http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/22721 Recent articles about Glen Davis en-us This Corey Maggette thing is getting worse than a soap opera. The Globe announced that the Celtics had made offers to both Maggette and Posey on July 1. On July 3, the Herald reported that the Celtics denied making an offer to Maggette. Ok, maybe the Globe was mistaken and the Celtics didn't make an offer, but just contacted his agent and inquired about him. But, then, on July 4, the Globe had another article on how the Celtics made an offer to Maggette and Doc even called him to talk to him. An NBA source said the Celtics offered Magette the full midlevel exception, expected to be worth $5.8 million. The Celtics have made offers to their own forward, James Posey, and Maggette, but it's doubtful they can accommodate both. While there is no news regarding Posey, Maggette said he could be coming to Boston in the near future to visit with the Celtics. Free agents can't sign until Wednesday. "I don't want to hold the Celtics up or [general manager] Danny Ainge," said Maggette in a telephone interview. "I talked to Doc . . . I'm not going to hold them up. I know they are still looking at James Posey. But I'm still weighing my options." And then on July 5, the Herald reported once again that the Celtics didn't make an offer to Maggette. A Celtics source also continued to insist yesterday that the team has not made a formal offer to free agent Corey Maggette, and that the former Clipper is simply aware that the team has a $5.8 million mid-level exception available - the same amount the team has been unwilling to offer Posey. It's like dueling newspapers. The Herald continues to say that the Celtics didn't make an offer to Maggette and the Globe reports that they have made him an offer and even publish quotes from him about the offers. Enough already!! The offer to Posey is supposedly 12 million over 3 years. Reports are that he is also receiving interest and offers from the Lakers, Pistons, Sixers, Rockets, Cavs, Nets, and Hornets, most of which are willing to give him the long term contract he wants. Supposedly the offer to Maggette is for the MLE for 2 years. Danny is not willing to bog the team down with a big long term contract for Posey and if Posey isn't willing to settle for less, he will likely take one of the other offers from teams who are willing to tie up big money long term for him. On the day that the Herald printed this: The Celtics' offer reportedly has come up short of Posey's demands in both money and length. Though he doesn't discuss these matters, Danny Ainge reportedly was ready to cut his losses and avoid spending too much on a proven contributor to a championship, even before free agency began. The idea of paying the full mid-level exception to Posey reportedly made the Celtics director of basketball operations squeamish. The Globe adds this from the Heat's Dwayne Wade, Posey's former teammate. "I don't think Boston is letting Posey go," Wade said recently. "I was looking at Posey the whole playoff series and thinking, 'Man, he was good for us.' It's indescribable what he does. He's one of those guys that won't get the national attention, but he will get the locker room respect. That's probably more important, when you get the locker room respect. I miss him and miss what he does on the court, for sure. I'll be surprised [if he leaves Boston]." How can the Celtics not realize what this guy does for a team? I can see wanting to keep the payroll manageable, but they also need to see how important a player like Posey is to the team. Maggette is willing to sign for less if it means playing for a contender. But, that doesn't mean that it is a foregone conclusion that he would take the Celtics' offer. He also has offers from the Spurs, Magic, Sixers, Jazz, and the Warriors and there have been reports that he is leaning toward the Spurs and also that he would like to return to Orlando where he began his career. But, there are also reports that he is seriously considering the Celtics. He is very comfortable with Doc as they are old friends and former teammate Sam Cassell also told him that if he wants a ring he needs to come to Boston. More to come, I am sure. It is the Globe's turn to talk about the offer that Danny made that the Herald insists he didn't. Elsewhere, Chris Duhon is reportedly ready to sign a 2 year, 3.25 million a year, contract with New York, passing up on an offer from the Magic. The difference was a better chance to start in New York. The 2 year contract for Duhon still puts the Knicks in the running for the 2010 LeBron sweepstakes. This little tidbit on the Duhon signing comes from the NY Daily News; Also, Duhon's lifestyle concerned team officials, who felt that the 25-year-old enjoyed the nightlife too much. When Duhon played at Duke, he would often sleep at the house of coach Mike Krzyzewski to prevent him from staying out late. Manhattan is a long way from Durham, N.C., and privately the Knicks know they'll have to keep a close eye on their new point guard. With their offer for Duhon rejected, the Magic are expected to turn their attention to Maggette and Keyon Dooling. With real management and a real coach and now some good players being signed in New York, they are going to be a much improved team this season. The Celtics wrapped