News 3/2

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1077178&format=text

A minute problem
Additions will force some to take cut in playing time

By Mark Murphy | Sunday, March 2, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by Herald File
Doc Rivers is about to engage in a cramming exercise so severe that only an overwhelmed college student could appreciate it.

With P.J. Brown going through his second full-length practice yesterday, and the signing of Sam Cassell almost a foregone conclusion once the veteran point guard clears waivers tomorrow night, the next issue will be working those new parts into the rotation without tampering too much with the team’s chemistry.

Brown’s presence under the basket will impact the playing time of everyone whose name isn’t Kevin Garnett or Kendrick Perkins [stats].

Cassell’s ability to play both guard spots would put the squeeze on everyone behind Rajon Rondo [stats] and Ray Allen.

But Rivers is sticking to a firm policy here.

“We don’t talk about our minutes on this team,” he said. “It’s about our wins.”

Eddie House, an explosive shooting guard who has been backing Rondo up at the point this season, can do the math.

But he also understands that these things happen on teams serious about reaching the NBA Finals.

“I’ve talked with Danny (Ainge) and Doc, and we’re all on the same page,” House said after yesterday’s practice. “Everyone is on the boat. We’re all going to the same place. The most important thing is that everyone is going in the same direction.

“Sam gives us the veteran point guard that everyone thinks we need. It’s something I’ve experienced before on the business side of the ball, and as a veteran, you have to accept it.

“You can’t spend too much time thinking about how it affects you. Like I said, I’ve dealt with situations similar to this before.”

The abundance of options will certainly force Rivers to maintain a delicate balance in terms of minutes.

But it will also allow him to attack different teams with different personnel.

The addition of Brown boosts the Celtics [team stats]’ capability up front in matchups against their chief competition in the Eastern Conference - Detroit.

And the Cassell addition would add punch in the battle against Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, who has been Rondo’s most difficult matchup this season.

Those are two solid reasons for adjusting the rotation, but Rivers will still need to use a little finesse in getting everyone to buy in.

“I don’t make it a big deal, but I do talk to the guys,” the Celtics coach said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to win, and everyone will be a part of it.”

That’s why House continues to focus on his part without giving much thought to the bigger picture.

“I just keep playing hard and controlling what it is I do,” House said. “My job is on the court, and Danny and Doc have their jobs to do.

“I just go with it, man, and hope that it all turns out for the best. I hope that everyone on this team is receptive to the changes they are making.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1077179&format=text

Brown immersed in crash course

By Mark Murphy / Celtics Notebook | Sunday, March 2, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics
Doc Rivers was undecided yesterday about whether to give P.J. Brown his first playing time in a Celtics [team stats] uniform during tonight’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

But the Celtics coach and his new power forward agreed on one point: You never say never.

“He looks good, but today we just did skeleton, with no contact,” Rivers said of yesterday’s practice, which focused on running through offensive sets. “We went over Atlanta stuff. But that will help (Brown) a lot.”

Brown then stepped out for some individual work with assistant coach Tom Thibodeau - the team’s defensive architect.

“Am I 100 percent comfortable? No, but I could go out and do something,” said Brown, who sounded willing to go with whatever decision Rivers made. “They want to take it step by step. No one wants me to go out there and get hurt.”

In the meantime, he has plenty to learn.

“I looked at about 25 plays out there, and they just kept going and going with stuff,” Brown said of watching from the bench during Friday’s win over the Charlotte Bobcats. “Defense is natural to me, but on offense there are a lot of plays and sets, so I’m just trying to build that foundation.

“I feel like it was a better day today. I’m a little more confident, and I got to study things a bit. We played 4-on-4, and I had a chance to bump and grind.”

Playing through it

Tony Allen, who missed the last two games with a strained right calf and the flu, said he plans to play today, even if both issues are still bothering him.

“I ain’t forcing myself - I just don’t want to lose my conditioning,” said Allen, who is clearly tired of missing time as the result of two major knee surgeries over the last two years. “(The calf) is still tight, but I can do a couple of things. I can fight through it.”

Bibby rejuvenated

Atlanta, already one of the most athletic teams in the league, has received a major boost from the addition of veteran point guard Mike Bibby.

Most impressive about the Hawks, according to Rivers, is their increase in shot attempts - a clear reflection of Bibby’s presence.

“He’s been terrific,” said Rivers. “Now they’re averaging five or six more shots per game and four more 3’s a game.

“You can really see the change with them. He’s clearly had an impact on their other guys. (Al) Horford and (Josh) Smith are both playing better.”

The Hawks who have benefited most, perhaps, are Joe Johnson and Bibby himself.

“He’s engaged,” Rivers said of Bibby. “There’s a smile on his face and he’s playing hard. Guys do get disengaged. And it helps Joe a lot because he often had to play the point on top of everything else. Now Joe’s a scorer. His 3-point percentage has skyrocketed. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them in the playoffs.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1077182&format=text

Duo’s addition to C’s delayed by 16 years

By Mark Murphy | Sunday, March 2, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | Boston Celtics

Photo by AP (file)
Should the Celtics [team stats] do the expected and sign Sam Cassell after he clears waivers tomorrow night, the result will be the oddest of pairings.

According to Jon Jennings, the former Celtics assistant coach who was on Chris Ford’s staff back in 1992, when Cassell entered the NBA draft out of Florida State, the guard was very much on the Celtics’ radar.

The same was true of P.J. Brown, the highly respected 38-year-old power forward who was signed last week for the stretch run, and at the time was a little-known banger from Louisiana Tech -- the school Karl Malone put on the map.

“I loved that kid back in ’92,” Jennings, currently heading a group attempting to bring an NBDL franchise to Portland, Maine, said last week via e-mail. “Actually most of us really liked Cassell, but we had made the trade for Sherman (Douglas) earlier in the year and still had Bags (John Bagley), so we were not really looking for a point. Both are great pickups by the C’s.”

Albeit 16 years later, which tells you something about how long Cassell and Brown have been in the business.

The rest is infamy, of course. Then-Celtics general manager Dave Gavitt instead took Jon Barry out of Georgia Tech with the 21st pick, and lost interest in the guard so quickly, the team never signed him. Barry went on to become one of the league’s many Celtics killers over the next decade.

Cassell was taken by Houston at No. 24, and went on to play a big role in that franchise’s first NBA title as a rookie. Brown, a second-round pick, was taken by New Jersey at No. 29.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view.bg?articleid=1077180&format=text

Big Ben or big waste
Cavs betting Wallace reverts to form

By Mark Murphy / NBA Notes | Sunday, March 2, 2008 | www.bostonherald.com | NBA Coverage

Photo by AP
Ben Wallace is listed at 6-foot-9, and truth be told, this one-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year looks more like he’s 6-8, maybe even a Leon Powe-like 6-7, when standing next to the legitimate big men he now supports -- 7-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas and 6-10 Anderson Varejao.

Wallace’s real problem reflects this shrinking sensation. After one-and-a-half underachieving, disappointing, downright destructive seasons with the Bulls, the stature of Wallace’s game has diminished.

He arrived in Cleveland at the trading deadline with oversized luggage in hand.

Perhaps the biggest problem was that the Bulls signed him in July of 2006 to a cumbersome deal with the belief that he could play center, glossing over the fact that Wallace was great in Detroit because he could play off the Pistons’ other big men and not worry about anything more than put-backs and rolls to the basket.

Wallace seems to indicate that this is true when talking about why the old Ben -- Detroit Ben -- has a good chance of re-emerging next to Ilgauskas and Varejao.

Ilgauskas is one of the most underrated scoring big men in the NBA. In Cleveland, many consider it downright criminal that the big Lithuanian wasn’t officially in New Orleans for All-Star Weekend.

In his best days, Wallace thrived by playing off the other big men in the Detroit lineup. In Chicago, as the one big of note, he faded. That process was still on display during the Cavaliers’ 92-87 loss to the Celtics [team stats] Wednesday.

As well placed as Cleveland’s three other new additions (Joe Smith, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak) looked, Wallace barely left a trace on the floor. Beyond his stat line (six points, six rebounds, zero blocks in 26 minutes), this one-time monster defender had little influence on a Celtics team that at one stage was shooting 59 percent from the floor.

It’s early, but initial critics of the trade, who claim Wallace won’t fit in next to Ilgauskas’ post game, have an interesting argument on record.

Wallace is aware of their point, too.

“That’s what people do now -- they talk and say things,” he said. “I just talk and prove myself. I know what ‘Z’ does and how I can help him.

“This is more going back to what it was like in Detroit. I get to roam around a bit, and I don’t have to play the 5 all the time.”

That, above all, appears to have been Chicago’s mistake: the notion that Wallace was strong enough to anchor a team in the paint. But Cleveland, with all of its changes now has a massive chemistry assignment on its hands.

Wallace turned out to be a chemistry killer in Chicago, but he’s not the focus now, obviously.

Cavaliers management, clearly worried about losing James to a big-market team down the road, took a big step toward making him happy at the trading deadline.

If Wallace steps in line, this team’s defensive needs will receive a huge boost. Kevin Garnett elevated the Celtics from arguably the worst defensive team in the NBA to one of its best.

Wallace may no longer be spry enough to affect that kind of change, but he represents a major step.

The rest will play out over the next two months.

“It’s just games,” Szczerbiak said. “It’s games that you have to play to get to that point. We all know the concepts. But at the same time we have to get comfortable with each other.

“There will be some situations like (Tuesday) night when something happens that we’re going to learn from,” he said of losing to a last-second Michael Redd shot from the top of the circle in Milwaukee. “But this is just a great opportunity for all of us to get better. (James) is amazing. I know everyone always says it, but when you try to stop him, you see how much he opens everything else up on the floor. I’m just ecstatic to be on a team that is going to the playoffs again.”

Should Wallace return to Detroit Ben form, that playoff run would go deep. The Cavaliers truly could become the third team, along with Boston and Detroit, in the Eastern Conference title chase.

“The one thing I like to do here is, as long as your teammates have an understanding for what it is you’re doing -- go ahead and do it,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said of allowing Wallace to conduct business as he once did as a Piston. “With us it’s not one guy guarding the ball, so that’s what everyone has to keep in mind.

“But we’re a work in progress. Right now every practice is going to be important.”

Wallace nodded. There are no mysteries to how this can work.

“It’s time for everyone who has come here to get familiar with the system and their teammates,” he said. “For me, it’s the opportunity to go out and do what I do. The system here allows me to do that.”

Provided he’s not talking about what he did at the last stop.

O’Brien adjusting

Heading into Friday, the Pacers had gone 1-4 since the All-Star break, thus depriving Jim O’Brien of what is admittedly an important teaching tool.

“It’s easier to teach after you win,” said the Pacers coach, who hasn’t exactly had momentum working on his side this year.

Now without Jermaine O’Neal, perhaps for the rest of the season as he attempts to recover from a deep knee bruise, the Pacers appear to have answered at least one question about how the Eastern Conference playoff race will stack up.

The Pacers seem to be pulling out their bid for the eighth spot relatively early this year, much to the joy of the former Celtics coach.

Soon, teaching will be all he can do.

So O’Brien is looking for the little things.

“I track growth in certain ways,” said O’Brien, who has introduced the NBA to such statistical categories as adjusted field goal and assist percentage. “When you put yourselves in a position to win, that’s something we look for.

“To be able to beat a top team, like we were doing at the beginning of the year, is something we have to get back to doing. You have to execute, and our plan is to run and get our shots down.”

The Pacers appeared to be on that track early last month.

Prior to their loss to the Celtics in Conseco Fieldhouse on Feb. 12, the Pacers had beaten the Knicks and Blazers in back-to-back games. OK, at least the Blazers qualified as one of those top teams O’Brien had talked about.

The problem?

Including that 1-4 post-All-Star break swoon, the Pacers had gone 3-13 since Jan. 23. Near-wins tend not to do much for morale during a run like that.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/02/hawks_eyes_are_on_playoffs?mode=PF

Hawks' eyes are on playoffs
Sights set higher after Bibby trade
By Marc J. Spears, Globe Staff | March 2, 2008

WALTHAM - While breaking bread and playing cards during the All-Star break, Celtics guard Eddie House broke down why it was good for his brother-in-law, Mike Bibby, to start new with the Hawks. But House also gave the veteran guard a warning about facing the Celtics in the playoffs.

House and Bibby will be reunited tonight when the Celtics host the Hawks at TD Banknorth Garden. And they could come together again in the first round of the playoffs if Bibby can help the Hawks fly to heights they haven't reached in years.

" 'Ya'll will be all right,' " House said he told Bibby. "But then I started laughing and said, 'Make sure you don't get the eighth spot or the seventh spot or it's going to be an early exit.' "

Since 2001, Bibby had enjoyed a stellar run with the Sacramento Kings that included a playoff trip each season until 2006-07. The 6-foot-1-inch, 190-pounder became the 61st player in NBA history to reach 10,000 points and 4,000 assists last season and will be considered one of the Kings' all-time greats.

But with Sacramento rebuilding this season under new coach Reggie Theus, Bibby yearned for a new start.

"I didn't think I fit their style anymore," said Bibby, who averaged 13.5 points and 5 assists in 15 games this season for Sacramento. "I wanted to go in a different direction. I don't think I was part of their direction."

There had been speculation about Bibby going to Cleveland to play with LeBron James. Instead, on Feb. 16, the Hawks surprisingly acquired Bibby in exchange for Shelden Williams, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright, and a second-round draft pick in 2008. Bibby joined a franchise that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1999.

"I knew it was time for me to go to a different place," Bibby said. "In trade talks, [Atlanta] never came up. I thought something was going to happen. I didn't know what. I never knew Atlanta."

Said House, "He was happy in Sacramento, comfortable there. He had been there for so long. But I don't think he was happy with playing there. I could just tell by watching the games that it wasn't the Sacramento basketball that he was playing when [coach] Rick [Adelman] was there. It was totally different."

Two days after the trade, Bibby and his fiancée had dinner with House and his wife, Charlsie, who is Bibby's sister, in Phoenix, where they live in the offseason. House explained to Bibby that, with the talented likes of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Al Horford, and Acie Law, Bibby could be the missing link to get the Hawks back to the postseason.

"I don't think he really wanted to go to Atlanta at first," House said. "He more wanted to try to go to Cleveland, but that trade was just nullified for whatever reason.

"But when he got traded it was more like, 'Now I got to uproot everything.' He was thinking about more of the negative, like, 'I got to live in a hotel for two months,' stuff like that.

"I told him, 'I don't think you have a chance to make the playoffs in Sacramento. You have a chance to make it in Atlanta; you're right there.' "

Bibby said the talk helped.

"I came to grips with it already," he said. "But when we were back home, we talked a little."

The Hawks are 3-4 since Bibby's arrival but have won the past two games. Bibby is averaging 13.4 points and 7.0 assists in 30.4 minutes per game, and is shooting 36.8 percent on 3-pointers. The Hawks entered yesterday a half-game behind Philadelphia for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

"[Bibby] has clearly had an impact and he makes Horford better, Josh Smith better. He's that type of player," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He is clearly engaged again in basketball. You can see that. He's got a smile on his face. He's happy. He's playing hard."

Rivers said he wouldn't be surprised to play Atlanta in the first round. Considering how long it's been since the Hawks have made an appearance, Bibby surely would be fine with that.

"We'll see what happens in the end," Bibby said. "We'll push to make the playoffs."

Rivers said newcomer P.J. Brown could suit up tonight, but he isn't sure Brown will make his debut. Brown believes he needs more time to learn the offense but will play if needed. "I don't feel 100 percent comfortable, but I do feel I could do something," said Brown, who took part in four-on-four scrimmaging yesterday. "But it's going to happen eventually." . . . Guard Tony Allen is expected to play after missing two games with a right calf strain. He is also battling flu-like symptoms.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/03/02/clippers_ship_lost_in_a_fog?mode=PF

Clippers' ship lost in a fog
Helmsman Sterling steers team in circles
By Peter May, Globe Staff | March 2, 2008

Tick. Tick. Tick.

That is the sound of the Los Angeles Clippers who, once again, appear to be on the verge of implosion. The coach and the owner aren't talking. The owner says the coach picks the players, then rejects a trade. One player (Sam Cassell) is leaving. Two others (Corey Maggette and Elton Brand) have a choice to leave.

