The last time I posted or even commented here was..... June. I think I was preaching about keeping Troy Murphy and make him our starting Center. So, anyways, I've been lurking here everyday. I just wasn't feeling like being active because of the lockout and we wouldn't have an offseason to talk about. So, anyways, how are you doing? It's been great, I think. But it would have been better if we had a season. CELTICS OWN THE REFS HAS MADE HIS RETURN!!!!

Knowing JO's health issues, I think we should re-sign Murphy and start him at Center. He played Center in Indiana, so he won't be out of place when playing in the middle. Give him a full summer to recover and a full training camp, you have a 15-point, 10-rebound guy as your starting center.

Now, the guy can shoot 3's. Finally, we'll have a starting lineup with more than 2 3 point shooters. He's an upgrade over JO, Shaq and Perk in terms of offense. Also his rebounding, he had 10 RPG despite having a bad defensive team with the Pacers. Imagine all those rebounds he'll be grabbing with the C's defense. He's not as good as Perk, Shaq or JO defensively, but he will get some work on his defense on training camp.

Poll

What do you think we should do?

76%

Re-sign him, but at a reasonable price

327 votes

18%

Forget it!!!! I'm sticking with JO!!!!

79 votes

5%

Do whatever it takes to bring him back!!!!!!

23 votes

429 votes | Poll has closed

With the new CBA next season (if there is one), players must agree to take less money because their teams won't have enough cap room to sign more players.

Let's say Pierce is a free agent this year. He is a guy that makes 18-20 million a year. In order for his team to have space, he should agree to 10-15 million a year if he wants the team to have room to get help for winning. Ray Allen and KG will likely sign for 4-8 million after next year if we try to land Dwight. I'm not that worried about the CBA, as long as winning is still the top priority of the players.

On the brighter side of things, the 3 Stooges in Miami already make about 60 million........and there's gonna be a new CBA.

With Nenad Krstic signing with a team in Russia, the Celtics will need a starting center more than ever. Jermaine O'neal sounds like the guy for the job. But he'll only play half the season knowing his health history. Should the Celtics re-sign Troy Murphy and give him a training camp to learn the system? I think they should. If JO gets injured, they could start Murphy at Center (he did play at Center in Indiana). If they won't start Murphy, they should sign DeAndre Jordan and start him. Also, sign Jamal Crawford for the MLE (the guy wants about 10 million, but does he want to win or get some money?). They should just sign Jordan for about 6-7 million, not the MLE. Re-sign Jeff Green and Delonte West.

That gives them a good title-contending team. Paul Pierce, Jermaine O'neal, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett at the starting 5.

Their bench helped them win a title in 2008 but they were different players, they were James Posey, PJ Brown, Eddie House and Sam Cassell. In the upcoming year, they'll have new members on the bench (if this works out). Troy Murphy, DeAndre Jordan, Jeff Green, Jamal Crawford and Delonte West.

That's another team's starting lineup on our bench. Jamal Crawford, however, has to dedicate himself more to winning than money. Same with Jordan. Don't forget, we also have the 25th pick. And if Jordan doesn't come, sign a 7-footer.

With this kind of team, Dwight will seriously consider going here. Especially if this team wins a title. 

Poll

What do you think about this?

44%

I LOVE IT!!!!!

99 votes

15%

NO!!!! BLOW IT UP!!!!

35 votes

39%

Good. But there could be a few more adjustments (mention in comment)

89 votes

223 votes | Poll has closed

The Celtics will likely keep the core group together. But there will be small but key changes in the roster.

Starters:

Center - Nenad Krstic
Power Forward - Kevin Garnett
Small Forward - Paul Pierce
Shooting Guard - Ray Allen
Point Guard - Rajon Rondo

Second unit:

Center - DeAndre Jordan (maybe he'll switch with Nenad), Jermaine O'neal (or Shaq since one of them is bound to retire)
Power Forward - Troy Murphy (let's give him another shot)
Small Forward - Jeff Green
Shooting Guard - Jamal Crawford (MLE)
Point Guard - Delonte West, Avery Bradley (they'll surely try to develop him)

The other guys: Von Wafer, Sasha Pavlovic, Carlos Arroyo

DeAndre Jordan will sign a one-year contract so Boston will let him walk then sign Dwight in 2012. This team here might be better than the 2008 and 2010 teams. Jeff Green, Troy Murphy and Delonte West have to sign one-year contracts as well but they'll return for less money in 2012 after signing DH12. If the 2012 team wins a title, DH will be attracted and will surely come here.

There are players that we call "dirty", but Dwyane Wade is more than a dirty or cheap player. He INTENTIONALLY TRIES TO INJURE OTHER PLAYERS. Early in Game 3 of the Boston-Miami series, he pulled down Pierce as he was falling to the floor after being fouled on a layup. In the third quarter of the same game, he pulled down Rajon Rondo after being tangled with him, it was OBVIOUS that he wanted to injure Rondo, even if he didn't, he was happy that it happened. Later, he also tried to injure Ray Allen. You can say that D-Wade is a total [jerk]. And the Rondo injury eventually cost the Celtics the series. Also in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, when he got baptized by Taj Gibson, I actually thought he wasn't going for the ball. He was going for Gibson's face or trying to go underneath him. Gibson would have landed badly if he didn't hang on the rim. Also in Game 2, he elbowed Omer Asik's chin. He was sticking out his elbow while going in for a layup. He knew Asik was gonna go for the block, so he stuck out his elbow while going for the layup, typical Wade.

