News 1/25

[FLCeltsFan]

Just another game for KG
Top All-Star vote-getter downplays reunion with Minnesota

By Steve Bulpett | Friday, January 25, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Stuart Cahill
Kevin Garnett has blocked 57 shots this season, and he seemingly swatted at least that many attempts from media members looking for the Celtics [team stats] big man to reveal his emotions for tonight’s game against Minnesota, the team with which he spent his first 12 years in the league.

KG, announced last night as the leading overall vote-getter for the All-Star Game, will see the Timberwolves for the first time in the regular season, and he did his best yesterday to convey that there is no added significance to this date for him.

But coach Doc Rivers acknowledged that it was Garnett’s bond with that franchise and its area that made his move to the Celtics so difficult.

“Kevin had great years there, and part of the hang-up with Kevin coming here to begin with is because he loved Minnesota,” Rivers said. “It wasn’t that he didn’t like Minnesota.

“It was very difficult for him to give the perception that he was bailing. He didn’t want that, and that, to me, was the main reason he wanted to stay. Fortunately, we changed his mind with a lot of calls and begging, and he’s here. But his heart and everything will be there. It will be different for him to come out and play against that jersey, there’s no doubt about that. I’m glad we did it in preseason (the teams met for an October game in London). I think whenever you play against your ex-team, you have something extra. It’s human nature.”

You wouldn’t know it from Garnett’s demeanor, however.

“My attitude about playing (tonight’s) game is to get back on track winning,” he said. “Obviously, we had a slippage here (in Wednesday’s loss to Toronto). It’s just to get back on track -- nothing more, nothing less than that.

“I want you all to understand something. A lot of the guys I played with in Minnesota are not even on this team. It’s like a brand new team. The personnel -- the trainers and the people behind the scenes are probably a little more important than some of the people that are on the court.”

Asked if he missed Minnesota, Garnett replied, “I’m happy where I’m at. I’m happy with my current situation, and I’m so locked in to what we’re trying to do here that I haven’t even thought about the small things.”

Only when the subject of his intense loyalty to the Wolves was brought up did Garnett open his door a crack. The question from a Minnesota reporter was along the lines of whether he regretted trying so hard to stay now that he knows how good it can be elsewhere.

“I have no regrets for loyalty at all,” KG said. “I thank the fans for being behind me. Minnesota knows they have a special place in my heart, when it comes to the people there. There will always be a connection there, but right now, I’m in Boston and I’m enjoying it.”

There might be more of a tug on his feelings Feb. 8 when the Celts play in Minneapolis, but even now Garnett is trying to cool things as best he can. Don’t expect any special pregame ceremony like the one Seattle had for Ray Allen. Garnett already has officially nixed the notion.

On the subject of what the Wolves may do to honor him, Garnett said, “Absolutely nothing . . . and that’s cool with me.”

Honors are something that won’t be in short supply, as evidenced by his victory in the All-Star voting. The Big Ticket topped the overall ticket with 2,399,148 votes and will start for the East at forward. (The reserves will be announced Thursday.)

“It’s appreciative,” Garnett said in response to the All-Star news. “I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not going to lie. But without these great teammates of mine, this coaching staff, it wouldn’t be possible, man. I’m fortunate to be in a position that I can say we’re winning. That feels good, and I’m happy to be a part of that. At the end of the day, these individual awards are what they are: They’re individual. Without Ray, Paul (Pierce), E. House, (Rajon) Rondo, all these guys on this team, I wouldn’t be where I am.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1068911&format=text

Jefferson’s star rises in Minnesota
By Steve Bulpett / Celtics notebook | Friday, January 25, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics
Photo
Photo by AP

In light of the fact the Celtics [team stats] have 33 wins and the Timberwolves have 34 losses, it’s been popularly portrayed that Minnesota got swindled in the Kevin Garnett trade.

But Doc Rivers roundly refuted that notion yesterday on the eve of Minnesota’s visit.

“This is the argument I’ve made with that whole thing - the whole Celtic conspiracy that (Kevin) McHale will be president in two years,” he said. “Kevin McHale wanted to get the best young player that he could get if he was going to trade Garnett, and he got him.

“There was not another young player he could have got that was offered better than Al Jefferson [stats]. And then he got other players (Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair [stats], Theo Ratliff [stats], two first-round picks) with that. But the key for McHale was to get the best young player available. I think he got him in Al Jefferson, and I think Al Jefferson’s numbers have proven that.”

Jefferson arrives back in Boston fresh from a 39-point, 15-rebound game against Phoenix. He’s averaging 20.8 points and 12.1 rebounds.

“Al’s going to be an All-Star,” said Rivers. “There’s no doubt about it. I don’t know about this year. With his numbers, he would have made it this year, but their record will prevent him from making it. The next thing Al has to do - and it’s not just Al; he has to be on a team to do it - is to get those numbers on a winning team, and then he will be an All-Star. He has All-Star numbers. He doesn’t have an All-Star team yet.

“Al is who he is. He’s a great offensive player, and he’s improving on the other end. He’s improving his passing. He’s just getting better.”

Paul Pierce [stats] is more than happy to have Garnett as a running mate, but he knows the Celtics didn’t give up nothing to get him.

“In Al you get a franchise guy you can really build around - a low-post presence, a guy who rebounds the ball,” he said. “You’ve got to understand he came out of high school and he’s only in his fourth year. Al has a great upside and you can tell by how he’s doing things this year he’s going to be an All-Star definitely in this league.

“I think his work ethic has got a lot better, just learning what it takes to survive in this league and what he has to do on a night-in-and-night-out basis to be a great player. Al’s been playing really well this year. I think if he was on another team he’d probably be an All-Star. He’s putting up some great numbers. He’s just building on what he did last season for us. He’s one of the rare 20-10 guys in the league.”

Jefferson’s close friend, Kendrick Perkins [stats], expects to be on him tonight.

“I should have him,” said Perkins. “It’s going to be crazy. It ain’t going to be nothing different than when we were at practice. Some days he’d just be on and you couldn’t stop him.”

Speaking of the moment he learned about the trade, Perkins said, “It was kind of hard. I was happy that we’d got Garnett, but at the same time I didn’t want to see Al leave. I know that’s the business. I kind of wish he would have got traded to a better situation, but it happens.”

Posey eyes Sunday

James Posey isn’t likely to be back tonight from his right index finger injury, but he’s getting close.

“I still would say this weekend - at the end of the weekend,” said Rivers, whose club plays next on Sunday afternoon in Orlando. . . .

The Celts skipped the on-court part of practice yesterday, choosing to watch selected video of their 114-112 loss to Toronto, in which the Raptors shot 58 percent from the floor and made 15-of-21 treys.

“Film’s good,” said Rivers. “It saves the legs and opens up the mind a little bit. There was no offense on it. I can tell you that. It was all defense.”

Garnett added, “Film don’t lie. If you have an assignment that you miss, it’s going to tell you. Every now and then, especially when you have a loss, you need to see that. It puts everybody back in perspective and gets you refocused.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/25/its_reunion_time_at_garden_tonight?mode=PF

It's reunion time at Garden tonight
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 25, 2008

Former Celtics forward Al Jefferson described his return to TD Banknorth Garden tonight as just another road game for the Timberwolves. Celtics forward Kevin Garnett sees his first regular-season game against his team of the previous 12 years as no big deal, either.

But considering the game includes five Celtics from last season in Wolves' clothing, plus former Celtics star Antoine Walker and former Boston College star Craig Smith, it will be interesting to see whether Jefferson, Garnett, and the others feel blasé afterward.

"It's going to be like another road trip to me," said Jefferson Wednesday after a 117-107 upset of the Suns. "I'm not looking at it no different than going to Phoenix."

The Celtics acquired Garnett, who was named to his 11th All-Star team last night, in a blockbuster trade during the offseason for a budding star in Jefferson, forward Ryan Gomes, guards Sebas tian Telfair and Gerald Green, center Theo Ratliff, and two first-round draft picks.

With three perennial All-Stars in Garnett, Paul Pierce, and newcomer Ray Allen, Boston was expected to go from doormat to contender. And with Garnett, the rejuvenated Celtics have exceeded expectations with an NBA-best 33-7 record. That ties a franchise record reached by four other Celtics teams.

"They're winning the games they're supposed to be winning," Gomes said. "The teams that have been around for a while and been together they've had a tough time with. It's still early in the season. There are still 40-some games left, so you never know what can happen. But watching the games when we're not playing, when they play Detroit, Orlando early in the year, those are the teams they're going to have to face later on in the Eastern Conference [playoffs].