It was a pretty remarkable scene last Monday night in the press room of Staples Center. After the Celtics had clobbered an undermanned, overmatched, and generally listless Clipper bunch, team owner Donald Sterling was standing alone, talking on his cellphone. When he hung up, I approached him along with another reporter, Art Thompson of the Orange County Register.

What transpired over the next 10 minutes or so qualifies as, well, Clipperesque. Sterling was congenial, conversational, and, as far as the two of us could tell, utterly clueless as to what was going on with Cassell. Sterling reminded us he was a lawyer. Yet he claimed to know nothing about a buyout (I had been told after the game that it was all but completed) nor, he added, did he know how a buyout worked.

A few years ago, the Globe ran excerpts of a deposition that Sterling gave in a lawsuit filed by Bill Fitch, and Sterling's responses drew guffaws everywhere. He said he had no input in basketball matters. He said he didn't know his players. This conversation last Monday tended to ratify that, except, of course, that Thompson and I both knew that Sterling had nixed a deal for Mike Miller at the trade deadline because it would have involved giving up LA's No. 1 pick. Sterling doesn't so much care about the pick as he does about the monetary value assigned to that pick - around 10 to 15 percent of what Miller makes.

So, OK, maybe the owner Sterling didn't know Cassell was on the verge of a buyout (although it was all over the papers). And maybe the lawyer Sterling didn't understand the whys and wherefores of a buyout. Hard to believe, but, OK.

Then, when the conversation turned to the Clippers' terrible performance, Sterling went off on coach Mike Dunleavy. It was pretty similar to what he said a few weeks back, blaming Dunleavy for the selection of players and saying that Dunleavy, not general manager Elgin Baylor, had the final say on every player on the roster. Every single one. Why, Sterling wondered, if the players were picked by the coach, did they not play for the coach?

When Thompson reminded Sterling that the better days had been only two years ago, Sterling said yes, he knew, then remarked quickly that it was those better days that led to the $20 million-plus contract extension he bestowed on Dunleavy. Another sigh.

It is not stop-the-presses stuff that Sterling can be difficult, especially when it comes to deals. As his former general manager Carl Scheer once said, "Dealing with Sterling was impossible. If he took the elevator down, he'd ask the operator what he thought and by the time he had reached the lobby, he had changed his mind. It was utter frustration."

That's what happened with the Cassell buyout. All sides had agreed to the deal Monday night. But if Sterling was telling the truth and really didn't know anything about it (hard to believe), then that might explain why everything came to a halt Tuesday. Outside observers expected the Cassell thing to go down to the final minute yesterday, but, amazingly, it was done on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Dunleavy-Sterling dynamic is not good. Several sources said the two have not spoken in weeks. On paper, when healthy, the Clippers can field a decent starting five (Brand, Maggette, Chris Kaman, Cuttino Mobley, and Shaun Livingston) and a decent bench (Tim Thomas, Brevin Knight, Al Thornton). But they're not healthy, and there's no indication who will be back next year. And the Lakers are indisputably back on top in LA, something that also irks Sterling.

Dunleavy, however, seems secure. Sterling won't fire him with all that money on the table. But Dunleavy didn't fall off the turnip truck, either. He knew the ways of The Donald when he signed on. Looking back, it's pretty stunning that it took so long for all this to surface. Dunleavy is finishing his fifth year as coach. In Clipper lore, that makes him Cal Ripken.



They greased the skids
Sam Cassell, Damon Stoudamire, Theo Ratliff, Gordan Giricek, and all the others who have secured buyouts and moved on to greener pastures owe a debt of gratitude to Jan Volk, the former general manager of the Celtics, and player agent Steve Kauffman.

In the summer of 1995, they worked out what is believed to be the first buyout of a contract so that a player could go elsewhere.

The player in this instance was Dominique Wilkins, who had had a less-than-enjoyable first year with the Celtics. Then, on July 1, 1995, the NBA locked out the players, so it wasn't clear when the 1995-96 season would start.

Kauffman by then had arranged for a deal for Wilkins with a team in Greece (Panathinaikos), but Wilkins first had to get out of his Celtic deal, which had two years to run.

"At the time, you couldn't alter a player's contract," Volk recalled.

So the two sides went to the league and the union and worked out the language that allowed the contract to be settled and the player to be put on waivers for the purposes of his release.

"All I remember is that we had a very short window to do it," Kauffman said. "And I remember Jan coming in with a laptop and this big, long tube. Well, it turned out the tube was a printer. This was almost 13 years ago. Technologically, I was blown away."

Wilkins ended up playing only 14 games for Panathinaikos, then returned to play two more seasons in the NBA, one for San Antonio and one brief stint (27 games) with Orlando. He also played another year in Europe in Bologna. But it was that first foray to Greece for which he's still remembered, at least among the lawyers.

"The language that was used in the buyout was incorporated into the next collective bargaining agreement," Volk said.

Should we start calling it the "Volk-Kauffman Clause"?


Rockets may veer off course without Yao
Here's a line from this week's Sports Illustrated on Yao Ming: "The mad-rebounding center's on target to play his first full season in three years."

He was when the article went to print. He isn't anymore.

Talk about bad luck. The Rockets were starting to make a move in the West, although out there, a 12-game winning streak moved them from 10th to sixth. Then came the devastating news that, for the third straight season, Yao was going to miss considerable time - in this case, the rest of the season - with a stress fracture.