There are dirty players like Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett (as C's haters say), Andrew Bynum, formerly Bruce Bowen, Ron Artest, Jeff Foster, and Kurt Thomas. Those players, however, never intentionally injure other players (except maybe Artest). Bynum did try to hurt Barea intentionally, but he apologized and said he was ashamed of himself (unlike Dwyane Wade who was actually proud of himself after injuring Rondo)

Boston lost 4-1 to Miami, but you know they'll get their revenge. They lost to Orlando 4-3 in 2009, with the Game 7 loss coming by 19 points at home. The following year, they beat Orlando 4-2 in the Conference Finals. Next year, Boston will have (probably) Dwight Howard and an improved Nenad Krstic.Boston will also have Jeff Green with a full training camp. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo will all be motivated by this year's loss to the South Beach Talents. Pierce will be the one to send LeBron fishing next year after a 4-game Boston sweep in a 1-2 matchup in the Conference Finals. And it will be sweeter to finish off LeBron in front of his beloved Heat fans. And if  it's in the ECF, Boston will get it's revenge on ESPN with a 30 point blowout in Game 4.

Boston was beaten badly, but they'll get revenge in a sweeter way.

But, the Celtics will be more focused on winning the ring than beating the team that's formed by only 2 and 1/2 players (5 and 1/2 if you include the refs)

Trade 1:
Boston receives: Paul George
Indiana receives: Sasha Pavlovic, Troy Murphy, Cash

Trade 2:
Magic receive: Shaquille O'neal, Kevin Garnett, Avery Bradley, Nenad Krstic,  Glen Davis, Jermaine O'neal, 1st round pick, 2nd round pick, Von Wafer
Celtics receive: Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu (probably gonna be bought out)

Then, Orlando will buyout Garnett because of his large contract. After that, Kevin Garnett will return to Boston for less money.

Note: All free agents will be signed first then get traded.

Boston is planning for the future, which means they've gotta get young players. I, personally want Howard here in Beantown. Since we got no players to swap for him 1-on-1, we gotta trade multiple players to get this deal, perhaps we even have to land him through a 3-team trade. And we could also use another athletic player. Here's trade idea.

Boston receives: Dwight Howard, Paul George, Jeff Foster
Orlando receives: Jermaine O'neal, Glen Davis, Sasha Pavlovic, Shaquille O'neal, Troy Murphy, 2012 draft pick (Celtics via Clippers),  Avery Bradley
Indiana receives:  Jason Richardson, Ryan Anderson

And since Howard is most likely to walk, Orlando wants him leaving with having at least something in return rather than having nothing in return at all.

Regular season series:   Boston won 3-1

• BOS 88, MIA 80
• BOS 112, MIA 107
• BOS 85, MIA 82
• MIA 100, BOS 77

Averages: 

Boston averaged 90.5 points against the Heat this year.
Miami averaged 92.5 against Boston this year (yet, Boston still won the season series)

Big three vs Big three:
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are the best scoring trio in the league, but Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will be able to defend them. Don't expect Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to have a good series offensively, but they'll be able to hold LeBron and Wade. Kevin Garnett won't let Chris Bosh go to work, but you can expect KG to dine on CB on offense because Bosh isn't a really good defender.
Advantage Boston.

Rajon Rondo:
Rajon Rondo will have a fantastic series, he should be able to toy around with Mike Bibby's dying corpse and what's the name of the guy again? I think it's Mario Chalmers, Am I wrong?
Advantage  Domination Boston

Bench:
In order for Miami to even have a chance in this series, their bench has to be better than Boston's. Though, that seems like an impossible task against Nenad Krstic, Glen Davis, Von Wafer, Jeff Green, Delonte West, one of the two O'neals, Troy Murphy, Sasha Pavlovic, and ex-Heat Carlos Arroyo. Boston has a lot of options for 12th man between Murphy, Pavlovic and Arroyo (when Shaquille O'neal gets back).
Advantage Boston

Prediction: Boston's defense will strangle Miami's talented Big 3. And in the end, defense matters the most.
Celtics in 4.

After watching the way the Pacers played the Bulls, I started to think that Indy can win this series. I really hope you guys win this series. Just take it a game at a time. Win Game 3, win Game 4, steal Game 5 in Chicago and close it out on Game 6. Just a game at a time. I really think you guys can win this series. DO IT!!!! BE ALL YOU CAN BE!!!! YOU GOT NOTHING TO FEAR BUT YOURSELVES (except of course, my Celtics)!!!! I believe you can do it!!!

P.S. This is coming from a die-hard Celtics fan.

I watched both games of the Chicago-Indiana series. Late in those games, the Bulls got EVERY DARN CALL. That wasn't an offensive foul on Roy Hibbert. Jeff Foster was OBVIOUSLY PUSHED by Carlos Boozer. Stern obviously wants Chicago to win this. This should have been 2-0 Pacers or the very least 1-1. As Tommy would say: "The NBA, it's stupid!!!!" I predicted a 4-game Chicago sweep. But seeing the way the Pacers played, I'm gonna cheer for them.

Eastern Conference:

1.  Chicago Bulls vs 8. