SB Nation - J.R. Giddens

Daily Links 12/12

FLCeltsFan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:18:20 -0000

Herald    Counter points
Scouting report: Celtics at Bulls
LeBron James scores 33, Cavs trip Trail Blazers
Amare Stoudemire’s big rebound helps Suns beat Magic
Globe   Bulls thumbnails
On guard: Rondo slicing through foes
Vote for Perk    Vote For Perk
SportCenter 5     Vote For Perk!

Celtics Blog   AM Notes: Allen's Last Chance, Lester Helps Rondo
Loscy    The Rondoness of all Rondo Articles: The Mother-load "
HoopsHype    Zebras and lions
NESN    Celtics Seek 10th Straight Win Against Flailing Bulls
Live Blog: Celtics at Bulls
Tony Allen Emerges as Marquis Daniels Hits the Shelf
Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, J.R. Giddens Get in Holiday Spirit With Local Students
Celtics Legends Cedric Maxwell, JoJo White to Distribute Food to Lee Academy
Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, Lester Hudson to Host Stay In School Assembly
Dueling Couches    Ray Allen's Most Memorible Moments
CelticsLife Shaq Injures Eye, Kobe Breaks Finger, Injuries Reportedly Unrelated
McHale on Lebron's Dancing Nonsense
Today's Video: Ray Allen 20,000 Points NBA Career
LOY's Place    Quote of the Week - Kevin McHale
Red's Army    Rashard Lewis Has No Respect for His Coach
The Big 3 Things of the Week
Your KG Face of the Day
Ray Gets UP!
Your Morning Dump... Where Kevin McHale is still awesome
Celtics Hub   Kentucky-UConn Garden Party—an NBA Fan’s Perspective
Eddie House and 3 Point Attempts
Gratuitous Wolf on Human Violence
Saturday Notebook: Hudson’s Value, Rondo’s J, the Bulls
North Station Sports    More than a feeling: Dwight & Nate, pt. 2
Tony Allen Takes Over For Daniels. Should You Be Scared?
More Thoughts From Egypt: LeBron's Behavior in Question
Celtics Town    Celtics 'define what winning basketball in the NBA is all about'
Ray Allen gives teammates credit for milestone
Joe Johnson wants to come back to Boston?
Ray Allen, named top shooter of the decade, says Dirk is best
Rajon Rondo latest Celtic to deflect praise to teammates
Lex Nihil Novi    Wedman Leads Birdless Celts Over Hawks 83-84
Wedman Adapting to New Role 83-84
Knicks Try to Make it 3 in a Row against C's 83-84
Rondo Gives Jerry West No Respect
Celtics Overcome 12 4th-Quarter TO's to Finally Beat Knicks (83-84)
ESPN   Bulls-Celtics preview
So you're saying there's a chance?
Businesslike Approach Working For Celtics
Legler: Celtics are underrated
Chicago Tribune Chicago Bulls woes tied directly to defense
Chicago Bulls hear strange sound -- cheers during 96-91 overtime victory
Milford Daily News    Celtics: Green streak
Daily Herald    Bulls not responding well to other teams' runs
LA Times   Is this Lakers team the NBA's best ever? Not by a three-pointer
Sporting News   Celtics-Bulls Preview
HoopsAddict    Rajon Rondo: Silent, But Deadly
Washington Post     As the Wizards' big three try to mesh again, past is not present
The Starting Five    Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA
Patriot Ledger     Celtics bid for another double-digit winning streak
Ohio.com    Notebook: Cavs' West earning more time on floor
Mass Live    Celtics buzz: Tony Allen's early returns, Boston's rebounding woes, and appreciating Ray Allen
Truth About It    Inconsistency Is A Muther: Celtics Down Wizards 104-102
4 Sport Boston    3 Things You Didn’t See In The Celtics-Wizards Rumble
Philly.com   Dick Jerardi: Biggest Donaghy question remains: Which games?
Basketbawful    Worst of the Night: December 10, 2009
Hoopsvibe     Tracy McGrady: All-Star Starter?
Dimemag     The Bulls Are Struggling And Vinny Del Negro Will Be The Scapegoat
Rashard Lewis didn’t want to play; Van Gundy says it’s no big deal
CSNNE   Celts, Bulls headed in opposite direction
WEEI    Postgame Guest - Tony Allen on WEEI
Washington Post   Book review: When the Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
Seattle Times    LeBron James' dance act wouldn't play well in old-school NBA

The Latest Nocioni Rumor

Jeff Clark — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:26:45 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Will Noc be a Celtic?

