News 10/26

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1127844&format=text
Rookie’s ego in control

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Sunday, October 26, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Matt Stone
The learning curve still arcs upward at a steep angle for J.R. Giddens.

The Celtics [team stats] rookie played just under nine minutes during the last two exhibition games, and now his NBA experience is about to shift even more to the bench.

Just because this is normal for a late first-round pick doesn’t mean that it won’t gnaw at Giddens’ sense of what’s right.

“I wouldn’t say that it has required an ego adjustment from me,” he said after yesterday’s practice. “But when I’m ready I know I’m going to be a beast - a monster.”

Until that burst of dominance, however, Giddens knows enough to prepare for any variety of scenarios, including assignment to the NBDL, once the so-called D-League starts its season.

“If it happens it happens,” Giddens said. “I’ll do whatever they want me to do.”

Judging from Doc Rivers’ response to the D-League question, the Celtics coach may prefer that Giddens keep those long bus rides out of his mind right now.

“I honestly don’t know yet,” Rivers said. “He’s got a lot of work to do, but that’s not something we’re really going to think about until they start that league up. Right now, he has a lot to learn from where he is. It absolutely benefits him to still be here. But when that league starts up, we’ll have a decision to make.”

Gidden’s flagging sense of confidence alone may demand some kind of move.

Though he is obviously a better player now than when he started training camp, Giddens admits to a certain amount of fragility.

“I’ve still got a lot of work to do,” Giddens said. “I still feel uncomfortable. It’s hard to be confident in something that you’ve never seen before.”

Such is life for a rookie on the roster of the defending NBA champs.

“He’s responded well,” Rivers said. “Sure, he gets frustrated. With most college guys they just want to play the way they play.

“Then they come in here and there are better players on the team than anyone they’ve played with before,” he said. “For the first time they have to be role players.”

Silent treatment

Among the many local sports doctors offering opinions on Patriots [team stats] quarterback Tom Brady [stats]’s knee surgery, Dr. Brian McKeon was prominent on the list.

But don’t plan on hearing more from McKeon on Brady.

According to a team source, management wasn’t pleased, and told the Celtics team physician to decline any further interview requests on the subject.

Injury update

Giddens suffered a bruised left hip during yesterday’s practice, and his status has been listed as day to day. . . .

Paul Pierce [stats] practiced with a bandage on his right index finger after jamming it during Friday’s session. “It’s kind of sore,” the Celtics captain said. “But it’s not going to be a problem for me.”

[FLCeltsFan]

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Pistons resist urge to retool

By Steve Bulpett / NBA notes | Sunday, October 26, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage
Breaking up was evidently too hard for the Pistons to do. . . . Not that they didn’t try.

A couple of rotation tweaks aside, you can meet the new Pistons; same as the old Pistons. Team presdient Joe Dumars went shopping during the offseason, offering up veterans with impressive resumes. But Detroit hoopsters had shrunk in the marketplace like the dollar, leaving a familiar look when you get beyond Michael Curry replacing Flip Saunders as coach.

“There’s nothing to patch up,” Dumars told reporters with regard to players who may have hurt feelings. “I’m the one who was upset, so who do I need to patch things up with? It’s been good. Guys understand that six straight years of making the conference finals and going to the NBA Finals only twice isn’t enough and I am not going to rest on that. What you do is keep pushing, keep moving forward.”

Or sideways. While Antonio McDyess used the word “shocked” to describe the full reunion, Richard Hamilton was pleased.

“I know there were a lot of teams that wanted us to break up,” he said. “Everybody was licking their chops there at the end of the summer. But I think we have a great opportunity.”

Added Rasheed Wallace: “I think that’s good. I am glad he decided to keep it going. We’ve been to the mountain top with this core group and it’s good that Joe had the confidence to know we can get back there.”

A hairy situation

Walt Frazier hasn’t told Gregg Popovich his beard is weird yet, but the story behind it is a bit odd. The word is the Spurs coach was fishing out in the wilderness north of Vancouver this summer. Standing in a stream with his gear weighing him down, he looked to the side and saw a large bear on lunch break.

Apparently “Popovich tartare” was not on the Grizzly’s menu that day, so the Spurs were spared a coaching search.

Pop returned with the growth and, before a recent trim, he was looking more than a bit shaggy. That led San Antonio columnist and former Herald writer Buck Harvey (Tommy Point if you remember him) to wonder whether Popovich was preparing to join ZZ Top on tour.

Alas, the coach cleaned up a bit last week.

“It was a lot longer yesterday,” said Popovich. “I had to look halfway clean, so it wouldn’t look quite so much like I was going to steal something from somebody.”

The bigger concern in South Texas is Manu Ginobili, who is now expected to be back around mid-December from left ankle surgery.

The belief here is that, with a healthy Manu, the Spurs would have met the Celts in the Finals last season. And in pure basketball terms, that would have been a great series.

Lamar Odom owes him one

There haven’t been any great soap opera moments with the Lakers this season. But, bless those guys, they’re trying their best.

The biggest change is Lamar Odom moving to small forward to accommodate Andrew Bynum’s return to the pivot and Pau Gasol’s continuing stay at power forward. But Odom wanted to make clear that he didn’t want to come off the bench.

On media day, he told the L.A. Times that if Phil Jackson thinks he’ll go for that, “he must have woke up and bumped his head. He probably hit his head on something - boom. To start off like that, you’ve got to be out of your rabbit-(butt) mind.”

One problem. Jackson had never talked about bringing in Odom off the pine.

Never mind.

The Big (candy) Apple

It’s only 2008, but the big leader in New York is already gearing up for a campaign years away.

Senator Hillary Clinton?

No. Knicks’ president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh.

It’s not exactly a secret that the Manhattan reconstruction project is looking longingly toward 2010 when the free agent class should include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and other objects of affection.

To be a player for those players, it’d help if the Knicks could find takers for people like Zach Randolph (three years left at nearly $50 million) and Jamal Crawford (three years, $28 million. If you’re willing to accept them - or Eddy Curry (three years at a little more than $31 million) - give Walsh a ring. He’ll take the call.

Meanwhile, new coach Mike D’Antoni is dancing on Broadway.

“We didn’t add that big piece, but these guys themselves can take a big step up,” he said. “I think the talent’s a lot better than I expected. Obviously there’s some stuff we’ve got to do and we’ve got to get a lot better defensively, but we have enough. We have enough.”

Miles from Portland

Here’s hoping Darius Miles finds a place to continue his NBA career. (And Doc Rivers was the one who opened the door to a return here down the line.) There can be no question that Miles has been a knucklehead at times in his previous incarnation, but, according to talk around the Celts, he was sincere when he said, “I’m not an option. I’m just a role player.”

And while he’ll never quite forgive Portland management for trying to box him into retirement (the Blazers had financial incentive), Miles has no problem with the players.

“I’m happy for those guys,” he said. “It’s great to see Greg (Oden) out there playing so well. Me and him were going through a lot of rehab last year, and he’s a great guy. I’ve got a lot of love for him and a lot of those guys - B-Roy (Brandon Roy), a lot of them. I never had any problem with the team. It’s just that there’s a difference between the team and the GM and coaches. I never had a problem with the players.” . . .

Speaking of goofy NBA forwards who used to play in Portland, Rasheed Wallace has changed back to No. 30. He’s worn 36 the last four years in a nod to his brother, who died at the age of 36.

Wallace has actually been reasonably well behaved this preseason. Hamilton has more technicals.

“We say that’s Rip being Rip, but when Sheed is being Sheed, it’s unacceptable,” said new coach Curry. “That’s not right. Sheed is our Manny Ramirez [stats]. Sheed is fine.” . . .

Nobody wins unless everybody wins.

[FLCeltsFan]

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Police rebuke Isiah Thomas for involving daughter

By Herald Wire Services | Sunday, October 26, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
NEW YORK - A suburban police chief likened the conflicting accounts of an accidental overdose at Isiah Thomas’ home to a “cover-up” and rebuked the former New York Knicks coach yesterday for saying it was his teenage daughter who required treatment.

“It wasn’t his daughter,” Harrison Police Chief David Hall told The Associated Press. “And why they’re throwing her under the bus is beyond my ability to understand.”

Authorities were called early Friday to Thomas’ Westchester County home, where police said a 47-year-old man was taken to the hospital and treated for an overdose of sleeping pills. Several media outlets reported that police confirmed it was Thomas who went to the hospital.

But reached on his cell phone Friday, the 47-year-old NBA great told the New York Post he had not been treated for a sleeping pill overdose, and that it was 17-year-old daughter Lauren who had a medical issue.

It “wasn’t an overdose,” he told the newspaper. “My daughter is very down right now. None of us are OK.”

Hall forcefully refuted Thomas’ statement.

“My cops . . . know the difference between a 47-year-old black male and a young black female,” Hall said.

“These people should learn something from Richard Nixon - it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up,” he added.

Voice mails and text messages from the AP were left on Thomas’ cell phone yesterday. Messages left earlier with Thomas’ publicist and attorneys were not returned.

No suicide note was found, and police were classifying the case as an “accidental drug overdose” on “a number” of prescription sleeping pills, Hall said.

Hall would not confirm the identity of the hospitalized man.

Thomas’ 20-year-old son, Joshua, also said it was his sister, not his father, who required treatment.

“He’s fine,” the Indiana University student told the Daily News. “Reports of sleeping pills are false.”

The developments, days before the start of another season, are the latest drama in what has been a difficult year for Thomas.

He was fired as the Knicks coach April 18 after a season of dreadful basketball, a tawdry sexual harassment lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal. Still, he was retained by the organization as an adviser and consultant.

[FLCeltsFan]

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Eastern Conference Preview

By Associated Press | Sunday, October 26, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage
ATLANTIC DIVISION

CELTICS

* LAST SEASON: 66-16, won NBA championship

* COACH: Doc Rivers, fifth season, 10th overall; 339-328

* STARTING FIVE: G Rajon Rondo [stats] (10.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.1 apg), G Ray Allen (17.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.1 apg), F Paul Pierce [stats] (19.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.5 apg), F Kevin Garnett (18.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.4 apg), C Kendrick Perkins [stats] (7.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Bill Walker (trade, Wizards); C Patrick O’Bryant (free agent, Warriors)

* KEY LOSSES: F James Posey (free agent, Hornets), F P.J. Brown (not re-signed)

* OUTLOOK: With little slowdown from the Big Three and another year of experience for Rondo and Perkins, Celtics [team stats] own the best starting five in the NBA. Loss of Posey weakens the bench, an area that may need to be addressed at some point to make a repeat possible

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

* LAST SEASON: 40-42, lost to Detroit 4-2 in first round

* COACH: Maurice Cheeks, fourth season; eighth overall; 275-272

* STARTING FIVE: G Andre Miller (17.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.9 apg), G Andre Iguodala (19.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.8 apg), F Thaddeus Young (8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.8 apg), F Elton Brand (17.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.9 bpg), C Samuel Dalembert (10.5 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.3 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Brand (free agent, Clippers), F Donyell Marshall (free agent, Thunder), C Theo Ratliff [stats] (free agent, Pistons), G Royal Ivey (free agent, Bucks)

* KEY LOSSES: F Rodney Carney (trade, Timberwolves)

* OUTLOOK: Consistently play as hard as any team in the league, and that was good enough to rebound from a dismal start last season and earn a playoff spot. The addition of Brand addresses their biggest weakness, and if they can shoot from the outside, the 76ers could make a big jump up the East standings.

TORONTO RAPTORS

* LAST SEASON: 41-41, lost to Orlando Magic 4-1 in first round

* COACH: Sam Mitchell, fifth season, fifth overall; 148-180

* STARTING FIVE: G Jose Calderon (11.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 8.3 apg), G Anthony Parker (12.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg), F Jamario Moon (8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.2 apg), F Chris Bosh (22.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.6 apg), C Jermaine O’Neal (13.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.1 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: C O’Neal (trade, Pacers)

* KEY LOSSES: G T.J. Ford (trade, Pacers); C Rasho Nesterovic (trade, Pacers); G Carlos Delfino (free agent, Europe) G Juan Dixon (free agent, Wizards); F Jorge Garbajosa (waived)

* OUTLOOK: If the Bosh-O’Neal pairing works, the Raptors have an interior tandem that few teams can match. If not, the Raptors better hope their 3-pointers are falling to carry what doesn’t appear to be a strong defensive club

NEW YORK KNICKS

* LAST SEASON: 23-59, missed playoffs

* COACH: Mike D’Antoni, first season; seventh overall; 267-172

* STARTING FIVE: G Chris Duhon (5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 4.0 apg), G Jamal Crawford (20.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 5.0 apg), F Quentin Richardson (8.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.8 apg), F Zach Randolph (17.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.0 apg), C David Lee (10.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.2 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Duhon (free agent, Bulls); F Danilo Gallinari (draft, No. 6)

* KEY LOSSES: None

* OUTLOOK: Knicks will be a more professional organization under D’Antoni, but they probably don’t have the personnel yet to play his system and win. But after last season’s embarrassing performance on and off the court under Isiah Thomas, New York fans will likely settle for any improvement.

NEW JERSEY NETS

* LAST SEASON: 34-48, missed playoffs

* COACH: Lawrence Frank, sixth season, sixth overall; 191-177

* STARTING FIVE: G Devin Harris (14.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.8 apg), G Vince Carter (21.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.1 apg), F Jarvis Hayes (6.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.8 apg), F Yi Jianlian (8.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.8 apg), C Josh Boone (8.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.8 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Yi (trade, Bucks), F Bobby Simmons (trade, Bucks), F Hayes (free agent, Pistons), G Keyon Dooling (trade, Magic), F Eduardo Najera (free agent, Nuggets), C Brook Lopez (draft, No. 10), G Chris Douglas-Roberts (draft, No. 40)

* KEY LOSSES: F Richard Jefferson (trade, Bucks), F Bostjan Nachbar (free agent, Europe); C Nenad Krstic (free agent, Europe); G Marcus Williams (trade, Warriors)

* OUTLOOK: Nets enter a season without realistic playoff hopes for the first time in years. Recent cost-cutting moves could leave them set up well for the future, so best that could happen for now could be the continued development of young players like Harris and Yi.

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SOUTHEAST DIVISION

ORLANDO MAGIC

* LAST SEASON: 52-30, lost to Detroit 4-1 in Eastern Conference semifinals

* COACH: Stan Van Gundy, second season, fifth overall; 164-103

* STARTING FIVE: G Jameer Nelson (10.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.6 apg), G Mickael Pietrus (7.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg), F Hedo Turkoglu (19.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.0 apg), F Rashard Lewis (18.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg), Dwight Howard (20.7 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Pietrus (free agent, Warriors); G Anthony Johnson (free agent, Kings)

* KEY LOSSES: G Maurice Evans (free agent, Hawks); G Carlos Arroyo (free agent, Europe), G Keyon Dooling (trade, Nets), F Pat Garrity (retired)

* OUTLOOK: With Howard developing into the best center in the East - maybe the NBA - and plenty of excellent perimeter shooters surrounding him, Magic have all the firepower they need to repeat as champions in a weak division.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

* LAST SEASON: 43-39, lost to Cleveland 4-2 in first round

* STARTING FIVE: G Antonio Daniels (8.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.8 apg), G DeShawn Stevenson (11.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.1 apg), F Caron Butler (20.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.9 apg), F Antawn Jamison (21.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.5 apg), C Etan Thomas (out last season)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F JaVale McGee (draft, No. 18); G Juan Dixon (free agent, Raptors), G Dee Brown (free agent, Jazz)

* KEY LOSSES: G Roger Mason (free agent, Spurs)

* COACH: Eddie Jordan, sixth season with Wizards, eighth season overall; 229-278

* OUTLOOK: Wizards have learned to win without Arenas, whose latest knee problem has him sidelined perhaps into 2009. With Haywood now also down, things will be that much tougher. If Butler and Jamison stay at an All-Star level and the role players remain consistent, perhaps Washington can hang on until Arenas and Haywood get back

MIAMI HEAT

* LAST SEASON: 15-67, missed playoffs

* COACH: Erik Spoelstra, first season, first overall

* STARTING FIVE: G Chris Quinn (7.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 apg), G Dwyane Wade (24.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 6.9 apg), F Shawn Marion (15.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.0 spg), F Udonis Haslem (12.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.4 apg), C Mark Blount (8.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.6 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Michael Beasley (draft, No. 2), G Shaun Livingston (free agent, Clippers), G Mario Chalmers (draft, No. 34), F James Jones (free agent, Trail Blazers); C Jamaal Magloire (free agent, Mavericks)

* KEY LOSSES: F Ricky Davis (free agent, Clippers), F Jason Williams (retired)

* OUTLOOK: Heat have a chance to be the NBA’s most improved team - mostly because they fell so far last season. Wade is spectacular, Haslem is steady, and if Marion and Michael Beasley put up the numbers they’re capable of, Miami could make Spoelstra a winner in his rookie season. Jones and Magloire each sustained preseason injuries

ATLANTA HAWKS

* LAST SEASON: 37-45, lost to Celtics Celtics 4-3 in first round of playoffs

* COACH: Mike Woodson, fifth season, fifth overall; 106-222

* STARTING FIVE: G Mike Bibby (13.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.0 apg), G Joe Johnson (21.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.8 apg), F Marvin Williams (14.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 apg), F Josh Smith (17.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.8 bpg, 1.5 spg), C Al Horford (10.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.5 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G-F Maurice Evans (free agent, Magic); G Flip Murray (free agent, Pacers)

* KEY LOSSES: F Josh Childress (free agent, Europe)

* OUTLOOK: After the way they challenged the eventual NBA champion Celtics in the playoffs, there’s no doubt the Hawks have the talent and potential to be a playoff team. Now they need to show it over the course of an entire season.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

* LAST SEASON: 32-50, missed playoffs

* COACH: Larry Brown, first season, 24th overall; 1,010-800

* STARTING FIVE: G Raymond Felton (14.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 7.4 apg), G Jason Richardson (21.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.2 apg), F Gerald Wallace (19.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.1 spg), F Sean May (missed last season), F Emeka Okafor (13.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G D.J. Augustin (draft, No. 9)

* KEY LOSSES: None

* OUTLOOK: Bobcats believe they’ve addressed their biggest need, going for Brown’s coaching experience after taking a shot last season with a first-year coach in Sam Vincent. They’ve been losing money and fans in Charlotte and the only hope to stop that is a good season. There’s enough talent to give the Bobcats hope of that.

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CENTRAL DIVISION

DETROIT PISTONS

* LAST SEASON: 59-23, lost to Celtics 4-2 in Eastern finals

* COACH: Michael Curry, first season, first overall

* STARTING FIVE: G Chauncey Billups (17.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 6.8 apg), G Richard Hamilton (17.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.2 apg), F Tayshaun Prince (13.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.3 apg), F Rasheed Wallace (12.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.7 bpg), C Amir Johnson (3.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: C Kwame Brown (free agent, Grizzlies)

* KEY LOSSES: C Theo Ratliff (free agent, 76ers), F Jarvis Hayes (free agent, Nets), G Lindsey Hunter (not re-signed)

* OUTLOOK: As much as Dumars wanted to do something to shake up his team, he wisely realized the Pistons are too good to change just for the sake of change. With Celtics now clearly on top in the East, perhaps Detroit will be hungrier in the role of hunter instead of hunted

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

* COACH: Mike Brown, fourth season, fourth overall; 145-101

* LAST SEASON: 45-37, lost to Celtics Celtics 4-3 in Eastern Conference semifinals

* STARTING FIVE: G Mo Williams (17.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6.3 apg), G Sasha Pavlovic (7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.6 apg), F LeBron James (30.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 7.2 apg), F Ben Wallace (4.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg), C Zydrunas Ilgauskas (14.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Williams (trade, Bucks); F J.J. Hickson (draft, No. 19)

* KEY LOSSES: F Joe Smith (trade, Thunder), G Damon Jones (free agent, Bucks)

* OUTLOOK: Early holdouts and a rash of injuries kept the Cavs from ever building much momentum last season, yet they came closer than anyone to knocking off the eventual champion Celtics. If Williams is as good as the Cavs expect, another matchup with Celtics could come this season in the East finals.

