http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4696 Recent articles about Rajon Rondo en-us Tony was in town to sign his contract yesterday, so the local scribes all have stories on him. Boston Herald - Rich Thompson (http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1108810 srvc=rss) MetroWest - Scott Souza (http://blogs.metrowestdailynews.com/celtics/?p=1831) A few papers have the key quote by Ainge: “We just think he is healthy now,” said Ainge, who sounded relieved to be through with the bargaining process. “We (knew) there would be a transition last year when he came into training camp with a leg brace and wasn’t 100 percent healthy or mentally confident in his leg. “By the end of last season we thought he had turned the corner and Doc (Rivers) and I both think he’s going to have a breakout year this year.” But the one that really caught my eye was fom the Globe where Ainge compares and contrasts Tony and Posey: He's a slasher and attacks the rim. [Posey] is a spot-up shooter and he defends the bigger guys a little better than Tony, Ainge said. But Tony moves his feet and fights through screens better than Posey and he can play a little point. When [Rajon Rondo] went down, he scored 16 points in the first half against LA and we won a big game on the road. We gain things - he gets to... Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:39:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294828 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294828 On the day that James Posey was introduced in New Orleans and vows to do whatever the coach asks of him for a team he sees poised to make a run at the title, the Celtics officially re-signed Eddie House and Tony Allen. On Sports Tonight, Tony said that the math was simple. If Posey signed, he and Eddie would have had to find a home elsewhere. It was one or the other. Danny said that Doc was worried about letting Tony go because he feels that Tony is going to have a break out year after watching him practice at the end of last season. Another player who would have fit nicely on the Celtics is off the market. The Rocky Mountain News reports that Chris Andersen is returning to the Nuggets. The Birdman had visited Boston for 2 days early in the free agency period and Danny seemed to have interest in him and vice versa. Now, Andersen has agreed to a one year contract with the Nuggets and will continue his NBA comeback in Denver where he was a fan favorite from 2001-2004. I was hoping the Celtics would sign him, even though they already signed Patrick O'Bryant to back up Perk since O'Bryant may be more of a project than immediate help and Andersen would come in with athleticism and energy off the bench at the center position. Good signing by the Nuggets. Denver was reported to be seriously considering signing Francisco Elson to replace the recently departed Marcus Camby. With Andersen signing in Denver, that leaves Elson out and looking for another team that may want him. Depending on how quickly Patrick O'Bryant develops, a one year league minimum contract to Elson might make sense for the Celtics. Although, it would remain to be seen how KG would feel about playing with a guy who called him gay. Another player who had been linked to the Celtics as a possible Posey replacement was Maurice Evans. Mercury News reports that the Warriors have signed Evans to a three-year, $6.4 million deal. This means that the Warriors will not match the offer that their restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike signed with the Clippers. Evans would have made sense to replace Posey because he is an athletic swingman who's known as a solid defender and good three-point shooter and would have filled those roles left vacant by Posey's departure. The Clippers and Jazz have swapped point guards. The Clippers will receive Jason Hart from the Jazz and will send Brevin Knight to Utah. Last season, when the Celtics were in the market for a back up point guard, Knight was considered a serious candidate but signed with the Clippers instead while Sam Cassell was bought out by the Clippers and ended up signing with the Celtics. This is starting to feel like a game of 6 degrees of separation. In David Thorpe's chat on ESPN.com, he was asked what he thought about JR Giddens and whether he will amount to anything or if Danny wasted a pick on him. Thorpe's response was that his athleticism could be a help off the bench. And when asked which 3rd year guy he sees improving the most from his sophomore season, Thorpe mentioned that Rondo should improve his game overall for next season. The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard-forward Nicolas Batum on Wednesday. Batum played the past three seasons in the French ProA League. He was the 25th overall pick in the draft by Houston who traded his rights to Portland. Leading up to the draft, Batum was a popular choice on the mock drafts for the Celtics with the 30th pick. The OC Register reports that the Lakers are no longer pursuing a trade for Ron Artest. Instead of the Ron Ron rumors in Laker land, there is talk that the Lakers have joined a list of teams interested in signing Luol Deng. The Bulls and Deng are having a hard time coming to an agreement on a deal and so rather than risk losing him, they may resort to a sign and trade