Houston is not going to forfeit its remaining games, but clearly, the Rockets' hopes of making it out of the first round and doing some damage might well have been dashed.

True, Houston has played without Yao before and lived to tell about it. The Rockets are 30-34 in the 64 games Yao has missed in his career, but 22-15 the last two seasons.

Now the pressure again falls on Tracy McGrady, who has trouble with such things and who has injury issues of his own. (Houston is 1-12 in the 13 games McGrady and Yao have missed together.) It appears Dikembe Mutombo will be exhumed for the final third of the season.

In last Tuesday's 25-point rout of equally ravaged Washington, Mutombo went 23 minutes, collected 4 points (making 2 field goals), and blocked 4 shots. Prior to that night, Mutombo had had 4 blocks the entire season - and only 1 field goal and 7 total points in 113 minutes.

One area to watch is the Rockets' free throw shooting. When Yao went down, Houston already was 26th in free throw accuracy and 26th in free throw attempts per game. Yao not only was the team's best free throw shooter (85 percent), he also accounted for around 30 percent of the team's attempts.


Etc.
Second-chance points?
Sam Cassell might well have started his career in Boston rather than, perhaps, concluding it in Boston. But by the time the 1993 draft rolled around, the Celtics felt they didn't need the Florida State guard. Anyone who recalls the Celtics from the early 1990s knows how much they wanted a point guard. Dee Brown didn't do it. Brian Shaw didn't do it. So they traded for Sherman Douglas in January 2002, and he was firmly in charge at the position when the draft approached. Cassell was still on the board when the Celtics made their pick at No. 19. The choice? Acie Earl. The Rockets swooped up Cassell five picks later, and he is one of three players from that 1993 first round still in the NBA. The others are the No. 1 pick, Chris Webber (taken by Orlando) and Lindsey Hunter, taken No. 10 by the Pistons.

Performance isn't maximized
Here's an interesting twist on the Hawks' Mike Bibby trade and the potential ramifications. Atlanta is committed to around $51.5 million for salaries for next season, but that is before deciding what to do with restricted free agents Josh Smith and Josh Childress. Suppose Atlanta commits $15 million to the two of them in extensions. That would take the Hawks close to the luxury tax threshold, still a few players short of the minimum. Of course, a number of things can be done between now and then, but if you have two max or close-to-max players, you'd better do a lot better than Atlanta is doing. And this is one team that can't afford to be a luxury tax payer.

Falling star?
Could Byron Scott be on the verge of making history? Probably not, but you can never say never in the wild, wild West. Scott, coach of the Hornets, could become the first person to coach an NBA All-Star team and have his team miss the playoffs in that season. It's not all that far a drop, but a lot of things - bad things - would have to happen. Already the Hornets (and a lot of others in the West) caught a break when the Rockets lost Yao Ming for the season. As best as can be figured, the NBA started naming its All-Star coaches based on midseason records in the early 1980s. Since then, a number of those coaches were first-round casualties in the playoffs, including last year's Eastern Conference coach, Eddie Jordan of the Wizards.

Mavs were down, Kidd was out
There's a williwaw brewing in Dallas. I watched the end of the Mavericks-Spurs game Thursday night at a restaurant with the sound off. I saw Jason Kidd standing there. I suspected he had fouled out. What other reason could Dallas coach Avery Johnson have for not putting Kidd into the game with 30-odd seconds left and the Mavs down by 2 points? Well, it turns out Kidd was not in there because the coach kept him on the bench. Afterward, Johnson offered up some lame excuse about having Dirk Nowitzki surrounded by shooters. But this is the same coach who saluted the acquisition of Kidd by noting that he knows how to finish games. And the guy who ended up with the ball, Jason Terry, somehow missed two open Mavs. Johnson is well-known as a control freak, but when you have Kidd, you have to use him. End of story. Even Charles Barkley seemed to get that. "There's no sense in making a Jason Kidd trade if you aren't going to use him in crunch time," Barkley said on TNT after the game.

A legal zone defense
A followup on the case the Celtics brought against the woman who had threatened to shoot Paul Pierce. The team was back in court last week and succeeded in having the temporary restraining order turned into a permanent injunction, preventing the woman from getting within 300 feet of Pierce. She also can't enter the Celtics' offices or attend a Celtics game at TD Banknorth Garden. There is no further legal action planned, as the woman in question agreed to the injunction. The alternative would have been a trial.

Road worriers
While the Jazz continue to lead the Northwest Division, here's a note to keep in mind as the playoffs approach: Teams that advance are generally teams that win on the road. And for some reason, that has not been the story for the Jazz. They went into last night's game in Memphis with a 12-19 record on the road, having lost three straight. Two of those three losses were to Western Conference lottery teams, the Clippers and Timberwolves. Of the top eight teams in the West, both Utah and Dallas have losing records on the road, as does No. 9 Denver. The big change is Dallas, which was 26-15 on the road the year it went to the NBA Finals and 31-10 last season. Entering today's biggie against the Lakers in Los Angeles, the Mavs are 14-17 on the road.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/03/02/hawks_thumbnails/

Hawks thumbnails
Email|Print| Text size – + March 2, 2008
When, where: Tonight, 6, at TD Banknorth Garden.

more stories like thisTV, radio: CSN, WEEI (850).

Records: Atlanta is 24-32, Boston is 45-12.

Scoring: Joe Johnson 20.5, Josh Smith 17.5, Marvin Williams 15.3.

Rebounds: Al Horford 10.0, Smith 8.0, Williams 5.7.

Assists: Mike Bibby 7.0, Johnson 5.3, Smith 3.7.

