http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4387 Recent articles about P.J. Brown en-us Juwan Howard is back in Nuggets camp. Could he be our version of PJ Brown in 2008-09? Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:37:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/347122 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/347122 Round 1: 1) Bulls vs. 8) Cavs Hah. Even in fantasy all-time make believe games, MJ screws the Cavs. This one isn't even close, Bulls in 4. 2) Knicks vs. 7) Celtics The Celtics players are old, but still put together a solid series. Reggie Lewis and Allan Houston cancel each other out, Oakley and McHale struggle bitterly in the middle, and Mark Jackson runs circles around Dee Brown. Bird dominates the first game to draw the win on the road, but injures his back halfway through the second and is out for the series. Going back to Boston 1-1, the young combo of Pierce and Walker get hot in Game 3 and put the Celtics up 2-1. Then Ewing takes over. Parrish held up adequately for three games, but from this point forward Ewing averages 35, 15 and 3 as the series swings 3-2 in the Knicks favor. Depleted and without their leader, the Celtics lose game 6 and fade away. Knicks in 6. 3) Heat vs. 6) Pacers Epic matchup. Miami looks to be the favorite based on the front court, but they get beaten up pretty badly early in the series. They head to Indiana for game 3 tied 1-1. P.J. Brown is employed as the heavy-handed response to the Davis brothers and McKey, and he sends Antonio to the locker room for seven stitches in the second quarter of game 3. Both benches clear, and Jeff Van Gundy appears out of nowhere to attach himself to Mourning's leg. When the dust settles the Heat have more players left than the Pacers, and pull off the win. Heading into game 4, Miami is missing P.J. for two games for starting the fight, and several of their reserves for leaving the bench (Leonard, Majerle and Owens). indiana is missing McKey and both Davis' for one game. The Heat take advantage, pounding the ball at Rik Smits, now flying solo at the defensive post. Miami wins game 4. In game 5, Reggie goes Reggie. 45 points, 21 of it in the 4th quarter, ten three-pointers in all, and the series goes back to Indiana. Momentum is on their side, and the game turns into a outside shooting duel. A duel that Indiana wins, at least in game 6. Game 7, Hardaway and Mourning come out with a vengeance, leading by 25 at half and never looking back. Spike Lee is spotted courtside making the choke jesture at Miller. At the end of game 7, Reggie walks over calmly and actually chokes out Lee. Heat in 7. 4) Magic vs. 5) Pistons Penny and Grant Hill cancel each other out, and Shaq does the rest. Magic in 4. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:52:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346457 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/346457 G: Tim Hardaway G: Steve Smith F: Glen Rice F: Jamal Mashburn C: Alonzo Mourning And the bench ... Billy Owens Rony Seikaly Voshon Leonard Dan Majerle P.J. Brown Good team, great starting lineup. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:52:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343229 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/343229 This begins our annual NBA Blogger Preview series, where every team is represented by at least one blogger covering those teams. Every day (during October) a new team will be previewed for the upcoming season. Here's a complete list and schedule. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3844 Itemid=262) Enjoy. Boston Celtics - CelticsBlog Last Years Record: 66-16 Key Losses: James Posey, PJ Brown Key Additions: Patrick O'Bryant, Darius Miles, JR Giddens, Billy Walker 1. What significant moves were made during the offseason? We knew going into last year that James Posey took less money for a chance to win another title and thus earn himself a bigger paycheck. Mission accomplished on all accounts and no regrets. Posey will be a very valuable pickup for the Hornets for the next year or two, but beyond that I can't imagine that he'll be worth the paycheck he got from New Orleans. Some will argue that the future cost would have been worth paying to secure the short term window of opportunity that we have with this core group. On the other hand, if we want to sustain the success this team has achieved as that core group grows older, we will... Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:20:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342387 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342387 Some random thoughts from Media day. Get ready for the new and improved Rajon Rondo. He has put on 7 lbs of muscle and is confident and ready to go. As you can see from the photo, he has gained muscle and is going to be exciting to watch this season. There is no question about Rondo's motivation. "I want to be the best point guard in the league one day," said Rondo. "My coaching staff believes in me. The Big Three believes in me, and the rest of the team believes in me. I'm going to keep working hard regardless of how much I've accomplished so far." He's definitely been working. Veteran Celtics players had to tell Rondo to stop coming in for two-a-days. So he shortened his daily workout to one, 5-hour session. The much talked about signing of Sam Cassell has been finalized as he signed a one year contract with the Celtics today. This means that someone definitely has to be cut or traded. If Sam doesn't play better than last season, I'm all for cutting him now and making him a coach. But, it will probably be one of the young guys that goes. With Sam in place to play back up point, the obvious choice would be Pruitt, but Danny seemed rather excited about Pruitt earlier this summer, so who knows. If it's a trade, we can only hope Scal is included. They may have to give up Pruitt or Big Baby to get someone to take him. Under no circumstances should we trade Leon! The news about Darius Miles is all positive. Doc says that he is 100% and KG and Pierce are very positive in their comments about him. He is excited about the opportunity and seems to have a great attitude. If he is 100% and as he says, he is better than he was, he should make for some exciting basketball this season. The 10 game suspension isn't a problem because he and Danny discussed it before he was signed and Danny didn't seem worried about it. Pierce sounded like he was doing a Johnny Most impression as he was pretty hoarse. He said that he has been icing his right knee during the offseason and that the injury he sustained during the 2008 NBA Finals isn't anything lingering. That is good news. He KG and Ray all sound like they are motivated to repeat as champions. The young guys sound very motivated. I can't wait for the season to start. Perk said he is targeting the third preseason game which would be the Oct. 11 game in Manchester, N.H. for his return to playing. Perk, as always is working hard and focused and will get back on the floor as soon as he can, but the doctors are being more cautious and taking it slow so that when he comes back he will be 100%. Rushing it could cause another injury to the shoulder, and that would be disastrous for the team. Scott Souza has some words from the big guy: "I don't want to rush it," Perkins said, "and make it worse. I want to take my time and make it 100 percent when I come back on the court. … I am doing all the drill work in training camp. It's probably the week after training camp when I will start doing the contact stuff. I'm expected to play in the third preseason game, so I am pretty excited about that. "I was expecting the worst (with recovery time). I am just following doctor's orders with the recovery time. But as long as Doc (Rivers), the coaches, everybody's OK with it, I shouldn't have a problem with it either." JB had this to say about Bill Walker: Bill Walker impressed me with his intelligence, reminding me what a scout had told me, that he expected him to pick up the system earlier than most rookies and thus have a "leg up" to challenge T. Allen, Giddens and Miles for Posey's minutes. Walker reported that he is playing without pain in the knee that he had surgery on just after the draft and so is ready to earn a spot on the roster. I have been excited about Bill Walker since we got him in the draft. I really think he is going to be a surprise and will be hard to keep off the court this season. Tony Allen is healthy and confident and has ditched the knee brace. That is good news because the Celtics are depending on Tony to be the defensive stopper that they lost when James Posey left the team. If he has turned the corner and is ready to play, he is very capable of it. Pierce, Allen and Garnett have already started to pitch the idea to PJ Brown of coming back for the stretch run once again. Pierce maintains that the fact that he says he is retired doesn't mean anything because he was retired last year too. I imagine PJ will have to get used to the occasional call from the Boston 3 Party asking him to keep his options open about coming back. Doc said he wouldn't mind having PJ even if he just was there for the locker room because he had such a positive influence on the Celtics' young big guys. (assistant coach anyone?). But aside from his influence, Doc said that what he gave them was length and although Leon and Big Baby give toughness and can hold their own, they don't have the length. But, Patrick O'Bryant does and if he can blossom under Doc's system and Clifford Ray's tutelege, The Celtics will have that length. But again, that is a big if. Steve Pagliuca has come up with the catch phrase for this year's team: "Two-buntu". Last season ubuntu was the motto and hopefully the meaning of that word will once again be the guiding principle for the team but this season, it will be two-buntu or maybe ubuntu². Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:06:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341764 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341764 We start todays update with some very sad news. Former Portland Trailblazer Kevin Duckworth,44, has passed away. Duckworth was in Lincoln City to host a free basketball clinic for kids and was found unresponsive in his room. Duckworth was a two-time All-Star who starred on Western Conference Championship teams in Portland in 1990 and 1992 and was one of the most popular and most recognizable players to ever wear a Blazers uniform. There will be an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Our prayers and condolences go out to the Duckworth family and to the Blazers' organization and fans. Former NBA player, Wayman Tisdale. also 44, had part of his right leg amputated Monday because of bone cancer. Tisdale played 12 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Tisdale is now an award-winning jazz musician and has been battling the cancer for over a year now. He is hoping that by removing the part of his leg with the cancer that he will be able to beat it and be able to resume touring soon. Thoughts and prayers also go out to Wayman Tisdale. Word is that PJ Brown might not be ready to retire just yet. He is leaving the door open for a late season return just as he did last year. As of right now, the Celtics have 15 players but by midseason it may be clear that one or more aren't going to live up to expectations and PJ could find himself recruited once again for the stretch run. Of course it is all conjecture right now but something to think about during the slow times. The Grizzlies gave Josh Smith an offer sheet that the Hawks quickly matched and they have been linked in talks to the Iranian center, Hamed Ehadadi, who is now available to talk to teams. Now there is word that they are in talks with the Knicks concerning Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies are willing to part with Darko Milicic who was their big free agent signing last year, in a package that wouldn't involve any of their core players. The Grizzlies seem to be debating whether Randolph would fit the team's style on and off the court but they definitely could use an inside player like Randolph. The Grizzlies have also been in talks with Portland. The Blazers need a point guard and the Grizzlies are loaded with them. The Blazers are willing to part with Travis Outlaw in return for a point guard. The Blazers would probably want Conley because he is the purest point guard that the Grizzlies have and Portland would love to reunite Conley with former teammate and best friend, Greg Oden. The Celtics made it official by signing JR Giddens to a contract. Giddens, whose defense and athleticsm are considered NBA-caliber right now, will be expected to fill in the void left by James Posey's departure to New Orleans. Hopefully he will live up to expectations and contribute this season. Dwyane Wade would like to see Mario Chalmers as Miami's starting point guard this season. The Heat will give him a chance to compete against Marcus Banks for the position. Miami also expects Chris Quinn back and may add a veteran. My money is on Chalmers beating out Banks, who hasn't come anywhere near reaching the expectations that Boston had when they drafted him. The Heat are also still considering big men with Jamaal Magloire, Lorenzen Wright, and DJ Mbenga all waiting for word from them. Mbenga has a minimum level contract to consider from the Lakers, but was hoping to get a little more from the Heat. Kobe Bryant is expected to decide when he will have surgery to repair the ligament damage in his right pinky finger by the end of this week. Bryant had hoped to be recovered from his surgery for the start of training camp but with camp starting on September 30 and his recovery will probably take longer than 4 weeks, he might not be 100% in time to start camp. Phil Jackson has coached Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher, Karl Malone, Rick Fox, Steve Kerr, Bill Cartwright, and other stars. But after receiving an honorary doctor of letters degree from his alma mater, University of North Dakota, Phil talked about the greatest athlete he ever coached and it wasn't any of the above. The player Jackson called the greatest that he has coached is that none other than Detroit Bad Boy, Dennis Rodman. That one leaves you scratching your head. That kind of analysis proves that all those championships he won wasn't because of his intelligence and coaching. After all, he did get way out coached by Doc Rivers this season and his best strategy was whining about the officiating. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:04:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313663 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313663 1) No Posey Posey was great. No Posey no title; but that was last year. Last season the Celtics desperately needed veteran championship experience. James Posey (with some help from Eddie House and later PJ Brown) provided that crucial veteran poise. This year things are different. Take a look: Suddenly the Boston Celtics roster is crammed full with bearers of the the one true ring. They know how to do it now. Best of luck to James Posey and the New Orleans Hornets. The Boston Celtics will be fine without him. 2) The Most Important Thing As it was last year, the fate of the 2008-09 Boston Celtics lies not in the hands of Darius Miles, Patrick O'Bryant or JR Giddens. Instead the Celtics will fly as high as their stars carry them. It is Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo (yes he's included in this core group) that will lead the way, with substantial help from the other big minutes players like Kendrick Perkins. No one should expect any sort of drop-off from the all-stars. Garnett and Pierce had top seasons last... Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:37:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313332 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313332 Not exactly news, but this is confirmation of what we all expected to be the case. From Jeff Howe of The Metro: While Cassell’s days in Boston are likely done, [PJ] Brown told Metro he hasn’t ruled out a return. The belief is he’d once again wait until the second half of the season if that’s the case. So we'll get a chance to see how Patrick O'Bryant is working out, not to mention any trade talk through the deadline. Then if nothing else shapes up, we can take another late season pickup with PJ. Of course he'll be a free agent and he can chose whatever team he likes. But his positive experience last year might sway him to stick with Boston. Again, someone will need to be cut, but by that time in the season, the spot will already be open or the choice of who to cut will be pretty clear. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:45:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313062 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313062 The Defending Champs will have a different looking bench than the Champs did. In my opinion, the Celtics have the best starting five in the league. We all know what to expect from the Paul, Ray, and Kevin. The only question with Rondo is how much better can he get? Even if Perkins doesn't get any better he'll still be one of the better defensive centers in the league. The bench is a different story. Last year the team benefited from veterans with playoff experience like Posey, PJ Brown, and (to an extent) Sam Cassell. All three are gone now and Ainge has shifted to a youth movement. There are a lot of good reasons for going with a younger cast on the bench. For one thing, the 30-something stars are going to need some fresh young legs to spell them. Also, we'll need to keep up with the younger, more athletic teams like Atlanta that gave us problems in the playoffs last year. Finally, there are the economic forces driving the roster younger. When the payroll is tied up with three max contracts, you can only fill the roster veterans looking for one last shot at glory, broken down players looking for another shot, and... Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:57:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/312321 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/312321 Herald Celts’ Ray Allen says ‘I do’ to another ring (http://news.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1113925 srvc=home position=also) Globe Ray Allen ties the knot (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/08/ray_allen_ties.html) Americans are a focus group (http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2008/08/20/americans_are_a_focus_group/) CelticsBlog Circling dates (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3770 Itemid=189) A South Beach return for a Flashy shooter? (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3791 Itemid=189) LOY's Place Rumors and free agent updates - Lots of guard rumors edition (http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2008/08/rumors-and-free-agent-updates-lots-of.html) Hoopsworld The Summer of 2009 (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9804) The most upside - Team edition (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9807) BBW Forums Team USA: Why it's lost and why it'll win this year (http://www.bbwforums.net/2008-olympics/usa-basketball/team-usa-why-its-lost-and-why-itll-win-this-year/) Contra Costa Times Powe back home a champ (http://www.contracostatimes.com/colleges/ci_10248550?nclick_check=1) The News Star Louisiana Tech to honor PJ Brown at Mississippi State game (http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/UPDATES02/80819023/1006/SPORTS) SI.com A Jermaine question (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ian_thomsen/08/19/jermaine0825/?eref=sircrc)... Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:55:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309603 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309603 This is old news for many of you, but I'm still getting caught up, so I had to share this with the class. Clifford Ray is not a miracle worker, so he couldn't heal Scot Pollard or Theo Ratliff. But he's done just about everything else you could ask a big man coach. He tapped into Al Jefferson's potential to make him a 20/10 machine. He took an awkward, hacking Kendrick Perkins and made him one of the top centers in the league. He helped Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis overcome their height limitations to become super subs. He took a retired PJ Brown and made him a key contributor on a Championship team. He even squeezed a few decent games out of Olowokandi in a time that seems long, long ago. Oh yeah, and he may have helped some guy named Dwight Howard get started in Orlando. Now, as expected, he's working with Patrick O'Bryant. (http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2008/08/10/europe_can_reach_for_stars/?page=3#) Cliff's notes: Celtics newcomer Patrick O'Bryant, the center drafted ninth overall two years ago who has fallen well shy of expectations, has quietly been spending a lot of time working out with assistant coach and former NBA player Clifford Ray... Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:40:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305032 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305032 For my 1st Team Preview, I will be examining the 2007-08 NBA Champions. LAST SEASON The Celtics came flying out of the gates (29-3 record to start the season) and never looked back. They had the #1 defense in the league, they beat their regular season foes by an average scoring margin of +10.3 points, and they decisively beat the Lakers in the Finals to win their record 17th NBA Championship. Fantasy-wise, the Celtics had a pace factor of just 90.9 (19th of 30), which coupled with their scoring margin, limited the fantasy value of their players. OFFSEASON MOVES Added: Patrick O'Bryant, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker, Semih Erden Lost: James Posey, P.J. Brown, Sam Cassell, Scot Pollard The 7-foot O'Bryant was the #9 pick in 2006, but he never proved his worth to Don Nelson and thus the Warriors let him go. He will attempt to replace P.J. Brown, who is likely retiring after a rock solid NBA career (1 championship, 1 sportsmanship award, and 3 All-Defensive team selections). Erden is another 7-foot project, but he's going to stay in Turkey this season. Giddens and Walker are ultra-athletic rookie swingmen who will try to help fill the gaping hole left by James Posey's departure (don't expect much from either). Veterans Sam Cassell and Scot Pollard are both free agents unlikely to return. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME As you all know, Boston is led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. All three will play 33-36 minutes per game and post similar stats to last season. At point guard and center, Rajon Rondo (30.0 mpg) and Kendrick Perkins (24.5 mpg) proved that they are more than capable starters. With another year of experience and a boost of NBA title confidence, expect a slight bump in playing time and production for both youngsters. Perkins has had shoulder problems in the past, but he had surgery recently and should be good to go for '08-09. With Posey (24.6 mpg) gone, Tony Allen (18.3 mpg) will have to step up as Boston's 6th man and defensive stopper off the bench. He struggled last year recovering from a major knee injury, but he could bounceback nicely in '08-09. Eddie House (19.0 mpg) will backup Rondo at PG and be instant offense as usual. Since Tony Allen is not a 3-point shooter like Posey was, House could easily surpass his career-high of 1.5 made threes per game. Leon Powe (14.5 mpg) will be Boston's first big man off the bench. He showed his explosiveness when he scored 21 points in just 15 minutes in game 2 of the NBA Finals, and he should play a bigger role this season. Glen "Big Baby" Davis had a decent rookie season, and probably has the inside track over O'Bryant as their backup center. (None of the backup bigs are likely to have any fantasy value unless there's an injury). And of course, Brian Scalabrine will get his usual 10th man mop-up minutes. DON'T SLEEP ON: Rajon Rondo & Tony Allen At first glance, Rondo seems like he's just a 2-category fantasy player, finishing 13th in steals and 22nd in assists per game last year. However, his FG% was rock solid at 49.2%, his turnovers were fairly low at just 1.9 per game, and the only PG's who pulled down more rebounds were Jason Kidd and Baron Davis. Of course, he still can't make a three to save his life and his free throw shooting was horrendous at just 61.1%, but that just means there's plenty of room for improvement in the 22-year old's game and fantasy value. After averaging 30 minutes and 5.1 assists per game in the regular season, he pumped those numbers up to 32 minutes and 6.6 dimes per in the playoffs, a very promising sign for the season ahead. His offensive game is still unpolished, but he should be a decent #2 or excellent #3 point guard in '08-09. After tearing both the ACL and MCL in his left knee in January 2007, Tony Allen returned to the court just 9 months later in time for the '07-08 season. Much of his quickness and explosiveness was gone, but he was still a quality defender and had a mediocre season. Fantasy-wise, he wasn't even a blip on the radar screen, but that could change this year as he gets more playing time. If you remember, Tony Allen was putting up BIG-TIME stats before he blew out his knee (in the 19 games prior, he averaged 16.6 points, 5.3 boards, 2.6 assists, 2.2 steals, .6 blocks, 52.3% FG, and 79.0% FT in 32.5 minutes per game). There's no way he'll duplicate those numbers this season, but he could have some value if his knee is 100% healthy. If he looks good in preseason, don't be afraid to gamble on him. BE CAREFUL OF: Ray Allen The elder Allen was brilliant in the NBA Finals, recording 122 points, 30 rebounds, 8 steals, 4 blocks and making 22 of 42 threes in just 6 games, but he had been struggling quite a bit before that. He still finished the regular season as a Top 50 fantasy player, but his stats were down in nearly every single category. As long as he can walk, Mr. Shuttleworth will be able to hit some threes, but there are other areas of concern. His steals per game slipped from 1.5 to .9, suggesting that the 33-year old may have lost half a step. And his stellar 90% FT shooting isn't nearly as helpful to your fantasy team when he's attempting just 3.2 freebies per game like he did last year vs. the career-high 5.6 that he attempted just one year earlier. Don't get me wrong, Allen is still an elite fantasy player. Just don't use a 2nd or 3rd round pick on him like you did in the past. ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) Garnett : Mid-to-Late 1st Pierce: 2nd - 3rd R. Allen: 5th Rondo: 7th - 8th Perkins: 10th - 11th T. Allen: Last round (if he looks good in preseason) House: Don't draft (but pickup if you need threes) Powe: Don't draft (but pickup ASAP if KG goes down) Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:47:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299169 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299169 A lot of what this team still needs depends upon how good Patrick O'Bryant really is this year. If he can't give us productive minutes backing up Perk, we're stuck with smallball and forcing KG to guard centers. If he can develop into a solid option, that shores up the 4 and 5 positions quite nicely. Is Danny ready to roll the dice on that chance? Not just yet. In his interview on WEEI today, Ainge note that if the playoffs started today he wouldn't be satisfied with the backup center position. I suppose that means that he'll wait and see what O'Bryant can offer the team. If he can't cut it, Ainge will look for either another PJ Brown type of late season pickup, or explore trade options during the season. Nobody really knows what we are going to get out of O'Bryant. He admits himself that he had problems with work ethic. The other side of the coin, however, is that he might not have had much of a chance in Golden St. Consider this anecdote by Bay Area blogger Tim Kawakami (http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2008/07/21/the-warriors-bye-bye-brigade-barnes-pietrus-and-obryant-and-baron-get-new-scenery/) (hat tip to JE Skeets... Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:54:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293848 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293848 Here was our Championship bench: Posey, House, PJ Brown, Powe, Big Baby, Cassell, Tony Allen, Scalabrine, Pollard, Pruitt Here's what we've got left of that group (so far): Powe, Big Baby, Scalabrine, Pruitt Add in O'Bryant and maybe the two stateside rookies, and we're still pretty thin. Bob Ryan panic article coming in 3,...2,...1,... Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:41:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291821 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291821 ESPN and a bunch of athletes and celebrities were in Los Angeles this week for the taping of the ESPY awards. I got a chance to spend a couple of days at the ESPY Style Suites to take in the scene and speak to some players. There was all kinds of loot for the ESPY participants [...] Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:24:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291516 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291516