and the Lakers are interested in making an offer if it comes to that. I can see a pattern to the players that the Lakers are pursuing this off season. Both Artest and Deng are known for giving Paul Pierce a hard time on defense. One of the problems the Lakers had in the Finals was trying to stop Paul Pierce. Getting either Artest or Deng would assure them of having a player who has given Pierce problems in the past. Now, if they only had an answer for KG, Ray Allen and Leon Powe, they would be all set. The Sixers have reached an agreement with Royal Ivey, who spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ivey will not officially sign the minimum-salary contract until Monday, which is believed to be for 2 years and include a significant guarantee. Ivey will come off the bench to complement Lou Williams, that is, if the Warriors don't lure Williams away from Philly. That will give the Sixers 9 players under contract. Now that Josh Childress has made the leap to play in Europe next season, there is a lot of talk going around about other's following suit. Perhaps the most interesting is Jason Kidd talking about going to Europe when his contract is up. Playing in Europe could extend a player's career by a few years because they don't play the physical game that is found in the NBA. This is also why many European players have trouble adjusting to the NBA as they aren't used to the physical play that they run into when they come here. Carl Landry is also considering a jump to Europe if he can't get a satisfactory offer from an NBA team. Nenad Krstic is also considering joining fellow Nets free agent Bostjan Nachbar in accepting an offer to play overseas if he can't get the right deal from an NBA team. On the other hand, Bobby Brown, who made a big impression with his summer league play, rejected several offers to play overseas and is set to sign a 2 year deal with the Sacramento Kings. It seems that Brown was in demand as the Hornets pursues him along with Israel's Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Spanish giant Barcelona before he decided to accept the Kings' offer. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:37:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294826 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294826 I saved some of my favorites for last, and Rondo is certainly one of my favorites. Anyone who has read this blog for long knows that I have a great affinity for pass-first point guards that can play defense. Once upon a time I had great hope for Orien Greene and before that I really wanted to believe Marcus Banks was going to be the answer. Those are just two examples of a long line of points that didn't pan out in Boston. Then along came Rajon Rondo. From his first summer league game, he was clearly better than Sebastian Telfair and had all the makings of a late first round steal. He's been slashing through the lane and setting up our shooters for open looks ever since. Every few months you can see real progress in his game, to the point where he has established himself as the 4th best player on the team, and one of the most important when it comes to determining the outcome of each game. When Rajon is on his game, there's simply no stopping this team. He has lightning quick speed that he uses in short bursts that keep the defenders on their heels. He is so important because when he's... Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:20:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294770 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294770 I saved some of my favorites for last, and Rondo is certainly one of my favorites. Anyone who has read this blog for long knows that I have a great affinity for pass-first point guards that can play defense. Once upon a time I had great hope for Orien Greene and before that I really wanted to believe Marcus Banks was going to be the answer. Those are just two examples of a long line of points that didn't pan out in Boston. Then along came Rajon Rondo. From his first summer league game, he was clearly better than Sebastian Telfair and had all the makings of a late first round steal. He's been slashing through the lane and setting up our shooters for open looks ever since. Every few months you can see real progress in his game, to the point where he has established himself as the 4th best player on the team, and one of the most important when it comes to determining the outcome of each game. When Rajon is on his game, there's simply no stopping this team. He has lightning quick speed that he uses in short bursts that keep the defenders on their heels. He is so important because when he's... Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:20:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294770 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294770 I KNOW I WAS I ALMOST CRIED I WAS SO SAD Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:25:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292676 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292676 RAJON RONDO RAY ALLEN AND CHRIS PAUL BECAUSE ALL OF THEM ARE CUTE AND RAJON RONDO AND CHRIS PAUL ARE THE BEST POINT GUARDS I KNOW AND RAY ALLEN IS SO FINE BUT NOT FINE AS RAJON RONDO AND CHRIS PAUL SO I WANT EVERY BODY OUT THER 2 COMMENT ON THIS AND EVERY BODY I HOPE SHOULD SAY RAJON RONDO FIRST THANKZ AND I LUV U RONDO!!!!!!!!!!!! Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:23:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292674 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292674 So James Posey, who has helped the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics to championships, is moving on to New Orleans. The New Orleans Hornets offered Posey a 4-year $25 million contract, and the Celtics decided not to match. Naturally, the debate comes down to : Should a team pay a key role player who helped them win a championship big money or should they get someone else to do the job for less money and invest that money elsewhere? 1. Rick Bucher of ESPN.com thinks that the Boston Celtics are losing a big piece of their championship machine, and feels that the Hornets are gaining what Boston is losing : ( video in original article ) 2. However, John Hollinger isn't a big fan of the Hornets' move : He thinks that New Orleans is overpaying for a guy who can't score, and is too old. According to Hollinger's statistical research, James Posey is on track to decline sharply as each year of his contract goes by : ( For better insight into Posey's future, let's take a look at what happened to some similar players -- those who rated as statistically similar based on their performance at the same age, played primarily on the wing and were in his league as a defender. The top names on that list are Bryon Russell, Dan Majerle, Jaren Jackson, Rick Fox and Raja Bell. - Bell is only a year older and declined noticeably last season. - Majerle declined sharply starting at 30 and had his last useful season at 32. - Jackson had a quality season at 32 but played 25 games the rest of his career. - Russell lost it at 31 and never got it back, though he managed to hang around for four more years. - Fox played reasonably well until 33 and then lost it, hard, and was out of the league by 35. ) Hollinger even forecasts that James Posey is likely to be "unplayable" by age 35, the time when Posey's new contract is up. 3. I tend to agree with John Hollinger on this issue : Although he was a championship role player, $6 million per for James Posey is just ridiculous. Posey is often compared to Robert Horry, with some of the comparisons being legit, but Posey seems to rely more on athleticism to perform than Horry ever did. Unless he manages an age-inspired transformation that Michael Jordan went through in the summer of 1995, Posey will be dead meat once that athleticism wears off. Also, Rajon Rondo's rise will be the key to making up for Posey's defection. Rondo displayed a remarkable ability to wreak havoc with his combination of speed, hustle and defense in the NBA Finals. Rondo is 22, so unless major catastrophe strikes, he is only going to get better athletically and mentally. Moreover, he is the starting point guard and a more lockdown-oriented defender than Posey, so he will impact the game more than a reserve wing like Posey. Rondo is on the rise, so his impact is going to get bigger every year. Think of Manu Ginobili and Robert Horry when they won championships together with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007. Bottomline : The Celtics will be fine, as long as they find another three-point shooter to fill Posey's void. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:35:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291709 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291709 Our dear old friend, Sam Cassell, has found himself something to keep busy this offseason while he anxiously searches out a new fan base to torment: Judging the POLESTAR 1st Annual Pole Dancing Competition, of course! .... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:44:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290103 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290103 The Red Sox are finally back in first place, where they belong. At 57-40, they're up half a game on the pesky Rays, and 6 games up on the A-Rodonnas. It wasn't that long ago that I said I was switching gears and focusing on the Red Sox now that the C's dream season had come to an end. Well, I lied. It's a combination of me not coming down from my Championship high yet, and Scott, the CEO, sending me a couple great links.Now, I'm not entirely sure what Scott was Googling when he came across this first bit of news, but I think we can all agree that society, as a whole, is much better off that he found it.  Our dear old friend, Sam Cassell, has found himself something to keep busy this offseason while he anxiously searches out a new fan base to torment:  Judging the POLESTAR 1st Annual Pole Dancing Competition, of course! POLESTAR Invitational is presented by X-polesitions and film/TV casting director Leah Daniels-Butler. Confirmed Celebrity judges: NBA Star Sam Cassell, Cassie Walton, XXX Star Amber Rayne, comedian Chris Spencer. Other celebrity guests / VIP expected. If any POLESTAR hopefuls are reading this blog (and I don't know why they wouldn't be), here's my advice if you truly want to impress Sam:  Any time a dancer is on the pole and is having a great routine, immediately jump onto the stage and punch her in the face.  