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2005-09-06T20:18:00.000-04:00

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On The Cutting Edge

2005-09-06T07:40:00.000-04:00

by Gabe Kahn

As of this minute, the Celtics have 18 players signed to their roster, three more than the 15 allowed under the brand new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Barring a trade between now and November 2, when the Celtics open their season against Larry Brown and the New York Knicks, Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers are going to have to make some tough decisions regarding who will make it, and who will not.

The Celtics' overflowing roster is an issue because they drafted three players, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes and Orien Greene and then took back two players, Curtis Borchardt and Quyntel Woods in the Antoine Walker deal last month. Following that, point guard Will Bynum was signed in free agency and the C's traded for the offensively talented yet defensively challenged Dan Dickau. Woods, if he is not included in any trade for the sake of making salaries match, will be waived. That leaves two more players than available roster spots and it's anyone's guess who will still be around on opening night.

Of the 17 remaining players, the following 10 are certain to make the team: Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis, Raef LaFrentz, Al Jefferson, Brian Scalabrine, Delonte West, Green, Gomes, Dickau, and, sorry fans, Mark Blount. Others, such as Kendrick Perkins, Justin Reed and Greene (once his contract becomes official; though reports differ, it appears that his deal is all but done) might not be locks to be employed much after Halloween, but they shouldn't get too worried, either. Those who might consider hiring a real estate agent in the next few weeks are Marcus Banks, Tony Allen, Bynum and Borchardt.

Allen is the newest and most shocking addition to this list and his inclusion has very little if anything to do with basketball. The Oklahoma State product may have been involved in an incident in Chicago last week where someone Allen reportedly had been arguing with earlier in the day was shot and injured. If it turns out that Allen was more than peripherally involved, the Celtics may consider cutting ties with the gravity defying second-year player, upsetting as it would be to them. Unless there is any evidence pointing to Allen blatantly enough that any jail time is discussed and, given that Chicago police have stated that Allen is not even a suspect, one would have to believe that the chances of something like that happening are extremely unlikely.

No one is entirely sure what the Celtics' intentions are when it comes to Borchardt. The oft-injured center has not yet been waived, and the Green would like to hold onto him as insurance in case LaFrentz's right knee acts up or if Blount goes all, well, Blount on them again in '05-'06. Borchardt is a bit of a wild card and could turn out to be a viable backup. Remember, he will turn 25 this month and has only been in the league for three seasons, playing only during the last two because of a stress fracture that kept him out his entire rookie year. He may have some untapped potential in his brittle body and the fact that he is a 7-footer means that he'll probably have a shelf life in the NBA, but because of the overcrowded roster, he would be the most logical one to get the axe.

If it weren't for the fact that Bynum was signed to a guaranteed contract just weeks ago, he would be on the top of everyone's list of players not expected to make it through training camp. Though the rookie point guard out of Georgia Tech performed moderately well while playing with the Celtics squad in the Reebok Vegas Summer League back in July, Bynum would seem to be the odd man out when it comes to the five point guards on the Celtics' roster. Though a good scorer, Rivers' would much prefer to have a playmaker as his floor general, as he already has plenty of guys capable of putting the ball in the bucket and he already has Dickau and Banks who think shoot first. Minor conspiracy theorists believe that Bynum was brought aboard simply to push Banks to work harder in October, not because he has any real shot of making it onto the roster himself. By the way, for all you who are still stuck on why Ainge would sign a guy only to drop him before he ever played a game, remember that they did something very similar with Ernest Brown last season (though Brown did not have a guaranteed contract). With the $3 million the Celtics received from Miami in the Walker trade, they could cut Bynum and not even notice.