"Every night, teams are gunning for them because they know the new additions they have and they want to be the team to knock them off. They've handled it well."

Garnett is the Timberwolves' all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and assists. He said after practice yesterday that he doesn't expect his old franchise to do anything special for him when he returns to Minneapolis Feb. 8 and will have no problems with that, either. The 2004 MVP played against the Timberwolves in an exhibition game in London.

Garnett said he has spent very little time keeping up with the Wolves, has no regrets for the loyalty he showed them, and has little connection with them anymore since most of his old teammates are gone.

"I thank the fans for being behind me," said Garnett. "Minnesota knows they have a special place in my heart when it comes to people there that I had a connection with. But I'm in Boston and I'm enjoying it."

The Wolves involved in the Garnett trade endured a 24-win campaign with the Celtics last season, second worst in the NBA, and a franchise-worst 18-game losing streak. Although the Wolves have won two straight, they own an NBA-worst 7-34 record and are 2-20 on the road.

So when the old Celtics return to the Garden, those bad times will likely return to mind.

"The only thing good about that is I'm going to see my family, a lot of my younger siblings and friends I met when I was back in Boston," said Gomes, a former Providence College star. "But otherwise, it's a game we've got to try to go in and win. there for two years and now they've got a little bit different type of team.

"It's going to be a challenge for us because a lot of us played there before, even Antoine. The emotions are going to be high and the intensity's going to be high."

When asked to reflect on the tough times with the ex-Celtics, coach Doc Rivers said: "I don't know if I want to, to be honest. I'd rather think of the good times I had with them coaching. They are terrific kids. All of them. Fun to coach. They improved each month, each day . . .

"We had to be one of the few teams that had the record we had and had very little turmoil. The team was extremely close. They're good people. You wanted them all do to well. Not [tonight]."

Rivers added that because Minnesota acquired Jefferson, the perception that vice president of basketball operations and former Celtic Kevin McHale didn't get much back for Garnett is erroneous. The 6-foot-10-inch, 256-pound Jefferson is averaging 20.8 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.5 steals. He had a career-high 39 points and 15 rebounds against Phoenix.

"There's this whole Celtics conspiracy that McHale will be president in two years," Rivers said. "Kevin McHale wanted to get the best young player he could get if he was going to trade Kevin Garnett. He got him. There was a not another young player he could have gotten better than Al Jefferson, and he got other players with that."

As for tonight, Jefferson said: "That would be real special [to beat Boston]. We beat the best team in the West [Wednesday]. Why not try to go beat the best team in the East?"

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/25/all_star_garnett_peoples_choice?mode=PF

All-Star Garnett people's choice
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | January 25, 2008

WALTHAM - Kevin Garnett was accorded the highest level of fan appreciation the NBA can offer.

Garnett was named last night to his 11th All-Star team as an Eastern Conference starting forward for the game Feb. 17 in New Orleans. The 2004 MVP also received a league-best 2,399,148 votes from fans online and via ballots. Garnett is the first Celtic All-Star since Paul Pierce in 2006 and the franchise's 123d All-Star selection.

"I'm appreciative, to be honest with you, I'm not going to lie," said Garnett yesterday after a film session. "But without these teammates of mine, this coaching staff, it wouldn't be possible. I'm fortunate to be in a position where I can say that we're winning. That feels good. I'm happy to be a part of that.

"At the end of the day, these individual awards are what they are. They are individual. But without Ray [ Allen], Paul, [Eddie ] House, [Rajon] Rondo, guys on this team, I wouldn't be where I am."

Garnett is averaging 19.5 points, a team-best 9.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.48 blocks, and 1.43 steals in 35.1 minutes per game and has played in all 40 contests. The 13-year veteran plays for a squad that owns an NBA-best 33-7 record. He also has the NBA's hottest-selling jersey and has heard "MVP" chants at TD Banknorth Garden.

Doc Rivers and his staff will coach the East, having clinched the honor by virtue of having the best conference record through Feb. 3. Pierce and Allen are strong All-Star reserve candidates and will learn if they were selected next Thursday.

Pierce finished fourth among forwards with 574,159 votes. Allen was third among guards with 1,061,740 votes.


Posey out again
Rivers said forward James Posey likely will miss his third straight game tonight with a sprained index finger on his right hand, but could return Sunday at Orlando . . . The Celtics didn't practice yesterday but did watch film of their 114-112 loss to the Raptors Wednesday. Toronto nailed 15 of 21 3-pointers, shot 58 percent, and made all 19 free throws. Rivers said the film was devoted to Boston's defense. "Film is very important," Garnett said. "The film doesn't lie. If there is an assignment that you missed, it will tell you. Every now and then, especially when you have a loss, you need to see that. It puts everybody back in perspective, so to speak, and keeps you refocused."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/01/25/celtics_sell_rights_to_buy_tickets_to_playoffs?mode=PF

Celtics sell rights to buy tickets to playoffs
Fans can invest in hope that team will continue winning
By Binyamin Appelbaum, Globe Staff | January 25, 2008

Celtics playoff tickets! On sale now! (Sort of.)

The Boston Celtics yesterday began selling "reservations" for a limited number of seats at each home playoff game through an online marketplace operated by TicketReserve.com.

Fans can pay an upfront fee for the right to buy up to 8 tickets for each home playoff game. Prices start at $31 for the right to buy one seat at the Celtics' first playoff home game.

The Celtics lead the NBA's Eastern Conference with a gaudy record of 33-7. If the team makes the first round of the playoffs, which seems all but certain, fans holding a reservation are guaranteed the chance to buy a balcony-level seat at face value. The Celtics have not yet set prices for playoff tickets.

The catch is that the Celtics also are selling reservations for games that are less likely to happen. Options on tickets to the NBA Finals, for example, start at $79 - but can only be used if the Celtics make the finals. There are no refunds if the Celtics fall short. Options for tickets to the seventh game of the finals can't be used if the Celtics win in four games.

"This is insurance for diehard fans," said Daniel Lotzof, the president of Chicago-based TicketReserve.com, which has similar deals with about a dozen other NBA teams. "It guarantees them a seat at the big game."

The Celtics, who profit from each transaction, won't say how many seats are available. Once options on every seat are sold for a particular game, fans can resell those options to other bidders on the site.

For example, TicketReserve opened the bidding on reservations for New England Patriots Super Bowl tickets at $124, but resale prices climbed above $2,000 as the season rolled on. Now that the Patriots are in the Super Bowl, fans holding the options can purchase upper-deck seats for the big game at a face value of $700.

The bidding on seat reservations if the Patriots make the 2009 Super Bowl already has reached $580. The Patriots do not have a partnership with the company.

Professional sports teams have long been frustrated by the lucrative ticket resale market, which is controlled by private brokers and websites such as StubHub.com. TicketReserve offers teams a way to profit from that secondary market without selling the same tickets twice.

The teams guarantee to provide the tickets that underlie the options contracts. In exchange, the company shares the proceeds from the initial sale of reservations, and the commissions on resales. TicketReserve declined to disclose revenue or sales figures, but every penny is found money for the team.

Initial prices are set based on perceived demand, which is a combination of the team's chances of making it to a particular playoff game and the fanaticism of its fans. Options on Miami Heat playoff tickets started at $23. The Chicago Bulls, $19. The Atlanta Hawks, $7.

People who choose to sell their reservations will pay a 10 percent commission. Buyers pay 5 percent. In both cases, the minimum commission is $5. A person who sells a Celtics option at $40 would receive $35. The buyer would pay $45. The company and the team would make $10.

The company will move its business to a new website, FirstDibz.com, at the beginning of February.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x662177203

Familiar faces return tonight

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By Scott Souza/Daily News staff
GHS
Thu Jan 24, 2008, 11:46 PM EST

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WALTHAM -
At the midpoint of a season where interest in the Celtics has exploded among the mainstream is a game perfectly suited for the hardcore types who obsessed over the comic book version of the team before it transformed into this season's blockbuster epic.

Seeing the squad with the NBA's best record (33-7) face the one with the NBA's worst record (7-34) may not seem like must-see viewing. But those who made up the bulk of relatively paltry radio shares and viewing audiences over the past two lottery seasons have been looking forward to the return of some old friends with the Timberwolves since the summer.

Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair - the key components of the 7-for-1 deal that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston - will be back in town tonight (TD Banknorth Garden, 7:30) for the first time since the trade that shook up both franchises and altered the power structure of the NBA. Add in the return of Antoine Walker - who came to Minnesota in a training camp deal with the Heat in exchange for two other familiar faces (Ricky Davis and Mark Blount) - and you could call it Reunion Night at the Garden.

