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16 hours ago

Rondo Replacing Johnson on All-Star Team

The Herald got it right from Rondo’s agent. According to his agent, Bill Duffy, the Celtics point guard has been named to the Eastern Conference All-star roster, presumably to replace Joe Johnson, the injured Atlanta Hawks guard. This would be Rondo’s third all-star appearance. Nice birthday present for RR, who probably should have been selected [...]

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3 days ago

Comments Deleting?

We apologize if your comments are being deleted (provided that they are not offensive). We are looking into why this is happening. We also want to apologize for the lack of a game thread for last night’s game.  We had a premonition that the Celtics would play that poorly and thought if we pretended the [...]

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7 days ago

5 Questions With Greg Monroe

I talked with Detroit star forward Greg Monroe prior to the Celtics-Pistons game on Wednesday night.  Here is what the 2nd year big man out of Georgetown, who is averaging 16.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game had to say. 1. Just your 2nd year in the league, but playing so well, were you disappointed [...]

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8 days ago

Call for Responses: 5-on-5

Readers! Last week’s responses to the 5-on-5 questions were really, really great. We had way more qualified answers than we were able to use. So we’re going to keep doing it! FOREVER. Here are this week’s questions: 1. Are you concerned about Rondo’s media boycott this week? 2. The trade deadline is less than a [...]

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11 days ago

5 Questions With Ronnie Brewer

I talked with Chicago starting guard Ronnie Brewer prior to the Celtics-Bulls game on Sunday.  Here is what the 6th year man out of Arkansas who is averaging 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists had to say. 1. You guys have a lot of the same players back from last year’s team which was [...]

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13 days ago

5 Questions With Josh McRoberts

I talked to Los Angeles back up big man Josh McRoberts prior to the Celtics-Lakers game Thursday night at the Garden.  Here is what the former Duke Blue Devil, who is averaging 2.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in his first year in LA, had to say. 1. How have you guys been able to deal [...]

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Quotes from the Nursery

I thought I’d kickoff Tuesday morning (it’s coming, did you bring your coat?) with a little stuff on the young guys straight from their own mouths (or Doc’s).  The Globe put out a nice conglomeration of quotes from J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker, and Lester Hudson.  They do the journalism part, I do commentary.  Isn’t life wonderful?

Giddens on being hesitant:

“I’m out here trying to get more minutes and show Doc [Rivers] and my teammates they can trust me,’’ Giddens said. “So I think I’m probably overthinking at times, but I’m going to settle down and get that under wraps.

“Next time I hit the court, I’ll be more mature and get better with time.’’

I’m not sure how much maturity he can gain with one start, albeit successful, under his belt but at least he knows he has an overthinking problem.  In a league that seems to reward over-confidence (I’m looking at your love for Nate Robinson, Mitch), I’m glad J.R. is being reserved to a certain extent.  Still, that needs to change now that he’s in the starting line up- and it seems like he’ll be there again for at least the next game against the Heat.  I would love to see J.R. shake his man once, accept an alley-oop pass, or have one thunderous dunk in transition.  He is so animated on the bench when his teammates do well, I want his to do the same for him, and I want that same kind of excitement on the floor- at least while he’s going to be getting minutes.

Billy Walker on his potential opportunity:

“Some guys I know get a lot of playing time but at the same time, they’re not winning,’’ said Walker, who was recalled from NBADL Maine after a nine-game stint when a knee infection led Pierce to undergo two arthroscopic procedures and miss the past five games. “If anything, you don’t want to be a loser. That’s just something that you have to deal with.

“Sometimes you get complacent, playing behind guys that seldom miss games, but you’ve just got to be focused and ready to step up because something like what Paul had could happen at any time.’’

While I’m not sure if admitting you can get complacent is a good thing, that aside, Walker always seems to do and say the right thing.  During the offseason, he toured Boston making charity appearence after charity appearence and saying to reporters how excited he was about the upcoming season.  Complacency aside, I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I had a devestating injury that more often than not, cuts down guys like me in their prime (carpal tunnel?).  But Walker keeps pluggin’ along, saying the right things; especially: “If anything, you don’t want to be a loser.” Referencing his PT versus some of the guys he came out in the draft with who are getting more PT on 500 or below teams.  That right there is a coaches dream.  If Walker had any shred of “me-first” he could be a cancer in the locker room (until he got cut and then got associated with a bad rap) but he’s not and I respect him for that.  When he came into college, his hype nearly rivaled that of Michael Beasley.  His scouting report likened him to Vince Carter, only more athletic.  Now, the kid with so much promise is watching his buddy B-Easy down in Miami getting starter’s minutes while he’s the leading scorer for the Maine Red Claws.  Well, here’s hoping this chance to play finds you well, Billy.  It’s about time we cheered another Walker in Green.

Doc on worrying about Lester Hudson:

“He’s got to value the ball better,’’ Rivers said. “Lester’s still in that home run stage, as most young guys are. Most young passers try to make home run passes instead of making the simple, next pass. That’s where we have to get him to.’’

I think this criticism (?) is fair, and I don’t think it’ll affect Hudson’s playing time either way.  I think if Lester proves he can put the ball in the hole and bring the ball up the court with little problem, he’ll be able to make the most of his PT.  I remember Doc saying similar things about Rondo’s love for the highlight reel affecting his decision making.  Something certainly changed.  I think Rondo’s highlight reels got more efficient and Doc got more lenient when it came to turnovers.  Still, I don’t think Hudson’s getting the Rondo treatment anytime soon (ever).

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