All this leads us, of course, to the mercurial and controversial Banks. Some think he is the Anti-Christ. Some think he is the Messiah, or at least the second coming of Chauncey Billups. Would Ainge sign Bynum simply to motivate young Marcus? From everything coming out of the Celtics' organization, the answer is a resounding "yes." Banks has been mentioned in trade rumors many times this summer, and many times more than anyone else on the current roster. His play as well as his attitude last season clearly frustrated Rivers on numerous occasions and his behavior behind closed doors has irked the Celtics ever since he was drafted. And for all the comparisons to Billups, recall that Chauncey averaged over 11 points in his rookie season and just under 14 points in year two. Marcus averaged 5.9 and 4.6 points in his first and second seasons, respectively.

The Celtics' have taken issue with Banks because they are under the impression that he has enough talent to make him a first class NBA point guard but refuses to listen to those who want him to reach that point. Having exasperated his coaches and his teammates, Ainge may be hoping that the last resort to getting his message through to Banks is by taking away his job security. If anything can get Banks to change his ways, making him sweat out a roster spot will and if it doesn't, what's the point of even trying? It's unlikely that it would come to that, but sources have indicated that it is a course that the Celtics are considering taking.

But the fact remains, that whether it be because of injuries, talent, trouble with the law or simply a lack of motivation, two must go. If these four want to be members of the Boston Celtics in 2006, it's time to start making their case. Let the competition begin.

Little Chief

2005-09-05T12:33:00.000-04:00

There is one line from an article that ran last week about Al Jefferson that I must have just glazed over, but it was pointed out to me by reader EZ. Here it is.

Jefferson also plans to visit Robert Parish in Florida and learn from the Hall of Famer.

When I stop and think about that statement, my mind wanders back to the days of the Big 3, my head tilts back and I start drooling like Homer Simpson.

Think about it. Both guys are the strong silent type (with a goofy side). Parish was a fierce rebounder and defender with some great touch around the hoop. Jefferson has the rebounding and touch and you can tell he wants to be a defender too. The Chief had the luxury of deferring to Larry and had Kevin's back on the blocks. For now, Jefferson can walk in Paul's shadow and has a great relationship with Kendrick Perkins down low.

Now, let me be clear. I'm not signing up the kid for Springfield just yet. I don't even want to say that Al is going to play like Robert. My point is that if anyone could be a good mentor or tutor for Al, it would be double-zero himself. I recall that sometime last year, Danny ran into Parish and made it clear that he wanted him around. I emphatically second that.

I'm very impressed with this kid every time I hear something new about him. The fact that he wants to learn from one of my alltime favorite players is even more of an indication of where his heart is at. Its going to be a joy watching him grow.

Shira Talks To Doc

2005-09-04T09:28:00.000-04:00

Shira has a nice interview with Doc Rivers on the upcoming season. However, oddly enough, the Tony Allen incident was not brought up and it still has not appeared in the Globe online edition (to my knowledge). Odd.

One interesting exchange was about the starting linup. It sounds like Doc wants to move Paul to the 2 some more this year and use that "power 3" that we hear so much about.

Q. What might the starting lineup look like? What combinations are you considering?

A. ''There's a lot of combinations that we can play. I can't wait to get that on the floor and see how those different combinations look and what works and what doesn't work. We can go big. We can go small. [Brian] Scalabrine could be at the 3, Paul at the 2, is a huge lineup. Ryan Gomes is another guy you can play at small forward with Paul at shooting guard and we can force some matchups. That's something I like. I would love Paul to be at the 2 and one of these guys [Scalabrine or Gomes] can step forward and play and be comfortable at the small forward that helps us with our size, our rebounding. But I'm concerned about that lineup defensively."

Carnival #15

2005-09-02T14:40:00.000-04:00

The Carnival is up at SacKingsBlog.com

the highlight:

"Ron at Hornets247 puts everything in perspective. Basketball hardly seems important right now."

Pictures are worth a 1,000 words and as a result, leave us speachless.