While Garnett downplayed the significance of meeting his old team yesterday, you can bet it will be significant to the former Celtics (at least the four younger ones) and the fans who made this a premium ticket as soon as they went on sale.

And they will have at least some company inside the Celtic locker room.

"We get worked up about it too," admitted Kendrick Perkins, a former locker neighbor of Jefferson's and one of his best friends. "Guys want to come in from Minnesota and prove a point why they shouldn't have gotten traded. We want to prove a point that we've got a good team (without them)."

Perkins said he keeps in touch with the former teammates - especially Jefferson - and figures to guard Jefferson as opposing centers tonight.

"It's going to be crazy," Perkins noted. "But it ain't going to be any different from practice when I was covering him. I did (well) some days, and some days he got the best of me. Some days he would just be on and you couldn't stop him."

Jefferson is having a lot of those days in Minnesota and has had some company from other former Celtics of late despite the team's overall struggles. Jefferson, Gomes and Telfair, who all start, combined for 71 points in a 109-108 victory over Golden State on Monday that snapped the team's 16-game road losing streak. On Wednesday, Jefferson torched the Suns for 39 points and 15 rebounds as the Wolves won two in a row for the first time this season.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he expected nothing different from the developing star who is averaging 20.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

"He's a great offensive player," Rivers said. "He's improving on the other end. He's improving in his passing. He's just getting better and it's good for him.

"(Wolves GM) Kevin McHale wanted to get the best young player he could get if he was going to trade Kevin Garnett. He got him. There was not another young player he could have gotten, who was offered, who was better than Al Jefferson."

Though the Celtics faced the Wolves in a preseason game in London, Rivers acknowledged "it's still different seeing Al and those guys" and took some time to reflect on all of his former "kids" yesterday.

On Gomes, a local fan favorite, who had a career-high 35 points to go with 11 boards Monday in Oakland: "Ryan is such a solid player. (Wolves rookie) Corey Brewer is another one like that. They are guys that, the better the team is, the better they are going to be. If you put those type of guys - with great basketball IQs and who do all the little things but aren't great at one thing - on a great team they will be really good because they both have the ability to play off of people and don't mind it."

On Telfair, who went from the doghouse in Boston to the starting lineup in Minnesota: "Sebastian, to me, is a kid who has been in the league a while so people forget he is young too. In our last meeting with Sebastian (last summer), I was very honest with him. I told him what I thought he had to do to be a player. When we talked in Europe, he brought it up, so I was very happy with that."

On Green, who went from future phenom in Boston to forgotten man with the Wolves after his rookie contract option was declined in October: "It's going to take him time. You've got to give him time. He is the Slam Dunk champ. He is not the basketball champ yet. We have to let him play. We've got to let him grown. We've got to allow him to be coached. Here he was doing that, and from what I hear, he's been working his butt off out there. His time will come. It's just not now yet."

Time and patience are two things the Celtics felt they were running out of with aging captain Paul Pierce this summer, so they sent away the potential of the future for the promise of now.

Tonight, everyone will get a little reminder of what was, what could have been and maybe what someday will be for the main components of the old youth movement.

[FLCeltsFan]

aol.nba.com/celtics/beat/paruet012408-rondo-point.html

Making His Point
Surrounded by All-Stars, Rajon Rondo Is the Quiet, Confident Quarterback of the NBA's Best Team

Rajon Rondo is growing into his role as a playmaker for the league's best team.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty
By Peter F. Stringer
Parquet Magazine
Exclusive to Celtics.com

Pretending to read his e-mail, Rajon Rondo cradles his iPhone in his enormous right palm as he looks off into the distance, surveying a conference room. He's wearing the same serious look that's presumably etched across his face 24 hours a day, only now his eyes are wide open with his eyebrows raised as if he just saw Paul Pierce slip behind his man on a backdoor cut.

He's wearing a borrowed gray suit for a DIME magazine photo shoot, and he appears remarkably comfortable in front of a camera for a guy who otherwise doesn't seem to enjoy media attention. Describing the shoot to his fans on his blog the next day, Rondo jokingly wrote, "the camera loves me."

The camera may love him, but Rondo just loves clothes. He has a large sneaker collection, countless pairs of jeans and spends a lot of his downtime at shopping malls across the country adding to his wardrobe.

In fact, Rondo likes shopping so much that this summer, after meeting a group of Jamaica Plain students through the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, he took them back-to-school shopping for new outfits and shoes on a whim.

During breaks in the photoshoot, Rondo talked casually to the crew about some of his own clothes, his snowstorm driving tactics and a recent blowout win over the New York Knicks, quipping to the photographer, "they didn't even show up that night. It was crazy." He went on to talk about which guys in the locker room dress well, throwing a few teammates under the fashion bus as well.

"Some guys think they know fashion, but having style is more than just matching a printed T-shirt with some jeans," the point guard says as he poses for another shot, this time straightening his necktie in an imaginary mirror.

Right now, he looks more GQ than starting PG. He poses for a few more pictures in street clothes and even does a few outdoor shots in the snow. DIME sent a few preview shots to the Celtics offices, and the pictures from that day are certainly dramatic thanks to dark lighting and his straight-faced approach to modeling. Most striking, however, is the air of confidence Rondo portrays to the camera. Just because he's an amateur model doesn't mean he can't look like he knows exactly what he's doing.

Likewise, when it comes to quarterbacking a traveling circus of NBA All-Stars, Rondo has that same confidence, even if he is still learning on the job.

Quiet Confidence
Surrounded by microphones and notebooks, Rondo's hardly candid. Reporters in Boston and Lexington (Rondo played two years of college basketball at the University of Kentucky) often describe Rondo as quiet.

If your only interactions with him are basketball interviews, you'd probably say the same thing. Put on the spot about his struggles with the perimeter jump shot or fighting over a the top of a pick and roll, Rondo responds quickly; he's economical with his words, and you may not even notice a slight Kentucky twang in his voice.

If you're a sportswriter who needs a quote, Rondo's probably not your guy. He's into brevity and rarely elaborates.

But the teammates who know him and rely on him to ignite the Celtics' offense can tell you a different side of the story.

"If you didn't know him, you'd think he's just this quiet kid," teammate Kendrick Perkins says. "But he can be the loudest guy in the locker room."
"If you didn't know him, you'd think he's just this quiet kid," teammate Kendrick Perkins says. "But he can be the loudest guy in the locker room."

Quiet or not behind the scenes, he's certainly overshadowed in the media by the presence of a troika of All-Stars on the court.

On paper, his job looks simple: get the ball over half court and get it to one of the stars. Sure, just dump it off to Kevin Garnett on the elbow, thread the needle to Paul Pierce slashing through the lane or find Ray Allen hiding out in the left corner waiting to bury a three.

Simple, right?

"It's a tough job. He's got three guys who could tell him what to do, and at times he has to tell them, and that's not easy," says Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers, who regularly reminds reporters that Rondo is still a second-year player who is improving on a daily basis. "He's vocal. Rajon talks. I don't know if he says the right thing all of the time just yet, but that will come. He just has to understand that guys are going to be on him more than anybody else, and his teammates are going to be on him more than anybody else. It's not personal, it's called being the quarterback."

Making an Impression

Rajon Rondo sees the play developing before his eyes, much like his teammates and fans are watching the second-year guard mature on the job.
Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty
The only true point guard on the roster, Rondo shoulders a massive amount of responsibility. But he's gained the respect of the team's three veteran leaders, which goes a long way toward empowering the guy who decides which All-Star is getting the ball and when they're getting it.

"He does a great job with it, Rondo's not afraid to tell us where we need to be. He's a confident guy and that's important when you're the point guard," says Celtics captain Paul Pierce, who's watched Rondo go from a third-string bench warmer at the beginning of last season to a guy who's been all but anointed as the point guard of the present and the future.

It didn't take long for Rondo to make an impression on his new All-Star teammates, either. Kevin Garnett gushes when he talks about Rondo, regularly dousing him in praise and predicting big things for the smallest guy on the team.

"If Rondo is not the best point guard in three or four years, I'd be very, very surprised. He has all the tools to lead a team. His defense is unlike any other guard I've seen," Garnett said just days before the season began. "He has the quickness of a Tony Parker. He has the eyes and the passing skills of a Jason Kidd. He has to establish that 15-foot jumper, make it stick and be consistent. But I'm very, very, very, very impressed with Rondo."
"If Rondo is not the best point guard in three or four years, I'd be very, very surprised. He has all the tools to lead a team. His defense is unlike any other guard I've seen," Garnett said just days before the season began. "He has the quickness of a Tony Parker. He has the eyes and the passing skills of a Jason Kidd. He has to establish that 15-foot jumper, make it stick and be consistent. But I'm very, very, very, very impressed with Rondo."

Garnett said he constantly gets asked if the Celtics can truly be a championship team when they rely on a second-year point guard, and he makes it clear that Rondo can handle the pressure.

"He was thrown in that position for a reason, and if Doc didn't believe in him or he thought he was too young to have it he wouldn't have put him in that position. It wasn't like he got it [because] it was on the table and he took it off. He earned it, busted his !!!GREENIAC!!! and earned it," Garnett said, noting that Rondo watches tons of film.

"He's like a student. He has this little video pocket thing that has all the film on it and he carries it around. You laugh at it but at the same time you're impressed," Garnett says. "When you see a guy like that working toward his goals, its good to see."

Watching film is just part of the renovation. Since his college days, Rondo's been hearing that he can't shoot. He heard it again at the NBA Draft and he heard it last season, and the critics had a point. While he was effective scoring around the basket, when left open for midrange jumpers, Rondo was a liability because he didn't want to shoot them, and when he did, he wasn't connecting. According to NBA.com's shot charting tool, last season Rondo hit just 38 of his 123 (31%) mid-range jumpers.

In contrast, through the first 40 games this season, Rondo had already knocked down 53 of his 117 mid-range shots (45%), a drastic improvement that has not gone unnoticed. Along with his ability to finish at the rim, this enhancement contributes to his ranking among the top 15 guards in the league in shooting percentage this season.

Still, opposing teams continue to challenge Rondo to beat them by leaving him wide open to double-team Garnett, Pierce or Allen.

"I'm not the All-Star, those three guys are the All-Stars. So they're going to try to take away our main threats. I'd probably do the same thing, make the other guys beat us," Rondo says. "Now I'm getting a lot more open shots with those guys. When it's uncontested, it's just like practice."

Rondo insists that he hasn't changed his shooting technique at all, but he has taken notes from teammate Ray Allen with regard to how he practices his shot. He concentrates on replicating game-situations in his shooting drills, focusing on details like trying to ensure he's getting the same type of elevation on his jumpshot in the gym as he would during a game in the arena.

Room for Improvement
Shooting is just part of the equation. While Rondo has proven to be one of the best ball-stealers in the league (he lead the NBA in steals per 48 minutes last year), too often his gambling has led to defensive breakdowns for the team, something his coaches won't tolerate.

"Rajon is like a really good roller coaster. He has some really good highs, but he goes up and down," Rivers says. "The fans see the steals, but we talk about solid defense."

Early in the season, Rivers challenged Rondo to improve his defense because opposing point guards were torching the Celtics. Himself a former point guard, Rivers has traditionally been tough on his young point guards. He's been no different with Rondo.

When a TV reporter asked Rivers about Rondo's play in December, likely expecting to hear praise for his improved shooting, he instead got a pointed answer about the second year guard's deficiencies on the other end of the floor. It's certainly nothing that Rondo hasn't already heard from his coach, but Rivers seemed to make a point about letting it be known in no uncertain terms: Rondo must improve on the defensive end.

"He's got to be a better defensive player. He's got to improve defensively," Rivers says. "If he improves defensively we're going to be fine. I love who he is, I love the potential, but for us to be a better team, Rajon Rondo has to keep working and improving on his defense. When he does that, then I'm going to be really excited about his game. He's going to work on it, and he's going to do it."
"He's got to be a better defensive player. He's got to improve defensively," Rivers says. "If he improves defensively we're going to be fine. I love who he is, I love the potential, but for us to be a better team, Rajon Rondo has to keep working and improving on his defense. When he does that, then I'm going to be really excited about his game. He's going to work on it, and he's going to do it."

Consider the gauntlet thrown down. The pro game moves decidedly quicker and is incredibly physical in comparison to college basketball. Rondo and his 6'1", 171 lbs. frame is still finding this out.

"Every night, it's a beating you take," Rondo said of defending the pick-and-roll, the NBA's staple play.

For a point guard, defending the play includes recognizing the personnel running the play (is the guard a shooter or a threat to penetrate? Will the big pop out or head for the hoop? Are we trapping the play?), trying to avoid the pick all together, and if that doesn't work, fighting over players who are typically twice his size. Depending on the game plan, the defensive strategy can change from night-to-night, and in some cases, minute-to-minute when the game's on the line.

But pick-and-roll defense is just a part of the equation, and for Rondo, improvement on the defensive end boils down to the basics: keeping his man in front of him and picking his spots when it comes to going for the steal. Rondo acknowledged as much, admitting that he probably gambles too much because of his natural abilities.

"I think I stand up more often than I should on defense. I've got to be solid and continue to get better," Rondo said. "Stay between my man and the basket."

Above-average quickness, surprisingly good leaping ability, long arms and freakishly huge hands (reportedly the largest hands the Celtics current training staff has ever measured) are great attributes for an open court defender, but Rondo is still undersized against guys like Chauncey Billups, Deron Williams and some of the larger point guards of the league. If they're not trying to rub him off on a pick on the top of the key, they'll take him on the box and try to post him up.

"Each guy you play, not just the elite guys, because it's the NBA, every night you've got to make an adjustment. The more you play against a guy, the better a feel you have for him," Rondo says.

With just a year of pro experience, Rondo is still learning the league's personnel and how to defend his opponents. Perhaps more importantly, he's learning about being a leader, running a team and managing a trio of superstars.

[FLCeltsFan]

aol.nba.com/celtics/news/blog/post-ups.html


Thursday, January 24 - PracticeTechnically the team didn't practice Thursday, but they did watch film, and according to Head Coach Doc Rivers, the emphasis was on defense, or perhaps more accurately, the defense that wasn't played Wednesday night in the loss to Toronto.

"We just watched film. We do that every once in a while. Film's good. It saves the legs, and it opens up the minds," Rivers said. "There was no offense on it, I can tell you that. It was all defense."

Rivers also added that James Posey will probably sit out again Friday and he hopes to have the versatile forward back in the mix for Sunday's game in Orlando.

No Nostalgia for KG -- Yet
While the Celtics and Timberwolves already met in London during the preseason, Friday's matchup will be the first time that Boston and Minnesota play each other in a meaningful game. But you get the sense that it won't really hit home until the Celtics visit the T-Wolves on February 8.

Still, the storyline for Friday's game primarily revolves around Kevin Garnett playing his former team. Reporters from Minneapolis have been in town since Wednesday night to cover the story, and it certainly isn't lost on Doc Rivers, who noted that he was glad that the teams already played in preseason to take some of the emotional edge of Friday's matchup.

"Kevin had great years there. Part of the hang up with Kevin coming here to begin with is because he loved Minnesota. It was very difficult for him to give the perception that he was bailing. That was to me the main reason he wanted to stay," Rivers said. "Fortunately we changed his mind with a lot of calls and begging and he's here. He gave most of his career there, that will be different for him to come out and play against that jersey."

As for KG himself, he met the press after about 10 minutes of light outside shooting, and he downplayed the game as much as possible, telling reporters he was concerned with getting the Celtics back on track. He initially brushed off the topic entirely, stating, "If that's what y'all are looking for, I ain't got nothing for ya."

After a few more questions, he did warm up and start talking about his days in Minnesota, but given the changes on their roster after an off-season makeover, there are few players left with whom Garnett ever played.

"I want y'all to understand something. A lot of the guys I played with in Minnesota are not even on this team. It's like a brand-new team. The personnel, the trainers and people behind the scenes are probably a little more important than some of the people who are on the court," Garnett said, noting that of the guys on the team, only "Mad Dog" Mark Madsen had been a teammate for more than a year or two.

Asked if he regretted hanging on to a tough situation so long in Minnesota, Garnett simply emphasized that enjoyed his days with the Timberwolves.

"I have no regrets for loyalty. I thank the fans for being behind me," Garnett said. "Minnesota knows they have a special place in my heart when it comes to the people there. That's my connection there and it will always be a connection. But right now I'm in Boston and I'm enjoying it."

Youth Movement Served -- In Minny
Asked if wanted to relive the struggles of last season, the 18-game losing streak and the like, Doc Rivers declined.