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Marc Stein give us the following scoop on TrueHoop.

There is some hope, according to NBA front-office sources, for a three-way deal that is currently in the exploratory-discussion phase.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings, in considering the feasibility of a Samuel Dalembert-for-Kenny Thomas swap, have discussed expanding that concept with Boston by trying to draw in the Celtics on a potential three-way deal that would land Andres Nocioni with the Celts.

Sources further stressed over the past 48 hours that this should be classified as an ongoing conversation as the teams involved decide how much they like what's on the table.

But the full deal as it stands, if it eventually gets that far, would send Nocioni to Boston, Kenny Thomas, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine to Philadelphia and Dalembert and J.R. Giddens to Sacramento.

Taking the teams one by one:

*Boston has had interest in Nocioni from the minute Sacramento acquired him in February in the deal that dispatched Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago. That said, Boston has also been hesitant since February about acting upon that interest because Nocioni has three years and more than $20 years left on his contract after this season. That's a lot of long-term cash for the Celts to take on -- even if Nocioni turned out to be a James Posey-style Mr. Versatile for them -- after they just signed Rajon Rondo to a lucrative extension and with decisions about the futures of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen looming. So Boston pulling out because of financial concerns likely ranks as the biggest impediment to this deal.

Very interesting.

As Stein stresses, this sounds like an ongoing discussion rather than something imminent, but it is good food for discussion on a non-game day.

I've detailed the pros and cons of such a deal in the past. It only makes sense to discuss it and we know a similar deal was discussed last year.

Personally I think I'd roll the dice. He's a hard nosed competitor that needs a winning environment to really shine his brightest. His deal is rather large, but the cap number actually decreases each year and the price of picking him up is dirt cheap (expiring deals). He's even on the south side of 30, so he'll be a good piece for the present and near future.

Still, that's a big check to cut, so I wouldn't be shocked or dismayed to see the team pass.

What do you think?

Update: Via the Herald

On another front, a team source denied that the Celtics are in discussions to join a three-team deal that would land them Sacramento swingman Andres Nocioni. The team simply doesn’t have the flexibility to absorb Nocioni’s contract, which pays him $20.5 million over the next three seasons.

Poll

Would you make the rumored trade?

Yes

1583 votes

No

510 votes

2093 votes | Poll has closed

Roster Articles Recap

Jeff Clark — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:03:00 -0000

More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

Ray Allen is just one piece of the puzzle.

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I set out during the offseason to write feature length articles about each player on the Celtics roster. It took a while and I had to enlist in the help of some of the other excellent writers on this site, but we got it done. Since we put a lot of work into them and there's a chance that some of them were missed because attention gets divided and diverted during the offseason. So I wanted to highlight them again. So here they are.

It All Comes Down To Kevin Garnett
Which Ray Allen Will Show Up?
Veritas Vincit (Paul Pierce)
Rondooooooooooooooooooo!
The Beauty of the Beast (Kendrick Perkins)
Love Hate Relationship (Rasheed Wallace)
Brian Scalabrine Is Whatever You Want Him To Be
Bill Walker Is The Next "Next"
I Hope I'm Wrong About Lester Hudson
Eddie House: Designated Shooter
Tony Allen: Seldom Unmasked Potential
Can You Say Landlord? (Shenden Williams)
Glen Davis - Then and Now: Less is More
Goodbye, J.R.? (J.R. Giddens)
Fat Chance? (Mike Sweetney)
That's Just Quisy Being Quisy (Marquis Daniels)

I hope you enjoyed them half as much as we enjoyed writing them. Looking forward to a great year in part because this is a great group of guys that collectively make up an even greater team.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:15:25 -0000

More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

If you don't think I'm going to use this picture again, then you must not read this site very often.