Mike Kahn Likes Lists

2005-09-02T18:40:00.000-04:00

He ranks the small forwards and puts Paul Pierce at #6 (behind Shawn Marion and Richard Jefferson).
(as far as I know, Mike Kahn is of no relation to Gabe Kahn)

Despite his obviously immense talent, a lot of people are split on what Pierce's value is because of his moody, erratic play that always affects his play and his teammates. He could play at a superstar level again, but most people doubt it.

Shooting Victim Points To Allen

2005-09-02T08:47:00.000-04:00

Chicago Sun Times article

Now things are starting to look worse for Tony Allen. The victim and his lawyer are claiming that the shooter was part of Allen's party and blame Allen for the shooting in relation to the arguement they had earlier.

Johnson said he didn't know the shooter but would be able to recognize him again. The shooter was part of a large entourage that accompanied Allen into the restaurant, said Johnson's lawyer, Rahsaan A. Gordon.

...

Johnson "is inside the restaurant, standing at a counter waiting to be seated," Gordon said, adding Johnson was with several others.

"A short time later [around 3:30 a.m.], Tony Allen comes in with a large group of 10 to 15 people. Immediately when he comes in, he spots Marktwain Johnson and he begins to go into his tirade."

"F--- him up," Allen told the shooter, according to Gordon.

That could not be confirmed with police, who interviewed Johnson at the hospital.

The Herald states that the original confrontation may have been about the money Allen makes as an NBA player.

To me, the best case senario here is that Johnson and his lawyer are looking to make some money off of a rich NBA player. Worst case, of course, is that he's telling the truth. This likely isn't going to be the sort of thing that just goes away quietly. Expect more information (true or not) to come out in the next few days and a distracting trial somewhere down the road.

Trivial Pursuit

2005-09-01T16:37:00.000-04:00

Celtics Trivia (yup, another slow-day filler) - how'd you do?

Police Want To Question Tony Allen

2005-09-01T10:04:00.000-04:00

It seems as though Tony Allen and Will Bynum were in a restaurant in Chicago (celebrating Will's contract with the C's) and a shooting occured there that night. Police want to question Allen because, as the article states:

A Hinsdale man -- who sources said may have been in an earlier dispute with Allen -- was wounded in the shooting.

However, the article also states:

Police are not calling Allen a suspect, and he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

So hopefully this is nothing.

Around the League - Finley Dominos

2005-09-01T07:40:00.000-04:00

Looks like the Spurs just got better. Finley has been rumored to be the amnesty domino that has held things up and will likely start things off. When I have a minute I'll expound on these, but some things to consider.

Spurs now have an excess of bodies that could be available at the right price. Brent Barry and Rasho come to mind. But don't forget Devin Brown.
Effect on C's - I'd still be in favor of a Blount for Rasho swap, and Danny has tried to get Barry in the past. But beyond that, it just means that the Patriots of the NBA are still really good.

Earl Watson seems like the last man standing in the "big-name" free agent department. He could land in Denver, but I'm not sure how they'd work that all out. He'd be behind Andre Miller and fighting Boykins for the backup spot.

Heat need to move on and still have that MLE to use. They could just resign Damon Jones. Not sure why they don't go after Watson.
Effect on C's - Little to none.

Spreewell still looking to feed his family.
Effect on C's - Hopefully none at all.

Yao resigning with the Rockets effectively makes the Lakers 3 year plan look a bit silly. I'd be drop dead shocked if they were able to get either Amare or Dirk. Cap room is so overrated.
Effect on C's - Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!

More Filler On A Slow Day

2005-08-31T14:18:00.000-04:00

The last three posts on NBASource.com are priceless.

Funniest Things About The NBA: Part I

Oh The Places Antoine's Shimmy Will Go

Funniest Things About The NBA: Part II (new)

Ricky Being Ricky

2005-08-31T08:59:00.001-04:00

I'm going to go ahead and throw out the Ricky Davis - Manny Ramirez comparison. Discuss.