"I'd rather think about the good times I had with them coaching," Rivers said. "They were terrific kids, all of them, fun to coach, they improved each month, each day. When you think about all we went through, we had very little turmoil. The team was extremely close. They're good people."

Of primary interest, of course, is Al Jefferson, the centerpiece to the swap and a player who has developed into an All-Star caliber offensive player and a guy Pierce says is in the top five NBA low post scorers. Rivers also feels Big Al (who dropped 39 points and 15 rebounds on the Suns Wednesday night) will get his due soon -- as soon as his team starts winning consistently.

"Al's going to be an All-Star. With his numbers, he would have made it this year, but their record will prevent him from making it. He has All-Star numbers, he doesn't have an All-Star team."

[FLCeltsFan]

insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Sophomores-080124&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dthorpe_david%26page%3dSophomores-080124

Which sophs are soaring? Which are slumping?
By David Thorpe
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: January 24, 2008
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NBA Fastbreak Looks at the Sophomore ClassWe've been focusing each week on this year's rookie class, and now, as we reach the midpoint of the season, it's time to take a look at last year's rookies and how they're developing in Year 2 of their young NBA careers.

Which sophs are on the verge of stardom? Which are showing strong signs of development? Which seem to be stuck in the dreaded sophomore slump? And which have a long way to go?

Here are my top 10 sophomores, plus some others to keep an eye on:

The big three


1. Brandon Roy, Blazers
The reigning Rookie of the Year is still at the head of the class. He's not a special athlete, nor a dead-eye shooter, and he doesn't "Iverson" too many people with jaw-dropping ballhandling moves. What he is, though, is a great player, because he's good or very good at everything. He defies NBA scouts' creed of "have to be great at one thing" to be a legit NBA player. Literally, this is a player without a real weakness.

I'm most impressed by his pace. Roy plays at a unique tempo that makes him look slow. But as he goes past guys or creates open midrange jumpers with his handle and timing, we realize that everyone else is moving even slower because he is in total control of his game and the ballgame in general. He may not ever be a league MVP, but a Finals MVP seems like a strong possibility one day. Portland's young bigs and higher draft picks (LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden) are no more important to the franchise's future than Roy is -- that's how special he is.


2. Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Undoubtedly the most talented player of this class, with the biggest upside, Gay is an elite NBA athlete with great size and length for his position. He is also very skilled as a dribbler and shooter, and he's a good passer out of doubles and ball screens. Gay is figuring out that he can be a dominant player on both ends of the floor, something many teams and scouts questioned about him before the draft.

I'd like to see him rebound more consistently, but other than that, his progress has been excellent, and he has the ability to be a leaguewide MVP candidate one day. Remember, he's two years younger than Roy, and is the second-youngest player on this list. Toronto strongly considered taking him with the No. 1 pick in June. They should have.


3. LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers
Probably the second most talented sophomore and another can't-miss Portland prospect (along with Roy and Oden) who is an integral part of the Blazers' bright future. Except for some injury concerns, Aldridge leaves no question as to how he will be a dominant power forward in this league. He combines his dynamite turnaround jumper (with his high release) and his right-hand jump hook to form a simple but very effective low-post game. And I think he plays even better in open space; he has a great feel for pick and popping or flashing to open spots.

He's a good shooter, a good shot-blocker and a willing rebounder -- three keys to being more than an average power forward in the NBA. He's still thin, but that does not keep him from bashing inside -- a hint to what he'll be like when he naturally adds 20 pounds or so over the next few years.



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Key contributors


4. Ronnie Brewer, Jazz
Brewer is the elite athlete of all the guards in this class; in fact, he ranks high compared to all NBA guards. He is tall and rangy and loves to bang inside, partly because he can't shoot. But he's perfect in Utah's system, hurting smaller or weaker guys inside using flex or face cuts to get open.

He rarely makes a bad pass or takes a bad shot, and he's one of the top steals guys in the league, so he helps create extra possessions for his team. If he learns how to shoot the ball from the perimeter at an average ability, Brewer can become a 17-plus PPG guy.


5. Paul Millsap, Jazz
He may not be playing quite as efficiently as he did last season, now that teams know they must account for him, but he is still a threat to be the difference maker for the Jazz on any given night. He has scored 17-plus points on six occasions, and the Jazz have won five of those contests -- impressive for an "undersized" power forward playing behind one of the top 4s in the world.

He can beat people in a variety of ways, too: as a shot-blocker, transition finisher or an offensive rebounder. His agility even allows him to drift out to defend perimeter guys, though his offensive game is not at that level. Millsap wins the "Best Hands in Class" award.


6. Jordan Farmar, Lakers
Few teams would have predicted he'd be getting 20-plus minutes per game on one of the best teams in basketball in only his second season in the league. But more than half the teams who passed him up on draft day could use his 40.6 percent 3-point shooting in their rotation, not to mention his energy on both sides of the floor. He is quick and crafty with the ball, and is a much better than average finisher around the rim despite his small stature.

He looks to be the best pure point guard in this class, though the Lakers' offense allows him to be more "guard" than "point." His on-the-ball defense is also underrated, and he's averaging more than a steal per game as the backup to Derek Fisher. He'll be a longtime starter in this league. And a winner.


7. Craig Smith, Wolves
It's hard to be certain how good a player is when he plays on a terrible team, but this much is true: Guarding Smith in the paint takes a real commitment, because he's going to bring all of his power to the play. That's why you'll see him make far more unmolested layups than most undersized guys, who often get crunched as they go to the rim. There's nothing soft about his physique or his skills, other than a questionable jumper. Great hands and feel, and nimble too, Smith could become a better rotation player if he could learn the pick-and-pop game.

He's a fighter on defense too, but he is easy to shoot over for many true power forwards. But for teams that like to play small, their 4 is often overmatched by the "Strongest in Class" second-round pick.


8. Daniel Gibson, Cavs
Proving that last season's coming-out party in the playoffs was no fluke, Gibson is the most prolific 3-point shooter in this class (92 made 3s), and one of the best long-distance shooters in the league (currently third in 3-point percentage at 48.9). He's quick and steady with the ball, and not turnover prone. And he's smart -- he rarely over-penetrates, instead stopping and popping and avoiding tough shots in traffic.

Gibson is the only guy on this list who's made the NBA Finals, and joins Millsap as the only current sophs who have contributed to playoff wins. Never underestimate the importance of second-round picks.


9. Rajon Rondo, Celtics
He may indeed be the most fortunate point guard in the league, but there is no denying his impact on the Celtics. He's our "Quickest in Class," and it shows when the Celtics need a shot late in the clock. Rondo can blow by his defender and get a shot for a teammate or himself. He harasses the opponent's guards also, stripping dribblers or jumping passing lanes. He's a real pest, in the best sense of the word.

I think he's also becoming more comfortable as a vocal leader in Boston, an important step in his growth and the team's growth if they are going to be legit title contenders. He's a jump shot away from having All-Star potential, and as Tony Parker has shown, it's not out of the question that he can develop one.


10. Kelenna Azubuike, Warriors
Although his production has slipped each month of the season, he still ranks in the top 10 of his class in scoring and rebounding, and thus, earns this spot on our list. The only undrafted player represented here, Azubuike benefits by playing in Don Nelson's system. Still, it's hard to imagine that every other team couldn't project him to be similar to what he is now -- an athletic and strong guard who has a great shooting stroke and a willingness to rebound in traffic.

He's not crafty with the ball, but credit him for knowing that and sticking to easy plays. He's smart at finding his shooting spots, often spotting up in the left corner or wing, where he is shooting a combined 32-for-68 behind the line.



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Others to watch


Tyrus Thomas, Bulls: With the awful play of Ben Wallace inside, one would think Thomas might get consistent minutes in an effort to grow his game to another level. That has not been the case. Thomas, the most athletic player in his class, routinely plays very little despite showing signs of becoming a legit starter in this league. He's a likely trade candidate in the next few weeks.

Andrea Bargnani, Raptors: The top pick in the draft has to be the most disappointing player, thus far, from the draft class of 2006. He has been less effective in almost every measurable category this season compared to his rookie season, which is a very troubling sign. He's still a very good 3-point shooter, but he's showing little else. With the No. 1 pick, the Raptors may have drafted a Matt Bonner type.


Kyle Lowry, Grizzlies: He can't shoot from deep and is too short to finish inside regularly, but this guy can play. This is really an extended rookie year for him since he missed almost the entire 2006-07 season due to an injury. Lowry provides energy and toughness and is a capable defender, too. Conley is the clear starter for this team moving forward, so perhaps Lowry gets moved to a team that needs his talents more than the Grizz do.