up their mini camp a day early as none of their rookies were involved. JR Giddens left when his agent advised against playing without a contract in place. Bill Walker attended the final two games to watch even though he had arthroscopic knee surgery on the first day of the camp. Gabe Pruitt and Big Baby benefited from the camp and the Herald reports that David Hawkins, a muscular swingman who played in Rome last season, caught Danny's attention during the camp. Patrick O'Bryant also worked out for the Celtics as did other big men Chris Andersen, and David Harrison. Here is the report on O'Bryant from the Globe: Patrick O'Bryant: The 7-foot center showed decent range and solid footwork taking feeds in the post. But when he hit the low post against Wisconsin's Brian Butch and Detroit Mercy's Ryvon Covile, who had each been practicing since 9 in the morning, O'Bryant was tugging at his shorts not even 15 minutes into the drill, struggling to muster enough strength to defend either. I am still pulling for Chris Andersen to be signed as the back up center. The same article tells us that Danny is shopping for a big man, a point guard and a wing in this free agent crop. Josh Smith, the Hawks' restricted free agent is in demand with the Sixers reportedly very interested as are the Golden State Warriors. The Sixers are reportedly offering a package around 66.7 million for 5 years. The Warriors could possibly offer more as with the loss of Baron Davis they have some cash to spend. The Hawks have the right to match any offer made for Smith. The Sixers are one of the few teams under the cap and with money to spend on free agents and should be able to lure someone decent there. It is reported that they are also speaking with Elton Brand. I am not sure what to make of Chris Kaman playing for the German National team. He has never been to Germany, doesn't speak a word of the language and just recently got a passport to go there. Yet, he will be playing with Dirk Nowitski on the German National team. Isn't that like bringing in a ringer? I kind of think this cheapens the Olympics somewhat. You should at least have visited the country you play for. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:48:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286204 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286204 The Celtics Rookie and Free Agent Camp has become more of a 2nd Year and Free Agent Camp as none of the Celtics rookies are participating. Bill Walker had successful arthroscopic surgery on his knee this morning, Erden is probably back off to Turkey and JR Giddens' agents told him not to participate if he wasn't under contract. It seems to me as though the agents are giving him some bad advice. Rookies for every team in the NBA are participating in practices and summer leagues without being under contract and they are benefiting from it. It would be great for Giddens to be getting this experience with or without a contract. Those participating are: 11 Glen Davis - Big Baby is back from celebrating and ready to spend the rest of the summer working hard on his conditioning and his game. 13 Gabe Pruitt - Gabe is also planning on putting in the work this summer and hoping to turn the corner and make a leap in his career this season. 60 Bobby Brown - A 6'2" point guard who ranks 17th in overseas free agents according to Draft Express. He is 23 years old and played in Germany last season averaging 16 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, and 1.0 spg. 62 Cook, Omar - 6'1" point guard who is 26 years old. He was the Magic's 2nd round pick in 2001 (31st overall) but didn't make the team. He played 17 games for the Blazers in '03-04 and played 5 games for Toronto in '04-05. He has played in Belgium, France, Russia and Serbia. He has applied for citizenship in Montenegro and is expected to play for their national team. 63 Mustafa Shakur - 6'3" point guard out of Arizona. He played 4 years at UA and averaged 11.9 points and 6.9 assists in his final year. He went undrafted in the 2007 draft but was signed to play for the Kings' Las Vegas Summer League and ranked 4th in assists per game with 6.0. He was released by the Kings and then went to Poland where he signed with the country's dominant team, Prokom. He won Polish Championship with Prokom Trefl Sopot in 2008. 67 James Mays - A 6'9" power forward out of Clemson who played 4 years there. He averaged 10.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals in his senior season. He went undrafted in the 2008 draft. 68 David Hawkins - 6'4" guard who played college ball at Temple from 2000-2004. He played in the USBL and CBA before going to Italy for the 2004-05 season and has been playing there since. He averaged 10.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.9 apg for Lottomatica Roma last season. 69 Brian Butch - 6'11" 240 lb center out of Wisconsin. Brian Butch was one of the most heralded prep-prospects in University of Wisconsin history. The former five-star from Appleton was rated higher than the likes of Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza out of high school, and was expected to be a force in the Big 10. He didn't live up to expectations for the most part. He averaged 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, .8 assists and .8 blocks in his senior season at Wisconsin. He went undrafted in the 2008 draft. 