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I know, I know, a bunch of guys got cut yesterday and you want me to talk about it. Well we have a weekly feature for that, remember? I'll get to it on Monday, and hopefully with some more thought into what I write than if I tried to do it piecemeal. But you haven't even complained, so why am I defending myself. Besides, they played some games last night!

New York Knicks 94, New Jersey Nets 92

Chris Hunter didn't play much early on in the preseason but he's getting a little more time now, I'm just not sure he's making the most of it. Almost nine minutes last night and he shot 1-3, for four points (he made both of his free throws). He had a block, but he also had one of his own rejected and had zero rebounds. Hunter's very talented who I think could do well in D'Antoni's system, but time's running out.

Miami Heat 99, Memphis Grizzlies 93

Hamed Haddadi played four and a half rebounds and grabbed three rebounds, because that's what he does. And not reall - alright, I think I've done that bit enough. The Heat elected to give Carlos Arroyo all of the backup PG minutes again while both John Lucas and Chris Quinn sat. I have no idea what that means for Quinn, but it can't be good for Lucas, which is unfortunate.

Boston Celtics 96, Cleveland Cavaliers 82

Alright, so J.R. Giddens isn't a rebounding monster that will devour us all, as he grabbed just two in 19 and a half minutes. He didn't even score any points to make up for it, and really I have no idea what his next move is. I doubt the Celtics keep him on, and while he did pretty well in the D-League, that doesn't seem to be the option of choice these days. But then again he doesn't really have the outside game to hang in Europe or Asia. Midge, help me out here. Also, I'm choosing to believe that Jawad Williams didn't play the last few games because the team knows it's keeping him and they want to see what other guys can do. Yep, that's what I think. La la la la, I can't hear you, la la la la la.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:47:49 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Clippers forward Craig Smith, center, goes after a loose ball ball as Utah Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko, left, and center Kosta Koufos look on during the first half of their preseason NBA basketball game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Sorry this is late getting up, folks. My computer started making a loud noise as I was writing it last night, which I took to mean "turn off the computer now." But anyway, I also attended last night's Spurs vs. Thunder game, which was played in Austin but which was considered a Thunder home game. It was very odd, and I can only guess that they did it because Kevin Durant went to UT, and they thought people would root for Oklahoma City just because of that. I saw maybe one OKC jersey, the rest were all silver and black. Or maybe they just didn't care and wanted the gate money, which is fine. Whatever the case, it got me ready for the season to start so that I can write about games after watching them, and not just write "so-and-so grabbed three rebounds in three minutes." Not that you shouldn't read that if I write it.

San Antonio Spurs 119, Oklahoma City Thunder 102

So let's talk about this one first. Most of what I saw has to do with players this website doesn't really care about, so I won't bore you with them here, but Shaun Livingston, Curtis Jerrells, Tre Kelley and Malik Hairston all got some playing time, and they looked okay to varying degrees. Livingston had a hard time keeping up with George Hill, but he was decent on the offensive end (he finished with four points on 2-4 shooting). Jerrells played pretty good defense when matched up against Livingston, but his biggest issue was fighting through and/or getting around screens. The Thunder ran him threw several of them and he got lost on all of them. Tre Kelley also was able to take him off the dribble several times, and Kelley made both of his field goals, which came getting to the basket for layups or dunks. Hairston probably played the best of the group, though he took a few minutes to settle down. He made two of his three shots, picked up an assist and generally looked good within the flow of the Spurs offense.

Utah Jazz 108, Portland Trailblazers 97

Kyrylo Fesenko had a solid game, with eight points (though it came on eight shots), six rebounds and three blocks...except he also fouled out in 13 minutes and turned the ball over four times. Oh Kyrylo. Kosta Koufos gave the Jazz the solid rebounding and no turnovers but also no offense. Five boards in a little over 14 minutes and zero points. Oh Kouf. Ime Udoka was okay, 11 points on 3-7 shooting in 16 and a half minutes, although he didn't have any of the rebounding or assists/steals that he'll probably need to regularly produce in order to make the team.

