SB Nation - Gabe Pruitt

Previewing Tonight's Games; Featuring the NBA Players of Both Tomorrow and Yesterday

Jon L — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:00:18 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Bobcats assignee Alexis Ajinca joins a loaded Red Claws team in time for tonight's home opener. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Now this is more like it; five games, some nice matchups.

Reno Bighorns at Los Angeles D-Fenders

Reno is still looking for their first win, and it may just come tonight. Reno's first pair of games came against Idaho, who force teams to run with them, but the Bighorns should be able to play closer to their preferred style here. Michael Fey has had a nice start for the D-Fenders, but Rod Benson should be able to defend him pretty well. They've also acquired Doug Thomas, who I like a little better than Brian Laing (who was waived) coming off the bench. If Desmon Farmer can keep the turnovers down, I like Reno's chances. After the last game, though, that's a big if. The D-Fenders have point guard Gabe Pruitt back, and they also have several guys tall enough and athletic enough to guard Marcus Hubbard wherever he goes on the floor. They have talent, but the fact that Pruitt is still getting acclimated means their offense could struggle.

Erie BayHawks at Sioux Falls Skyforce

There should be some good individual matchups in this one, with Greg Stiemsma having to guard Erie's talented new center John Bryant, and the BayHawks' Donell Taylor likely spending some time checking Reggie Williams (at least he should be). Keith Brumbaugh and Pete Campbell have each shot the ball pretty poorly so far this year for Sioux Falls, but if they can contribute in other areas the team should be okay. Outside of Jackie Manuel's first game, the BayHawks haven't gotten much help for Taylor and Bryant. They'll need someone to pick up the slack (ideally Ivan Harris, who hasn't hit a three yet) to stay in this game, given how many guys can score for the Skyforce.

Springfield Armor at Maine Red Claws

This is already being called a rivalry game, which I guess it is for regional purposes, but let's see how they play against each other first. Maine has a stacked roster now, with ~~five~~ ~~six~~ seven players with some NBA experience (assignees Bill Walker and Alexis Ajinca plus Billy Thomas, Mario West, Will Blalock, Noel Felix and Trey Gilder). It's true that said experience only amounted to about a dozen games for a few of those players, and that Mario West was awful as a pro, and that Blalock has been less than impressive so far this season, but that's still a lot of talent. As for the Armor, well, they've reportedly signed Major Wingate, a talented center who never showed up to Maine's training camp. Plus they have an NBA guy of their own in JamesOn Curry, never mind the fact that he's shooting 31.8 percent from the field and 21.4 percent on threes so far. Actually, you probably should mind that. Even more importantly, Curry has just one more assist (nine) than turnovers (eight) this season. Perrin Johnson and Maurice Maxwell have switched off having good and bad games for Springfield, but who are we kidding; this one could get ugly.

Tulsa 66ers at Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Tulsa won a few days ago, but if you didn't read my write-up of the game (and it's understandable if you didn't; it's really long), there weren't a whole lot of players I was all that impressed with. Mustafa Shakur is good, certainly, but the Vipers have some defenders (like Antonio Anderson) who could keep him in check. Joey Dorsey and Mike Harris also should kill Byron Mullens and DeVon Hardin. Moiderize them. Either Dorsey or Harris could end up with 30 rebounds and 10 blocks. Heck, both of them could. The Vipers have had some players with turnover problems and they haven't been hitting their threes, and the 66ers have some shooters who could get hot, but the skill gap in the middle is just too large.

Austin Toros at Albuquerque Thunderbirds

I was made a fool of the last time I said this, but I'm going ahead with it anyway - Kevin Pittsnogle could be a key player in this game. The Toros just don't really have anyone who can guard him on the perimeter (caveat coming) if he's shooting the ball well. Dwayne Jones is rooted to the paint, Justin Bowen is really more of a small forward (though he can get up to block Pittsnogle's shots) and David McClure is too spazzy. The Toros also don't really have anyone who can adequately guard Carlos Powell. For Austin, they need to get Alonzo Gee involved early and keep looking for him even if he's not hitting shots immediately. More specifically they need to keep running him off of screens, where he does his best shooting. He's the best player on the team, and there were multiple possession stretches against Tulsa the other night when he was flat out ignored on offense. This could be a fun game.

Daily Links 12/3

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:53:52 -0000

Herald Kendrick Perkins wows one of his Chief fans
Nets lose NBA-record 18th straight to start season
Scouting report: Celtics at Spurs
Ron Artest’s best shot: Cognac
Ron Artest says he drank during games
Nothing but Nets! NJ’s worst ever
On-Court Bobblehead dolls entertain Celtics fans in between games
Globe Spurs thumbnails
Hapless Nets fall to 0-18
He’s front and center

CelticsBlog   Bonus (Random) Links
Honoring The Beast
Loy's Place    Lots of Love for the Beast
Celtics Stuff Live    iCeltics Versioning: From the Files of ManchvegasBob
Gang Green: Season 3, Episode 7
Kendrick Perkinstein
Celtics 17   Shelden Williams’ Improvement Could Cause Celtics to Make A Move
Putting a Finger on the New Scoop on Ron Artest
Iverson to rejoin 76ers(!?!).
Shelden Williams’ Improvement Could Cause Celtics to Make A Move
Putting a Finger on the New Scoop on Ron Artest
Iverson to rejoin 76ers(!?!).
Tim Donaghy has a new publisher.
Red's Army    Your KG Face of the Day
And the player with the highest basketball IQ is...
Ron Artest: "I used to drink Hennessy at halftime"
Dime Magazine Disrespects Rajon Rondo
Your Morning Dump... Where Perk makes Chief reminisce
Live blog tonight... and get your picks in
Perkisabeast    EXTRA** EXTRA** Ron Artest still a jerk
CSNNE    Beast unleashed: Perk becoming major force
Beast unleashed: Perk becoming major force
Celtics Hub Nobody Can Stop Sheed But Sheed
The Semi-Transition Game: Embrace It
Some Love for The NBA’s Best Shooter: Kendrick Perkins
Examiner   The Tiger Woods story: What if it was KG instead?
Review: When the Game Was Ours, by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson with Jackie MacMullen
North Station Sports     Brandon Jennings May Be The New School Of One And Done
Goldie's Preview - Celtics @ Spurs
Celtics Town    Doc Rivers (again) discusses minutes
Rasheed Wallace surprised Antonio McDyess by signing with Boston
Celtics power rankings
The Morning Walkthrough: Kendrick Perkins earning a little admiration
Kendrick Perkins, fourth-best shooter in Celtics history
Hardwood Houdini    Iverson Comes Out of "Retirement"
Celtics December Tour Coming to a City Near You
Lex Nihil Novi    Parish and Bird Lead C's to Victory over Blazers 83-84
Celtics Seek to Silence Sixers and the Strangler
Paul Pierce Isn't League MVP Material
CelticsLife   East is Better
JR Giddens' Twitter
Today's Video: Ray Allen Mix- Shut It Down
Nets fall to NBA record 0-18
Gino's Jungle    Bruins vs. Celtics
Today's Headlines - As Seen By Gino
Hoopdata    Thunder Making Noise with their Improved Defense
D-League Digest    D-Leaguer of Intrigue: Orien Greene
Slam Online    Raptors Call Out Their Coach
Waiting for Next Year    Cavs 107, Suns 90: Z Leads Cavs In Romp Over Suns
Sports of Boston   Ray Allen: Father First, Celtic Second
Project Spurs    Gameday Q&A: Graham Brunell of Celtics 17
News OK    With Philly out of the way, it’s derby time at Ford Center
My San Antonio    Former teammates to meet when Spurs face Celtics
Games in the City    The Race for Number Eight Games In The City
MetroWest Daily      Streaking Celtics, Spurs to square off
Dimemag   Brains vs. ‘Bron Brains vs. ‘Bron
Pass The Mic: Top 10 Point Guards Over The Next 10 Years
NY Times Disgraced Referee’s Book Describes Gambling on N.B.A. Games
Philly.com   Phil Sheridan: Sixers take a bizarre step backward
ESPN   Video: Celtics-Spurs preview
Once a gatherer, Perkins now a hunter
Kendrick Perkins' and Tim Duncan's stocks are up, while Jose Calderon's and David West's values are down
Parker keeps raising bar, then clearing it
NESN    Celtics May Be Good, But Lakers Are Showing Us How It's Done
Since Near-Loss to Knicks, Celtics Have Been On Point
Return of Glen Davis Should Make Celtics Even Better
Dueling Couches    Doc Getting A Little Concerned About Sheeds T's
Glen "Big Baby" Davis Injury Update
Bleacher Report    Prodigal Iverson: The Answer To Philadelphia's Prayers?
WEEI    Danny Ainge on WEEI
Jackie MacMullan on WEEI
Josh Q Public    Celtics: Shooting The Lights Out
Mass Live Doc Rivers walks a 'fine line' with veteran minutes, Shelden Williams gives the team flexibility, and more
Tennessean    Johnson to Rondo: Bring it on
Damn Lies and Statistics    Daily Lies & Statistics
CBS Sports    Celtics-Spurs Preview
Cleveland Leader    Cavs Still Working It All Out
Hardwood Paroxysm   Surprise! Kendrick Perkins Is Eating Your Face!
Yawkey Talkies    Celtics looking to continue domination on the road |
OSC    D-Fenders Acquire Los Angeles Native, Gabe Pruitt
Sports of Boston     Maine Red Claws Acquire Mario West
Charlotte Observer    Ajinca deal made sense, but hasn't panned out
Sporting News    Celtics-Spurs Preview
Sheed

s Techs Can Set Perk on Straight and Narrow?

Flash Forward

Jeff Clark — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:52:44 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Perkins and Rondo might be the cornerstones of the next generation.

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Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34

The Celtics are rightly focused on the present. They need to maximize this window of opportunity. However, they cannot completely sacrifice the future. Life beyond the Big 3 isn't all that far away. Rajon Rondo just signed a contract that won't end until 2015 so the subject of our future is on my mind.

Of course there's nothing we can do about tomorrow, so there's truly nothing worth worrying about. However, that doesn't mean we can't gaze at the horizon and speculate about it a bit.

There are far, far too many variables to make any sort of well defined predictions about who will be playing for the Celtics 2, 3, or 4 years from now. Barring unforseen circumstances, you can count on Rondo, Pierce, KG, Perkins, Sheed, and most likely Big Baby to be on the roster next year. Everyone else is a free agent.

The Celtics will have a good shot at bringing Ray Allen back with a short term extension. Assuming he doesn't opt out this summer, Paul Pierce will be eligible for an extension the next year. But at some point those two, along with Garnett, will transition to being support players. I expect Pierce to retire in Boston but KG, Ray, and Sheed could each eventually be moved near the end of their contracts.

At some point, the next generation (led in theory by Rondo) will have to take over the reins. Perkins is the other young cornerstone to build around, but he'll need to stay healthy and be resigned first. Having Rondo and Perkins takes care of the two hardest positions to fill, but we'll need more than that to compete for more championships.

Even though I'm a huge fan of Rondo, I just can't picture him as the alpha dog and face of the franchise. He's too introverted off the court and he seems to lack that charisma that natural leaders have that makes people gravitate toward them. (Put another way, I don't think Tom Brady's coach ever had to ask him if his teammates liked playing with him.) Perhaps as he grows and matures he'll be better at it. Remember that Paul Pierce had to work on his demeanor and image a bit. But right now, I don't see it.

Regardless, Rondo and Perkins will need at least a couple of dynamic scorers to round out the starting lineup. In an ideal world we'd find a way to bring Kevin Durant to town (but don't hold your breath). The challenge is how to bring in star-quality talent that is still young enough to hit their prime alongside Rondo and Perk.