70 Alan Anderson - 6'6" SG/SF/PF who played 4 years at Michigan State. He was drafted by Charlotte and played in 36 games for them in the '05-06 season and 17 games in the '06-07 season. He played last season in Italy and averaged 14.4 point, 1.9 rebounds. 1.3 assists and 1.6 steals. 71 Eddie Basden - 6'6" SG/SF. After playing 4 years of college ball at Charlotte, he went undrafted in the 2005 draft. He is known for his defensive intensity and is the Conference USA all time leader in steals. He was signed by the Bulls after a strong showing in their summer league and played in 19 games for them in the 05-06 season. He played in Europe for the '06-07 and 07-08 seasons, averaging 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.1 steals. 72 Charles Gaines - 6'7" SF, Played college ball for Southern Mississippi from 2001-2004. He was signed by the Michigan Mayhem of the CBA for 2004-2005 season and then moved to Italy. He has played for Italy, France, Spain and Turkey. 73 Randolph Morris - 6'11" center who was highly regarded out of high school and went to the University of Kentucky. After his freshman season, he declared for the draft but was not drafted and since he didn't hire an agent was able to go back to Kentucky. He averaged 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in his junior year. He signed a 2 year contract with the Knicks as a free agent in 2007. He played in 5 games during the 06-07 season and in 18 games in the 07-08 season. He averaged 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game. 74 David Noel - 6'6" SF/PF. He played 4 years of college ball at North Carolina. He was picked in the 2006 draft by the Bucks with the 9th pick in the second round. He played in 68 games for the Bucks in 06-07 and averaged 2.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists. He played last season in Spain. 75 Lawrence Roberts - 6'9" PF who played college basketball for 4 years at Mississippi State. He was the 25th pick in the 2nd round of the 2005 draft. He played 2 years for Memphis from '05-07 and averaged 3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. He didn't play last season. 76 Aaron Pettway - 6'11" center who played his college ball at Oklahoma State. He went undrafted and has been playing in the Euroleague in Poland and France where he averaged 9.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. 79 Ryvon Covile - 6'9" PF Played 4 years of college ball for Detroit. Went undrafted in the 2007 draft and played last season in Israel. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:03:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285333 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285333 In an AP article reported in the Herald, Danny discussed his thoughts on this year's draft. Some of the highlights: ** The Celtics have worked out about 50 potential draftees, similar to last year's number, and that list has been reduced to 23 possible players for the 30th pick. ** There's not much room for the players the Celtics draft with the 30th and 60th picks to contribute next season. ** It's a real longshot that he would trade to get a better pick ** Ainge thinks Gabe Pruitt can contribute next season. He thinks Pruitt would have been a first-round draft pick this season if he had he stayed in school for a fourth year. ** There's a few players that they wouldn't draft if they wouldn't consider playing overseas for a few years to develop their games. ** Signing Posey is a priority for the team. It doesn't seem as though anyone really has any idea how the bottom of the draft will go. Here are some of the predictions for the Celtics. CBS Sports Devon Hardin, C, Robin Lopez, C College Hoopsnet Ryan Anderson, PF/SF NBADraft.net Omer Asik, PF/C Hoopsworld DeVon Hardin, C Draft Express DeVon Hardin, C Hoopshype DeVon Hardin, C RealGM Courtney Lee, SG MSNBC Courtney Lee, SG Scout Javale McGee, C SI.com (Thomsen) Roy Hibbert, C Inside Hoops Richard Hendrix, PF NBC Sports Courtney Lee, SG Sporting News Trent Plaisted, F/C NBA Draft University Roy Hibbert, C ESPN (Chad Ford) Courtney Lee, SG 4 pick DeVon Hardin and 4 pick Courtney Lee and a couple for Roy Hibbert. It will be interesting to see what Danny does with the pick. The Pacers and Raptors have almost completed a trade that would send Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors for TJ Ford and the 17th pick. It makes sense for both teams and I believe it makes both teams better. The Bulls will also be better with the addition of the #1 pick. The Pistons are going to make moves. They have been trying to get Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis. Teams are going to be very different for many teams next season. The Celtics need to keep up with all these Eastern conference teams that are improving. They will all be gunning for the Celtics and so they need to be ready. There has already been a big trade involving the 17th pick. I expect some big trades and maybe big names moved at the draft. There have been rumors of Wade moving and maybe Marion. Even though the Celtics don't pick until #30, I expect it to be an interesting draft to watch because of what the other teams do as they scramble to keep up with the Celtics. Draft Express reports that of all #30 picks, 0% become stars, 4% become solid