Charlotte Bobcats 94, Milwaukee Bucks 87

Dontell Jefferson didn't have a great night last night, 0-2 shooting with two turnovers in six minutes, but the big story was Raja Bell spraining his wrist. Now, I never root for guys to get hurt, because I'm not a monster. But certainly the opportunity is now there for Jefferson to get more playing time as a lockdown backcourt defender, particularly on a Larry Brown-coached team, and I hope he's able to take advantage of it.

New York Knicks 108, Boston Celtics 103

All J.R. Giddens does is rebound. 0-3 shooting in a little over eight minutes, but he also grabbed five rebounds, including four on the offensive end (who knows how many of those were off his own misses). I have no idea what it's going to take to get him to find a passable offensive game on the NBA level, but if he's given a shot in the NBA I think he could be the greatest rebounding guard ever.

Denver Nuggets 129, Minnesota Timberwolves 100

Jared Reiner finally got some playing time, and while the offense wasn't good (two points on three shots), the rest of it was decent, as he grabbed three rebounds and picked up an assist in eight minutes. No fouls, either.

Daily Links 10/18

FLCeltsFan — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:33:27 -0000

Herald    Saturday Practice Notes
Another bad break for Minnesota with Love
Larry Hughes: LeBron James will be a no-go
Time to feed the Baby
Celtics burst with options
Globe    Sidelined T. Allen: 'I've been working hard'
Can Toronto keep Bosh enraptured?
Celtics point guard Rondo aims for an A in ‘D
Kings of the court
MetroWest Daily     Courtside View: Hudson hanging on

CelticsBlog   What Have We Learned So Far?
Celtics Stuff Live 10/18: With Jessica Camerato
Loy's Place    Celtics Visit the Raptors Looking for the Preseason Sweep
A Couple Random Thoughts on Game Day
Red's Army    My Night at Celtics Practice
How One Trainer Got KG Back In Shape
Celtics Hub    Read This Now
The Window is Open for J.R. Giddens
North Station Sports     Today's Headlines 10/17
Celtics Town    J.R. Giddens stating his case
Lex Nihil Novi   How Easy Ed Got his Nickname
Ed MacAuley Finished Career as Third Leading Scorer in NBA History
EZ Ed is Still the Youngest Player Ever Elected to the Hall of Fame
Gino's Jungle     Doc To Save Starters For The Real Game
Today: Celtics at Raptors
Celtics Life   Who should get cut?
TA out until the 2nd week of the Season?
Friday's Celtics Practice Videos
NY Times    In Its 30th Year in N.B.A., 3-Pointer Is No Outsider
Raptors Republic    Last call to impress before opening night
Star Tribune   Wanted: replacement rebounders
Cleveland.com   Minor setbacks have stalled Cavs' new offensive plans
Dimemag    Second-Class Clippers
NY Post   Sources: Bird set to go at end of season
LA Times    Andrew Bynum arrives, Ron Artest still on his way
Celtics Stuff Live    Celtics Stuff Live 10/18: Jessica Camerato
Columbian   Ex-Blazer Walton looks back, attempts to make amends with the past
Yahoo   For Jackson, parting ways only solution
ESPN    Kevin Garnett shows spring in his surgically repaired knee
Boston Celtics Blog - Celtics' open practice a success
Boston Celtics' Tony Allen #ankle# could miss start of season
NESN    Celtics' Tony Allen Not Concerned About Latest Setback
Celtics' Rajon Rondo on the Defensive -- on the Court
Doc Rivers Taking It Easy on Veterans Heading Into Season
Green Street    Allen Excited for Obama’s Visit, Would Consider Politics
‘Rare’ lineup for Celtics on Sunday
Doc: ‘I like where we’re at
Fox Sports    Report: Marbury will sit out season
Honolulu Advertiser    NBA: Whose big move will pay off biggest?
Roc Now    Marbury wants to help build center in Rochester