CHICAGO BULLS

* LAST SEASON: 33-49, missed playoffs

* COACH: Vinny Del Negro, first season, first overall

* STARTING FIVE: G Derrick Rose (rookie), G Kirk Hinrich (11.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.0 apg), F Luol Deng (17.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 apg), F Tyrus Thomas (6.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 apg), C Drew Gooden (12.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.2 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Rose (draft, No. 1)

* KEY LOSSES: G Chris Duhon (free agent, Knicks)

* OUTLOOK: The NBA’s biggest disappointment last season, when the Bulls were considered a favorite to win the East and instead never challenged for a playoff spot. They appear to still have the offensive problems that plagued them, even after lucking out in the draft lottery and earning the right to pick Rose.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

* LAST SEASON: 26-56, missed playoffs

* COACH: Scott Skiles, first season, 10th overall; 281-251

* STARTING FIVE: G Luke Ridnour (6.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 4.0 apg), G Michael Redd (22.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg), F Richard Jefferson (22.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.1 apg), F Charlie Villanueva (11.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg; 1.0 apg), C Andrew Bogut (14.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.6 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Jefferson (trade, Nets), G Ridnour (trade, Thunder), F Joe Alexander (draft, No. 8), G Tyronn Lue (free agent, Mavericks), F Francisco Elson (free agent, Thunder)

* KEY LOSSES: G Mo Williams (trade, Cavaliers), F Yi Jianlian (trade, Nets), F Desmond Mason (trade, Thunder), F Bobby Simmons (trade, Nets)

* OUTLOOK: Bucks will have no problem scoring, but won’t become a playoff contender again until they become a good defensive team. With Skiles as the coach, they should start making progress toward that this season.

INDIANA PACERS

* LAST SEASON: 36-46, missed playoffs

* COACH: Jim O’Brien, second season, seventh overall; 218-204

* STARTING FIVE: G T.J. Ford (12.1 ppg, 6.1 apg, 1.1 spg), G Danny Granger (19.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 apg), Mike Dunleavy (19.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.5 apg), F Troy Murphy (12.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.2 apg), C Rasho Nesterovic (7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Ford (trade, Raptors); C Nesterovic (trade, Raptors); G Jarrett Jack (trade, Trail Blazers); G Brandon Rush (trade, Trail Blazers), C Roy Hibbert (trade, Raptors)

* KEY LOSSES: F Jermaine O’Neal (trade, Raptors); F Shawne Williams (trade, Mavericks); G Flip Murray (free agent, Hawks)

* OUTLOOK: Even with injuries and more off-the-court troubles last season, Pacers still nearly rallied to make the playoffs in the East. If Ford stays healthy and their trades work out, Indiana could get back into the postseason hunt.

[FLCeltsFan]

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Western Conference Preview

By Associated Press | Sunday, October 26, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage
HOUSTON ROCKETS

* LAST SEASON: 55-27, lost to Utah 4-2 in first round

* COACH: Rick Adelman, second season, 18th overall; 807-508

* STARTING FIVE: G Rafer Alston (13.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.3 apg), G Tracy McGrady (21.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.9 apg), F Ron Artest (20.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.3 spg), Luis Scola (10.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.3 apg), C Yao Ming (22.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Artest (trade, Kings); G Brent Barry (free agent, Spurs)

* KEY LOSSES: G Bobby Jackson (trade, Kings)

* OUTLOOK: The Artest trade gives McGrady the best chance he’s ever had to advance in the playoffs. However, that assumes the Rockets stay healthy, and that’s been a problem for this team. McGrady already warned that he’s still got nagging injuries, and Shane Battier began the preseason on the bench

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

* LAST SEASON: 56-26, lost to San Antonio 4-3 in Western semifinals

* COACH: Byron Scott, fifth season, ninth overall; 300-316

* STARTING FIVE: G Chris Paul (21.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 11.6 apg, 2.7 spg), G Morris Peterson (8.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.9 apg), F Peja Stojakovic (16.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg), F David West (20.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.3 apg), C Tyson Chandler (11.8 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F James Posey (free agent, Celtics [team stats]), G Devin Brown (free agent, Cavaliers)

* KEY LOSSES: G Jannero Pargo (free agent, Europe), G/F Bonzi Wells (not re-signed)

* OUTLOOK: Key players stayed healthy last season, Hornets finally developed a home-court advantage in New Orleans, and the result was the best success in team history. Then added a proven winner in Posey, and they have hopes of helping him win his third ring in four years.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

* LAST SEASON: 56-26, lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in Western Conference finals

* COACH: Gregg Popovich, 13th season; 632-302

* STARTING FIVE: G Tony Parker (18.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.0 apg), G Michael Finley (10.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.4 apg), F Bruce Bowen (6.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg), F Tim Duncan (19.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.8 apg), C Fabricio Oberto (4.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.2 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Roger Mason (free agent, Wizards), G Salim Stoudamire (free agent, Hawks)

* KEY LOSSES: G Brent Barry (free agent, Rockets), F Robert Horry (not re-signed)

* OUTLOOK: Wouldn’t come as a surprise to see a fifth NBA title in 11 years, but with leading scorer Manu Ginobili until mid-December after Olympics ankle injury, they coluld just as easily silp to the lower half of loaded division.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

* LAST SEASON: 51-31, lost to New Orleans 4-1 in first round

* COACH: Rick Carlisle, first season, seventh overall; 281-211

* STARTING FIVE: G Jason Kidd (10.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 10.1 apg), G Antoine Wright (6.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg), F Josh Howard (19.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.2 apg), F Dirk Nowitzki (23.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.5 apg), C Erick Dampier (6.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: C DeSagana Diop (free agent, Nets), F Shawne Williams (trade, Pacers)

* KEY LOSSES: G Eddie Jones (trade, Pacers)

* OUTLOOK: The Kidd trade didn’t work for the Mavs, ending in another brief playoff appearance. But with a whole season for the point guard to learn how to get the most out of the players around him, Dallas hopes to return toward the top of the West standings

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES:

* LAST SEASON: 22-60, missed playoffs

* COACH: Marc Iavaroni, second season, 22-60

* STARTING FIVE: G Mike Conley (9.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.2 apg), G O.J. Mayo (rookie), F Rudy Gay (20.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 apg), F Hakim Warrick (11.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.7 apg), C Marc Gasol (rookie)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Mayo (trade, Timberwolves), G Marko Jaric (trade, Timberwolves), F Antoine Walker (trade, Timberwolves), F Quinton Ross (free agent, Clippers), F-C Gasol (trade, Lakers)

* KEY LOSSES: G Mike Miller (trade, Timberwolves), G Juan Carlos Navarro (free agent, Europe)

* OUTLOOK: Plenty to be excited about in Memphis, including the star potential for Mayo and Gay. But that’s all for later on. For now, the Grizzlies are a young team playing in the toughest division in the league, and that means lots of losses

---

PACIFIC DIVISION

LOS ANGELES LAKERS:

* LAST SEASON: 57-25, lost to Celtics 4-2 in NBA finals

* COACH: Phil Jackson, fourth season, 18th overall; 976-418

* STARTING FIVE: G Derek Fisher (11.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.9 apg), G Kobe Bryant (28.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.4 apg), F Lamar Odom (14.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.6 apg), F Pau Gasol (18.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.2 apg), C Andrew Bynum (13.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.1 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: None

* KEY LOSSES: F Ronny Turiaf (free agent, Warriors)

* OUTLOOK: They’ve got the best guard in the game when Bryant gets healthy, but hopes of getting back to the finals lie in thefrontcourt. Bynum has to show he’s all the way back, he and Gasol must demonstrate they can play together, while Odom has to adjust to playing away from the basket.

PHOENIX SUNS

* LAST SEASON: 55-27, lost to San Antonio 4-1 in first round of playoffs

* COACH: Terry Porter, first season, third overall; 71-93

* STARTING FIVE: G Steve Nash (16.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 11.1 apg), G Raja Bell (11.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.2 apg), F Grant Hill (13.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.9 apg), F Amare Stoudemire (25.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg), C Shaquille O’Neal (13.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Matt Barnes (free agent, Warriors); C Robin Lopez (draft, No. 15)

* KEY LOSSES: F Brian Skinner (free agent, Clippers)

* OUTLOOK: They won’t be as entertaining as they were under Mike D’Antoni, and with a lineup filled with players whose best days seem behind them, they won’t be as good, either.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

* LAST SEASON: 48-34, missed playoffs

* COACH: Don Nelson, third season, 30th overall; 1,280-954

* STARTING FIVE: G C.J. Watson (3.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.1 apg)/Monta Ellis (20.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.9 apg), G Corey Maggette (22.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.7 apg), F Stephen Jackson (20.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.1 apg), Al Harrington (13.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 apg), C Andris Biedrins (10.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Maggette (free agent, Clippers), F Ronny Turiaf (free agent, Lakers), F Anthony Randolph (draft, No. 14), G Marcus Williams (trade, Nets.)

* KEY LOSSES: G Baron Davis (free agent, Clippers); F Mickael Pietrus (free agent, Magic); F Matt Barnes (free agent, Suns)

* OUTLOOK: Essentially lost two point guards over the summer, with Davis leaving and Ellis sidelining himself for perhaps a couple of months with his injury in a moped accident. Until he gets back and up to speed, it falls to Maggette and Jackson to keep the Warriors’ offense rolling.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

* LAST SEASON: 23-59, missed playoffs

* COACH: Mike Dunleavy, sixth season, 16th overall; 573-625

* STARTING FIVE: G Baron Davis (21.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 7.6 apg), G Cuttino Mobley (12.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Al Thornton (12.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 apg), F Marcus Camby (9.1 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 3.6 bpg), C Chris Kaman (15.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 2.8 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Davis (free agent, Warriors), F Camby (trade, Nuggets), G/F Ricky Davis (free agent, Heat), G Eric Gordon (draft, No. 7),

* KEY LOSSES: F Elton Brand (free agent, 76ers), G/F Corey Maggette (free agent, Warriors), G Jason Williams (retired)

* OUTLOOK: No question the Clippers were busy over the summer, but difficult to tell if they got back more than they lost in Brand and Maggette. Baron Davis improves the offense and Camby bolsters the defense, but both have injury histories, a familiar problem for the Clippers lately.