starters, 33% end up solid bench players and 63% end up out of the NBA or just barely hanging on. The last 10 #30 picks were: 2007 Petteri Koponen 2006 Joel Freeland 2005 David Lee 2004 David Harrison 2003 Maciej Lampe 2002 Steve Logan 2001 Trenton Hassell 2000 Marko Jaric 1999 John Celestand 1998 Ansu Sesay But, there have been some very solid picks in the second round. Danny has found some gems in Leon Powe (49), Ryan Gomes (50), Big Baby Davis (35) and Gabe Pruitt (32). Other 2nd round steals include: Gilbert Arenas (31) Cuttino Mobley (41) Francisco Elson (41) Manu Ginobili (57) Eddie House (37) Eduardo Najera (38) Michael Redd (43) Mehmet Okur (38) Carlos Boozer (35) Matt Barnes (46) Jason Kapono (31) Kyle Korver (51) Trevor Ariza (43) Monta Ellis (40) Daniel Gibson (42) Danny has proved that he is good at finding late round gems. Here's a look at his draft history as GM of the Celtics. 2003 Marcus Banks #11 Kendrick Perkins #27 Brandon Hunter #56 2004 Al Jefferson #15 Delonte West #24 Tony Allen #25 Justin Reed #40 2005 Gerald Green #18 Ryan Gomes #50 Orien Green #53 2006 Trade #7, Raef LaFrenz and Dan Dickau for Telfair, Ratliff and '08 2nd rounder Rajon Rondo #21 Leon Powe #49 2007 Trade #5, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West for Ray Allen and #35 Big Baby Davis #35 Gabe Pruitt #32 There are a few misses in that list (Brandon Hunter, Orien Greene) and a few that may still pan out like Gerald Green and Justin Reed. But there are a lot more hits. Danny made a good point that if Powe and Gomes had come in on this team, they wouldn't have developed near as quickly because of the talent ahead of them. Whoever he picks with #30, even if he can become a rotation player will have more trouble getting the playing time to develop. Just like the good old dayw when rookies had to pay their dues before cracking the rotation. Although Perk sure had to pay his dues. 30 minutes is entire first season and only 9 mpg over 60 games his second season. It paid off, through. Amazing that a year ago we were debating over who to take with the 5th pick and still stinging from the lottery snub. What a difference a year makes. It may not be as much fun debating over the 30th pick as it was the 5th or 7th picks but, I'll take it. Last year we had 2 months to consider our pick. This year, just about a week. I have faith that if anyone can find a steal with the 30th pick, Danny can. After the draft, the emphasis will turn to free agents. Posey will get offers from several teams. His agent has said that he really likes it in Boston and wants to return. Hopefully Danny can get him re-signed. Then he has to decide on what to do with Tony, Eddie, PJ, and Sam. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:04:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282528 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282528 I thank Doc Rivers for having the courage to bring out his new team to Rome in October to have them get to know each other.... this doesnt work out so perfectly with everyteam.. more than once, a coach has tried it with hopes of the team becopming great friends... The Celtics are a family of brothers.. some more like the fathers n grandfathers (veterans), .. while some are the little toddlers... (rookies). They started out not knowing each others names. But now with too many nick names to count, you can see they are a FAMILY. I see on tv how the big three treat Rondo, Pruitt, Big Baby Glen Davis like little brothers who care for each other... Before the start of every game, Posey gives the starting line up a HUGE tight gripping hug, supplied with encouraging words. The young players admitting that they wanted this win so much for the older players like Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Casell, PJ Brown, just showed that they cared so much for their teamates who havent won a championship in their whole career... I once read an article quoting Pruitt on how in Rome, the big three could have easily gotten their own limos seperate from the team, but decided to go with the others.. and how every day in Rome, they taught n showed the young ones how to do things... they weren't selfish, but decided to get to know EVERYONE on the team. Brotherly love. The team chemistry of brotherhood helped us win the champinoship. Though random arguments and fights and scuffles occurred, thats nothing to worry about. Brothers always argue. They still got along on the court and off. Scot Pollard and Brian Scalabrine not playing mcuh or at all this season, brought out the jokes and humor to keep the team happy and fun. Everyone added something unique into that bunch. When i read of the team dinners, i always wish i was apart of it. Being able to go to the restaurants with them and hearing what each has to say. Humbleness, Brotherhood.... and UBUNTU.. were the key Like Powe said to kg after he almost fainted and the win was final... " I got you, I got you kg, i got you". The Lakers didnt have any of that. Selfishness n pride ruined their road to the championship.. they weren't a team.. nope, not at all As Ray Allen had said, they wernt the big three... more like the Big 15. So thanks to Danny Ainge, and Doc Rivers, for making that crucial decision of a Rome trip. :) Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:58:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281229 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281229 There is something wrong with him, but I love it! Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:10:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280365 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280365 here is a new Celtics song by Boston rapper Akrobatik that he wrote for Celtics TV on TV38. It is well written and is actually pretty catchy. Enjoy! Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:41:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/242239 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/242239 On the eve of the start of the 2008 NBA Playoffs, FIO staff writer Jorge Menocal discusses the First Round match-ups - analyzing the teams from both sides of the ball and giving his predictions. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:27:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/242215 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/242215 ...we were the headline of the young NBA season. And, as one would expect, our biggest star was garnished with the most attention. KG was the story. He was the best player on the best team in the NBA. He was the MVP. But, as it happens so frequently, his (and our) story became old. There are only so many words that can be written about a dominating player on a dominating team before it becomes boring to write (and read) about.... Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:32:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236761 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236761 The Celtics got off to a fast start and were up 30-22 at the end of 1 but with 7:57 left in the half, the Hawks had battled back to take a 1 point lead. The Celtics then went on a run and were up 55-44 at the half. Doc started the third with the starters on the floor and the Hawks outscored the Celtics 21-8 to start the third quarter with the starters on the floor. They were tied at 74 at the end of 3. Doc started the 4th with Sam, PJ, Posey, Tony and Baby on the court and stuck with them for the whole quarter, leaving the starters on the bench. The star of the quarter was Sam Cassell as he got hot and was hitting shots from all over the court as the Celtics pulled away. He had a couple of very good veteran moves as he got Smith in the air and leaned in for Smith's 6th foul. Then, he was bringing the ball up with Childress behind him and he just stopped and Childress ran over him, of course being called for the foul. Sam finished with 20 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists and 1 steal. It got chippy at one point with KG and Horford and then KG and Williams going at each other. KG and Williams were assessed double technicals. I am surprised that Sam didn't get a technical as he was celebrating after every basket and I recall Tony getting a technical for celebrating. KG finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block in 29 minutes of play. Pierce had a solid game with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 27 minutes. Ray Allen had 14 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 30 minutes. Rondo kept slipping on the floor. There were at least 3 times that I remember that he slipped and fell down. I think he needs to get sticker shoes. He finished with 5 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal in 22 minutes. Perk had 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 24 minutes. Big Baby also had a big game with 8 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes and he played the whole 4th quarter. The Celtics shot 47% from the field while holding the Hawks to 43%. They were 26-29 from the free throw line which was a big improvement over recent free throw shooting. They also cut their turnovers down to 12. Both are good signs as we head to the playoffs. This is the second game where Doc went with the bench down the stretch and they came up with a win. It looks as though the Hawks will be our first round opponent in the playoffs. They are a tough team, but the Celtics are much deeper and that will be the difference. Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:28:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236115 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236115 See how the Wizards took the season series with the Celtics three games to one. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:10:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233968 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233968 The plan was for only one of the Celtics stars to play in this game and for Pierce to meet the team in Washington. But, they had a team dinner last night and the three amigos convinced Doc to let them play in this one. They started and were on the floor to start the third, but Doc limited their minutes to 22 or less. When they left the floor in the third, the Celtics had a 23 point lead. By the end of the third period, the lead was down to 14 at 80-66. With 3:50 left in the 4th, Milwaukee took their first lead at 88-87. The Celtics fought back and were up 99-91 with 1:45 left in regulation. The Bucks scored the last 8 points in regulation to tie the game at 99. In overtime, the Celtics finally pulled out a 107-104 win. Doc kept the starters on the bench and let the bench play it out and they kept their composure and pulled it out in the end. KG played less than 20 minutes and finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Pierce came back to finish with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. Perk only scored 1 point but came up big on the defensive end and pulled down 10 rebounds. Posey came up big off the bench with some great defense on Michael Redd and 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. His leadership is invaluable for this second unit. Tony had 17 points but is still very inconsistent. Powe fouled out with 14 points and 4 rebounds. Baby had 3 points, 8 rebounds and 7 turnovers. The Celtics shot 49% from the field while holding the Bucks to 40%. Rebounds were even at 42 and turnovers were even at 23. The Celtics shot only 28-39 from the line and those 11 missed free throws could have cost them the game. The Celtics have 2 weaknesses they need to address before the playoffs as they won't get away with turning the ball over 23 times against the Pistons who take very good care of the ball. And, they won't be able to get away with missing 11 free throws in the playoffs, either. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:07:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232756 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232756 If you watch the Celtics you've seen the commercials. By now you should know the drill. CSN is running a promotion poll to decide which Celtics player should be named this year's 6th Star. (By voting you could win playoff tickets or a $300 gift certificate to Sullivan Tire and Auto Service) I thought it might be fun to break down some of the candidates for the award and discuss it here. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:19:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/199012 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/199012 For the final installment of RookieWatch 07-08, we will be looking at a number of second round picks in last year's draft who could make an impact for your team. Don't forget to check out FBP's detailed coverage of the first round draft class here : #1-5 | #6-10 | #11-15 | #16-20 | #21-25 | #26-30 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:49:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/180371 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/180371 Tonight, it wasn't the Celtics 3 stars who got the credit for the Celtics' win over the Bobcats. It was Perk and Rondo, both of whom had career best games. Perk finished with 19 points on 8-10 shooting to go with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 blocks. Rondo had 9 points, 6 rebounds and a career high 16 assists. On one play, Rondo got the steal and got to the hoop with no one around. He stopped and waited for Perk to catch up and tossed him the ball for a dunk. He could have finished himself, but he rewarded the big man for running the floor. Doc pulled Perk out in the 4th quarter as he always does and when Perk went out, the Celtics were up 13. When Doc brought Perk in for the final 2 minutes, the Celtics were up only 5. With Perk back in the lineup, the Celtics built the final lead back to 8. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:30:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/174987 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/174987 A few thoughts on last night's 92-87 win over the Cavs. First of all, the biggest story was the newest Celtic in the building. PJ Brown sat next to Pollard on the Celtics bench after signing on with the team earlier in the day. I really love this signing. He is a high character guy who already fits right in with the team and at one point, pulled Perk over and was giving him some pointers ans instruction. Great signing. It seems that Paul Pierce and Ray Allen get an assist for this one as well. Brown said that they pulled him over during All Star weekend and gave him the sales pitch for coming to Boston and that made the difference in his decision. Last night was a game of milestones. When LeBron threw down a dunk over KG, he became the youngest player to reach 10,000 points. Later in the game, KG pulled down his 11,000th rebound. Both are impressive, but to me, 11,000 rebounds trumps 10,000 points hands down. With about 4 minutes left in the 2nd, Lebron came down from a dunk and limped to about midcourt and fell down onto the court and held his ankle. It looked like he was seriously injured and the doctors came out and checked him out and he limped back to the locker room. Word was that the it was a sprain and the xrays were negative. His return to the game was questionable. Anyone seeing him rolling on the floor and then limping off the court, didn't expect him back. But there he was back in the lineup to start the third, not even limping. You have to question whether he is a good actor trying to inspire his team or maybe a bit of a prima donna. From what they said on Sports Tonight afterward, LeBron makes a habit of playing up minor injuries. There is no questioning his talent, but things like that get old. Back to the game. Mike Brown became so furious at an offensive foul call on Varejao in the third quarter that he had to be restrained. It looked like a good call. In fact the refs were pretty decent for a change. The