One option of course is the draft. But the Celtics are going to continue to pick at the end of the first round and wind up with gambles like Gabe Pruitt and J.R. Giddens. We can count on Danny to find the occasional gem like Big Baby or Leon Powe, but it is really hard finding future stars that low in the draft.

Another option is to move tradeable assets for lottery picks. The C's have some expiring contracts this year and maybe they could convince a team to give us a bad contract and a good pick for our Scal and Tony, but don't count on it. For one thing, picks are like gold in this economy (cheap labor). For another thing, the Celtics will be way into luxury land as it is without taking on bad contracts. I don't know just how deep Wyc's pockets are, but I tend to think it would have to be a real lopsided deal for him to sign off on a move like that.

So perhaps the most realistic option is to use the MLE each year on guys in their early 20's (rather than thirtysomethings like Sheed). I believe Red had a philosophy of adding one very good player per year, which allowed him to sustain his dominance over the years.

Like I said, there's no shortage of paths this club can take to get into the next generation but I'm far from worried about it. It will be fun to see which approaches Danny takes. In the meantime we'll just have to bide our time watching an elite team fight for more championships.

...And the Rest (of the returning or allocated players)

Jon L — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:21:54 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Welcome back, Dontell Jefferson. I hope we don't see you for very long. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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I tried finding a picture of the Professor and Mary Ann from the Gilligan's Island credits to go with the headline, but Google Images has failed me. With apologies to all of these teams for not giving them individual treatment either through a story or fanshot, I just don't think I can finish covering all of the teams plus write about other stuff by tomorrow's draft. There's too many of them. So consider this a roundup of the notable (but not all) returning and allocated players that D-League teams will be enjoying, at least in the beginning of the season. Except for Maine, Dakota, Bakersfield and Fort Wayne. Oh, and I'm also not including Springfield, since their most notable players at this point are Marcus Taylor and Kentrell Gransberry, and we covered those guys around the expansion draft. All of the players listed fall into the "returning" category unless otherwise noted.

Even without those four teams this is pretty long (surprise! I wrote something that's too long), so you can read it all after the jump.

Albuquerque Thunderbirds - Antoine Agudio, Keith McLeod, Kevin Pittsnogle (allocation)

McLeod and Pittsnogle both are familiar names, though for different reasons. McLeod is a classic 'tweener, not in terms of position but in terms of NBA vs. the D-League. He's spent the first few years of his career in the NBA, including starting 79 games for the Utah Jazz over two seasons, but he spent last year in Albuquerque and also has played in Europe and the CBA. He also has a B.S. in computer science, so he's a smart guy, and given that he's 30 years old (or will be tomorrow - happy birthday Keith!) I wonder if he's not going to hang around for a few more years as an entry into coaching. Pittsnogle is more known for his college exploits though that was what, four years ago now? Since then he's played in the D-League (for Austin and Albuquerque), the CBA and in France. Last I heard he was coaching high school basketball and out of shape (due in part to a thyroid condition), so it will be interesting to see how he looks when the season starts. Agudio isn't that familiar of a name, but he's an excellent shooter (he made around 43 percent of his threes last year), and not much else.

Austin Toros - Dwayne Jones, Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson, Curtis Jerrells (allocation)

So that's where Dwayne Jones went. I've talked about him on this site probably more than his talent warrants, because although he's a very good post defender and rebounder, there's not much else to his game at this point. Not that he hasn't been working hard on it, and his free-throw shooting improved steadily over the course of last season, but he's still pretty limited offensively. So's Johnson, for that matter, who can occasionally get hot shooting threes, but more often than not has 1-6 nights. Also, he may be one of the few people who has a great nickname but an even better real name. He almost never turns the ball over, though, which is typically what you want in a point guard (although he also doesn't pick up many assists, which is the other thing you want in a point guard). Jerrells will, I assume, take the backup PG spot now that Stanley Burrell is playing in Europe, but the distribution of minutes between him and Johnson will be something to watch as the season goes along. He was one of San Antonio's last preseason cuts, and in the limited action I saw he was decent, and the Spurs may want to get in enough work to improve his game. Of course, there's one guy missing from the list (I didn't exclude him, he's just not on the list), and that's Marcus Williams. My hope and assumption is that either the team didn't think he would be cut before it submitted its list, or they have to wait until they're at the top of the player pool before he joins the D-League. I suppose it's also possible that he's still exploring the overseas option, as he'd do great over there, but I hope not.

Erie BayHawks - Ivan Harris, Jarvis Gunter, Jackie Manuel, Oliver Lafayette, Rob Kurz (allocation)

I've talked about Kurz a lot recently between Summer League and the preseason, but to review he's a 6'9" three-point shooter who doesn't offer much else. That also sounds a bit like Harris, doesn't it? Harris was second in three-point percentage among forwards last season and sixth overall in the league. Gunter was a backup to Erik Daniels last season, but with Daniels currently in the Ukraine, Gunter should take on a larger role. He's an athletic rebounder, but doesn't have great hands and hasn't shown much scoring ability thus far. Jackie Manuel, on the other hand, may have his role reduced a little bit with Kurz around. Manuel's a decent rebounder for a small forward, but doesn't have much of an outside shot. I'm not a huge fan of Lafayette, as he's not a very efficient scorer, but he put up a triple-double last year so there's that. This team made the playoffs last year, but they'll need to replace the production of Maureece Rice and Erik Daniels, who while inefficient still offered the team something as a point-center.

Idaho Stampede - Lanny Smith, Roberto Bergerson

Both of these guys should do well in Bob MacKinnon's offense, though Smith probably needs to up his three-point shooting percentages a bit. He's not really a shooter, more of a distributor/defender, but Colorado's point guards spent a decent amount of time playing off the ball last year. Bergerson could be a bench version of Billy Thomas, in that he's a streak-shooting veteran. He made around 70 percent of his threes last April, though that was far above his season average.

Iowa Energy - Anthony Tolliver, Curtis Stinson

I don't expect Tolliver to be in Iowa for very long, as he's had some NBA looks recently, and it talented enough to make all of his shots in a Summer League game. Expect him to be an early scoring leader, though. Stinson is a solid all-around point guard and a good rebounder for his position, though turnovers were a big problem for him during Summer League. He was invited to the Bulls' training camp but only spent a few days there before being waived, so he didn't really get a chance to show NBA teams that he's not as turnover-prone as he seemed in Vegas (he's not). Jeff Trepagnier and Mark Tyndale are also here, but I didn't really feel like talking about them, which should be understandable.

Los Angeles D-Fenders - Ryan Forehan-Kelly, Joe Crawford, Earl Barron, Longar Longar, Gabe Pruitt (allocation)

Until given a reason to do otherwise, this season I'm going to stop pretending that this team is directly affiliated with the Lakers, because other than the uniforms you really wouldn't know it based on how the Lakers participate in the relationship. Crawford's a case in point, in that he could've been the Laker's future backup PG, except they sent him down to the D-Fenders and then forgot about him. It's true that the Shannon Brown (which is how everyone needs to start referring to the Adam Morrison deal) has worked out reasonably well, but they didn't even consider the in-house option. Crawford spent a few games with the Knicks last year, where he didn't shoot the ball particularly well before being released. Forehan-Kelly is a pretty good all-around player who's not great at any one particular thing but good at many things (actually, he's very good at shooting threes). "I can't be out of Earl, I'm the" Earl Barron has spent some time in the NBA, and is an okay rebounder and shotblocker, but he was injured for part of last season and will need to show this year that he's recovered. Longar Longar has had his moments, though I'm generally not a huge fan of slow guys with bad hands. Pruitt is an okay shooter, making 36 percent of his threes last year in the D-League, and he doesn't pick up that many turnovers. Don't be surprised to see him and Crawford playing a lot of minutes alongside each other. No Sun Yue either. WHERE IS MY SUN YUE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Rio Grande Valley Vipers - Cliff Clinkscales, Stanley Asumnu, Marcus Hubbard, Kurl Looby, Julian Sensley, Garrett Temple (allocation)

I need to Basically this team is returning a lot of players from what was an abysmal squad last year. The individual talent is there, as Clinkscales is a solid point guard and Looby started growing into a dominating force in the paint, so perhaps new coach Chris Finch can pull it all together. He's said that he prefers an up-tempo, three-point shooting style of play. Marcus Hubbard is probably salivating at that prospect, as he fancies himself a three-point shooter, even though he's not very good at it. Neither are any of the other guys I listed, come to think of it, except maybe Sensley. They all can handle the up-tempo bit, though. This should be an interesting personnel-coach match to watch. I'd also expect to see at least one player assigned from Houston this year, although Chase Budinger has looked better than I expected coming off their bench.

Reno Bighorns - Rod Benson, Russell Robinson, David Noel, Daryl "Majic" Dorsey

Both Benson and Robinson should - repeat, should - get NBA looks at some point this season. The return of boom tho can only mean good things, both on the court and off. He's a very good rebounder and shotblocker, very athletic, and has been working on his shot. If NBA teams lighten up a little bit, he's one of the best big men in the league. Robinson performed well running Orlando's offense during Summer League but was a little shakier playing for Cleveland this preseason. He's a pretty good scorer and distributor, and could see some continued NBA attention. Noel's a solid all-around wing player who can defend, score, shoot threes and distribute the ball a little. Dorsey is a pretty decent PG who's very quick and is does a good job of getting to the basket. This is a pretty good core.

Sioux Falls Skyforce - Keith Brumbaugh, David Bailey, Greg Stiemsma, Joe Krabbenhoft (allocation)

Krabbenhoft's already been covered, so moving on. Bailey's a relatively efficient scorer and good three-point shooter, and he does a decent job of distributing the ball. He also gets a fair amount of rebounds for his position/size. Brumbaugh is also a pretty efficient scorer (moreso than Bailey) and shoots well from the outside. He's 6'10 but doesn't play inside much, and he also can run into foul problems. Stiemsma was actually drafted by a Korean team, but that appears not to have worked out. His per-minute numbers were decent last year, but he averaged only 14 minutes a game. So the real production wasn't what it probably could have been. This team might struggle early on to replace some of Kasib Powell's points and rebounds.

Tulsa 66ers - Keith Clark, Moses Ehambe, Steven Hill, Larry Owens (allocation)

Clark was draft-eligible after last season, except he didn't really play well enough for anyone to draft him. He's talented, certainly, but at some point he got it into his head that he could make three-pointers, when he really can't. He's a decent rebounder and can score a little bit, but he's not very efficient, and watching him last year one got the impression that he was still relying on his athleticism rather than using any kind of technique or putting up smart shots. Ehambe, on the other hand, can make three-pointers, 41.5 percent of them last season, in fact. That's really the extent of his game, as he shot worse on two-pointers than he did threes, and he didn't provide a ton in the way of rebounds, assists or steals. Hill averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes last season before running into some injury problems. He's from Branson, Mo., so expect a lot of Branson, Mo., jokes this season. Larry Owens has spent the bulk of his career thus far in Europe, but got some looks from New Orleans in Summer League and the preseason, He's a power forward who shoots a lot of threes but doesn't rebound much. Sometimes his threes go in, and sometimes they don't, as in last year's EuroChallenge when he shot 18-110 from behind the arc. I know I've referenced that stat before, but it's pretty amazing to look it. Although if you spend too much time staring at it you'll probably turn into stone.

Utah Flash - Dontell Jefferson, Bennet Davis, Andre Ingram, Gavin Grant, James Lang, Carlos Wheeler, Luke Nevill (allocation), Lee Cummard (allocation)

Last team, I promise. This team returns a lot players, and given that they made the D-League Finals we should probably expect them to do well early on. Especially since Jefferson is back. I really have no idea why the Bobcats cut him, since he's a lockdown defender, has proven he can score in the D-League, and Charlotte is pretty terrible. But whatever, I'm sure GM (or whatever his title is) Michael Jordan knows what he's doing. If you're interested in learning more about Dontell Jefferson, why not read this interview? Picking up Luke Nevill was a decent move, as he can probably challenge Lang for whatever spot in the rotation Lang has. Ingram's a pretty good three-point shooter, as is former BYU guard Lee Cummard. Cummard's also a decent rebounder for a shooting guard. Bennet Davis can block shots and be athletic but not much else, but it'll be interesting to see if he brought anything back with him from the Nets' training camp.

Waive Goodbye, Part 3

Jon L — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:15:16 -0000

by Chris Young - AP

Pops! (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

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We wrap up our look at which players got waived last week and which made their respective teams with the Divisions Atlantic and Southwest. Really, I promise those are the correct divisions. I know some of these cuts happened a while ago, but I think that seeing them all as a group helps give a broader perspective as to which teams around the league are filling out the end of their benches with cheap talent (and it is talent). Here's part 1, and here's part 2 (and ignore the whole "Derrick Byars made the Bulls" thing. It happened, then it didn't happen.) Part 3 is here:

Boston Celtics

Who got cut: Mike Sweetney

Who got kept: No one.

Well, not no one, but their third-string guards are going to be recent draft picks Lester Hudson and the J.R. Giddens Rebounding Machine. Mike Sweetney is trying, he really is, and he's mostly fine on the offensive end. His conditioning is awful, though, which means he gets hurt and that he's several steps too slow on defense when he makes it onto the court. There's been some suggestion that he could try working his way back into shape in the D-League, and it will be interesting to see what he does from here. J.R. Giddens will likely see some D-League action himself, as his shooting is still really bad. I'm guessing Lester Hudson will as well. After all, the Celtics have a team in their own backyard, and they can't make Danny's son look bad by withholding their NBA talent.

Dallas Mavericks

Who got cut: Jake Voskuhl

Who got kept: No one.

What, you want me to talk about Jake Voskuhl? The Mavericks also rid themselves of Nate Jawai, who hadn't been there all that long, but I suspect that was more of a cap move than anything. D-League-wise, ESPN's Marc Stein things that rookie Rodrigue Beaubois could see some time in Alberquerque, as minutes could be hard to come by for him in Dallas. Beaubois is definitely talented, and he had an intriguing Summer League, so he could be fun to watch for the Thunderbirds.

Houston Rockets

Who got cut: Will Conroy, Romel Beck, Garrett Temple

Who got kept: Pops Mensah-Bonsu

The Rockets had to waive Brent Barry in order to keep Pops, so that's something. It's a shame Conroy couldn't stick around, as he played very well in Summer League and decently when he got preseason minutes, but the (ridiculous?) upside is that he hopefully showed other teams around the league that he can run an offense and is ready to play in the NBA. It's great that Mensah-Bonsu made the team, obviously, but it shouldn't really be that much of a surprise. A power forward/center somewhere between 6'6" and 6'9" who rebounds the hell out of the ball? Sounds like the Rockets to me. Add to that the fact that the team doesn't really know what it's going to get from new center David Andersen either, and you can see why they might want some extra frontcourt help behind Scola, Hayes and Landry. Mensah-Bonsu's offense will be up and down, but as Rockets fans are finding out, that's going to be true for a lot of their players. I'd definitely expect to see Jermaine Taylor and hopefully (for his and the team's sake) Chase Budinger in Rio Grande Valley at some point later this season.

Memphis Grizzlies

Who got cut: Mike Taylor, Thomas Gardner, Leon Rodgers

Who got kept: No one.

Again, it's not really "no one," as Trey Gilder is still around after signing a partially-guaranteed contract back in August. Mike Taylor has proven that he can play in the NBA, provided he can keep his turnovers to a minimum. It will be interesting to see what he does, as other players with less NBA experience have already said they're fed up with trying to make it out of the D-League and are heading to Europe. Taylor probably could lead the Euroleague in scoring, but he'd also be perhaps the number one call-up candidate should come back to the D-League, based on his NBA experience and ability.

New Jersey Nets

Who got cut: Bennet Davis, Will Blalock, Brian Hamilton

Who got kept: No one.

I didn't really expect any of these guys to stick around. Blalock and Hamilton are headed back overseas, I suspect, while Davis would do well to go back to the D-League and either develop an offensive game or become a top-notch post defender to go with his elite shot-blocking ability.

New Orleans Hornets

Who got cut: Earl Barron, Larry Owens

Who got kept: No one.

The Hornets are one of those teams that clearly don't care about the D-League, so I'm not really sure what to write here. Pass? Incomplete? Not qualified? Earl Barron has a D-League pedigree, sure, but even given his time with the Miami Heat this was pretty clearly not going to work out for him unless Hilton Armstrong went down with an injury. I'm guessing Barron goes the overseas route, but seeing him in the D-League would be a pleasant surprise.

New York Knicks

Who got cut: Warren Carter, Sun Yue, Ron Howard, Gabe Pruitt

Who got kept: Marcus Landry

Plus, don't forget the team also cut partially-guaranteed guys Chris Hunter and Joe Crawford. This team is all about winning on the cheap, right? And yet they cut several good, cheap players. But hey, have fun with that whole Jared Jeffries thing. Carter is probably going back to Europe, though I think coming to the D-League might be worth his time, because as I've noted several times before he has a David Lee-ish game. Ron Howard may come back to the D-League, though I'm less certain about Sun or Hunter. I wouldn't be surprised if Sun entered the draft, as he's become a semi-prominent example of a Chinese basketball product aiming for the NBA, and to give up on that while he's so young could be somewhat embarrassing. It also would give the D-League someone to market with so many players headed overseas this year. If he does enter the draft, it will be interesting to see both where he ends up and in what round, as the league considers him somewhat of a star, and while NBA stars can play pretty much anywhere, I'm not sure the same is true for the D-League. A crazy thought popped just into my head: would the Spurs/Toros be interested in giving him the Marcus Williams Treatment? Sun's offense isn't nearly at the level that Williams's is and was, but the Toros essentially created an NBA point guard where there wasn't one, which is what Sun Yue is. Or isn't.

Philadelphia 76ers

Who got cut: Stromile Swift, Sean Singletary, Rashad Jones-Jennings, Brandon Bowman, Dionte Christmas

Who got kept: No one.

So the 76ers apparently were comfortable with their roster as it stood. How's that working out? Yeah, yeah, they already had a lot of guaranteed contracts, and it's not like Sean Singletary is the bee's knees, but this is yet another team that doesn't really care about the D-League, or where their end-of-bench guys come from. Singletary could benefit from some D-League time, but a lot of European teams don't really care whether their point guards can distribute the ball as long as they can score, so that's likely where he's headed. Christmas could stay in the U.S., if for no other reason than to be on hand if the 76ers decide they want to sign him to a 10-day and then not play him.

San Antonio Spurs

Who got cut: Marcus Williams, Curtis Jerrells, Dwayne Jones, Jack McClinton

Who got kept: Malik Hairston

San Antonio went with Keith Bogans over Marcus Williams, even though Bogans played pretty poorly in the preseason while Williams barely played. I say that Williams was waived instead of Bogans and not Malik Hairston because Hairston played so well in both Summer League and the preseason that I would've beeen pretty shocked to see him gone. McClinton, Jones and Jerrells have already signed overseas, and Williams is another guy who it will be interesting to watch, because he'd be at the front of the call-up list should be come back to the D-League. He'd probably also be a first-round D-League draft pick and maybe the first player taken overall. As much as we praise him here at RU, Williams does still have some work to do as a point guard, mainly getting his turnovers down. And, if he tries to hang around the Spurs universe he'll have to become a better-than-passable defender. But the fact that he's gone from a gunning wing to a high-scoring, (mostly efficient), high-assist point guard in the span of less than a year is a testament to Williams's talent and how hard he's willing to work to improve his chances, which speaks well to his basketball future.

Toronto Raptors

Who got cut: No one.

Who got kept: No one.

Okay, this is who should get the pass/incomplete/not qualified. They didn't sign any waiver fodder, so they didn't have to cut any waiver fodder. All is not lost, however, as Sonny Weems seems to have landed solidly in Toronto after being traded twice this offseason. He's begun the season on the inactive list, where I suspect he'll see a fair amount of time, but still.

Daily Links 10/20

FLCeltsFan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:44:46 -0000

Herald Allen settles civil case
Kevin Love scheduled for surgery
Other Two assume a greater role
Celtics feel benefits of Kinesio wrapping
Globe Gabe Pruitt sighting
Now that you bring it up, Daniels should help Celtics’ 2d unit
Ex-UMass star Gaffney catches the Lakers’ eye

CelticsBlog   Product Review: Converse Weapon Evo
That's Just Quisy Being Quisy
Pick Your Poison
Loy's Place   Celtics Going for their Sixth Straight Preseason Win
Red's Army    NBA Scouts like LA... barely
Ray's a pretty good golfer
The Tale of the Kinesio Tape
Green Street   Celtics to Host Annual Shamrock Gala
Fun With Numbers
Celtics Hub     A Half-Dozen Anonymous Scouts Think the Celtics are Good
Parsing the "Second Unit"
Examiner    NBA pre-season power rankings
Which Eastern Conference teams may turn it around in 2009?
North Station Sports    'When the Game was Ours' Tells Bird/Magic Stories Never Before Revealed
Lex Nihil Novi     Squisy, Scottie Pippen, and Joe Johnson
How Good are We?
Delayed Gratification
Doc: I Don't Care about 72 Wins
Baby Adding to his Skill Set in POWErful way
Artest Sees Shrink
Understanding Purple v. Green
Who Plays Enforcer Now that Robey is Gone? (83-84)
Great Moments in Lakers' History
Celtics Life     The Most Overrated Hall of Famer in Recent Memory
Today's Video: 1991 Dunk Contest
Raptors don't want Marcus Banks to contaminate their team (too)
Banner 18    KG at his peak...
Gino's Jungle    Silence Pays off for Pierce
Tony Allen Needs To Find a New Home
USA Today   Celtics, Knicks seize the day, drop morning shoot-arounds
Celtics' Big Three not letting age diminish their title hopes
Orlando Sentinel    Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni continues to do things his way
Morning Journal    CAVS NOTES: Brown still uncertain about West
Chronicle    Mo expecting more: Cavaliers guard Williams says last season’s playoff struggles can only help him next time
Cleveland.com   Cavs players say they're ready, but coach says . . . -
Toronto Sun    Raps look to get tougher
Wicked Local    Perkins School for the Blind receives $10M gift from Celtics CEO
NY Daily News     Al Harrington makes case to be in New York Knicks' starting lineup
Dimemag    Orlando shares the wealth; How good are the OKC Thunder?
NBA’s Sophomore Slumps and Surprises
Celtics Stuff Live    Note to Chad Ford: You Don't Know What You're Talking About
MetroWest Daily    Celtics close out preseason slate
MLive    Is Tayshaun Prince slipping defensively?
Ohio.com    Cavaliers fine tune in last 2 warmups
Hooped Up Online    Boston Celtics ‘09-10 Season Preview
CBS Sports    Atlantic preview: Celtics possibly more dangerous than '08 version
Slam online Game Notes: Celtics at Raptors
True Professionals
Report: Cavs Want Stephen Jackson
Sports of Boston    The Case for Shopping Rajon Rondo
Bleacher Report    The Detroit Pistons Have Issues: What to Watch For This Season
Kansas City.com 2009-10 Boston Celtics Preview
NY Times    The Robots Are Coming! Oh, They’re Here.
Oregon Live    Muzzle this, NBA: Your replacement refs are terrible
CT News    Celtics Take Down Raptors Again: 101-82
FanHouse    Tip-Off Timer: Most Incredible Run of NBA Titles

Ridiculous Transactions: 10/5-10/11

Jon L — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:47:43 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

8 months ago: Miami's Jack McClinton shoots during the men's 3-point contest, which he won Thursday, April 2, 2009, at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Browse more photos »

"We don't do many encores and, well, this is why."

If you're wondering why the training camp invite series sputtered to a finish, I encourage you to read on! A lot of guys are starting to get waived, so I didn't see much point to talking about a player who's only going to be around for a few days afterwards. I'll talk a little bit about those players I didn't get to but are listed here, but they won't get the full treatment.

October 6: Denver Nuggets - waived Keith Brumbaugh; Phoenix Suns - waived Raymond Sykes; Minnesota Timberwolves - requested waivers on Jack McClinton and Alonzo Gee

See what I mean? Starting with Minnesota, McClinton's waiver is unfortunate in that there should be a place for him in the NBA, even as a rookie. It's possible that that sentiment is based on the myth of San Antonio draft picks and how they almost universally end up as contributors, even if it takes them a few years, but McClinton's collegiate three-point shooting and overall scoring efficiency is real, and I hope he decides to go the D-League route (big surprise) and figure out how to improve his scoring closer to the basket. Gee is almost the opposite of McClinton in that he's a slasher with no real outside shot to speak of. There are so many guys either in the NBA or trying to get into the NBA that fit that profile that an additional skill would be helpful, but Gee's defense leaves a lot to be desired as well.

Brumbaugh is a guy I hadn't gotten to yet, and while he once had a history of off-court stuff, it's been a few years since any of that came up (I guess the history is still there, just further in the background) and Brumbaugh has some scoring ability, and he's a pretty good three-point shooter (he shot .375 last season for Sioux Falls). He wasn't very consistent, though, and while he's listed anywhere from 6'8" to 6'10" his rebounding comes and goes. There's definitely talent there, but it may be Europe for Brumbaugh.

I don't know a whole lot about Sykes, but he's apparently a powerful dunker. His per-36 minute averages as a senior at Clemson were around nine points and six rebounds, which isn't really enough to be considered for the NBA. Frankly, with those numbers and not much other information available about the guy, I'm a little surprised he got a training camp invite.

October 7: Idaho Stampede - retained Joel Abelson as an assistant coach; Bakersfield Jam - named Greg Minor, Mark Strickland and Chris Leazier as assistant coaches.

I'm already (briefly) discussed the Jam hires here, but more broadly it's an interesting staff. Woolpert is a pretty good coach, so Minor likely learned a bit working for him last year even though that team was terrible (and injuries played a part in that, etc.) But other than that you have two college assistants, guys who will be figuring out how the D-League works along with their boss. I know I talk about how D-League coaching experience is important for understanding the league's quirks, and who knows, maybe I overstate it. But having an entire (or nearly entire) coaching staff essentially starting from scratch could make it tough for Bakersfield this season. Greg Minor was an assistant in the CBA as well, so watch for him in the future for a head coaching job (or an NBA assistant job). As far as Abelson is concerned, he did a solid job as an assistant to Bryan Gates last season, even if he didn't get his own Day like colleague Randy Livingston.

October 8: New York Knicks - waived Sun Yue, Ron Howard, Warren Carter and Gabe Pruitt; Rio Grande Valley Vipers - named Gersson Rosas as general manager and Paul Mokeski as assistant coach.

I don't know much about Rosas, who's also the Rockets' VP of player personnel and worked his way up through Houston's front office after being a college video coordinator and a Rockets scout. Everything you need to know about Mokeski may be found here.

October 9: Fort Wayne Mad Ants - named Michael Sanders as assistant coach; Miami Heat - waived Alade Aminu and Andre Brown; Los Angeles Clippers - waived Taj Gray; Robert Vaden - signed with Imola (Italy)

Sanders is a great hire for Fort Wayne, as he's been a head coach in the CBA and an assistant in the NBA, and combined with Joey Sanders that team has a strong, strong coaching staff. Hopefully they'll be able to turn that team around after a pretty bad season. Vaden's rights is belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they have so many people on that team who are of a certain (young) age that Vaden might be "another year away from making the team" for, well, several years. He's a perimeter shooter and not much else (as far as I can tell), but he'll be in his mid-20s before he see time in either OKC or Tulsa. Gray has spent the last few years playing in Europe, and averaged around 20 and seven last year in France. He's a former University of Oklahoma player, so I wonder if he'll go for the D-League this time and try to get on the 66ers roster as a local allocation.

October 11: James Mays - signed with Beijing (China); Cedric Bozeman - signed with Beijing (China)

Both of these players are very talented, and could play in the NBA if teams gave them an honest chance. They were also both part of the expansion draft, and if they decide China's not for them and come back to the D-League, each of them will play for the Springfield Armor. That's something to keep an eye on as the season goes on, as they're both very good scorers who could give Dee Brown's team an added push towards the playoffs or, depending on how the season goes, avert a first-year disaster.

Training Camp Invites - New York Knicks

Jon L — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

2 months ago: New York Knicks guard Sun Yue, of China, takes a shot during NBA basketball training camp in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

Browse more photos »

Our journey through the world of training camp invitations takes us to the Atlantic Division. Which of course means it's time once again to talk about Sun Yue! and the rest of the Knicks. I've talked about all of these signings recently, but in the interest of making this a full and complete series I'll do it once more.