Update: First of all, of course this was filler on a slow news day. I'm allowed to mail it in once in a while aren't I? Besides, I just love this picture and needed an excuse to run it.

As for my rationale on the comparison, it is pretty basic. Both guys seem to me (this is a perception thing, so don't kill me) to be fun-loving, absent-minded, but immensely talented guys that are often misinterpreted and even vilified for being who they are. Both guys are very unique individuals and in that way they are similar.

Of course they are different in the details. You could go on forever about how they are different (and I knew you would). I was just pointing out that a lot of the issues that some people have with Ricky can only really be explained away by saying "hey, that's just Ricky being Ricky." For example, the triple-double incident. I think that was just Ricky being a goofball and hamming it up for the fans and/or teammates egging him on to get the trip-dub. How people point to that as to why he is a selfish egomaniac disrespecting the game is a little beyond me.

That's all I was saying. But thanks for the comments. I now return you to your regularly scheduled rehashing of Paul Pierce's attitude, Mark Blount trade ideas, and who will be cut in training camp.

My Latest Favorite Internet Rumor

2005-08-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest rumor I've found on the net that I like a lot:

Blount and Banks to Minnesota for Olowokandi and Ebi

Kandi has an expiring contract and Ebi's deal is about the same as Banks. I could see Kevin rolling the dice on trying to give Blount a change of scenery to kickstart his career. The Celtics would be out from under his contract and could let Kandi, Ebi, Bynum, and Borchardt all fight for roster spots in training camp.

I'll look for more information on this and update you if anything develops. It could be nothing, but I feel it is worth checking out.

Update: Just so everyone is crystal clear on this - the rumor comes from an Internet message board. The original poster is a mod on the RealGM boards and he claims to have a source. I do not vouch for the source, nor am I claiming any credit for the rumor. Just passing it along.

Update 2: The message board poster that started the rumor is now saying that Ebi is not part of the deal. It would just be Kandi for Blount and Banks. The C's may still add a pick to rush the deal but the Wolves have other things in the air right now.

My Response to Amico

2005-08-30T15:42:00.000-04:00

Here's my response to Amico

Its not every day that I get to link to myself. Basically, I took Amico's bait and gave the best response I could come up with to his Celtics articles. You guys did a great job of breaking down the article yesterday and this really wasn't exactly necessary, but its been slow lately. It was a good excuse to write about something other than who will get cut in training camp for the 30th time.

Update: By the way - say what you want about Amico's opinions, but he's a class act all the way. In case you missed it, here is his response to all the emails as well as my article. (Hey, its his site, so he gets the last word.)

Minor Site Updates

2005-08-29T23:03:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd do a little cleaning up around here. Updated the About page and added a Resources page.

In addition, to give you another look at the message boards, here is an Index page. If you like that look, it might be a good bookmark. Otherwise, the main forums link is the same.

Plan A/Plan B

2005-08-29T20:24:00.000-04:00

I would say that nobody but Danny knows what he's going to do next, except that I don't think even he knows yet.

The way I see it, he's given himself at least two general directions he can go with this roster. (we'll assume Woods is waived)

Plan A: Trade Blount with Banks as the bait.

Gabe has told us that there is no market for either guy, and I believe him. However, that doesn't make them any less available. The hope is that some teams will arrive at training camp and realize that they need more depth at center and point guard. If you think about it, you'd be hard to find many clubs that don't have those needs. When players start getting injured or showing up 30 lbs. overweight, then maybe our players suddenly don't look so bad.

It is true that Blount is overpaid. It is also true that Marcus is very cheap. If you picked up the options on his rookie deal, you have him for 3 years at around $2M per. If he doesn't work out, you cut him and move on. If you are a team with a $7M player that you don't like or need and you want a 2 for 1 deal, you know where to look. I believe that one of the reasons why Ainge has Bynum and Borchardt around is in case he has to dump Blount and Banks for picks or players that do not play the 1 or 5.

Plan B: Let the training camp battles begin!