Thabo Sefolosha, Bulls: I was unimpressed watching him get some extended run for the Bulls in the summer league, but he has been much sharper of late in Chicago. He plays intelligently and can shoot the midrange jumper. Plus, he has the ability to play multiple positions on both ends.

Josh Boone, Nets: I was not a fan of this pick on draft night, but Boone is developing into a double-double guy on a team desperate for inside help. Of course, shooting less than 35 percent from the line means that Boone's spot in the rotation is far from secure going forward. Consider that Shaq shot above 50 percent his first three years and had a career low 42.2 percent last season. And Boone is no Shaq.


Randy Foye, Wolves: Remember the argument about who should be drafted first between Foye or Roy? I do. While Foye has talent, I never understood the debate. Foye's current injury and his terrible team make the comparison impossible right now, but the No. 7 pick in the 2006 draft looked like a positionless man when he played last season.

J.J. Redick, Magic: As I've written before, I think Redick can be a solid guy for most teams in this league. But he's done nothing thus far. In his defense (and coach Stan Van Gundy must think he needs some), he scored efficiently in the only two games in which he played 17-plus minutes. Don't write him off yet.



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Long way to go


Adam Morrison, Bobcats: He didn't prove he could play at even an average level as a rookie. Then he injured himself before the season and is now out until 2008-09. It's questionable whether he ever gets much of a chance in Charlotte, which will prove to be very painful for the No. 3 pick and the team that selected him over everyone else on this list except Bargnani and Aldridge.

Shelden Williams, Hawks: He came on strong late last season and looked like he'd be a formidable frontcourt mate alongside Al Horford. Instead, he's gotten worse in almost every single statistical category this season and looks like a disastrous pick for Atlanta at No. 5.


Patrick O'Bryant, Warriors: I was warned before the draft that he was a paper tiger -- has all the tools, but apparently lacks a heartbeat.

Mouhamed Sene, Sonics: Reaching for a big man (again) is not news for the Sonics. But to be fair, Sene doesn't turn 22 until May and a stint in the D League is doing him good.

Hilton Armstrong, Hornets: A walking example of how "staying in school" often means very little when it comes to playing in the NBA. Despite four years at UConn, Armstrong has lost minutes to journeymen Melvin Ely and Ryan Bowen in the Hornets' rotation and has logged 20-plus minutes in a game only once this season.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7070


Credit Goes to Calderon

By: Jessica Camerato Last Updated: 1/24/08 2:40 PM ET | 456 times read



Adjust font size:The Boston Celtics have been deemed the best defensive team in the NBA. Not only do they own the largest margin of victory in the league, they have also held their opponents to the lowest three-point percentage out of all teams. Apparently Jose Calderon did not read the stat sheets. And if he did, he didn't show it on Wednesday night.

Calderon tore apart the Celtics defense in the Toronto Raptors 114-112 victory in Boston. He drove the lane. He pulled up for threes. Calderon paid no attention to the Celtics defensive reputation and scored 24 points (3-4 3PG) without hesitation. He capped off the night with a game-winning three-point play with 10.5 seconds left on the clock.

"We knew [Kevin Garnett] didn't want to leave [Chris Bosh]," Calderon said of the Raptors last possession. "I saw him just try to deny him the ball, so I saw it was my opportunity to turn the corner. So I go all the way [and] I saw Paul Pierce coming to help, but he was inside the lines. So it was, I said, my turn. I saw Carlos (Delfino) was open too because Paul Pierce helped, but even like that it was too close to the basket and I just finished the play."

Calderon's teammates were happy with his quick thinking. The Raptors did not hold back the entire game (15-for-21 3PG) and the last play was a reflection of their offensive hustle.

"Jose recognized the situation," Chris Bosh said. "Jose was aggressive. He had [Anthony Parker] in the corner and he hadn't missed any shots all day, so they really didn't want to leave him. Jose did a great job of finishing."

The Celtics also gave credit where credit was due. Calderon and his teammates made the Celts play Raptors basketball, not Celtics basketball.

"He was great," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He beat us to the basket most of the night, and that was a breakdown in pick-and-roll coverage. I didn't think we showed as well, I didn't think we bodied up as well. That last play, we told our guys, we were playing defense on the fly tonight where we were making up on our own coverage instead of sticking to our own rules."

Calderon's outing was role reversal for the Celtics. Back in November, Ray Allen knocked down a game-winning three in overtime. On Wednesday, Allen missed a last-second jumper and couldn't trump Calderon's heroics. The veteran clutch shooter will learn a thing or two from Calderon.

"Calderon got to his spots off pick-and-rolls [and] I think it will take us to watch film to realize or understand what different we could of done out there on the floor," Allen said.

"Once he got to certain spots on the floor, they had four shooters spaced. Anytime you are in a rotation, you are going to get a guy rotating late to a shooter. When we rotated we did what we need to do and they were a team that was hot behind the arc."

While the Celtics are watching game tape and studying Calderon's performance, the Raptors guard is moving on.

"We score, we win," he said. "We have to forget about it."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.projo.com/sports/mikeszostak/sp_bkc_celtics25_01-25-08_C08OGHK_v11.295675f.html#


Celts’ Garnett is all about the present

01:00 AM EST on Friday, January 25, 2008

BY MIKE SZOSTAK

Journal Sports Writer

The Celtics’ Kevin Garnett is the leading vote-getter in All-Star balloting.


The Providence Journal / Kris Craig
WALTHAM, Mass. — Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins may feel a bit nostalgic tonight when they see former teammates Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and Gerald Green at the TD Banknorth Garden, but Kevin Garnett won’t be humming Auld Lang Syne for the club with which he spent the first 12 years of his career.

“A lot of the guys I played with in Minnesota are not even on this team. It’s like a brand-new team,” Garnett said yesterday of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will make their annual appearance in Boston tonight. “The trainers, the people that are behind the scenes, are probably more important than some of the people that are on the court.”

True enough. Only four players on the current roster — Mark Madsen, Craig Smith, Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants — were Garnett’s teammates in Minnesota.

But the 2008 Celtics are also like a brand-new team, thanks to the bold trades that Danny Ainge executed last summer to import Ray Allen from Seattle and Garnett from Minnesota. Ainge transformed Boston overnight from irrelevant loser to championship contender. The Celts will hit the halfway point of the season tonight with the best record in the NBA (33-7).

Garnett, the leading vote-getter in All-Star balloting, was respectful in his comments about his former team, but it was clear that he is all about the Celtics and the present, not the Timberwolves and the past.

“I’m happy where I’m at. I’m happy with my current situation. I’m so locked in to what we’re trying to do here that I haven’t even thought about the small things,” he said.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, on the other hand, needed little prompting to talk about Garnett with the Timberwolves and the Celtics and to reminisce about the young players he coached and Ainge traded.

“Kevin had great years there, and part of the hang up with Kevin coming here to begin with is because he loved Minnesota. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Minnesota, and it was very difficult for him to give the perception that he was bailing. To me, that was the main reason he wanted to stay. Fortunately, he changed his mind, with a lot of calls and begging, and he’s here. But his heart will be there. He gave most of his main career there, so that will be different for him to come out and play against that jersey.”

The impact Garnett and fellow All-Star Ray Allen, whom Ainge acquired from Seattle, have had on their coaches and teammates has been significant.

“We got lucky in that we got two good people. We literally know and see Kevin’s and Ray’s talent, but the only reason this has worked is because they’re good people,” Rivers said.

They are also good players who have turned the Celtics from almost worst to first in less than a year.

“You got an impact player like Kevin Garnett, a former MVP, Olympic gold medalist, won just about everything you can win except an NBA championship as an individual, a guy like that can definitely turn an organization around,” Pierce said.

Garnett had garnered 1.75-million All-Star votes, more than any player in the league, yet he was unaware that the All-Star teams were being announced last night.

“I watch a lot of Family Guy. I don’t really watch a lot of regular TV. That keeps me upbeat and comical. Not a lot of Minnesota games. Not a lot of TNT. A lot of Family Guy,” Garnett said.

He is averaging 19.5 points, just below his career average of 20.5, and is second behind Pierce’s 20.4, yet he isn’t bothered because his goal is to win a championship, not a scoring title.

“I’m fortunate to be in a position to say that we’re winning. That feels good, and I’m happy to be a part of that. At the end of the day, these individual awards are what they are, individual. Without Ray, Paul, (Eddie) House, (Rajon) Rondo, all these guys on this team, I wouldn’t be what I am,” he said.