Head to head: This is the second of three meetings. The Celtics won in Boston Nov. 9, 106-83.

Miscellany: The Hawks are 3-4 since acquiring Bibby from the Kings Feb. 16. He has averaged 13.4 points and 7.0 assists since the trade . . . Smith is second in the league in blocks, averaging 3.09 . . . Rookie Horford has recorded three straight double-doubles, including a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 99-93 win over the Knicks Friday.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x2065420638


Courtside View: New additions are welcome

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By Scott Souza/Daily News staff
GHS
Sat Mar 01, 2008, 11:38 PM EST

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If 40 is the new 30, and green is the new black - at least Celtic fans hope - then maybe the buyout period can be deemed the new trading deadline in the NBA.

Championship-contending general managers traditionally worked the phones feverishly as the deal deadline approached, and had to consider how much to give up for the piece that might help put a club over the top. In the league's emerging buyout era, Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge seemed to determine early this season that the better course of action was to sit back and wait to see what he could add without giving up a thing.

"We had intended to keep roster opens this year just in case things like that happened," said Ainge after inking veteran power forward P.J. Brown Wednesday, with veteran point guard Sam Cassell expected to join the Celtics late tomorrow afternoon after he clears waivers. "I don't remember seeing this many (buyouts), but we wanted to keep our flexibility open. It's part of the business now that veteran players not in your future plans might become available late in the season."

The new midseason race in the NBA seems to be jockeying for position to be of interest to the players suddenly there for the convincing. With most buyouts including almost all of the original expiring contracts, the money is usually about the same wherever they decide to rent out their services, so championship viability becomes the biggest selling point.

It's no coincidence that nearly every player let go over the past few weeks has had the same cast of suitors - the Spurs, Suns, Nuggets, Mavericks, Pistons and Celtics among them - vying for their services.

"It's usually whoever is playing well," said Ainge, his team in that mix for the first time since the buyout trend began. "It's good to be a team that players will consider coming to now."

With trade compensation no longer an issue, the biggest concern becomes how a new player will fit in on a winning team with an established personality.

For a player as universally respected around the league as Brown, it was hardly a concern at all.

"When you are on a team like this you really have to pick and choose, and be careful, who you bring in," Paul Pierce said. "Those are some of the things we looked at (before approaching Brown during All-Star weekend) with P.J. Who knows if he is going to play after this year? He's definitely not playing for a contract. You know he wants to play for a championship. That's why he thought long and hard about coming out of his semi-retirement."

Pierce brought Ray Allen along for his recruiting visit with Brown in New Orleans and the eight-time All-Star's pitch was simple.

"I told him that you know what type of person I am, and how I have been my whole career," Allen said. "We are the same type of people and I told him that I wouldn't lure him into a situation that was bad. I fit in well here, so I think you will fit right in here well with me."

Cassell seems to have the potential to be a different story. While Brown is a quiet, calming presence who has already said he will be the team's biggest cheerleader even if he is not playing a lot of minutes, Cassell is a big-personality guy and longtime starter who has never been one to blend into the background at any of his stops around the league.

Allen said, under other circumstances, it could be a legitimate concern.

"It definitely would be because I have been a part of teams that have added guys I didn't know about," he said. "We thought it would be for the better, but it ended up hurting the team. That's why when you hear things about guys coming in you would call around the league trying to find out what he is like."

When it comes to Cassell, however, Allen is one of those who get the call since the two were teammates with Milwaukee. Cassell also played with Kevin Garnett when the two played for a Western Conference title in Minnesota.

"He is a guy I have been around so I know what he is, and what he isn't," Allen said. "Likewise with KG, so both of us can definitely vouch for him and let everyone know that he is a good teammate and he can help us."

Allen, who said he spoke with Cassell after the buyout became official on Thursday and that the 38-year-old didn't need any convincing about the virtues of coming to Boston, endorsed how Cassell would mold his game to fit the new surroundings.

"He's a smart enough guy to know what he needs to do to come in here and help this team out," Allen said. "Even when we were in Milwaukee, and he was starting, he told the coaches that he didn't have to start if they wanted Lindsey Hunter to start, or Rafer Alston to start. Obviously, when he gets here he will get to see, and know us better, and know what he can do for us."

Garnett seconded that notion.

"I don't think he would have a problem with being secondary," Garnett said while issuing an extremely unconvincing denial of his knowledge of Cassell's intent to join him in Boston. "He understands. Since I have known him, he's never had a problem with positioning and where he comes into it. Sam's a ballplayer and he understands that at the end of the day it's about winning."

All the winning they have already done is what put the Celtics in position to add players the caliber of Brown and Cassell with six weeks left in the season.

To get that caliber of players without having to trade anyone away is quite the nice bonus.

[FLCeltsFan]

www.telegram.com/article/20080302/NEWS/803020522/1009/SPORTS

A lot riding on final Celtics-Pistons game

Team chemistry will take some time for Cavs

BILL DOYLE’S NBA NOTES




The Celtics beat the Pistons in Detroit back in January, and their game Wednesday at the Garden could be crucial in playoff positioning. (AP FILE PHOTO)
Enlarge photo


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The Celtics and Pistons may try to downplay the significance of Wednesday’s showdown at the Garden, but don’t believe them.

Much will be at stake in the final meeting of the two best teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

A victory would give the Celtics the season series, two games to one, and boost their lead over the Pistons in the battle for the conference’s best record and homecourt advantage through at least the first three rounds of the playoffs. A Detroit win, on the other hand, would give the Pistons the season series and enable them to creep closer to the Celtics.