Daily Links 10/15

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:02:27 -0000

Herald Rajon Rondo raises his game
Kevin Garnett takes hit, keeps on ticking
Larry Brown fined
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson gets back belongings, plus gifts
Warriors have no choice but to rid themselves of Stephen Jackson
Globe At last, Eddie is steadied
Good stuffs from Garnett, Rondo
C's finish off Toronto 106-90
Rondo playing in low tops
Canadian Chicken caper
Interesting matchup for C's

NESN     Kendrick Perkins Ready to Increase Offensive Output
Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett Lead Celtics Over Raptors
Rajon Rondo Continues to Shine in Celtics' Backcourt
Tony Allen's Role on Celtics' Bench Remains Unclear
Rookie Lester Hudson Maturing on the Fly in Boston
CelticsBlog    Celtics Douse Chris Bosh and Raptors: 106-90
Cleveland Cavs Previews
Loy's Place   Comments from the Other Side - Raptors 10/14
Random Thoughts on Celtics Win Over Raptors
Sports of Boston    Ray Allen Helps Celtics Win in Connecticut
MetroWest Daily   Celtics: So far, so good in preseason
Red's Army    The Truth Might Not Pick Up That $21 Million Option
Return of My Favorite Play
Celtics Hub What a Game!
Celtics Town    Running Diary: Boston Celtics run by Toronto Raptors, 106-90
Lex Nihil Novi   Satch Sanders: Basketball Player & Business Man Part 5
Satch Sanders: Basketball Player & Business Man Part 6
Satch Sanders: Basketball Player & Business Man Part 7
Red, Bird Fined for Brawl (83-84)
Celtics Life    Today's Video: So Long Starbury
Celtics/Raptors Highlights & Rondo/KG Alley-Oop
Gino's Jungle    Celtics Top Revamped Raptors
Big Ticket Airlines Departs From Hartford
Celtics Stuff Live    If Pierce opts out, then what?
CSLive Postgame Show 10/14: Raptors vs Celtics
NESB   It's Only the Preseason, Part One
Patriot Ledger    So far, so good for Celtics
NBA.com   Less of Big Baby could mean more for the Celtics
Hartford Courant    Celtics Win Exhibition In Hartford
Celtics Try To Regain Hartford Foothold
Republican American    XL Center still special to Ray Allen
Raptors Republic   C**tics wear out Raptors + Podcast
Examiner    Celtics win in Hartford: Ray quotes, Sweetney interview, and some things we learned
Nets face growing injury list
Daily Titan    Expect a Lakers-Celtics matchup in NBA finals
20 Second Timeout   2009-10 Eastern Conference Preview
Jackson Sun   Young: UTM's Lester Hudson should make Boston Celtics
Dimemag   NBA’s nastiest rivalry renewed; Hedo makes Toronto debut
Chris Bosh Is A Cyber Erin Brockovich
SouthCoast Today   Celtics' Allen enjoys return to Connecticut
Green Street   Celtics look sharp in beating Raps
Garnett joins new adidas campaign
Perkins and Daniels to Kick Off Celtics Stay in School Program
Cleveland.com LeBron James might post up more, get closer to triple-double averages
Outside the Box Score   NBA Top 50: Rajon Rondo (No. 13)
Bleacher Report   Magic 8 Ball: Eight Burning Questions For The 2009-2010 Orlando Magic
Why LeBron James Isn't Mr. Popular Anymore
Sports Doing Good   Taking baby steps, even when you’re 6′10″
Sportige    Top Five Centers in the NBA, Going into 2009-2010
ESPN   Rondo on the run
Nets Daily   Davis Reflects on His Summer of Free Agency
Yahoo   Heat's Chalmers not happy about Arroyo's arrival?
CT News     J.R. Giddens is Alive and Kicking… and Rebounding

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:01:11 -0000

More photos » by Hannah Foslien - AP

2 months ago: Chicago Bulls' Chris Richard (32) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves' Oleksiy Pecherov (4) as Kevin Love (42) watches on during the second quarter of a NBA basketball game at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 99-94. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

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Fair warning, the format of this thing may change a few times as I figure out how I want to write it. But for now, let's take a look at some former or future D-Leaguers/European players who played well (and in some cases not so well) last night on a game-by-game basis.