Pierce knew Garnett only as a rival until this season.

“A lot of things have surprised me about him,” Pierce said. “You look at him from afar, and you don’t have a chance to be with him on a day-to-day basis . . . to understand him as an individual, come in and practice every day, be around him on the plane every day, how detailed he is, how much he focuses in every day in practice. You see all the little things he does day in and day out. That’s what makes him who he is.”

And halfway through this turnaround season, who he is is the reason the Celtics are who they are.

As for his former players, Rivers said: “They were terrific kids, all of them, fun to coach. They improved each day. When you think about all we went through, we had to be one of the first teams on record to have the record we had and have very little turmoil. They were extremely close. They were good people,” he said.

Rivers wants his alumni to do well in the league.

“Just because you don’t coach them any more doesn’t mean you don’t coach them, you know what I mean?” said Rivers, who was most complimentary of Jefferson, the key to the July 29 deal for Minnesota.

“Kevin McHale wanted to get the best young player that he could get, if he was going to trade Garnett. He got him. There was not another young player he could have got that was offered better than Al Jefferson . . .

I think Al Jefferson’s numbers have proven that. . . . Al’s going to be an All-Star. I don’t know about this year. He has All-Star numbers; he doesn’t have an All-Star team.”

Jefferson has started every game for the Timberwolves and is averaging 20.8 points, 12.1 rebounds and 36.3 minutes. Minnesota is 7-34, the worst record in the NBA. Gomes, the former Providence College star, has played in every game, started 33 and is averaging 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonnow.com/sports/basketball/2008/01/25/celtics-square-off-with-timberwolves-for-first-time

Celtics square off with Timberwolves for first time

J.A. Rice BostonNOW Correspondent
While the Celtics are having a banner year, or at least finally have hope for one, the organization that is perhaps most responsible for putting them in that position is already looking ahead to the NBA Draft - in June.

"Most mock drafts have the Timberwolves drafting freshman Michael Beasley," one blogger on the bleacherreport.com wrote after the Wolves ended an 11-game skid on Monday night by stunning Golden State 109-108. "I don't have a problem with the 6-foot-8-inch forward from Kansas State, nor do I even have a problem with the fact that he is just 19 years old."

The Celtics and 'Wolves will meet for the first time tonight since Minnesota GM Kevin McHale and his former teammate Danny Ainge struck a blockbuster deal five months ago that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston in exchange for five players, two draft picks and cash. While the deal instantly transformed Boston from a promising collection of youngsters who had the NBA's second-worst record last season, it transformed Minnesota into a promising collection of youngsters with the NBA's worst record this season.

Although the Wolves beat the Suns 117-107 Wednesday night and the Celts fell to the Raptors 114-112, the squads are one game off of perfectly transposed records.

"I'm pretty pumped up about the game," Boston big man Kendrick Perkins said Wednesday. "But we've got to get back to winning. This was a tough loss, so you know it's going to be a war in here on Friday."

The 'Wolves starting five has an average age of 23.4 years old and a roster with six former Celtics, including Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green and Al Jefferson, who is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game this year. Perkins said it will be weird to play his old mates. And while he feels bad they were shipped from one losing team to another, he doesn't think their record indicates their talent.

"I look at them all the time," he said. "I think they've been doing an alright job. "They're losing, but they're still competing. They've got the talent, they've just got to put it together."

An example of that talent is Rhode Island native Ryan Gomes, who scored a career-high 35 points in the Golden State game, a game that also broke a 16-game road-losing streak for Minnesota.

Before Wednesday night's game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers was asked about tonight's game.

"I don't know about nostalgic, seeing those guys is supposed to be a positive thing," he said. "The positive part was the relationships, the games on the other hand weren't so positive. But the relationships were."

The two teams will meet again in Minnesota on Feb. 8, which the Bleacher Report blogger hopes the 'Wolves lose.

"I think a much better scenario would involve the 'Wolves losing every remaining game and then hopefully drafting the best player available," the blogger wrote. "But even then, when they're on the clock on June 26th for the first pick, Timberwolves fans everywhere will still have absolutely no idea what to expect because of who will make the final decision: Kevin McHale."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/14296386.html


KG's all green now
Kevin Garnett has too much on his mind -- like bringing an NBA championship back to Boston -- to get sentimental about facing his former team for the first time.

By JERRY ZGODA , Star Tribune

Last update: January 24, 2008 - 11:20 PM

On KG ...
Toronto coach Sam Mitchell,

a former Timberwolves teammate, on Garnett's time in Minnesota running its course: "People got bored with 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Got bored with that and they wanted more. You take those numbers and plug them in on any team and see what you get. Take those numbers and plug them in with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and see what

you get."

BOSTON

A year ago, the Boston Celtics wallowed in the midst of an 18-game losing streak, by five games the celebrated franchise's longest in a city where sporting defeat now simply is unacceptable.
Then, with a shower of rosin powder, the tug of his jersey and a competitive scowl -- not to mention the largest trade for a single player in NBA history -- everything changed.

Tonight, Kevin Garnett faces a Timberwolves team that drafted him in June 1995 directly from high school, a bold move at the time that inevitably more than answered a Sports Illustrated cover that asked, "Ready or Not?"

The leading vote-getter in All-Star Game balloting and the player with the NBA's hottest-selling jersey, Garnett leads into a modern-day Boston Garden the best team in basketball and a franchise restored to splendor seemingly by the clap of his hands at the scorer's table and by the sweat that beads from his shaved head.

Stung by a home loss to Toronto on Wednesday and fixated on an elusive title ahead, he arrives apparently not the least bit sentimental about playing his former team.

"I'm sure that's what y'all are looking for," Garnett said Thursday when asked about his emotions for tonight's game. "I've got nothing for you."

One man's influence

At 33-7, his Celtics are almost precisely the inverted image of his former team, which once again has returned to counting lottery ping-pong balls just like it did before he arrived fresh from Farragut Academy in Chicago at age 19.

From 28-54 a season ago, the Celtics won 27 of their first 30 games and, with Garnett flanked by fellow stars Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, have positioned themselves to contend for the franchise's record 17th NBA title and its first since 1986.

"The game of basketball is one of those rare sports where you can't pitch around a guy or only play one side," Celtics teammate Brian Scalabrine said. "In basketball, you play on both sides and you only play five guys so the impact of one guy is huge. You add Kevin Garnett and what he does and it changes an entire organization. I'm just so surprised that you've put these players together and produced something so special so fast. I mean right away, we were playing for a championship."

The inability for Garnett and the Timberwolves to seriously contend for such a title in all but one of his 12 seasons in Minnesota led to a mutual parting last summer, when the team and the former league MVP and 10-time All Star agreed he'd head to Boston for five players and two first-round draft picks. Only once in those 12 years did Garnett and the Wolves advance from the NBA playoffs' first round. That was in 2003-04, when for one fleeting, glorious season Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale put veterans Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell together with Garnett in a poor man's version of what pal and former Celtics teammate Danny Ainge was able to do four summers later.

The Wolves reached the Western Conference finals that spring and might have played for a championship had Cassell stayed healthy.

But circumstance and management missteps all along the way during his time in Minnesota led to three consecutive seasons missing the playoffs and the eventual departure of the biggest superstar to hit Minnesota since Kirby Puckett.

Garnett left last summer. Teammates Troy Hudson, Trenton Hassell, Ricky Davis and Mark Blount soon followed.

"I want you to try to understand something," Garnett said. "A lot of guys I played with in Minnesota aren't even on this team. Mad Dog [Mark Madsen], Rashad [McCants], Craig [Smith], some of the young guys are. Other than that, it's a brand-new team. That's just what it is."

Happy to be here

Renown for his fierce loyalty that kept him in an NBA hinterland where spring's warmth rarely coincided with the continuing bounce of a basketball, Garnett was asked Thursday if he missed Minnesota.

"Um, I'm happy where I'm at," he said. "I'm happy with the current situation. I'm so locked into what we're trying to do here, I haven't even thought about the small things."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers acknowledged it took "a lot of calls and begging" to persuade Garnett to leave Minnesota. Ainge's draft-day deal last summer that sent the fifth overall pick to Seattle for Allen, a seven-time All-Star, convinced Garnett that the Celtics finally had the goods to win big again.

This time last season, the Celtics had just lost their ninth consecutive game and were halfway to the 18-game streak that ended right after Garnett and the Wolves beat them at Target Center in mid February. Now, fans everywhere in TD Banknorth Garden wear Garnett's No. 5 jersey and a team so forgotten just months ago now glistens with what Pierce terms national "sparkle" and "appeal."