Sun Yue! - A lot of Sun Yue! jokes get made around here, mostly about how much he's hyped up as a 6'9" point guard who can do it all. Most of the time those jokes or references to him not being very good come in generalities, so let's talk real numbers now. He played a total of 28 minutes over 23 games for the Lakers last season, so of course we'll have to turn to the D-League stats for a better picture of what kind of player he is. Of course, he only played six games there so...put 'em together? I guess? He averaged four assists per 36 minutes for the D-Fenders and just under three per-36 in the NBA, so his passing skills aren't really as advertised. He was clearly more comfortable (and successful) shooting against weaker competition, as he shot .397 in the D-League, including .381 on three-pointers. His NBA shooting numbers were a lot grimmer. A .273 shooting percentage, in fact, and he missed all of his threes. He averaged about three and a half rebounds per 36 minutes in the D-League, which is fine for a point guard I suppose, except that a.) he's 6'9", b.) it came in only six games, so not a very large sample, and c.) he didn't get any rebounds in the NBA. He averaged about a steal and a half per 36 minutes when you combine the two "seasons," and he's used his height to block shots, but at this point he's just not ready to play in the NBA on a regular basis.

Warren Carter - Carter was a backup at the University of Illinois and has spent the last few years playing around Europe, but he's a very good rebounder. He led the Knicks' Summer League team in that category on a per-minnute basis, and the fact that he's back here makes me think the team might be giving him an honest shot at making the team. Rebounding is pretty much all he does, but perhaps the team sees him as a budget David Lee (or the new Jared Jeffries?) for their bench.

Gabe Pruitt - Gabe Pruitt had an up-and-down Summer League while playing for Boston's team this year, doing a decent job of running the offense but not always shooting the ball well himself. He made his three-pointers at a decent clip in the D-League, about 36 percent, though he struggled with that shot in the NBA. He didn't pick up that many assists, maxing out at about five per 36 minutes, but he also almost never turns the ball over.

Ron Howard - Howard is an excellent defender who spent most of last season covering opposing small forwards while playing for Fort Wayne, though given his size he's more of a shooting guard in the NBA. That's probably fine since he doesn't rebound at a consistent rate, and while he's not much of a shooter he picked up his scoring towards the end of last year.

Marcus Landry - Landry made almost 42 percent of his three-pointers whilst playing for Sacramento's Summer League team (yeah I used the world "whilst," what of it?), which I'm sure Mike D'Antoni likes. His scoring output increased steadily in college, though some of that was likely due to his increased minutes, and it also looks like he did a good job of both hanging onto the ball and staying out of foul trouble.

Magic Snatch Morris Almond

Seth — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:53:58 -0000

First of all, imagine how completely baffling that headline would be if you knew nothing about the NBA. Second of all, it's time for some knee-jerk rage. I just read this tweet from the esteemed Ben Q Rock, which led me to track down this article from the Orlando Sentinel. Why do we care about the Magic adding training camp personnel? Here's why:

The Magic have added two free agents --- guard Morris Almond and forward Linton Johnson III --- to their training-camp roster, said General Manager Otis Smith.

Almond, 6-feet-6, was a former first-round pick in 2007 by Utah and played 25 games with the Jazz last season. He averaged 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds.

I'd like an explanation, please. You may or may not remember that Morris "Mo Nuts" Almond was on the Knicks' Summer League squad in Las Vegas and played excellent basketball. He showed expert range, an ability to drive to the basket, and even some defensive chops. Many of us were impressed, and Donnie Walsh himself mentioned his love of Nuts during an interview in Summer League. So you'd figure that all translates to a training camp invite, right? Apparently not. Gabe Pruitt got an invite. Sun Yue did too. Almond didn't. Why not? Does Walsh simply feel that the Knicks are set at shooting guard (If so, that's hogwash), or is there something else at work here? Does Almond's agent hate the Knicks? Did Morris witness Walsh strangling a hooker at Summer League? I'm sure one of New York's beat writers will get to the bottom of this. WE WANT ANSWERS.

Daily Links 9/16

FLCeltsFan — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:13:50 -0000

Herald    Ramon Sessions to fill Ricky Rubio’s shoes in Minnesota
Ex-hoops star Robert Traylor given tax repayment deadline
Cavaliers cut ties with Sasha Pavlovic
Warriors’ Stephen Jackson fined for trade request
Celtics Blog    Revisiting the 2002 World Basketball Championships
Celtics: Competition Clutch Mindset
LOY's Place   In the Books - Let Me Tell You a Story Part 1
Celtics 17    Rajon Rondo: Enigma or Champion -- You Decide

Red's Army     Legends Series: Bird Leads BigMck To Game 1 Win
Green Street    Celtics to Tee Off for Second Annual USI Shamrock Classic
Celtics Circuit    HAX Gym Honors Paul Pierce
NESN    Top 10 Reasons to Remember the Celtics Still Exist
Examiner    Gabe Pruitt signs with Knicks…but does he have a chance to make their roster?
Celtics Town   Where will Paul Pierce rank among Celtics Hall-of-Famers?
Lex Nihil Novi    Could the Celtics Actually Improve on Defense?
The Journey Ahead
LJ World    Pollard most likely done with NBA (hat tip Lex Nihil Novi)
Celtics Life   NBA News: Stephen Jackson Fined 25K for Requesting a Trade
Kendrick Perkins: More Room to Grow?
Bleacher Report    Sasha Pavlovic Signs With The Wolves! How Does He Howl?
Inquisitr   2009-10 NBA preview: Boston Celtics
Caught in the Web   Bird, O'Brien send clear message about defense
Celtics Hub   Boston: The Place for the Theoretical NBA Hall of Fame?
Speaking of…
Cleveland.com    Free-agent forward Kurz takes Cavs' invitation
Dimemag    Miami needs some help; Stephen Jackson needs freedom of speech
5 New Players That Will Average 2+ Blocks This Season
Raptor's Republic   Depth at PF/C
Guardian   Luol Deng: Britain's secret superstar
Yahoo   Timberwolves signing Pavlovic
Fox Sports    Underrated moves of the NBA offseason
ESPN   Boston versus Los Angeles for best sports decade
Forbes   Why NBA May Eject Its Refs
Dueling Couches    Why Not Bonzi Wells?
Boston Channel   'Loyal Democrat' Pagliuca Contributed To GOP
Hoop Doctors    Rookie of the Year Rankings: Preseason Edition