SACRAMENTO KINGS:

* LAST SEASON: 38-44, missed playoffs

* COACH: Reggie Theus, second season, 38-44

* STARTING FIVE: G Beno Udrih (12.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.3 apg), G Kevin Martin (23.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg), F John Salmons (12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Mikki Moore (8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg), C Brad Miller (13.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.7 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Bobby Jackson (trade, Rockets), F Jason Thompson (draft, No. 12), G Bobby Brown (free agent, Europe)

* KEY LOSSES: F Ron Artest (trade, Rockets)

* OUTLOOK: A team that played hard under Theus might have been a factor in the West playoff race last season if it was healthy. But after trading Artest so soon after dealing Mike Bibby, Kings are left with a pretty weak lineup beyond Martin

---

NORTHWEST DIVISION

UTAH JAZZ

* LAST SEASON: 54-28, lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 in second round of playoffs

* COACH: Jerry Sloan, 21st season, 24th season overall; 1,089-717

* STARTING FIVE: G Deron Williams (18.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 10.5 apg), G Ronnie Brewer (12.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.8 apg), F C.J. Miles (5.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.9 apg), F Carlos Boozer (21.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.9 apg), C Mehmet Okur (14.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.0 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Brevin Knight (trade, Clippers)

* KEY LOSSES: G Jason Hart (trade, Clippers)

* OUTLOOK: With two Olympians in Williams and Boozer, a deep bench and one of the league’s best home-court advantages, Jazz seem set up for a deep playoff run. Must show they can win on the road after inexcusable 17-24 mark last season.

DENVER NUGGETS

* LAST SEASON: 50-32, lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in first round of playoffs

* COACH: George Karl, fifth season, 21st overall; 879-614

* STARTING FIVE: G Anthony Carter (7.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.5 apg), G Allen Iverson [stats] (26.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 7.2 apg, 2.0 spg), F Carmelo Anthony (25.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.4 apg), F Kenyon Martin (12.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg), C Nene (5.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Chris Andersen (free agent, Hornets)

* KEY LOSSES: C Marcus Camby (trade, Clippers), F Eduardo Najera (free agent, Nets)

* OUTLOOK: Barely grabbed the No. 8 spot last season, and even getting that again will be difficult after giving Camby away. Will need plenty of scoring from Anthony and Iverson to keep pace in the West.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

* LAST SEASON: 41-41, missed playoffs

* COACH: Nate McMillan, fourth season, ninth overall; 306-335

* STARTING FIVE: G Steve Blake (8.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.1 apg), G Brandon Roy (19.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.8 apg), F Travis Outlaw (13.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.3 apg), F LaMarcus Aldridge (17.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg), C Greg Oden (rookie)

* KEY ADDITIONS: C Oden (injured all last season), G Rudy Fernandez (trade, Suns), G Jerryd Bayless (trade, Pacers), F Ike Diogu (trade, Pacers), G-F Nicolas Batum (trade, Rockets)

* KEY LOSSES: G Jarrett Jack (trade, Pacers), F James Jones (free agent, Heat)

* OUTLOOK: Should continue to improve, but the league’s longest playoff drought could last a fifth season in the deep West. Still, with Oden, Blazers will be back in postseason soon, and with the best young core in the league, it won’t be long before they’re advancing far in it.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

* LAST SEASON: 22-60, missed playoffs

* COACH: Randy Wittman, third season, fifth overall; 92-196

* STARTING FIVE: G Randy Foye (13.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.2 apg), G Rashad McCants (14.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.2 apg), F Mike Miller (16.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 3.4 apg), F Kevin Love (rookie), C Al Jefferson [stats] (21.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: F Love (trade, Grizzlies), F Miller (trade, Grizzlies), F Rodney Carney (trade, 76ers)

* KEY LOSSES: G Marko Jaric (trade, Grizzlies), F Antoine Walker (trade, Grizzlies)

* OUTLOOK: With good inside-outside balance and an emerging star in Jefferson, the Timberwolves would have hopes of competing for a playoff spot if they played in the East. Instead, they’ll have to settle for trying to be competitive against the West powers and continue building for the future

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

* LAST SEASON: 20-62, missed playoffs as Seattle SuperSonics

* COACH: P.J. Carlesimo, second season, eighth overall; 203-284

* STARTING FIVE: G Earl Watson (10.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 6.8 apg), G Kevin Durant (20.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.4 apg), F Jeff Green (10.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 apg), F Chris Wilcox (13.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.2 apg), C Nick Collison (9.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.5 apg)

* KEY ADDITIONS: G Russell Westbrook (draft, No. 4), F Desmond Mason (trade, Bucks), F Joe Smith (trade, Cavaliers)

* KEY LOSSES: G Luke Ridnour (trade, Bucks)

* OUTLOOK: Endured a miserable experience last season, losing and dealing with the constant uncertainity about their future in Seattle. The losing will continue, but at least it should come in a friendlier environment

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/10/26/horseman_stabilized_celtics?mode=PF
Horseman stabilized Celtics
By Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist | October 26, 2008

Harry Mangurian was a big man with the ponies. I really had no idea just how big until he died last Sunday and the tributes came pouring in.

I guess all you need to know is that he won the 2001 Eclipse Award of Merit for his lifetime contributions to the sport of thoroughbred racing. I learned how he was the leading North American breeder by earnings four consecutive years (1999-2002), that he was the leading breeder by individual stakes winners from 1999-2001, and that he was twice recognized as the national Breeder of the Year (1998, 2000) by the Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association.

And all I knew was that he owned a horse farm in Florida.

All of this is very interesting. To me, Harry Mangurian was the guy who saved the Boston Celtics from being turned into the Anchorage Iceboxes or Key West Keystone Kops by buying out John Y. Brown. If that guy had maintained any kind of influence with the team, Red Auerbach really would have gone to New York, Larry Bird would never have signed here, and there is a very real possibility the Boston Celtics would have ceased to exist.

So, yes, say a prayer for the man, or whatever it is you do to honor the distinguished deceased. Harry T. Mangurian was a very important figure in the history of Boston sports.

"That was a very dark and difficult time in the history of the franchise," asserts Jan Volk, then the Celtics' assistant general manager and later, of course, the successor to Auerbach as GM. "I think Harry Mangurian is underappreciated and under-recognized for who he was and what he did for the team at that particular point in time. Some of it was circumstantial, but he certainly provided a necessary alternative to John Y."

"He was an owner at a very interesting time," said NBA commissioner David Stern. "He had a colorful and interesting partner, and he was a key component in holding that team together at a very difficult time."

The Mangurian money had come from a family furniture store in Rochester, N.Y. Harry T. Mangurian Jr., born 1926, died 2008, parlayed the money he made from the store into a merger with the General Portland Cement Company. He had interests in banking, real estate, and construction. He founded Drexel Investments Inc., a Fort Lauderdale-based firm that constructed and sold 10,000 units in South Florida.

He entered sports by buying into the Buffalo Braves, who were, for a brief time, an important part of the fabric of life in Western New York. He was John Y. Brown's partner in the great team swap of 1978, when Irv Levin bought the Braves from them and moved the franchise to San Diego, with the two Buffalo owners assuming control of the Celtics. The man who brokered that deal was a bright young league counsel named David Stern.

John Y. Brown was the bombastic big mouth married to the Miss America/CBS-TV personality, Phyllis George. Harry Mangurian was the so-called "silent partner." (With John Y., there was no other kind). He wasn't exactly the loquacious type, but he had excellent powers of observation, and he must have recognized what his partner was doing to this historic franchise and knew only he could stop Brown from destroying it.

Accordingly, he bought out Brown when the latter decided to run for governor of Kentucky and was in firm control of the team when it came time to sign the No. 1 draft pick from 1978 before a calendar year expired, or the Celtics would lose the rights to Indiana State star Larry Bird.

There is a longstanding urban myth that Harry muscled aside his GM to take control of the Bird negotiations with agent Bob Woolf. Not quite, says Volk.

"But he played a role, absolutely," Volk recalls. "He was the owner. He had to play a role. He didn't do any of the negotiations that I know of. But it was the biggest rookie contract in the history of the league and it had to be approved by the owner. He had to take the risk on it."

"Horses," Bird says. "That's the first thing I think of with Harry Mangurian. I remember being in contract negotiations and he said he couldn't pay me that number because it was more than one of his horses was worth. It gave me a good laugh."

Though Mangurian may have started out as John Y's "silent partner," Volk quickly discovered after Mangurian took charge that he was now working for a demanding and inquisitive owner.

"He was a very, very strong-minded guy," says Volk. "He was a hands-on, active owner. He wanted to know everything that was going on, and we would talk for hours every day, more than once."

"He was a complete gentleman," remembers Stern. "He was protective of the Celtics and viewed them as under constant assault from the Lakers and the Knicks."

Volk's first major experience with Mangurian came when John Y. personally traded three No. 1 picks that had been carefully collected by Auerbach to the Knicks for Bob McAdoo.

"That deal was done without Red's input or approval, and, in fact, with Red's disapproval," Volk explains.

That was bad enough. But when Mangurian discovered that as part of the deal the Celtics would be assuming a rather large financial obligation to McAdoo that carried over from the contract he had originally signed with Buffalo, he said no.

"He said to me, 'I don't care how you get it done; that has to go away,' " Volk says. "He was decisive and he was smart."

He was probably the most stable owner the Celtics had known since Walter Brown, and now we're going back to the mid '60s. He was the owner when the Celtics went from 29 victories in 1978-79 to 61 in 1979-80 and then to a 14th championship the following year. He just wasn't in it for the long haul, selling the team to the triumvirate of Donald Gaston, Alan Cohen, and Paul Dupee for $18 million in 1983 and then heading down to Florida for good. That was more than 150 stakes winners ago.

Messrs. Gaston, Cohen, and Dupee rode the NBA wave before selling to the current ownership for $360 million. No one ever heard Harry Mangurian complain. He liked his horses and he liked his life in Florida. But it is too bad people forgot about him, because every Celtics fan owes him thanks.

"He was the right guy at the right moment for the Celtics franchise," maintains Volk. "It's fortuitous that he was there."

Save a little spot for him in your Winner's Circle of Boston sports, OK?

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/10/26/giddens_deals_with_ups_downs?mode=PF
Giddens deals with ups, downs
By Julian Benbow, Globe Staff | October 26, 2008

You can look at the Celtics' opening night roster through a few different lenses, but rookie J.R. Giddens sees it one way: shrinking.