Phoenix Suns 110, Portland 104

The only "our guy" who played in this game was Carlos Powell, and he did very well. Starting and playing just over 22 minutes, Powell finished with 12 points on six shots, including 2-3 from long range, and three rebounds, along with zero turnovers and only one foul. The main thing holding him back so far has been his attitude rather than his talent, so if he keeps this up (including the improved outside shooting) either the Suns or some other team will take notice.

Washington Wizards 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 104

Jawad Williams hasn't had the best preseason so far, but he had a solid game last night for Cleveland. Getting the start in LeBron James's absence, Williams put up in 21 points on 12 shots, shot 4-6 on three-pointers and 5-7 on free throws, and grabbed five rebounds and passed out a pair of assists as well. Hey Cleveland, if you're really serious about making sure you have bench scoring, keep this guy around. The other standout of sorts for the Cavs was Andre Barrett, who outplayed his competition (Russell Robinson) by collecting eight assists in a little over 26 minutes and grabbing three rebounds, though he did need nine shots to score eight points. Paul Davis played just under nine minutes in this game, and while Mike Prada from BulletsForever may have a soft spot for the guy, I just don't see it. 0-2 shooting, one rebound, one assist, one block and one turnover...what am I missing? Luke Nevill, on the other hand, actually scored with four points in just under nine minutes, and he at least picked up three rebounds. 12-per-36 is a lot better than 4-per-36.

Boston Celtics 106, Toronto Raptors 90

Sonny Weems came back to earth a little bit, with 12 points on 10 shots and three turnovers, but he is banged up a little bit, and he's still getting a fair amount of playing time, which is encouraging. Holly MacKenzie thinks the team will find a place for him, and quotes Chris Bosh as saying

"if we continue to work with him and get him polished, I think he'll really help us out."

The J.R. Giddens Rebounding Machine is still working, with four in 13 and a half minutes, though he's still having a hard time scoring the ball. Lester Hudson wasn't, though, with 12 points on seven shots in the same amount of playing time as Giddens, and he picked up a pair of steals and a pair of rebounds as well. If Boston could just put those two together they might have something.

Oklahoma City 96, Miami Heat 91

I'm only mentioning Carlos Arroyo because Erik Spoelstra decided to sit both John Lucas and Chris Quinn to see what the team's newest point guard candidate can do, and he responded with, well, zero points, three rebounds, two assists, a turnover and four fouls in 16 minutes. Just stick with Lucas. Both Shaun Livingston and Kyle Weaver struggled a little bit for the Thunder, combining for five points, all of which came at the free-throw line. Weaver's calling card is his defense anyway, but he certainly hasn't been helping matters with his shooting so far.

LA Clippers 93, San Antonio Spurs 90

DeJuan Blair has been making Ian Mahinmi's job tougher by grabbing most of the rebounds in sight, but Mahinmi still managed to pull five down in 19 minutes, along with seven points on four shots and only one turnover. Speaking of turnovers (you see what I did there), Marcus Williams has struggled with them so far this preseason (and to a certain extent in Austin last season), and he had three last night in 18 minutes, which spoiled an otherwise solid night, 11 points on 4-8 shooting, two rebounds and two assists. Much better was Malik Hairston, who got the start and played 23 minutes, and finished with nine points on five shots, five assists and two steals. The assists are a nice bonus from him, as he's a decent passer but not a prolific one.

Chicago Bulls 99, Minnesota Timberwolves 94

The story of this game is Chris Richard, who led all scorers with 17 points on nine shots, made seven of his nine free throws and added 13 rebounds and two blocks, both of which also were game highs. Minnesota was the team that initially cut him, so there was probably some extra motivation (he's played pretty poorly so far), but maybe he can at least trick the Bulls into keeping him on, then show them that while he's not usually that spectacular, he's at least pretty solid. Mark from Sham Sports and Chicago Bulls Confidential is still skeptical that'll happen, though. Derrick Byars had a nice little game, with five points on three shots, three rebounds and a block in a little over 15 minutes.