Any time a dancer has some great momentum, and seems to be in rhythm with the music, hop up and make the show about YOU -- don't worry about the outcome, or what the crowd may be thinking -- just do whatever pops into your head at that exact moment, but make sure it revolves around you.  Sam will completely understand.The Sam Cassel era, ladies and gentlemen.  Can't believe it ended with a trophy.  The other link he shared with me was a tale of a boy, a shirt, a shooting guard and shattered dreams.A boy and his mother were on the Sankaty Ferry in Martha's Vineyard and spotted Ray Allen a few cars ahead.  Armed with a #5 Celtics shirt (which just happens to read 'God' above the number), the boy approached Mr. Allen hoping for a signature.  What he got instead was a black eye and a broken clavicle.Wait, I misread that (Damn you, Hooked On Phonics, you've failed me again!). What he actually got was nothing... Ray, world renowned as one of the true "good guys" in the league, refused to sign the boy's shirt.  I don't know if we can read anything into this (and I seriously doubt that we can), but if you like to play conspiracy theory, have at it!Lastly, if you haven't checked out Rajon Rondo's official website yet, here's the link: http://www.rajonrondo9.com.It's a well-done site, and as long as he puts the same effort into that as he does his Yardbarker blog, it'd definitely be worth creating a bookmark for. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:41:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290101 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290101 Here's what it will look like, It will be purple and gold with a very SOFT cover. Oh wait sorry, my bad, That's wrong.Here is what it will really look like when Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, James Posey, Eddie House, Kendrick Perkins, and Leon Powe will gather at TD Banknorth Garden Monday night for a VIP reception and special screening of Warner Home Video’s “2007-2008 NBA Champions: The Boston Celtics DVD.’’ If you really want to make a difference, then wait to buy it on Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. at Borders on 1024 School Street in Boston, so you can all tell James Posey and Eddie House who are promoting it, how bad we want them back.If you can't make that then maybe tell one of his teammates to pass it along to them, Rondo will be promoting the DVD at 11:59 p.m. Monday at the Best Buy on 550 Arsenal Street in Watertown.Or Pierce will promote it Tuesday from 10 p.m.-midnight at the Stop & Shop on 25 Walkers Brook Drive in Reading.Or Perkins and Powe will promote it Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at FYE on 411 Washington Street in Boston. sr_adspace_id = 1330307; sr_adspace_width = 300; sr_adspace_height = 250; sr_adspace_type = "graphic"; sr_ad_new_window = true; Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:32:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289864 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289864 The finest player is Rajon Rondo because he was made fine i wish i could go wit him but he already has a girl so i guess my wish can't come true. The other finest player 2 me is Ray Allen but he has a wife and kids but i don't know if Rondo has kids either so oh well!!!! Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:02:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289648 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289648 The time has come to yet again look at the state of our cap and to answer everything you ever wanted to know about the collective bargaining agreement. Without further adieu, here's our current salary table from now until 2011-2012. Yes, I know it's not terribly helpful right now, but it will be filled in as we fill out our roster. Player 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2011-2012 Kevin Garnett $24,750,000 $16,400,000 $18,800,000 $21,200,000 n/a Paul Pierce $18,077,903 $19,795,712 $21,515,521 n/a n/a Ray Allen $17,388,430 $18,776,860 n/a n/a n/a Kendrick Perkins $4,078,880 $4,250,000 $4,390,208 n/a n/a Brian Scalabrine $3,206,897 $3,413,793 n/a n/a n/a Rajon Rondo $1,646,784 $2,623,326 $3,780,214 n/a n/a Leon Powe $797,581 n/a n/a n/a n/a Glen Davis $711,517 n/a n/a n/a n/a Gabe Pruitt $711,517 $729,005 n/a n/a n/a J.R. Giddens* $797,600 $857,400 $917,200 $1,655,546 $2,483,319 Bill Walker* $442,114 $736,420 n/a n/a n/a James Posey Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Tony Allen Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Eddie House Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Scot Pollard Free Agent n/a n/a n/a n/a Totals: $72,609,223 $67,583,516 $49,403,143 $22,855,546 $2,483,319 Team options are in red and qualifying offers are in green. Salaries shown in orange represent non-guaranteed / partially guaranteed deals, while trade kickers and other owed salary obligations are in purple. Player options are listed in blue. Total salary assumes that all options are picked up. * Salaries for Giddens and Walker are estimated. Giddens' salary amount is based upon 100% of the rookie scale, and Walker's deal is a standard two-year minimum. Of course, the meaty part of this post is the Frequently Asked Questions , where you can learn everything about J.R. Giddens' contract holdup, why we really won't have cap space in 2010-11 even... Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:04:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288029 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288029 There's no denying that one day Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen will no longer be Celtics. They will either retire or play for a different team. We can enjoy the success that these players have brought to Boston, but like the Cousy-Russell-Havlicek era of the 60's ~ 70's, and the Bird-McHale-Parish era of the 80's, this era of Celtics glory will pass too. But if Ainge desires to bypass the years of gloom that follows the glorious heydays, he needs to bring in good players who will carry the torch left by the Big 3. Celtics fans are all too familiar with the pain and heartache of following disastrous Celtics teams--and no one in their right mind wants to endure more of that. Thus, Ainge needs to hit homeruns with the drafts/trades/free agencies and get us the type of players who will keep the winning tradition here in Boston alive. Getting Garnett and Ray Allen cost us most of our future. But Ainge was able to hold onto some young talent who should be solid contributors for many years to come. Namely Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. Both are starters for this championship team and both held their own against top competition--despite being 24 and 22 years old, respectively. Perkins is turning into a fine defensive player, while Rajon has the potential to be a top 7 PG in this league (once guys like Kidd, Nash, and Miller retire). Rondo will be more aggressive with his own offense in the future, and this will take his PG play to a higher level. Outside of these two, Ainge has brought in other young players who will have the opportunity to make their impact felt--possibly as starters, but most likely as role players off the bench. Leon Powe shows the potential to be a fine low post scorer and steady rebounder as a reserve, and Big Baby has the body and power to battle other team's Hulks. Tony has starter potential, and his two-way game is a valuable asset. But like many other youngsters in the league before him, he may never reach the level of consistency to be a proficient player. And his time may run out after this season (last year of his contract). Its all or nothing for Tony this year. Gabe Pruitt has a solid all around game as a backcourt player (either the 1 or 2). He has a combo guard;s game, and this will allow him to find a niche off the bench. His shooting is ahead of his PG skills, and Ainge and Rivers are hoping he develops this part of his game. In time, Pruitt has a good shot at being a regular in the rotation, albeit a solid, but unspectacular player. Ainge did well to bring in 2 other wing players with solid basketball talent and amazing physical attributes. Bill Walker and JR Giddens are 2 young guys who will be groomed to be the heir apparent at SG in 3-4 years. Walker has a better shot based on talent and abilities, while Giddens is a wildcard because of his defensive abilities and internal motor. Another young player Ainge is giving a shot to is Semih Erden. He's a 7 foot Turkish player who has length and mobility like Pau Gasol. Intriguing prospect who will come over to the NBA next year. Not much is known about him, but based on projectibility and natural physical gifts, he's a guy to keep an eye on. Ainge feels Erden is a first round talent in next year's draft. Our young talent pool was not totally depleted by the trades that brought Garnett and Allen here. On the contrary, we still have a good handful of players who can provide supporting roles. To put it on paper, we have at least 2 starters in place (Perk and Rajon), one guy who could start in the very near future (Tony Allen), 2 young big men who have good roles off the bench (Powe and Baby), a future backcourt player who can fill in at the 1 and 2 (Pruitt), and 3 players whose potential ranges from bench warmers all the way to the starting lineup (Walker, Giddens, Erden). What Ainge has to do now is get lucky with the draft and land a big time talent--like he did in '04 when Al Jefferson was our pick at 15. Big Al had many doubters, but has quieted them by cementing himself as one of the league's top young PF's. Many people did not think they'd see the day Jefferson would become a 20 and 10 guy--but Ainge proved his eye for talent when for the second year in a row, Jefferson did better than 20 and 10. It isn't likely that Ainge can find a big time talent with late round draft picks, so he'll need to either find a way to get into the middle of the round or higher, or else trade for a big time talent. To get a mid round draft pick, or higher, Ainge will most likely have to get it via a trade of one of our star players. This is a big possibility, as Ainge is not afraid to pull the trigger on an unpopular trade. Future franchise players are coming. BJ Mullens and Brandon Jennings could make a big splash in the NCAA's, and guys like Blake Griffin and Tyler Hansborough could solidify any team's starting rotation. Moving an aging star player for an incoming player with star potential sounds very much Ainge-like. Or Ainge can attempt to pry a big time player through free agency--and one of the biggest years of free agency in history is approaching in a couple of years. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh head the draft of '03 (among other big named players) who will be eligible for free agency, and its debatable if these 3 will stay with their current teams. Its speculated that LeBron might be landing with the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets (headed by Jay-Z). Dwayne Wade may want to bolt Miami since the Heat are years away from competing. Toronto is a small market, and it may be time for Chris Bosh to spread his fame in a bigger market. I can't pinpoint which player Ainge may have his cross hairs pointed at, but I'm sure he's looking to take a shot at, at least, one big time player who will reach free agency in a couple of years. Ainge has made his mark as a genius general manager (technically he's the Head of Basketball Operations) in just his 5th year at the helm, but he's not going to end his legacy here. He's going to continue working his magic to bring more titles to Boston. Ainge has proven to be a guy who sticks to his "vision" and keeps one eye looking over the horizon. His moves may shock some and leave others disgusted and confused. Ainge may have had more haters in his early tenure as a GM than he ever had as a player for the Celtics, the Kings, and the Blazers. But don't second guess his moves until he's had a chance to mold the team according to his vision. The process may not be pretty, but the end product has been sweet, to say the least. One of the favorite catch phrases among bloggers the past few years, when referring to Ainge's moves, was "expect the unexpected". I'm thinking the new phrase should be, "expect changes". Its likely that Ainge won't sit still, even after winning the championship. Like last time, just buckle in and go along for the ride. Danny will make it worth your while. We are hearing talks of Maggette being lured here. This could mean the end of Ray Allen's short stay in Green, or it could mean Posey is not coming back. Either way, Ainge is not going to stay put and let things pass him by. He's being proactive with his options. Yes he'd like to keep Posey around for another run at the title, but not at the price and the duration Posey is asking for. Losing Posey is big, and I'd hate to see Posey on the enemy's side. But that's the type of unpopular move Ainge is willing to make to keep his vision intact. Not only is he trying to bring in young talent and star players to Boston, but he's also trying his best to keep us out of the red financially. As for future moves, I'm in favor of making an attempt at Josh Smith. He's the type of two-way player who causes havoc with his length, athleticism, and skills. He and Rudy Gay are at the top of my wish list of young SF's to go after. Rudy Gay may not be available, but word is that Josh Smith is being sought after by a number of teams. If he's available, now is the time to make a splash for the future. Yi Jianlian is a guy Ainge likes, and I'm not sure he'll be in New Jersey's (Brooklyn's) long term plans. He's another SF who could cause havoc with his miss matching abilities. Overall, there are a lot of young star level players who may become available at any given time, and Ainge is going to keep his eyes open for a big catch. He knows that time is limited with the group of players he has now, and is most likely already gearing for the future. One thing with Ainge is you know his teams will never be old and stagnant. They may be young and inexperienced, but always with a bright future in sight. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:13:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287401 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287401 I made these. You can take whatever you like and use them for your desktop or whatever..lol Just copy and paste the links below. http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i252/bebecece/victoryblend.gif ^^[parade banner]] http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i252/bebecece/Rondo-Camera-View.gif ^^[[Rajon Rondo Movie Icon]] http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i252/bebecece/rayallenblend.gif ^^[[Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett banner]] http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i252/bebecece/rajonrondomovieicon5.gif ^^[[Rondo Movie Icon]] http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i252/bebecece/rajonrondomovieicon4.gif ^^[[Rondo Movie Icon]] i`ll make more...=]] Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:12:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286288 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286288 The story has been circulating about lightweight boxing challenger Manny Pacquiao who cheered for the Celtics and picked them to win the title when most everyone outside of Boston didn't give them a chance. The Celtics got ringside seats to cheer their biggest fan on in his title fight against David Diaz in Las Vegas. He didn't disappoint and dominated the fight from start to finish and afterwards, several of the Celtics including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Sam Cassell celebrated with Manny in his dressing room. Great stuff Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:39:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283903 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283903