There are 15 spots in all, but only 12 active, and more and more he finds himself thinking about where he'll fit in.

The NBA Development League is an option, but that's still hard to grasp for a first-round pick. As up in the air as Giddens is, he knows how he's supposed to handle the situation. It's just not easy.

Giddens is one of five Celtics eligible for the D-League, along with Glen Davis, Semih Erden, Gabe Pruitt, and Bill Walker. No matter how Giddens plays, or how much tape he watches, or how many reps he gets in practice, the ex-New Mexico star can't do any more to convince the team not to send him to Utah.

He talks about how he can't dwell on it and how just being affiliated with the Celtics is a blessing. But he looks like he's trying to talk himself into it.

"I know I'm going to have some ups and downs," he said. "Might be in the D-League, might not. Being injured. Not being injured. Playing good. Playing bad. You've just got to keep fighting to get better."

Pruitt had three stints in the D-League last season with Utah. In the third trip, he averaged 20.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.2 steals. The Celtics brought him up at the end of the season so he could practice with the regulars.

He's talked to Giddens about the experience.

"It's a process," Pruitt said. "If they send you down, it's not that they don't like you, it's that they want to get you better and do what's best for you. No one's happy to go down. But you've got to keep your attitude up."

At the same time, Pruitt doesn't want to spend any more time there.

"Obviously," he said. "This year, I don't want to make that move again. I want to take a step forward."

In the end, the decision is coach Doc Rivers's.

"It's no fun cutting, it's no fun telling someone they're going to the D-League, or they're on the injured list," Rivers said. "It's no fun, but it's a part of our job, it's a part of the business. We just tell them to keep working. You hope they get it, but if they don't get it, they still have to do it. As long as they do it with character."

Of the preseason in general, Giddens said, "I'm really trying to figure it out. It's hard for me to adjust to everything. It shows in my play. I don't have confidence in my movements, my actions offensively. Defensively I feel like I have confidence, but you have to play both ends of the floor. I haven't had a lot of playing time with a lot of these guys, so I don't have a lot of chemistry."

"He works every day," Rivers said. "Some days he gets frustrated. Most college guys, they want to play the way they played in college. No. 1, they can't do what they did in college, but they think they can still do it. No. 2, there are probably better players on the team than them, and for the first time in their lives, they have to be role players."

They are all lessons Giddens is slowly learning.

"Some things are just out of your control," he said. "What I can control is me and how I act towards situations, react to different things that occur in my life. You have no choice but to get through it."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/10/26/big_rebound_on_tap?mode=PF
Big rebound on tap
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | October 26, 2008

"How's your body feeling? How's your knee? How's your ankle? What do you think the team's going to do this year? What do you think you're going to do this year? Have you gotten any advice from big men or people in the league about this year?"

Those are the questions being answered over and over by heralded Trail Blazers rookie center Greg Oden. Keep in mind that Oden has been answering the same questions for more than a year, since he didn't play in 2007-08 after having knee surgery. So if he seems a little uptight, it might be because he's understandably tired of the questions, the hype, and the pressure.

Basically, the next great NBA center is ready to just play.

"That's exactly where I'm at," said Oden. "I just want the season to start, for myself to start playing, and for the season to start going."

This year's impact rookies include Chicago's Derrick Rose, Miami's Michael Beasley, Memphis's O.J. Mayo, Minnesota's Kevin Love, and New York's Danilo Gallinari. But the No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft trumps them all, for good reason.

Oden owns a rare combination of power, grace, nastiness, athleticism, inside scoring ability, defensive dominance, and Kevin Garnett-like humility. Bill Russell would love this kid. Last Wednesday, the 7-foot, 285-pounder forced veteran Clippers center Chris Kaman under the basket early in a preseason game and dunked hard over him.

Oh yeah, Oden is also just 20 years old.

Oden's arrival is the most anticipated in the NBA since LeBron James in 2003. His debut will be a high-profile one, as he'll square off with Lakers center Andrew Bynum on national television Tuesday night.

The pressure - not only to become a superstar but to make the young and unproven Blazers a power immediately - is understandably great for Oden.

"It's a lot of pressure," Oden said. "It's kind of difficult. But all I do is try to make myself better and keep myself grounded. I know it's going to take some time. I'm going to try my hardest.

"It would be good if we were good enough to win a championship this year. It would be lovely. But most likely, it may not happen like that. But we're working and we're working to the point that it will happen."

The good news for Oden is that he has an All-Star guard in Brandon Roy and a future All-Star in forward LaMarcus Aldridge to play alongside. Don't be surprised if the unselfish Oden scores less than Roy and Aldridge, since double-teams will be the norm for him.

"[Roy] is one of those guys that you love to have on your team," Oden said. "Anything goes wrong, just give him the ball and go away, him and LaMarcus. It's a good thing to have those two guys on my team.

"It's good that a lot of people are paying attention to me because those guys are getting a lot of shots. If someone isn't helping off of me, it gives them more room to go to the hole or do what they need to do."

But even with all the pressure, don't feel too bad for Oden. This giant is the real deal. If anything, feel bad for the unfortunate opposing centers who will soon see what all the hype is about. Beware, Bynum. You're first on the list.

"You can add Portland to the mix now [of Western Conference powers] with a healthy Oden, a rookie sensation," said Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

This former player whistles while he works
There was a former NBA player on the floor with a whistle during the Celtics' preseason game against Cleveland in Pittsburgh Oct. 14: Haywoode Workman. But when you saw the likes of Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce voicing their displeasure with some of his calls, you knew Workman was being viewed strictly as a referee now.

The eight-year NBA veteran, who played against Pierce, Garnett, Ray Allen, and Sam Cassell, is a rookie referee this season. Workman says he probably played with or was coached by "a fourth of the league," but that he has played against only about "10 percent" of the current players.

Workman began thinking about becoming a referee after crossing paths with longtime referee Bob Delaney in 2001. He earned his stripes by refereeing Pro-Am leagues in Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, the Continental Basketball Association, the NBA summer league in Boston, and the NBA Development League.

He was one of three referees hired in the NBA this season.

Being an ex-player, he said, "is a positive and a negative. The credibility on the floor, that's the positive. They can relate. And if my partner has a foul, they're going to call me, and if I can validate [the call], that brings some credibility.

"At the same time, stop calling my name because you know me. Let me work."

Open season
How the last three NBA champions have fared on opening night:

2005: San Antonio beat Denver, 102-91

2006: Miami lost to Chicago, 108-66

2007: San Antonio beat Portland, 106-97

The number
38-24
The Celtics' all-time record on opening night.

Etc.
Adding insult to injury?: While the Celtics have been praising Darius Miles, two NBA general managers said the Blazers have been bad-mouthing the free agent forward to potential suitors. Miles was hampered by injuries and off-the-court problems during his five seasons in Portland and was waived April 14. But if he plays in 10 games over the next two seasons, the Blazers will be on the hook for $18 million in salary. Miles was cut by the Celtics last week in his bid to return after missing two seasons but he is getting inquiries from other teams. "He can still play and he also hasn't played in two years, so you have to understand that he will get better," one NBA GM said. "Too bad Portland is putting out bad information that he is not a good kid. Anything and everything they can say bad they are. It's too bad. He's a nice kid with a bad injury who has fought back. Right now, he's still an NBA player and he's going to get better. He's going to improve. It will be a smart pick-up for someone." The Blazers declined comment on the accusation. When asked about Miles being waived by the Celtics, Blazers coach Nate McMillan said, "That situation, it's behind us. What he was doing in Boston, that's behind us. He's no longer with us."

Ask Dr. Phil: Lakers coach Phil Jackson on the Celtics: "They lost a couple guys, P.J. [ Brown] and [James ] Posey, that fit in their rotation. They'll be a team that has to be watched. I don't know if they'll start off the same way they started last [season]. But they're certainly a good team and they'll be around there." On the difference between his championship teams with Chicago and Los Angeles that repeated and those that didn't repeat: "There's a sense of what it takes, the dedication. The toughest thing is whether you want to put that much effort forth again. Staying healthy, that's the key. It puts the team in jeopardy for injuries because of the long, extended play of the playoffs."

Rusty or ready?: The Clippers have exciting newcomers in guard Baron Davis, forward/center Marcus Camby, and rookies Eric Gordon, Mike Taylor, and DeAndre Jordan. But with Davis (hand injury) playing only one preseason game and Camby (heel) not playing any, the Clippers may need time to jell and could be susceptible to a slow start. "When you have good talent and smart basketball players, it doesn't take a lot of time," Davis said. "I'm just working out, getting ready. "It just takes the right attitude and right sacrifice." Camby, the ex-UMass star, said, "We have four or five days of practice. Hopefully, we can get a lot accomplished and just be ready to roll."

Nugget of wisdom: Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 25.7 points last season, is suspended for the first two games of the season as punishment for an April arrest on suspicion of drunk driving. Asked about Anthony's absence, Nuggets guard Allen Iverson said, "We just have to stay together and do what we've been doing the whole time throughout training camp and preseason. We understand that we are missing a great player, but we want to make him proud of us. We have to go out there and get it done."

A jump start: One knock on Hornets center Tyson Chandler has been that he is limited offensively; he averaged 11.8 points last season, 8 points during the playoffs. Chandler, however, said he worked hard in the offseason to add the 15-foot jumper that he believes will open up his game offensively. "Once you start knocking that down, the whole world opens up," Chandler said. "I have it from 15 feet and in. I've been working on my post moves because once you start hitting [jumpers], it will give you some drives, and some post moves will open up." A toe injury kept Chandler from being an alternate on the US Olympic team, and he did not make the trip to Beijing. "They wanted me come into training camp," Chandler said. "But I didn't want to be a part of it because it was going to hurt, me just sitting there."

Special touches: Kevin Garnett will wear a special edition Adidas shoe for Tuesday's season opener; only 17 pairs were made, to commemorate the Celtics' 17 championships. Each pair will be signed by Garnett and auctioned off online to raise money for the Celtics Shamrock Fund. The Celtics will also wear a special edition white, gold, and green jersey on opening night that features a championship patch, as well as gold detailing on the front and back. Comcast SportsNet and Jack Daniels are sponsoring a pregame party that is open to the public at Johnnie's On the Side (138 Portland Street) from 5-7 p.m. that night.