Most important of all, however, is the swing in confidence at stake. A victory would help the Celtics believe they can knock off the Pistons come playoff time, while their second home loss to Detroit would leave them questioning themselves. Most NBA followers insist the Pistons are too experienced for the Green. Detroit has advanced to the last five Eastern Conference finals and captured the NBA title in 2004 with many of the same players it still has. The Celtics, on the other hand, have missed the playoffs the past two years and reserve forward James Posey is the lone Celtic who owns a championship ring — at least until Sam Cassell comes on board. Posey won his title with Miami two years ago.

But what those experts may not recall is that the Celtics were the last team to eliminate the Pistons from the playoffs before the conference finals. Playing in their first postseason in seven years, the underdog Celtics upset the Pistons in five games in the 2002 conference semifinals. Neither team is the same though. Celtics captain Paul Pierce is the only player remaining on either team who played in that series.

Wednesday’s game comes at a good time for the Celtics. They’ll have two days off after hosting Atlanta at 6 tonight and they won’t have been on an airplane for more than a week. So they should be well rested. Cassell could be in uniform as well.

Detroit, on the other hand, hosts Seattle the night before visiting Boston so it won’t be as fresh. The Pistons are 5-4 when playing on the road in the second games of back-to-back nights.

Entering Detroit’s game late last night at the Clippers, the 45-12 Celtics led the 42-16 Pistons by 3-1/2 games, 4 in the loss column.

Of Boston’s 25 remaining games, only 8 are against teams with winning records. Four of those 8 will be at home. The toughest stretch will be a five-game road trip, March 15-22, which begins with a winnable game in Milwaukee, but then heads to San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and New Orleans. Fortunately for the Celtics, they won’t have to contend with Yao Ming, who is lost for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. The Sports Illustrated jinx rides again. In this week’s issue, SI listed Yao atop the “Who’s Hot” list, pointing out that the Rockets center was on target to play his first full season in three years. On Tuesday, after SI went to press, but before it hit mail boxes, doctors ruled Yao out for the rest of the season.

At first glance, April looks as if it could be difficult for the Celtics because they play only three games at home and six on the road, but a closer look reveals that all nine of their foes that month have losing records.

After last night, of Detroit’s remaining 23 games, 9 will be against teams above .500 and 14 against teams under .500. Six of those 9 games against teams with winning records will be at home.

Barring injuries, the Celtics stand in good position to grab the conference’s No. 1 seed, but as coach Doc Rivers has pointed out all season the most important thing is to be at the top of your game come playoff time. So it will be interesting to see if he rests Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen down the stretch at the expense of losing out on the conference’s best record.

Finishing as the No. 2 seed in the East wouldn’t be the end of the world. The Celtics do own the NBA’s best road record and they did win their only game in Detroit this season on Jan. 5. But since then, they’ve gone only 7-6 on the road and their only victory over a team above .500 came a week ago in Portland against a slumping Blazers team with star guard Brandon Roy injured for most of the second half. The Celtics have dropped their last five away from home against teams with winning records.

Playoff tickets pricey
The Celtics could clinch their first playoff berth since 2005 within a week. Their magic number dropped to five after they beat Charlotte Friday night. But playoff tickets won’t be cheap. One season-ticket holder said his center court loge seat, which costs $135 a game during the regular season, will jump to $175 for the first round of the playoffs, $210 for the second round, $250 for the third and $320 for the NBA Finals, if the Celtics get that far.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers showed during their 92-87 loss Wednesday in Boston, it could take some time for them to learn to play with their four new players, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, Ben Wallace and Joe Smith. LeBron James estimated it could take as long as a couple of weeks because NBA teams don’t practice much this late in the season.

“It’s going to be a learning-on-the-fly thing,” James said. “Hopefully, we can get some practice time in and get some film sessions in so they can learn our offense. Our offense is long, it’s like an NFL playbook.

But the schedule should give them a break. After leaving Boston, the Cavs were scheduled to play their next five games against teams with losing records and with a combined record of 98-187 (.344). They’re not scheduled to play one of the upper echelon teams until they visit Orlando on St. Patrick’s Day. That will give them 3-1/2 weeks to get their act together.

In fact, for the rest of the season, the Cavs are scheduled to play only one other road game against a team with a winning record, March 29 at Detroit.

The Cavs need Szczerbiak and West to score at least until Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic return from injuries. Even if they don’t, James refuses to second-guess trading Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to Chicago.

“We had the same exact team and we got swept in the finals,” James said. “So I felt there was a need for a change.”

The trade could always backfire.

“There’s always risk,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “You risk locker room, you risk just the whole chemistry thing.”

Rivers thinks the risk was worth it.

“They added size,” he said. “You look at the bigs they’re bringing off the bench now and it’s ridiculous.”

Smith and Anderson Varejao, both 6-foot-10, are reserves for Cleveland.

“I think it’s a risk that everyone would have taken,” Rivers said.

James liked early on what he saw of West and Szczerbiak, despite the latter’s shooting woes.

“Delonte brings a push guard that we haven’t had on our team for awhile,” James said, “a guy who can push the ball up the court and get into the fast break a little quicker. Defensively, he’s very good. I didn’t know how well defensively he played. That was a surprise. I think we all know Wally’s shooting ability, and his post-up ability is going to be good for us.”

With defenses sagging on James, Szczerbiak made only 8 of 31 shots in back-to-back losses to Milwaukee and Boston last week.

“I’m not used to being so wide open,” Szczerbiak said.