We could see Bynum, Banks, and Greene will battle for the 3rd PG spot with the weakest link booted off the island. We could see Borchardt, Perkins, and Blount battle it out for the backup center position. If Borchardt can beat one or both of them, he gets to stay on the team. Otherwise (barring a trade) he could be cut. With his injury history, there's always the chance that he will make the decision easy by going down with any one of his various health issues. Which brings up another point. Anyone could get hurt in training camp. Instead of scrambling for a late signing, we could have just the backups we need right on the roster. You never know. All things being equal, I tend to think that it would Bynum and Borchardt cut.

Of course, there is the darkhorse option (Plan C) of a major trade (or even a mid-major trade) that would send out more players than it brought back. I still think this could happen, but there is zero buzz right now, so I'm not counting on it.

Amico's Take on the Celtics

2005-08-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

Our friend Sam Amico has some harsh words for the Celtics in their current state. In particular he states: "Today, Boston's roster is pretty much a mess."

Before you warm up the flame emails, he's already responded to one reader's feedback. So read that, ...then email him.

Off Topic

2005-08-29T08:15:00.000-04:00

Slow news day for the Celtics. The Globe confirmed what Gabe already told us, that the C's have August vacations that are slowing things up a bit. So on to some non-Celtics related items.

First and foremost, our friend Big_Easy is safely evacuated from New Orleans. May all the residents of New Orleans find shelter, comfort, and safety. God bless.

Watched a little of the Little League World Series this weekend. Great to see the kids playing. The best part was seeing a commercial for the Major Leagues and being struck by the fact that these adults are really just playing a silly kids game. Always good to get some perspective.

Speaking of silly games, I had my fantasy football draft last night and I absolutely hate my team. Hate it. Every pick seemed to be a reach (Larry Fitzgerald), a risk (Fred Taylor), or a flat out gamble (Michael Vick). When your "safe" pick is Tiki Barber, you know you are in trouble. I'll either lap the field or be done by week 4. There's no in between.

Finally, if you must have your Celtics fix, the Bent has just what you need. Another Top Ten! Enjoy.

Forums Version 2.1

2005-08-29T00:05:00.000-04:00

To make up for the server issues, I've given the forums a facelift. Hope you like.

Cutting Coupons

2005-08-28T15:05:00.000-04:00

Shira in the Globe:

When the season rolls around, the Celtics will have to cut three players with guarantees. Regardless of who makes the cut, the team will not suffer severe financial repercussions.

The cash considerations received from Miami in the Walker trade ($3 million) have given the Celtics extra money to play with. Theoretically, the cash was designed to cover the contracts of Woods and Curtis Borchardt (about $2.65 million combined), but Boston can use it to cover any contracts. Essentially, Ainge and Rivers have free looks at some intriguing players.

Ainge Gets to the Point

2005-08-27T06:09:00.000-04:00

The Boston Globe: "Ainge gets to the point" - Bob Ryan

Ainge on Banks

''I won't say I'm disappointed with Marcus," Ainge maintains. ''Marcus has proven to be an NBA player. But I'd have to say his strength is in the open floor and exerting full-court defensive pressure. He has struggled in the half-court."

Ainge on West

''They all say they want to win, but Delonte is one of the rare young players I have ever come across who actually plays to win," Ainge says. ''He does not care about stats. He moves the ball. He blocks out. He goes after loose balls. He truly does all the little things."

Ainge on Dickau

''He has really improved his ballhandling skills and he can shoot the ball," analyzes Ainge. ''He just has a knack for offensive basketball. If you run a pick-and-roll with him, he must be honored."

Ainge on Greene

''Orien Greene caught my eye when he played an NCAA Tournament game for Louisiana-Lafayette against North Carolina State a year ago," Ainge says. ''He was a [6-foot-5-inch] point guard who made steals, blocked shots, and was all over the floor. He has interesting overall basketball skills. He's just a different look for us."