Speak up: "We saw the renewals, which I think are pretty good; new season-ticket sales are pretty good; partial plans, pretty good. They may not be the historic high levels where they like them, and much of this will depend on individual markets where the economy impacts, and it may affect their group sales or their day-of-game sales. But we don't know that yet, and we'll see how the season begins before I can speak intelligently to that subject." - Commissioner David Stern, asked which teams will face financial problems because of the economic downturn.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/10/player_profile_12.html
Player profile: Patrick O'Bryant
Email|Link|Comments (2) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff October 25, 2008 12:11 PM
This is the 13th in a series of profiles for all 15 players on the current Celtics roster. We'll profile at least one player each day leading up to the season opener on Tuesday.

Patrick O'Bryant


Patrick O'Bryant blocks a shot by Knicks center Eddy Curry during the second half of their preseason game in Boston. (AP)
Born: June 20, 1986
Height: 7 feet 0 inches. Weight: 250
College: Bradley
Years pro: 2
Acquired: Signed as free agent in 2008 (Drafted No. 9 overall by Golden State in 2006)
2008/2009 salary: $1.5 million
Signed through: 2009-2010
Last year's numbers: 1.5 ppg, 0.2 apg, 1.2 rpg in 24 games

Strengths: As Jay Bilas would say, O'Bryant is long. He uses his length to post up over smaller players, and it also allows him to recover and block shots on defense. It was evident this preseason that O'Bryant (what a name for a Celtic, huh?) is no 7-foot stiff. He has solid footwork and good hands. And he's got a good shooting touch from 8-10 feet out.

Weaknesses: When the No. 9 pick in the NBA draft plays just 40 games in his first two seasons, as O'Bryant did in Golden State, questions about work ethic and motivation are bound to crop up. He seems to have the necessary skills, but O'Bryant hasn't proven anything at the NBA level. He's built more like Pau Gasol than Kendrick Perkins, so some added muscle might go a long way.

What to expect: The Celtics aren't blessed with depth at the center position; O'Bryant is really the only true center on the roster after Perkins. That's not to say that Kevin Garnett, Leon Powe, and Glen Davis won't man the middle at times, but O'Bryant's going to get minutes. It'll be interesting to see what he does with them. Don't be shocked if the Celtics use the combination of Powe and Davis in lieu of the 7-footer.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x1395943473/Megliola-These-Celtics-will-be-worth-watching
Megliola: These Celtics will be worth watching
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By Lenny Megliola/Daily News staff
MetroWest Daily News
Posted Oct 25, 2008 @ 10:45 PM

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This is for sure. When the Celtics open up the season Tuesday night, they will leave the Garden a little heavier than when they arrived, the weight of their championship rings accounting for the difference.

Owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca have been waiting for this ring thing ever since they bought the team. You can bet the jewelry they spent a bundle on, to be handed out by commissioner David Stern, will be top of the line. Uber-Bling!

It'll be a night long in coming, and not expected, until Danny Ainge changed the culture of the downtrodden franchise (24 wins the previous season) by bringing in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, James Posey and P.J. Brown. Let's see how this works out, Ainge was thinking. He was running out of ideas.

In the scheme of things that places teams as having a reasonable shot of making it to the NBA Finals, the Celtics were players again. When they got there, they obliterated the Lakers. This only made it sweeter around here. Beat the Yankees. Beat the Canadiens. Beat the Lakers. This stuff goes back a long way.

So now what? Keep in mind, when the newly-bejeweled Celtics leave the building Tuesday night, they'll still be the Third Team In Town. Fans have the Patriots and Red Sox in mind almost year round. The Celtics only come to mind in season. And that was even stretching it for years because it was clear they had no shot of doing much in the playoffs, if they made the playoffs.

It's different now for the Celtics, but how much different? Winning the title certainly gives them cachet. Like Fenway and Gillette, there will be no empty seats at the Garden. How many cities can claim that trifecta?

You'd think a full house every night would speak to the Celtics' popularity. Not so fast. If you really want to gauge the pulse of a team to determine its proper impact on a region, you have to check out who's talking about that team, when, where and how often. Monday mornings the Patriots, win or lose, are going to be discussed around office water coolers, in coffee shops and on sports radio. Same with the Red Sox, and we're talking dissecting all 162 games!

This passion doesn't apply to the Celtics. Yes, the merger of Pierce/Garnett/Allen brought resonance with the fan base long used to Celtics' mediocrity, or worse. Right off, the three stars squashed their egos. The team got off to a great start. Fans were keeping closer tabs. The local TV and radio ratings soared. Fans found out how good Mike Gorman and Sean Grande were. The Celtics were no longer excluded from playing on national TV. The Celtics became part of the discussion on WEEI. John Ryder's Celtics Rewind show after the games became a hot button.

Fine, but it's the day-to-day attention the Pats and Red Sox have that the Celtics lack. It never crosses anyone's mind to talk basketball in the streets or saloons or during dinner. Red Sox and Pats talk, any time is fine. When it comes to post-seasons, even the clergy is likely to send a hopeful shout out to the Red Sox and Patriots before or after a sermon. I didn't hear any of that for the Celtics at my house of worship last spring when the playoffs began.

Still, it was a great May/June. The Celtics had all the attention they craved. The Red Sox hadn't reached midseason. The Patriots hadn't even started. This town loves parades. The Celtics made the city crank up the duck boats again.

This team is stacked enough to provide another parade, even though a poll of the league's general managers emphatically shows they don't think that's going to happen. The Lakers are the pick. They've got Andrew Bynum back and the Celtics don't have James Posey. Big plus/minus factor there. The GMs think the Celtics are one-timers. Sports Illustrated has the Celtics losing to the Spurs in the Finals.

Let's see how The Big Three's Act II plays out.

Can Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen want it as bad as they did a year ago, or do they feel they've made their point; is another title too much to ask for? They are the targets now. The defending champs. It's all going to be harder. Pierce, Garnett and Allen will have to stay healthy. That's a resolute given. The growth curve of Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Glen Davis is ongoing, and that's a good thing.

Eddie House lacks a conscience. That's a good thing too, when you shoot from a different area code. Maybe rookies Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens can bring something to the table. Same for seven-footer Patrick O'Bryant, two years in the league with nothing to show for it. Tony Allen has a shot to grab the minutes that Posey commanded (and play similar D). Sam Cassell still thinks he can play with the children, but young Gabe Pruitt will be the backup point guard. Brian Scalabrine is the world's highest-paid cheerleader.

It starts Tuesday night with the rings. The Celtics are still No. 3 in town. They can only move the needle so much, no matter what they do. Still, we're lucky to have 'em. In another town they might be kings. In Boston they're just part of the tapestry. But it's all right. There is room.

And somebody's watching.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/pros_and_colleges/x1395943483/Courtside-View-Repeat-in-the-cards-for-Cs
Courtside View: Repeat in the cards for C's?
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By Scott Souza/Daily News staff
MetroWest Daily News
Posted Oct 25, 2008 @ 10:43 PM

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Danny Ainge says he isn't worried about his guys. The Celtics executive director of basketball operations believes he had good reason for bringing back as much of last year's championship team as he could for a second run together.

When Ainge looks into his figurative crystal ball from an office high above the HeathPoint court, his concerns aren't wearing green uniforms. If he has any, they involve a Sixers team that added Elton Brand, a Raptors team that added Jermaine O'Neal, a Pistons team under the new direction of Michael Curry, and a Cavaliers team that was one or two plays away from snatching away Banner 17 with an explosive new point guard in Mo Williams.

"I think the competition is better this year," he said during an interview on the practice parquet this week. "There are really good teams in the East. You don't go into any game thinking you're going to win by 30. It's the same thing with a season. You don't go into any season thinking you're going to win 66 games and start off 29-3 like we did last year. Those things just happen as a result of doing the right things.

"You can't really control your competition level. You can just control what you do."

That's where the good news comes. As much as 66 wins and 29-3 might be a little far-fetched to expect again, there are plenty of indications the Celtics have the means to rival last year's success in level of play, if not necessarily regular season record.

After all, it's not the regular season record they will celebrate Tuesday night when the rings are handed out and the new banner is hoisted to join all the ones shipped across the alley from the old building.

When it comes to contending for the real goal of a championship, this squad may be even better prepared for the challenges that await than it was this time last year.

***

When the Celtics didn't repeat in 1985 or 1987, Ainge - a member of both squads - said it had nothing to do with the team resting on its laurels.

"We won in 1984 and in 1985 we got back to the Finals and won Game 1 of the Finals," Ainge noted, referencing the famed 148-114 Memorial Day Massacre game. "I think the reason we didn't win the Finals had as much to do with how great the Lakers were over anything that we did. In '86, we win the championship again and in '87 we had a lot of injuries. We weren't the same team physically. But we still got all the way back to the Finals and ran into a very good Lakers team."

The translation is that if the Celtics don't repeat this year it will have nothing to do with complacency.

"I believe that winning is addictive as losing is as well," Ainge judged. "I don't worry about our players wanting to win."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said the team's motivation will come from the top, referring to Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

"Every time they've walked on the floor their whole careers someone is trying to take Ray, Paul and Kevin down," he said. "They want to be the dog. They've always had to play under that type of microscope. It's the other guys who haven't."

Tony Allen said during camp and preseason the Big 3 have already stressed what it's like to be a member of that club.

"They are still talking," he assured. "They are still on everyone's behind. Every day they strive on getting better. It's another day for us all to get better."

***

For the first half of last year, Ray Allen's timing and lift were off because of offseason double-ankle surgery that was giving him a lot more trouble than he ever revealed. When things got tight in the playoffs, the eight-time All-Star then had a hard time carving out a consistent role in an offense revolving just fine around Garnett and Pierce.

Now Allen seems as healthy as he has been in years - or, at least, as healthy as a 33-year-old, 13-year veteran is going to be - and seems comfortable with how he will best be effective in the Celtics sets.

Allen knows he's not going back to 25 shots a game like he had in Seattle, but in last year's NBA Finals he showed how effective he can be taking between 11 and 13 shots (which he did in all six games) when he was arguably some wheelchair theatrics away from being named Finals MVP.