Celtics were called for 25 fouls and the Cavs for 24 so the game was called fairly even. Did they miss things? Yes. Pierce got away with an obvious travel on his way to the hoop on one play. Ilgauskas got away with standing in the lane for about 5 or 6 seconds before a layup on another and there were other things they missed, but the key is they were calling it even and missing things for both teams. From reading the Cavs boards, I guess they had one of those games in Milwaukee where every call went against them and so it may have been frustration boiling over. It may have been an ploy to wake his team up. Whatever it was, I don't think I have ever seen a coach explode like that on a fairly simple call. Ray Allen seems to have found his shooting touch again. Last night he had 22 points on 7-10 shooting and 3-5 from beyond the arc. He has such a pure shooting stroke that it is a thing of beauty to watch. When someone mentioned it to Ray in the press conference KG knocked on the table. No need to jinx him now. Since the All Star game, minus that game in Phoenix, Ray has been hitting his shots with regularity. This is very good news. Maybe his ankles are finally better. Maybe he is just getting more comfortable with Doc's system. Whatever it is, hopefully it continues as Ray Allen will be key if the Celtics are to win the championship. Paul Pierce tends to struggle against the Cavs for some reason. He just never has a good game against them. LeBron James may have something to do with that or maybe he just psychs himself out when it comes to playing the Cavs. James and Pierce have a history and there is no love lost between the two, but it shouldn't get under his skin that much, should it. Last night continued the pattern of poor play against LeBron's club with 12 points on just 4-14 shooting to go with 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 turnovers. Let's hope he figures it out if we meet them in the playoffs. We can't afford to have Pierce playing terrible in a 5 or 7 game series against this team. Before the game, they said that KG was suffering from the flu. Right from the start, he was energetic and was out there firing up the crowd before the tip. He looked a bit slow in spots but had a terrific game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in 33 minutes, the most since he came back from his injury. In the post game press conference, you could hear him sniffing and coughing and he definitely wasn't feeling well. For those who say the Cavs were weakened because Ilgauskas was just coming back from an upper respiratory infection, I think one balances out the other. Powe and Baby are showing why they need to get playing time, although with PJ Brown on board, one or the other, or maybe both will lose playing time. Hopefully it will be Scal who will lose the most. He is a great guy and a great teammate and drove Tony to the hospital last year, but he just isn't that good of a player. He doesn't really hurt us when he is out there, but he doesn't help us either. On the other hand, both Davis, and even more Powe, help us every time they play. Last night, Davis had 9 points and 4 rebounds in 23 minutes and Powe had 13 points and 3 rebounds in just 14 minutes. If Doc keeps one or the other in the rotation, I hope it is Leon because he really is playing well and does good things whenever Doc gives him minutes. Let me preface the next comments by saying I love Perk. He is my favorite player. I love his intensity. I love his work ethic. But last night, he played 25 minutes and only had 1 rebound. I am not sure why because he seemed to be playing hard and was in the mix for the rebound several times and a couple times he tipped the rebound out to a teammate when he was in traffic under the basket, but he only got 1 rebound. I know on several plays he was boxing out Ilgauskas to allow KG to slip in for the rebound and that is one of the things he does best. He got 9 rebounds in the previous game and hopefully this was just an off game on the boards. Perk did have the steal of the game, though. He swiped the ball just past midcourt and took it all the way to the hoop for a layup, beating Delonte West in the process. It was a great play. The Celtics once again missed 9 free throws. They have been shooting poorly from the line since the All Star break. In the first two games out west, they missed 9 and 14 free throws and lost the games by 6 and 2 respectively. In the playoffs, they can't afford to miss their free throws. Last night, only KG and Leon were perfect from the line as Ray even missed one. On a positive note, the Pistons lost last night to the Jazz. The Celtics are now 3 games ahead of them for home court in the playoffs. The Pistons have 2 easy games coming up as they face the Clippers (hopefully without Sam Cassell) in LA on Saturday and come home to face the Sonics on Tuesday. Possibly the biggest game of the season so far will be on Wednesday as the Pistons play the Celtics in Boston. The Celtics have Monday and Tuesday off and the Pistons play the night before. It will be a big, big game for both teams. Expect a very physical and emotional game on both sides. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:42:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/172268 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/172268