Despite all the rehab, Rajon Rondo is finding ways to keep busy this offseason. Just a couple weeks after appearing on E!’s Fashion Police show, the point guard was back on TV last night, in a fun segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live called Mean Tweets. In it, celebrities, or in this case NBA players, read [...]
The whispers around Paul Pierce’s future with the Celtics continue to surface in the fourth week of Boston’s offseason. Unconfirmed report after unconfirmed report has circled in, stating anything from Pierce’s house being on the market, to the team being “likely” to buy him out. Locally, plenty of Celtics fans seem resigned to the fact [...]
It was a tough start to the offseason last week for Terrence Williams. After standing out as one of the bright spots on the Celtics roster late last season, he was taken into custody last week with the disturbing allegation that he pulled a gun during a domestic dispute with his son’s mother and her [...]
What has Rajon Rondo been up to this offseason beyond rehabbing his ACL injury? Rubbing elbows with Joan Rivers, that’s what. Just one summer after spending some time showing off his fashion sense in an internship with GQ, Rondo went one-on-one with Rivers on E’s Fashion Police, since well he has some time on his [...]
Acquiring any player, whether it’s via trade, free agency, or the draft, comes with an air of uncertainty. The NBA has no guaranteed covenant and all sales are final, no matter how talented, proven, or productive the player may have been in year’s past. But these memories—especially recent ones—often clouds the judgment of a [...]
The waiting is the hardest part. At least that’s what the Celtics’ brass must feel like about their coveted head coach. A week after Danny Ainge confirmed to The Boston Globe that Doc Rivers would be returning to the Celtics’ bench next season, we’re still waiting for a direct word from the head coach himself. [...]
* Apologies for the tardiness on the grades this morning. Our recap grade generator (which creates the cool graphics you see below) conveniently did not function and mistakenly erased the full commentary I had typed up and completed a couple hours ago, which gave me a oh-no-so gentle reminder to always back up your work. In any case, here’s round two of my thinking….. have at them:
Paul Pierce, SF35 MIN | 4-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 6 AST | 12 PTS | -11Some big shots late by the captain but he still appears to be in a bit of a slump overall. Six assists are nice, but just two rebounds on the defensive end isn’t going to cut it, not when the Cavs are getting 11 offensive boards without their top rebounder. Pierce needs to help more down low and take care of the ball better.
Brandon Bass, PF35 MIN | 6-12 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 12 PTS | +1Well he shook off the rust quickly. Can’t ask for much else after missing the past couple weeks. Now he just needs to remain consistent, like he did in the first few weeks of the year if this team wants to go anywhere. His addition to the starting lineup could be a regular thing if he keeps this up.
Kevin Garnett, PF33 MIN | 5-11 FG | 8-8 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 18 PTS | -3Actions speak louder than words. After leading a team meeting last week, KG backed it up on the floor, playing great on both ends, including in crunch-time when he did not shy away from the moment and instead grabbed a crucial offensive rebound off his own miss during a mismatch against Kyrie Irving. Execution down the stretch is something this team hasn’t accomplished much of all year, so it’s nice to see it back in action
Ray Allen, SG35 MIN | 8-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 22 PTS | +8Typical Ray, not much to say here other than how he appears to be breaking out of his February shooting swoon. Some nights, when the offense is struggling, I wonder whether it makes sense to get Ray 20-25 shoots like his Seattle days to see what would happen. Can’t be much worse than this offense is usually right?
Rajon Rondo, PG32 MIN | 0-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 11 AST | 0 PTS | +7A tough night shooting, but I’m more concerned about the turnovers and the unforced ones at that. Boston was cruising with a double-digit lead in the first half before Rondo got foolish with a few bulletpoint passes that served no real purpose. He needs to get better in this department as the margin of error is gone.
Keyon Dooling, PG11 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS | -1He’s hurt still (hip) and he’s playing like it. Another guard could be of use if this team decides to keep this squad together at the deadline.
Chris Wilcox, PF23 MIN | 2-4 FG | 1-2 FT | 11 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | +8A banner night on the glass for the big man, doing exactly what they brought him in here for. Now if he can keep the injury bug away for a few weeks, I’ll be happy.
Mickael Pietrus, SF17 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | +14What’s not to like? Efficient and perhaps even more impressive than six of his eight shots were not from downtown. Talk about an upset! After a tough shooting month, nice to see Mickael starting the second half off right.
Greg Stiemsma, C4 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -2Not much to evaluate here, besides a strong move to the hoop off a Rondo dish in the second quarter. He could become relevant again here if JO is out awhile…..which means it probably will happen.
Avery Bradley, SG16 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | -6Gaining Doc’s trust more and more by the day here. Hitting a couple jumpers helps, as well as him gaining some sense of confidence within the offense, especially while penetrating (3 assists were nice). Indicative of a strong game overall from the bench.
The Ticker
