camp even better than he was last season. Doc and Danny both said that he had the best camp of anyone. He spent the summer working with Mark Price on his jumper and comes in with a more accurate jumper and should begin to dispel the "he's good but can't shoot" label that has stuck to him so far in his career. He also put on 11 lbs of muscle over the summer and is stronger and ready to take the hits that are sure to come his way this season.
Perk is finally getting the respect he deserves from Celtics fans. The 2008 finals proved his importance to this team as he held Odom and Gasol powerless in the paint in games 1-4 and 6 but in game 5 that he missed with the shoulder injury, both Odom and Gasol had their way inside. Last season he also picked up his game in the absence of Kevin Garnett showing that he is the defensive anchor on this team. Rasheed Wallace recognizes it:
“Whoever coached Perk taught him the game the right way (defensively). You don’t see that often from guys who come out of high school.”
Perk came into camp 11-15 lbs lighter and it was evident from the little practice and scrimmage footage we have seen that it has made a difference in his quickness and lift. Expect Perk to be an offensive option this season to go along with his beastly defense which will pick up a notch as well due to his improved mobility.
Kendrick Perkins is usually the last option on Celtic in-bound plays. But the Celtics changed things up at the end of Monday's practice. Perkins set a screen on the high post. But, instead of passing to a cutting teammate or someone on the perimeter, Perkins took two dribbles and dunked, the last thing second unit opponents expected.
Chemistry isn't a problem with this squad either. Doc has said that last year's team forgot about ubuntu but after an early exit from last season's playoffs, this team is embracing ubuntu early. Scott Souza is reporting that the team is already in rhythm and with the players that they have, everything is falling into place already.
Another reason for optimism is the fact that Doc feels that this team will be an even better defensive team than either last year or the 07-08 teams. He feels that this team can go down as one of the best defensive teams of all time. The Celtics dodged a bullet when their defensive ace in the hole, Tom Thibodeau didn't get tabbed for a head coaching job elsewhere and so he will be back again orchestrating that stifling defense that has become the Celtics trademark over the past two seasons. This season he has two extra weapons in Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels.
Defensively, the Celts haven’t had a player like Daniels since James Posey.
And this
“It’s just something that you’ve got to want to do,” Daniels said. “Defense is an attitude. But here everyone wants to play defense, and everyone has each other’s back. It’s a no brainer. You go out and play defense, and if you get beat, someone has your back. We have a great group of veterans, a great organization, and you have to come out with a winning attitude. There’s going to be a lot of battles out there, and our defense is going to win a lot of games. The second unit is going to make those starters better. It makes it a lot easier."
Defense wins games and it wins championships. This team is committed to defense first. The defense is already clicking on all cylinders even in the preseason. I love defense and I love teams and players who put a premium on defense. I love this team.
Finally, this bench is very deep. Unlike the past two years, it seems that the pieces are already in place at the beginning of the season so that they can grow together over the 82 games before the playoffs begin. There shouldn't be any last minute additions like Stephon Marbury or Sam Cassell who will go into the playoffs still trying to figure out the plays. We have multiple options off the bench at each position. The only possible question mark might be at the point but then again, we have Quisy, Eddie House and Lester Hudson in line to back up Rondo. We won a championship with Eddie manning the point on the second unit, so we could do worse.
Oh, and just in passing, our supposed top rivals have some flies in their ointment this season. The Lakers have the PG's fighting over starting and playing time. Lamar Odom is googly eyed over his new love and will be distracted by the divorce come playoff time. Andrew Bynum feels he is too good to learn from Kareem any more and now has been moved to the bench since he knows so much. And most of all, their key addition is a head case who has destroyed the chemistry on every team he has played on. Then there are the Cavs who brought in Shaq who is a breakdown waiting to happen and their starting shooting guard may or may not show up on any given night. LeBron has next year's free agency to distract him. And they always seem to choke in the playoffs anyway. And the Magic swapped Turkoglu for Vince. It's only a matter of time until Vince is unhappy about something and quits on the team just has he has on every team he has ever played on.
I am so excited about this season I can hardly stand it. I know that I drink more green koolaid than the average Celtics fan, but this season, the koolaid is running over. There are so many reasons for optimism. I am expecting an extremely fun season to watch and Banner 18 in June.
Bill Walker is a 6'6", 235 lb small forward. He was a three-year starter at North College Hill High School in North College Hill, Ohio. After high school, Walker went on to Kansas State where he averaged 11.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first isx games. Unfortunately, in January of his freshman season, he ruptured the ACL in his left knee to abruptly end his season. He had ruptured the ACL in his right knee in 2003 and so surgery and rehab wasn't new to him.
