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 [...]
I was a panelist on the 5-on-5 today at ESPN, choosing reserves for the Eastern and Western Conference all-star teams. I took two Celtics, as noted below. Hit the link to read the rest. 1. Which East and West point guards should be chosen as All-Star reserves? Ryan DeGama, CelticsHub: East: Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo [...]
The C’s gave their 26-year-old rookie a vote of confidence before Tuesday’s game. By not waiving the seven-footer, Stiemsma’s contract will become fully guaranteed on Friday, allowing the shot blocker to breath a little bit and perhaps unpack some boxes for good in Beantown. Here’s Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston with some reaction from Stiemsma and [...]
I had a chance to talk with Bobcats rookie Kemba Walker prior to the Celtics game against Charlotte on Tuesday night. Here is what the UConn star, who is averaging 12.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game had to say. 1. How much communication have you had with Michael Jordan this year? Walker: [...]
Yes. This is a “pat myself on the back” post because a) I’m a jackass and b) I predicted something correctly. Back on January 8th, I predicted that the next ten games will tell us everything we need to know about this Celtics’ team. If they struggled, it was time to blow it up. If [...]
One day before he’s scheduled to pass Larry Bird for second on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list, Paul Pierce won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. Pierce averaged 22 points, 6.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds in four Boston wins, playing point forward in Rajon Rondo’s absence. Pierce is only 9 points behind Bird [...]
Home/Lazy weekend post/ Sorta Small Saturday Notebook: Red’s Platform, House and the 3-Point Contest, Jamal Crawford Should Still Die of Gonorrhea and Rot in Hell
Sorta Small Saturday Notebook: Red’s Platform, House and the 3-Point Contest, Jamal Crawford Should Still Die of Gonorrhea and Rot in Hell
• A bunch of news about injuries today, but nothing really new, except for perhaps Doc Rivers conceding in the Globe that Paul Pierce is not quite 100 percent yet after having fluid drained from his knee:Â
“Paul’s just not right, yet,’’ Rivers said. “He’s better. But he’s your closer and when your closer’s not right you’re looking for scoring.’’
Before the start of this week, I think there was genuine reason to be concerned that maybe the knee wasn’t recovering as well as they would have liked. The fact that KG is back working out and they’re targeted a return date is a positive sign. Now, if that return date starts sliding and we don’t see KG until February, sound the alarm.
On Doc possibly overplaying the starters, even in blowouts:
I’ll agree that the Celtics seem to be a bit cautious this season, even with a big lead. Rajon Rondo stayed out there on the court when New Jersey made an initial charge in the third quarter Wednesday. Probably wasn’t necessary, but I’m sure no coach wants to see a 30-point lead whittled away.
On whether he thinks TA has secured a spot on the rotation even after Daniels returns:
I do, particularly because of his defense.
More from Chris, after the jump….
On the possibility of assistant coach Tyronn Lue becoming the C’s back-up point guard:
I still think this team would benefit from a backup point guard. And I remain convinced it’s Tyronn Lue (eventually).
Editor’s Note: I remain dubious of the Lue possibility.
On the lack of minutes lately for Shelden:Â
If I had to guess, the honeymoon is over. You know how every player sort of gets a burst of energy when they first get traded or sign with another team. I think he’s still valuable at the end of the bench, but as his minutes diminished, so did any confidence he had built early in the season.Â
Ed. note: I totally agree, and to clear up some confusion, there are no restrictions to the C’s dealing Shelden and his near-$900K expiring deal.Â
• Red’s Army has the video of Doc and Pierce at the dedication of what will now be called Red Auerbach Concourse at North Station.Â
• CelticsBlog has two videos—one shot indoors, one shot outdoors—in which Eddie House promotes himself for entry into the three-point shootout during All-Star weekend. Not helping Eddie’s cause: The fact that his three-point percentage this season (37.1) would be his lowest over a full season since ’03. Hopefully Eddie catches fire again, as he did around this time last season.
• CB’s Greg Payne, helping to hold down the fort while Jeff Clark is on vacation, tells us all that patience is the right attitude with which to approach the team’s current struggles (4-6 over the last 10 games). I think we’re all with Greg on this one.Â
• Finally, the reason for the last part of the this post’s title: Jamal Crawford, who has signed a pact with Satan himself, made another monster shot last night for Atlanta—a buzzer-beater to beat Phoenix:
Stop it, Jamal. Just stop. Crawford has been the king of false clutchness over the last decade in the NBA, building up a highlight reel of clutch shots simply because he hogged all of them during his time with the Knicks. He actually shot terribly in clutch situations. Really, there is evidence and everything.Â
Now Crawford is playing more 4th-quarter minutes (about 11 per game) than any player in the entire NBA and making big shots on a regular basis.Â
This will not last. This cannot last. Jamal Crawford will hurt Atlanta in an important game by hogging the ball and taking contested 20-footers. Right?Â
And just to explain: The joke in the headline (which I used last week as well) is a reference to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and not an expression of real, actual hatred toward Jamal Crawford. He actually seems like a sweet guy who is unusually reflective in his interviews. I wish him the best of luck. Just not against Boston.
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