***

Remember when the biggest question surrounding last year's team was whether Rajon Rondo could lead a team of superstars as a second-year point guard with a questionable jump shot?

Though he had his ups and downs in the playoffs, it's safe to say Rondo's play at the point is no longer a concern. Throughout last season, he showed he has the playmaking talent and the personality to handle the charge. He came through big in the biggest games of the playoffs - Game 5 vs. the Cavs, Game 5 vs. the Pistons and the clinching Game 6 of the Finals.

In a few months, the conversation may have gone from whether he should start on a title contender to whether he is All-Star worthy during a championship defense.

***

One area where the Celtics struggled at times in the playoffs last year was when opponents put a young and athletic unit in against Boston's older lineup. But they may be better equipped for that this year with a bigger role for Tony Allen and a younger, more active bench.

Though the departed James Posey was remarkable against James and Kobe Bryant, Allen is generally a better one-on-one defender and can make teams work harder on him defensively, whereas Posey drifted out to the 3-point line for the open jumper.

Leon Powe and Glen Davis are still not the most dynamic frontcourt defenders because of their size, but the 7-foot-6 wingspan of Patrick O'Bryant could help there, while Gabe Pruitt, Bill Walker and even J.R. Giddens put a much bigger spring in the step of this year's deep bench.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.eagletribune.com/pusports/local_story_300014627.html/resources_printstory
The Garnett Effect
By Alan Siegel
[e-mail]


October 26, 2008 02:56 am

—

Throwing a basketball at Kevin Garnett's head requires an almost inhuman level of fearlessness. It might explain why Tom Hammonds, a man nicknamed "The Terminator," did exactly that 10 years ago.

"He had muscles coming out of his earlobes," former teammate Bill Curley said.

One early spring afternoon in 1998, The Terminator was ready to bring the pain. Garnett had just thrown down a huge dunk, practically leaving a Spalding imprint on Hammonds' forehead.

They quickly started jawing at each other. Then Hammonds unloaded his bazooka.

"All of a sudden," Curley said, "they were tangled up."

The day the Minnesota Timberwolves were scheduled to fly west to face the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the playoffs, Hammonds and Garnett were going at it at practice.¬ï¿½

"Crap," Curley thought. "We can't have these two fighting."

The scuffle was quickly broken up, but not before Garnett let every single person inside University of Minnesota's Williams Arena know that The Terminator didn't scare him.

"I'm not afraid of your kung fu (expletive)," Garnett screamed.

But a few minutes later, they were buddies again. It was like the whole thing never happened.

"That's just the type of competitor he is," Hammonds said from his office in Florida. "Him and I, we were a couple of best friends. We respected each other."

A decade later, nothing's changed. Hammonds, 41, may have retired from the NBA seven years ago, but he's still a huge Garnett fan. In addition to Bernard King, Hammonds said, KG was the most influential superstar he ever played with.

"He's a high energy player and a high energy person," said the 6-foot-9 Hammonds, who's moved on to the drag racing world — he's the only African-American owner/driver in the National Hot Rod Association. "That's just the way he plays the game. He wouldn't be the same player otherwise."

Having Garnett join your team is like walking directly from Death Valley at high noon on a July day into a meat locker. It's an exhilarating, jarring rush to the head that takes a while to really sink in.

For the Celtics, the crystallization was finally complete on June 17, 2008. That night, Boston captured its 17th championship, its first since 1986. He didn't deliver the title alone, but Garnett's effect was immeasurable.

"KG just brings an energy to life that has an impact on everybody, day in and day out," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. "I'm not sure there's an awakening. I think it's more of a long-term consistency. Anybody can have that energy at times, but he has it every day.

"His presence has changed our culture in that way. It had a great deal to do with our success."

Every day people

As Garnett shot free throws Monday, Glen "Big Baby" Davis sat with a towel over his head. Entering his second year in the league, the 6-9 forward is still in awe. Practice was over, but Garnett's afternoon was still raging. At 32, he hasn't slowed his pace.

"The way he works, it's the same every day," Davis said. "Now I understand why he's one of the best players to play in the league."

Garnett is an eager molder of young basketball minds.

"I'm always asking questions," Davis said. "What to do? What to think? How to think?"

By all accounts, Garnett's shtick is not shtick at all. The act, Dennis Scott said, is real. Scott, who spent part of the 1998-99 season with Minnesota, was already 30 when he joined the Timberwolves.

"It's kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," said Scott, a noted long-range shooter who spent seven of his 10 NBA seasons with the Orlando Magic. "Off the court, he's very laid back, jovial if you will. As soon as he steps onto the floor, he turns into the Energizer Bunny."

He remembers watching Garnett's energy level rise like a Waimea Bay wave.

"Look young fella," Scott said at his first practice in Minnesota. "I loosen up a little differently. I'll be ready to play when I'm ready."

Then he realized what many of Garnett's teammates already had. "This guy," Scott thought, "brings it like this every day."

Scott, now a radio analyst for the Atlanta Hawks, only played 21 games for the T-Wolves. But he left knowing what Garnett was capable of.

"If he stays like that," Scott said, "it's just a matter of time before he gets to the Promised Land."

Curley, the former Boston College star who played two seasons in Minnesota, saw the same thing. Beyond the maniacal practice manner was something more, something special.

"With all his yelling you think, 'This kid's crazy,'" said Curley, now the head basketball coach at Thayer Academy in Braintree. "But if you really look into his game and how hard he plays, he's an old-school player."

'I don't see myself changing'

Garnett may be old school, but he does have a sense of humor. He used to practice fancy moves on the 6-9 Curley, who at the time, wasn't in peak physical condition.

"Kevin, just turn around and shoot." Curley used to tell him. "I can't block the shot. Stop playing with me."

The first words Garnett uttered to Hammonds, after he signed a free-agent contract with Minnesota in 1997, were, "You look taller on TV."

On team bus rides, KG provided the entertainment.

"He could do any type of impression of anybody," Hammonds said. "Bernie Mac, God rest his soul, (Garnett's) a Bernie Mac expert."

But when basketball begins, the joking ends. For teammates, the shift can be seismic.

"If you're not used to a type of player who's always hyped up, who's always giving 110 percent, at every moment." Hammonds said. "A lot of guys are not used to that. They've never seen it."

Ask Rick Rickert. At a summer workout in 2004, after the second-round pick out of Minnesota repeatedly scored, Garnett reportedly decked him. Rickert's chin required seven stitches. In November 2000, Garnett reportedly punched teammate Wally Szczerbiak in the head after practice.

The line between passion and volatility is thin. Still, Garnett's temper, Hammonds said, rarely caused problems when they played together.

"He channels that energy in the right direction," he said. "On the court, it's like a light switch comes on. A lot of people can't do that."

There are still critics. They say he settles for jump shots, that he doesn't show up in big games.

"It's a bunch of bull," Hammonds said. "If the shot is there, he'll take it. If it's not the best option, he'll find the open man. I think Kevin's a very, very unselfish person and player."

These days, Garnett has no plans to make over his personality.

"I don't see myself changing any time soon," he said at practice Friday.

Somehow, Celtics captain Paul Pierce claims, Garnett is even more intense than last year.

And, "I didn't think he could go up to another level," Pierce said.

Whether he's practicing his jumper or battling The Terminator, Garnett goes all out.

"Game 75, morning shootaround, four games in five nights," Ainge said. "He still has it. That's what makes him special."


Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

Photos


Some New Englanders were skeptical that Kevin Garnett could keep up his famed intensity throughout a long season. But after leading the Celtics to a stunning 42-game improvement and their first NBA title in 22 years, Garnett has quieted all the naysayers.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.telegram.com/article/20081026/NEWS/810260485/1009/SPORTS
For starters, Celtics will try to repeat as champs

BOSTON CELTICS 2008-09

By Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[e-mail]



Add a comment




The Celtics' Big Three: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
Enlarge photo


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WALTHAM— Last year, the Celtics won with “Ubuntu,” an African word for unity.

This year, they have two words to shout at the rest of the NBA: “We’re back.”

The Celtics are back atop the NBA, and all five of their starters are back from last season after earning the franchise’s first NBA championship in 22 years and its 17th overall.


Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo, who last season accounted for 67 percent of the team’s points, 62 percent of its rebounds and 71 percent of its assists, return, and they’ll try to become the first Celtics team to repeat as champions in 40 years.

This is Doc Rivers’ 10th season as an NBA head coach, and as far as he can remember, this is the first time his entire starting five has returned from the previous year. A consistent lineup isn’t always the answer, though.

“Sometimes you don’t wish you had the entire starting five back,” Allen admitted.

Rivers is thrilled to have this quintet back, however.

During a recent practice, Rondo called out a play from last season, and the Celtics ran it. Rivers hadn’t put the play into the offense this season yet, he was going to wait until later in the year, but the Celtics ran it flawlessly any way.

“That’s the advantage you have when you have the same group back,” Rivers said.

“It means everything,” Pierce said. “That’s the first step in trying to repeat, bringing back the starting five and having the chemistry that we had from a year ago.”

When the Celtics won back-to-back titles in 1967-68 and 1968-69, their top seven scorers were the same both years: John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, Sam Jones, Larry Siegfried, Don Nelson, Tom Sanders and player-coach Bill Russell.

This year, the Celtics return the same nucleus as last year except for reserve forwards James Posey and P.J. Brown, and Brown didn’t begin playing for them until March.

Tuesday will be the first time in six years that the Celtics will start the same five players as they did on the opening night the year before. Pierce, Antoine Walker, Tony Battie, Eric Williams and Kenny Anderson opened the 2000-01 and the 2001-02 seasons. That continuity helped the 2001-02 Celtics qualify for the playoffs for the first time in seven years and reach the Eastern Conference finals.

Pierce and Walker, however, were the only full-time starters throughout both of those two seasons. Williams came off the bench most of the time. Anderson and Battie were injured for much of the 2000-01 season. In addition, those two teams opened with different head coaches, Rick Pitino in 2000 and Jim O’Brien in 2001. Rivers returns for his fifth season at the Celtics’ helm.

The best thing about this starting five returning as champions is that all five are under contract for at least two more years.

Nevertheless, the Lakers and Spurs are the hot picks to win it all this year, not the Celtics.