He was back for his sophomore season, averaging 16.1 Points and 6.3 rebounds in 31 games. On April 14, 2008, Walker announced along with teammate Michael Beasley, who was drafted by the Miami Heat, that he would enter the 2008 NBA Draft forgoing his last three years of college eligibility.
Many considered Walker a lottery pick, but he suffered yet another knee injury while working out for the Golden State Warriors in preparation for the draft. He remained in the draft in spite of the injury. The Wizards picked Bill Walker out of Kansas with the 47th pick and traded him to Boston for cash considerations. As was the case with Leon Powe, Walker slipped to the late second round due questions about his surgically repaired knees.
We haven't gotten to see much of Walker wIth the Celtics, but what we have seen makes us want more. Walker plays very tenacious defense and can GEt under the opposing players skin. He also is good for at least one electrifying dunk per game.
Walker's Positives are that he is super athletic and is a versatile wing who is a beast when he puts the ball on the floor and gets to the rim. He can jump out of the gym and is also very quick. He has good handles and sees the floor well. He is a very good shooter with deep range. He is a hard worker and has a great attitude and is very teachable.
His negatives are obvious: He has had 4 knee injuries: one to his right knee in 2003 and one to his left in 2007, one before the draft in 2008 and the fourth that he suffered at the start of training camp this year. Other than the problems with his knee, he doesn't have a lot of negatives.
Last season, his first in the league, he split the Time between the Celtics parent team and their D-League affiliate, the Utah Flash. While with the Flash, he averaged 18.9 points, 5.30 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 15 games, in spite of battling a wrist injury while he was there. He shot 56% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
Walker spent the summer in Boston working on his game and also spending time giving back to the community. It seemed as though every week there was a new story about Bill Walker helping someone out. The latest knee injury really a tough break for a good kid who deserves a chance to show what he can do on the court. Recovery time from this latest injury is ESTimated to be 6-8 weeks. Hopefully, once he is given the go ahead to play again he will be given the chance to show the organization and fans what he can do.
Here is a great video that I came across on Banner 18. I couldn't resist re-posting it here. It's probably the only Faker video you'll see me post here, unless maybe it is another one of Vujacic crying again or getting his ankles broken by Ray. Anyway, enjoy this look at the brighter side of Kobe Bryant....
Here is a story about Red and a couple of other legendary coaches.
"Let me tell you something about Rupp. All I ever hear from people is that he was a racist. You know what? He did hate black guys - who couldn't play! He also hated white guys who couldn't play, blue guys who couldn't play, and green guys who couldn't play. He hated Jews who couldn't play, Catholics who couldn't play, and Muslims who couldn't play. That was it. All these people who never met the guy said he was a racist. I knew the guy. I traveled with him, I spent time with him. I never saw any sign from him or heard anything from him that indicated to me that he was a racist or a bigot in any way. "Now cheap, that was another story. He was the single cheapest person I've ever met in my life." Red became friends with Adolph Rupp, the legendary coach at Kentucky, while scouting some of his players. It wasn't often that he got to go watch college teams, but whenever Kentucky came to New York to play in Madison Square Garden, Red would go to see them if he schedule allowed. In those days, Rupp's program was one of the most dominant programs in the game, if not the dominant program. Kentucky won the national championship in 1948, 1949, and 1951. Then in 1952-53 the NCAA shut it down as part of its investigation into the point shaving scandals of the early 1950's that infected - and destroyed - a number of prominent programs, most notably the one at CCNY, the school Red couldn't get into as a high school senior. It was the shut down of the Kentucky program in 1952-53 that led to Red getting the draft rules changed so he could pick Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan. Those were the days when Red often socialized with Rupp, sometimes in New York when he went to see his team play and occasionally in Kentucky during the off season. "Once, I'm in New York and I go to lunch with Rupp. We go to the old Gayety Deli, which was a few blocks from the old Garden. I think we each had a couple of hot dogs. The bill came to something like three bucks. I paid it and then left a fifty cent tip. That was pretty much standard in those days. "Rupp looks at me and says, 'Fifty cents! That's way too much.' Before I could argue with him, he picks up one of the quarters - and puts it in his pocket. Never said a word. I was so stunned I let it go. I kept thinking he was joking and was going to give it back to me. He never got around to it." Rupp and Red, along with Bob Cousy, actually traveled overseas together in 1955 to do a series of clinics in Germany. "One of the guys we used in the clinics was an air force guy named Sidney Cohen," Red said. "He