"Well, if they're the right players," Rivers said when asked if he often thinks about the difference a player or two and a year can make. "They have to be not only the right players as far as talent, they also have to be the right teammates. We clearly know and see Kevin and Ray's talent, but the only reason this has worked is because they're good people."

Rivers often coached against Garnett from afar and wondered if all that loyalty and intensity -- that elaborate pregame ritual that included a meditation under the basket -- was too good to be genuine.

"The best quality is that he owns up to his mistakes, because stars rarely do," Rivers said. "When he turns around in a film session and says, `Damn it, that's my fault,' then what's [rookie] Glen Davis going to do? Everyone falls in line and that makes your job a treat."

No regrets

So intent on a championship and what he calls the "job at hand," Garnett said he didn't know the All-Star voting results would be announced Thursday night and said he only follows his former team if he sees on the sports ticker that a current Timberwolf had a big game.

"I watch a lot of 'Family Guy,'" he said, referring to the TV adult-cartoon series. "Not a lot of Minnesota games, not a lot of TNT. 'Family Guy' keeps me upbeat and comical."

Somebody asked if he had any regrets about his loyalty to the Timberwolves and his 12 years in Minnesota.

"I have no regrets for loyalty at all," he said. "I thank the fans for being behind me. Minnesota knows they have a special place in my heart when it comes to the people there. That's my connection there. There always will be a connection there. Right now, I'm in Boston and I'm enjoying it."

When the Celtics played at Seattle last month, the Sonics gave Allen a check for his charitable foundation in a brief ceremony. Allen played 4 1/2 seasons there.

"Absolutely nothing," Garnett said when asked what he thinks the Wolves organization will do when he returns to Target Center for the first time two weeks from today. "And that's cool with me."

[FLCeltsFan]

www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=325058&z=22

Garnett in Boston is reminder of moves Timberwolves missed
1/24/2008 9:57:44 PM
(0) Comments
By Jim Souhan

Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS -- Is this game necessary? Does one of the worst teams in basketball history really need to waste fossil fuel traveling to Boston to face the best team in the NBA, just so Minnesotans can be reminded that New England is the sports Hub of the universe, and that we in Flyover Land give new meaning to the phrase "farm teams"?

Couldn't the Twins, with their downsized payroll, just ship Johan Santana to Boston on the Wolves' charter, and use the savings to buy a used space heater for the new ballpark?

Friday night, the Wolves face Kevin Garnett in a Boston uniform for the first time in a game that counts.

Thirteen years of mismanagement left the Wolves with no choice but to trade Garnett last summer. The beautiful basketball exhibited by the Celtics this season proves again that, with the right people around him, he can be the world's greatest complementary player.

Garnett's ability to play nicely with others is the latest indictment of Wolves management. Twice the Wolves gave Garnett a guard who could make big shots. The first time, Stephon Marbury helped Garnett get to the playoffs and elicited predictions of greatness from Charles Barkley. The second time, Sam Cassell helped Garnett to the Western Conference finals.

With one or two more good moves in the past 13 years, the Wolves could have remained relevant. Here are 10 moves they should have made:

1. Keep Ray Allen: Let's admit that until Stephon Marbury forced his way off the tundra, trading Allen for Marbury in 1996 looked like a good idea. Now we know that Allen is the better and more reliable player, and that Marbury deserves Isiah Thomas.

2. Draft Josh Howard: Duh. With the 26th pick in the 2003 draft, the Wolves selected raw, skinny high schooler Ndudi Ebi instead of the ACC player of the year.

3. Trade for Allen Iverson: The Wolves felt the price was too high, and perhaps felt that Iverson alone wouldn't resurrect the franchise. But the Wolves typically screw up in the draft, so why not trade away your picks for a guy who would fill the arena?

4. Fire Kevin McHale: Self-explanatory, especially since you can't fire the owner.

5. Let Joe Smith leave: Double duh. Smith was never a special player, yet the Wolves lost four first-round draft picks because they signed him to an under-the-table deal. For a five-year stretch, the only player the Wolves took in the first round was Ebi. This is the single most stupid and damaging move Glen Taylor and McHale ever made, and that's saying something.

6. Ignore KG: The Big Ticket was more like The Big Lebowski when it came to personnel ideas. This is the guy who pushed for Joe Smith's and Troy Hudson's long-term deals, and embraced the Mike James signing. Can we blame Garnett for bringing in Sidney Ponson and Ramon Ortiz, too?

7. Keep Billups: A franchise cursed at the position of point guard had a future All-Star in its midst and let him leave, so it could keep Terrell "Iron Man" Brandon.

8. Keep Roy: The general consensus about this draft was that Brandon Roy was a superior player to Randy Foye. The consensus among the Wolves' braintrust was that they were close enough in ability that the team could afford to draft for need, choosing Foye, considered more of a point guard.

Which should remind everyone of the most important rule in sports -- never draft for need. Foye is promising; Roy is an elite player.

9. Keep Cassell, or trade him for better value: Cassell was a pain in the shorts, but Cassell to the Clippers for Marko Jaric and a first-round pick? As Cassell said, "I wouldn't trade Sam Cassell for Marko Jaric."

10. Make Cassell Wolves' GM: See 9.

[FLCeltsFan]

blogs.metrowestdailynews.com/celtics/?p=952

Celts target Minny; Garnett not so much
Posted on January 24, 2008 by Scott Souza
Filed Under Uncategorized |

WALTHAM - Asked about all his time in Minnesota following today’s film session, Kevin Garnett responded: “I will never apologize for loyalty.” When Garnett says something all Martin Scorsese like that, he delivers the line as well as perhaps any professional athlete around.

Garnett said it in the context of not regretting his 12 years with the Timberwolves, but that he won’t be dwelling on them tomorrow night when Minnesota comes to town either. The same probably won’t go for the former Celtics who will be back at the Garden for the first time since the trade - Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green and Theo Ratliff (who probably won’t make the trip due to - surprise - an injury) - not to mention longtime Celtic fan favorite/whipping post Antoine Walker.

The loyalty from these parts to the former Green teamers among Celtics and reporters is probably the main reason why talk of Minnesota dominated today’s practice soundbites over talk of last night’s porous defensive effort in a 114-112 loss to Toronto.

Predictably, Jefferson was the primary topic.

“Al is who he is,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “He’s a great offensive player. He’s improving on the other end. He’s improving his passing. He is just getting better.

As much as Rivers likes his view from a 33-7 perch coaching three likely All-Stars (Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce) and a team of veterans, he knows they didn’t come without a price.

“Kevin McHale wanted to get the best young player he could get if they were going to trade Garnett,” Rivers said. “He got him. There was not another young player he could have gotten, who was offered, better than Al Jefferson. Then he got other players with that. But the key for McHale was to get the best young player if they were going to trade Garnett. I think he got him. I think he got him in Al Jefferson. And I think Al Jefferson’s numbers prove that.”

Pierce called Jefferson the third best low-post scorer in the league already.

Should be an interesting night tomorrow at the Garden. …

Straying away from the 7-34 Wolves for a second, Garnett briefly addressed the probability that he will be selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star during a televised announcement tonight as the leading overall vote-getter.

Garnett claimed to not know that was happening tonight, and insisted that he will probably be watching “Family Guy” instead of the announcement show.

Pierce, who should be picked as a reserve next week, was more in tune with the fanfare of the televised announcement and gave his kudos to Garnett. Pierce did, however, have a qualifier when the topic of Garnett’s No. 5 Celtic jersey sales (which also lead the league) was broached.

“It’s harder for my jersey to sell because people have already had 10 years to buy it,” Pierce said. …

On the Raptors loss, Pierce said: “It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. That’s a team you might see in the playoffs and you don’t want to give them any confidence against you.” …

Rivers did not put the team through a practice today - instead showing them film of last night’s defeat.

“There was no offense on it,” he revealed. “I can tell that it was all defense (that the team watched).”

Rivers also noted that Garnett was the first to take responsibility when defensive mistakes were pointed out on tape and that accountability from a star makes it difficult for the younger players to not be as accountable when they mess up.

“The film don’t lie,” noted Garnett. …

James Posey (sore hand) is likely out again tomorrow and Rivers indicated he may look to bring him back for Sunday’s game in Orlando. …

Garnett came out to shoot after a brief training session in the gym and hit his first 15 jumpers from about 18 feet out. …

Tony Allen and Gabe Pruitt shot together for a while after the film session. Pruitt first appeared to be first on the bike when the team left the floor.