And finally, Ainge on Bynum

''He can play defense at that position, and he can score," Ainge declares. ''He is a playground legend in Chicago,"

If you have time, read the whole article. Ryan does a good job with it. But I wanted to get the Ainge quotes up here.

Tony

2005-08-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder: Don't sleep on Tony. Al is the near future, and Gerald should be the distant future, but Tony might be the most ready to step up right now.

Cut Banks?

2005-08-25T22:39:00.000-04:00

Oh how the mighty-talented have fallen. Marcus Banks was Danny Ainge's first draft pick ever and now, according to Gabe Kahn, he might just be in danger of not making the team. Now, this seems like a stretch, and I'm sure even Gabe would point out that this would be a last-resort sort of thing. However, the fact that it might even be considered is pretty shocking.

Obviously the team would prefer to see him blossom this year, and if he can win a job as a starter or even the primary backup, that would be the best case. However, one issue seems to be his attitude and maybe even his work ethic. If that is true, then the trade for Dickau and the signings of Greene and Bynum must be intended to light a fire in his belly. The message is clear. Nobody is handing you the job Marcus, lottery pick or not.

In fact, if he does have an attitude problem, then if he can't beat out Dickau or West, then is it worth it to keep him as just the 3rd point guard option? The team is very, very high on Orien Greene and seems to like Bynum as well. If the only reason you keep Banks around for is his defense, I would point to Greene and say "he can do that too." And if the C's really have lost this much faith in his playmaking, then you have to consider moving him.

Ok, then trade him to get some return for him, right? I'm sure that is an option that is being discussed. However, according to Gabe, the team cannot get a first rounder for him from anyone, and that includes the Lakers. They could probably get a second rounder or another undesirable player in return for him. But the obviously don't need more players, and you could argue that they have plenty of 2nd rounders.

Essentially it becomes more valuable to have a carrot (or a threat) motivating a former lottery talent than it would be to simply get a second rounder for him. Marcus is in the last guaranteed year of his rookie contract. The team could cut him, eat his salary this year, and save on the two team option years remaining.

So there it is. Baring any more moves before or during training camp, we will see Woods waived and one more player waived. It could be Bynum, it could be Borchardt, and amazingly enough, it could even be Marcus Banks.

Update: Ok my math is off. I guess Woods plus two more players need to be waived.

Update 2 - Gabe's Addendum:
A lot of people have written in asking about the logic of cutting Banks outright instead of trying to get even a 2nd round pick for him. I think that most would agree that many teams would give up a second rounder for Banks. But here's the thing: According to what I've heard (and you can continue to agree or disagree with the thinking here), the C's feel that what they can get out of a scared, motivated and ultimately coachable Banks will be worth much more than what they could get for him in a trade. They believe that the issue is NOT with his talent, but rather with his head and his ability to listen to his coaches. They are hoping to get him to play like a first rounder by hanging the threat of cutting him over his head. If he responds, then this threat (empty or not) will have given them much more than Marcus' current trade value. If it does not work, they'll be asking themselves if anything will get him to play like they think Banks is capable of, and that is why they'd consider cutting him.

Dickau Details

2005-08-25T17:38:00.000-04:00

It seems as though dreams of a larger deal brewing under the surface are not going to come true. Here are the latest details given to me from Gabe Kahn.

The deal has been held up because of delays in paperwork. Basically, people are out of the office for summer committments.

The deal is Dickau for a 2nd round pick. To make the deal happen, the C's will use up part of the trade exception they got from the Walker deal. It doesn't go to New Orleans, it just goes away. We should have just over $2.5M left to use at a later date.

In an odd twist, apparently the deal will create another trade exception for the Hornets to use at another time. Because they are under the cap and trading a contract for no contract, this is what they get to do.

No word yet on which 2nd rounder we're giving up.

All indications are that the C's are done tweaking unless some team comes calling with an offer.