was a good player. Without saying anything to me, Rupp recruited him - convinced him to go to Kentucky. Now, if he were anti-Semitic, why would he recruit Sidney Cohen?" One of the other air force officers the two coaches used in the clinics was a lieutenant named Dean Smith. "I think Rupp tried to recruit him too," Red said. "Then he found out he had already graduated from Kansas." Forty one years later, Smith would break Rupp's record for college coaching victories. Smith ended up starting his coaching career at the brand new United States Air Force Academy as an assistant coach. He was also the golf coach his first year there. "I knew I was in trouble," he joked later, "when I realized the first day of practice that I was the best player there." The Air Force Academy golf team was 1-4, the worst record any Dean Smith coached team would ever record. Smith, who is now seventy three and has a memory comparable to Red's Still remembers those clinics vividly. "Red used Sid [Cohen] and me as the main demonstrators at the clinics, along with Cousy, of course," he said. "The thing I was struck by was his relationship with Cousy. There was such a clear camaraderie, a mutual respect, but there was no question about who was in charge. I always remembered that fact later when I became a coach that there was a way to have a friendship with your players while still maintaining their respect. I saw that with Red and Cousy. On that same trip, Red, Cousy, and Rupp went out to eat and sightsee on a regular basis. "Everywhere we'd go, when it came time to pay Rupp would pull out a one hundred dollar bill," Red said. "He'd say, 'Gee, I guess they can't make change.' Finally, we were going into Les Folies Bergere and I said,'Adolph, you're breaking that one hundred dollar bill or we're not going in there.' He'd probably been carrying the thing around since 1956."
And now, a 6'5" wing man out of the University of New Mexico
Jr Giddens !!!
by DerrenMatts
Unless you followed his college teams (Kansas and New Mexico) or caught the NBDL games in which he played in (for the Utah Flash), you probably don't know much about Justin Ray Giddens. I won't pretend I do either. So, what I will do, however, is give you my personal assessment of his game, his potential, and what I think his future role will be for the Boston Celtics, and in a few years, you can see how close or off the mark I was. How does that sound to you, Jr?
(I'll take that as a Yes)
So what are Giddens' strengths? From what I see, his main strength is his hustle. Now often times, the term "hustle" is used when a player isn't that good, but he tries hard and that's the nicest complement you can give him--but this isn't the case with Jr. His hustle, when combined with massive athleticism and basketball knowledge makes him quite a weapon. He's a player who can impact a game and make his presence felt without being the marquee name on the floor--the prototypical behind the scenes contributor. The kind of player you don't really notice until after the game, when you see the box score and it shows you all the ways in which he helped the team. His hustle makes him a solid rebounder, especially for his height (despite being only 6'5", he averaged 8.8 rpg in his final year at New Mexico). He'll also pick your pockets with his pressure defense, and with his jumping ability and long arms, he can also block a few shots.
Of course, athleticism is also a big strength of his. He's a bit jerky with his action, but he's quick and explosive. He's an excellent leaper who looks like he glides on the air on his dunks.
As a scorer, he may not be a go-to guy whom you give the ball in isolation to and ask him to carry the team. But as a complimentary scorer, Giddens is just fine. He'll get his fair share amount of points off of putbacks, as well as drain buckets off of switches and drives to the basket. He may not have a consistent jumper, but he can hit them in rhythm.
From my perspective, Jr Giddens has the potential to play in the NBA for a long time. He's definitely athletic enough, and he's got enough basketball talent to keep himself employed. His ceiling is not that high, but you don't have to be an All-Star for teams to be interested in you.
I think his future role is as a bench player who comes into the game and affects the tempo and excites the crowd with his energy. And his occasional breakaway dunk will bring the house down.
That's pretty much what I can comment about Jr Giddens for now. Check out his YouTube video to get a better idea of his game.
The Celtics announced today that forward Bill Walker underwent successful right knee arthroscopic surgery today at New England Baptist Hospital. Walker sustained a meniscus tear on the first day of training camp. The team did not set a timetable for his return, but the Globe's Gary Washburn reported yesterday that Walker is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks with the injury.
I really feel for this kid. Just like Leon, he can't seem to catch a break. After all the work he has put in, he tears the meniscus on the first day of camp. Just doesn't see fair. I'm hoping that unlike in Leon's case, the Celtics will be patient and give him a shot after he heals. In the meantime, this gives Tony (9-Lives) Allen yet another chance to try to prove that he can play. It may also open the door for JR Giddens to get a chance to play.
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