Atlanta Hawks 111, Memphis Grizzlies 96

Like Jawad Williams and Chris Richard, Courtney Sims broke out last night after a rough preseason, scoring 12 points on 4-6 shooting in 13 minutes and blocking two shots. He only had three rebounds and added two turnovers, but he was one of the more talented players in the D-League last season and several NBA teams are known admirers, so anything he can do to help his case at this point would, well, help. Hamed Haddadi had three rebounds in six minutes, because that's what he does. And not really anything else.

Daily Links 10/14

FLCeltsFan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:51:08 -0000

Herald NBA GM’s favor Lakers over Celtics this season
KG, Pierce and Allen get a break
Warriors World goes upside down
Celtics reserved in victory
Lester Hudson fits in with vets
Globe Celtic reserves lead the way
Wizards Arenas: What would 'Sheed do?
Rondo not guarded during Celtics’ exhibition win

CelticsBlog Rajon Rondo Stood Up
The Rasheed Quote - The Sequel
LJ World    "Which Jayhawk currently has the most NBA value?"
Loy's Place Celtics Host the Raptors in Hartford
Random Thoughts on the Celtics Win over the Nets
Nola.com    Another star reluctant to commit to Team USA and other NBA news
NJ.com    Fans fill 13,000 seats at Prudential Center for Net--Celtics preseason game
NJ Nets lose to the Boston Celtics, 91-88, at the Prudential Center
Celtics.com    Keys to the Game: Celtics 91, Nets 88 (Preseason)
Red's Army    "I'd run through a brick wall if [Doc] wants me to"
Get Pierce off that exercise ball!!
Sheed Tweaks Ankle in Comeback Win Over Nets
"I want to see if I can bring them back"
Celtics Circuit     Recapping Celtics- Nets ... Again
Celtics Hub   The Double High Post: A Toy Worth Keeping?
Discussing Pierce’s Future in Green
Celts Win! Celts Win!
NESN    Rasheed Wallace Scores 20 as Celtics Tip Nets 91-88
Cavaliers Throw Fuel on Fire in Rivalry With Celtics
Stephon Marbury Wages Twitter War Against Paul Pierce
Top 10 Reasons Boston Will Dethrone Pittsburgh as Best Sports City in 2010
Celtics' Marquis Daniels is a Jack of All Trades
North Station Sports    Celtics Second Unit Posts Impressive Victory
Celtics Town    Boston Celtics come back to turn away Nets, 91-88
Fernsten's Follies    Could the Celtics have Won 70 Last Year? No.
Lex Nihil Novi    This Summer's Sky-is-Falling Offering
Reserves Give Up 60 First-Half Points
Doc Likes to Win
Is the Mark-Price Jumper Experiment Kaput?
The Misleading Nature of +/- Numbers
Happy Birthday, Coach!
Celtics Life     Today's Video: Tommy Heinsohn
Marbury Attacks Pierce
Celtics/Nets Highlights and Boxscore
What about Doc?
Gino's Jungle    Rondo Finally Comes Out of Hiding, C's Battle Back
Hoopsworld     Boston's New Bench Mob
NBA Courtside Blog
Nets Are Scorching    Thoughts on the Game: Celtics 91, Nets 88
Quick Recap: Boston Celtics 91, New Jersey Nets 88
NBA.com     NETS: Lee, Harris & CDR Start, But Celtics Finish
All about being fresh for April and May for K.G., Celtics
Fouls, tensions rise with replacement NBA referees
Green Street    Pierce Turning 32 Going on 20
Rondo and Reserves Propel Celtics over Nets
Raptors Republic     C**tics preview + Triano, Calderon on the offense
Outside the Boxscore   NBA Top 50: Paul Pierce (No. 14)
News Observer    Arenas goes silent, will pay the price
Globe and Mail     Raptors to get taste of Turkoglu Raptors to get taste of Turkoglu
Turkoglu to make date with Celtics
Toronto Observer    Turkoglu ready to play with starting five
The Star     Raptors' Turkoglu shifts from sitter to starter
Dimemag     Rondo and Rasheed take over for Boston; Capt. Jack loses his title
Sports of Boston    Rondo, Wallace Lead Celtics Comeback Over Nets
Celtics Stuff Live     The Curious Case of J.R. Giddens
Jackson Sun    Local college notes: Hudson getting playing time with Boston Celtics
Inside Hoops   NBA Rumors: Wednesday, Oct. 14
NBA fines Gilbert Arena for not talking to media
Courant    Allen, Celtics Return To Hartford
Examiner    Cavs Q&A with Brendan Bowers from Stepien Rules and Tariq H Ali from Cavs News
Marbury calls out Pierce on Twitter, and we’re left to wonder why
Patriot Ledger   Celtics’ Davis is back after hitting the free-agent market in the summer
AP    Cavs guard West returns to team after week away to deal with personal matters
LA Times    Wilt Chamberlain's spirit, and legend, live on in his mansion on the hill
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USA Today    Celtics GM Ainge putting life, basketball in perspective