“I don’t remember in my whole career being this open,” West agreed. “It’s shocking.”

James thrives on playing against the Celtics, averaging 34.5 points in his last 10 games against them. Celtics captain Paul Pierce, on the other hand, has averaged just 13.5 points with nearly as many turnovers (15) as baskets (19) in four games against the Cavs this season.

Pierce may be too psyched up to play against James. In a preseason game four years ago, Pierce spat at the Cavs bench and in the tunnel after the game he and James had to be separated. Nevertheless, James complimented Pierce last week, saying he enjoyed playing against the best and Pierce was one of the best.

“Paul’s footwork is unbelievable for a guy his size and for how strong he is,” James said. “Attacking the rim, he’s very good at doing that and getting to the line.”

The Cavs weren’t the only NBA team to roll the dice. The Lakers acquired Pau Gasol, the Suns traded for Shaquille O’Neal, the Spurs picked up Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas. New Dallas Maverick Jason Kidd graces SI’s cover with the headline, “Go For It.” (The SI jinx worked again because Mavericks coach Avery Johnson took heat for benching Kidd over the final 34.5 seconds of a 97-94 loss at San Antonio on Thursday.)

“It is unbelievable,” Rivers said of the numerous deals. “I’d like to think we started it in the summer and then everyone kind of just followed suit. I like it. I don’t think our league has ever been talked as much about as right now. It’s exciting. … I think it’s the way it should be. Everybody who has a chance is going for it. Usually, one team does that.”

[FLCeltsFan]

www.enterprisenews.com/sports/x1425095271

Celtics begin busy month with game against Hawks
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By Jim Fenton
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Posted Mar 01, 2008 @ 11:37 PM

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BOSTON — The busiest month of the NBA season has arrived for the Boston Celtics, and it should be a challenging time.

The team with the league’s best record at 45-12 faces a 16-game schedule in March, including seven games against some of the top teams from the powerful Western Conference.

In addition, the Celtics will be getting veteran power forward P.J. Brown involved in their rotation, and it is likely point guard Sam Cassell will also be joining the mix this week.

Call it the Celtics’ version of March Madness as they start setting their sights on the playoffs, which open in seven weeks.

“I think everyone starts (looking to the future) now, and then later, you do it again a little bit more,” said Coach Doc Rivers. “We talk about it all year, but after the (all-star) break, you start focusing on it a little bit more.

“The stretch run is pretty much here. I think everyone is looking at where everyone else is as far as the standings go.”

For the Celtics, there are plenty of objectives on their plate.

They will bid to keep the best record in the NBA to gain home-court advantage; they will try to get Kevin Garnett back to full strength, and they will get used to playing with Brown and Cassell, who is expected to sign Monday night when he clears waivers.

The month’s schedule kicks off tonight when the Celtics continue a five-game homestand by hosting the Atlanta Hawks at the TD Banknorth Garden (6:05, TV: Comcast SportsNet; radio: WEEI-850 AM).

The Hawks are one of about a half-dozen teams the Celtics could face in the opening round of the playoffs. Boston, with a .789 winning percentage, is already closing in on a postseason berth with its magic number down to six.

After facing the Hawks, the Celtics will have two days of practice to gear up for a showdown against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

The Celtics had a four-game lead in the loss column over Detroit prior to the Pistons’ game with the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night.

The opening part of March has the Celtics playing six of eight games against teams with sub.-500 records. Then comes a brutal stretch as the Celtics make their annual trek through Texas to go against San Antonio, Houston and Dallas followed by a road game with the New Orleans Hornets, four teams who have won at least 37 games.

In the final week of the month, the Celtics have a four-game homestand with two contests against the Phoenix Suns and the Hornets.

Garnett, who missed nine games with a strained abdominal muscle, has been slowing working his way back into form since returning on Feb. 19.

Rivers said he has been concerned about the way Garnett has been moving, but there were positive signs in Friday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. Garnett made two key jumpers in the closing minutes to seal the victory.

“He’s starting to get it,” said Rivers. “He’s looking better each day. I was a little concerned last game (a win over Cleveland on Wednesday). I thought he played well (against the Bobcats). What I did like, he’s making that jump shot again, which will lead to the other stuff.”

Said Garnett, “I thought I moved pretty well. I thought the West Coast trip was good for me.”

Paul Pierce is also encouraged by what he’s seen from Garnett in recent games as he shakes off the rust from a 31/2-week layoff.

“I told him (Thursday) he is moving better,” said Pierce. “I thought he had a good practice. It is about the confidence.”

Brown, who has not played since last April, could make his Celtics’ debut against the Hawks.

Rivers would like to get the 38-year-old some minutes here and there.

As for Cassell, all signs point to him signing with the Celtics on Monday night, but when he could start playing is up in the air.

Cassell, waived by the Clippers on Thursday after receiving a buyout, has been sidelined with a wrist injury.

Garnett is excited about the possibility of having Cassell, his teammate in Minnesota, becoming a backup to Rajon Rondo.

“I think him being an addition to this team would be over the top,” said Garnett. “Obviously, Sam with his experience, his knack for the fourth quarter, his leadership, his is a natural leader. If he is to be on this team, I think he can definitely help not only Rondo but Eddie (House) and Gabe (Pruitt).

“I don’t think he will have a problem with being a secondary. He understands that he has been in the league a long time. He has never had a problem with positioning and the way he comes into the picture. Sam is a ballplayer and he understands at the end of the day, it’s about winning.

“I have talked to him numerous times. I don’t think it would be a problem.”