“I don’t care one way or the other,” Rivers said. “We pick us, and we picked us last year, too. The bottom line is we have to be a better team than last year to win it.”

Center Andrew Bynum is healthy again to help out Kobe Bryant in L.A. San Antonio will try to continue the trend of winning in odd years, after taking it all in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007.

The Detroit Pistons, who seem to have had the same nucleus forever, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who surround LeBron James with different talent each season, should provide the biggest threats to Boston in the Eastern Conference.

The same five starters return for Boston, but in a new light. Last year, they had to work hard throughout the preseason to learn each other’s moves and develop team chemistry. This year, they rested for much of preseason while Rivers took a long look at his reserves.

“For the most part,” Rivers said, “our new guys have to get used to our culture, how we do things, how we play, how we practice. I think they’re going to get it, it’s just going to take time.”

A year ago, Pierce was coming off a season in which he missed 35 games due to foot and elbow injuries, Allen was recovering from surgery on both ankles, and Rondo was a second-year player with just 25 career starts, Garnett had not proven he could lead a team in the playoffs and Perkins had yet to prove anything.

This year, they return as champions with only one thing left to prove — that they deserve to be mentioned along with the legendary Celtics teams. The only way to do that is to win another championship, maybe two or three more.

“I like that these players are focused on multiple titles,” Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said. “They look up at these banners, and they see that one is not enough.”

Pierce is not only healthier than a year ago, but close to 10 pounds lighter. Allen’s ankles are fine. Rondo’s confidence is up. Garnett’s intensity hasn’t waned. The only possible problem is Perkins’ left shoulder, which required surgery for the second time last summer and could pop out again. Rest assured that Ron Artest will try his best to make sure it does.

Tony Allen will take Posey’s minutes, if not his place. Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge called Allen a better individual defender and scorer than Posey, but Posey was a better team defender and leader and a clutch 3-point shooter.

“To win it, we have to be a better team than last year,” Rivers said. “Our starters should be better. We’ve played together for a whole year. What you don’t want them to be is less patient with each other. What happens a lot of time when you are together for long, you become impatient with the other person’s faults because you know his faults. When they happened, last year you let them go and this year you rip them on it because, hey, you’re still doing it.”

Fortunately for the Celtics, they don’t have many faults. The pick here is for them to win 60 games and raise banner No. 18.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.timesonline.com/articles/2008/10/25/sports/other/doc4903f0eb8b0ee712962517.txt
NBA: Celtics need more than Big Three to repeat
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By Chuck Curti, Assistant Sports Editor
Published: Sunday, October 26, 2008 12:28 AM EDT
PITTSBURGH — Doc Rivers has never been one to be at a loss for words.

During his tenure as one of NBA’s better point guards in his day, Rivers was often voted to “all-quotable” teams by sports writers. Before his Boston Celtics faced Cleveland in a preseason game at the Petersen Events Center earlier thi smonth, Rivers took time to launch into a light-hearted discourse on his political views. (He’s voting for Barack Obama, in case you wondered.)

But when asked how he prepares his Celtics to defend an NBA title as opposed to win one in the first place, Rivers was nearly speechless.

“That’s a good question,” said the loquacious coach as he turned serious. “You prepare to be better than last year. Our starting five has been together a whole year now, so we should be better, at least with that group.

“The question we’ve been asked more is about the motivation ... how motivated they’ll be. I don’t know the answer to that yet. They look like they are. We practice extremely hard every day.”

Paul Pierce, the MVP of last year’s finals victory over the Lakers, left nothing to chance when asked if the Celtics were still motivated.

“Definitely,” he said. “Last year was last year.”

Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins return to fill out the Celtics’ starting lineup. For Pierce, Garnett and Allen, last year’s title filled the one missing piece in their otherwise hall-of-fame careers.

The player who might make the biggest difference this year is Rondo. The slender, athletic point guard from Kentucky averaged more than 10 points per game in both the regular season and the playoffs, but his assists-per-game went up by 1.5 in the playoffs.

Rivers is asking Rondo to be more aggressive on offense and look for his shot more. It worked in the clinching game of the Finals; Rondo took 20 shots, made eight and wound up with 21 points. He also had eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals as the Celtics routed the Lakers, 131-92.

“I think his confidence in his shot has improved,” said Rivers. “And the biggest thing is just knowing the group he’s playing with better.

“He has a better feel for where everybody’s at, what everybody wants, where they need the ball.”

The biggest question for the Celtics this season could be their bench. While the starting five remained intact, James Posey was lost to free agency.

Posey, who also won a title with Miami, was perhaps the Celtics’ most valuable performer off the bench. With his tenacious defense and reliable 3-point shooting, Posey has been a perfect complementary piece wherever he’s been.

This year, Posey will be trying to help the up-and-coming New Orleans Hornets get over the hump. Replacing him will be no easy feat for Rivers.

The most likely candidate to be the Celtics top reserve is Tony Allen, a 6-foot-4 guard in his fifth NBA season. Allen averaged only 1.3 points per game in the playoffs after averaging 6.6 in the regular season.

He did score 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting in Boston’s preseason win over New Jersey.

“Nobody on our team can play like (Posey),” said Rivers. “Tony Allen has a chance to have more minutes this year on the floor. But I want him to be Tony Allen. I don’t want him trying to be James Posey. He’s going to help us in his way.”

Leon Powe, a 6-8 forward, has shown flashes of being a go-to guy off the bench. He scored 21 points and was the savior of the game in Boston’s 108-102 win in Game 2 of the Finals. But, Powe has been inconsistent.

Whether the Celtics can successfully defend their title seems to rest with the starting five. Boston will go as far as they can take it. With enough contributions off the bench, an 18th banner is well within the realm of possibility.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.patriotledger.com/sports/x398381704/After-grand-opening-act-Celts-Big-Three-eye-encore
After grand opening act, Celts’ Big Three eye encore
Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen look to pick up where they left off
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AP
The Boston Celtics’ Big Three of, from left, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen know their respective roles.

By Jim Fenton
GateHouse News Service
Posted Oct 26, 2008 @ 12:01 AM

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WALTHAM — Optimism was running wild in the region after the two blockbuster trades were made in the summer of 2007.

Long-suffering followers of the Boston Celtics greeted the acquisitions of All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen as the franchise’s ticket back to NBA elite status.

With Paul Pierce already in place, the Celtics seemed to have the pieces to instantly go from near the bottom of the league to title contenders.

There were, however, pessimists around the NBA who questioned whether three high-caliber players like Garnett, Allen and Pierce could mesh together and become championship material.

Roles had to be defined. Shots had to be distributed. Egos had to be placed off to the side.

The blending of Garnett, Pierce and Allen was going to take some work in order for the trio to become championship caliber.

It didn’t take long, though, for all to realize there would be no problems with shot selection or roles or ego. By the first week of January last season, the Celtics had put together an eye-popping 29-3 record on the way to a 66-16 mark.

Chemistry issues never arose, and with Garnett, Pierce and Allen leading the way, the Celtics won their first NBA crown since 1986. The title defense begins on Tuesday night when the Celtics face the Cleveland Cavaliers at the TD Banknorth Garden.

“I think they just wanted it,’’ said Coach Doc Rivers when asked why the three players came together so quickly with few issues. “I think they heard everything I heard, that they couldn’t do it.

“That first week or month of the new group, people were asking, ‘How many basketballs can you bring in for them to play together?’ I said the first day, ‘You guys are missing the point. We’re a better defensive team.’

“Everybody kept talking about our offense with those three. I kept saying, ‘Wow, with Kevin Garnett, we’re going to be an unbelievable defensive team.’”

That turned out to be the case with the Celtics being stingy on defense and making the three-headed offense work as Pierce, Allen and Garnett all sacrificed points to win a championship.

After averaging at least 20 points in eight straight seasons, Allen scored 17.4 points, the third lowest total of his career, which began in 1996.

Garnett, who had nine straight seasons of at least 20 points, averaged 18.8, his lowest number since 1997-98. Pierce dipped below 20 points (19.8) for only the third time in his career after reaching that number seven years in a row.

The unselfishness at the offensive end set the tone for the season, and the role players followed suit. It all came together rather quickly for three players in their first season as teammates.

“I was a little surprised,’’ said Pierce when asked about the instant chemistry. “Initially, you think when you put together a new team, it’s going to take a couple of months to jell, probably before the All-Star break. It seemed like from Day 1 we gelled right off the bat.’’

Rivers was a firm believer that the Celtics would not need a season to get used to each other and that a title was within their grasp right away.

“I was hoping,’’ said Rivers. “I did tell them that I thought we could win it last year and that we should win it last year. I believed that from Day 1.

“I didn’t believe the whole ‘it takes a year’ thing. At their ages, I said, ‘I don’t know how many years you have. You better take the year now and then get it the next year, too.’’’

The Celtics begin the quest for more titles this week.

There will be precious few chances for Pierce (who just turned 31), Allen (33) and Garnett (32). Allen is under contract for two more seasons, Pierce three and Garnett four.

It sounds logical that after having a full year together, the trio should be better this season now that they know each other’s games.

“I think in every relationship you have room for improvement,’’ said Garnett. “We’re no different from that. The thing about the three of us is we constantly communicate and constantly talk.

“Whether we’re debating strongly or are on common ground, the dialogue and the communication is there. We understand when we come in here we have to set the tone for what it’s going to be like that day and I think we do a great job of that.

“Can we get better? I would say yes. But the three of us are at a good place.’’

Without James Posey to anchor the bench, the Celtics could use even better play from their three leaders.

“I think our chemistry is a lot better than it was at this time a year ago,’’ said Pierce. “It was sort of like we were learning on the fly last year, but I feel it’s a lot better in the preseason and practices.’’

The blockbuster trades led to one championship and revived basketball in the region. Banner No. 17 will be raised on Tuesday and rings will be handed out, and the Celtics will turn their attention to doing it all over again.

For a franchise that leads the NBA in titles, it will take at least another championship to put this group with other great Celtics’ teams.

“I think if you want to be in the conversation,’’ said Rivers. “There’s two conversations: Do you remember that one team (last season) or do you remember that era?

“If you want to remember that one team, than we’ve done that. But do you want to remember the ’08-09 era (with multiple titles)? That’s different. That, to me, puts you in the family.’’