The Preseason So Far

Jon L — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:59 -0000

One reason I cut off the training camp invite series was that, well, they're playing the games already. So instead, I thought it would be good to take a look at some past and future D-Leaguers who are performing well in the preseason (or, occasionally, maybe, not performing well). I'll probably start this as a daily feature, and knowing me, it will last a week. But still, what a week it will be. I have some catching up to do today, but hopefully enough guys will get playing time from here on out so that I'll have stuff to write about.

J.R. Giddens

Giddens has a guaranteed contract, but he's spent a fair amount of time in the D-League so he's technically one of "our guys." Gidden's biggest asset as a guard is his rebounding, and last night against the Nets he had 13 rebounds in 33 minutes. He's had turnover problems in the past, and his three certainly aren't great, but the Celtics have done a good job of maximizing Rajon Rondo's strengths and minimizing his weaknesses, so perhaps they can do the same for Giddens. They have enough perimeter-shooting big men that a guard who plays closer to the rim isn't as much of a detriment as it might be on other teams.

Sonny Weems

Weems has dealt with some minor injuries this preseason, but he's been starting, and in less than ten minutes against the Wizards he had four points on 2-3 shooting, six rebounds, an assist and zero turnovers. He preceded that with a 27 minute, 5-7 shooting, six assist, two rebound, one assist, one steal and one turnover performance against Minnesota. As I told Romy over at Hip Hoop Junkies (yes, you too can e-mail for a quote to put on your blog!), Weems is a talented guy and one who Denver liked, so while it's been a little surprising how much he's been traded around this offseason, he should be able to stick with the Raptors.

Alexis Ajinca

The man who just needed more playing time and got it in the D-League finished with an excellent line against the Cavaliers, with 15 points on 7-11 shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks in just under 19 minutes. The two turnovers and -7 overall aren't great, and he didn't shoot the ball very efficiently in his first game (though he also had four rebounds in 11 minutes), but things are looking up after last season.

John Lucas

The guy who should (emphasis on should, which unfortunately isn't close enough to will) be at least Miami's third point guard played well on Sunday, finishing with 10 points on 4-6 shooting, five assists, three rebounds and only one turnover in just under 23 minutes.

Rod Benson

The man who's (sort of) back scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in nine minutes on Saturday. The best part of his scoring output is that he did most of his damage at the line, making three of his five shots there. Sure that percentage could improve, but the fact that he's getting the ball inside (most likely) and being decisive with it can only lead to good things.

Hamed Haddadi

Offense isn't really Haddadi's strong suit, but his four rebounds in seven minutes against Orlando on Monday is goooood eatin', especially as it came paired with only one foul. If he can keep that kind of production up, and not his four points, five fouls, two rebounds and two turnovers that came a few days ago, he'll be in pretty good shape.

Mickael Gelabale

He's already been cut, but I just want to briefly recognize Gelabale's scoring ability. Six points on 2-3 shooting in six minutes? What more could you people want from him?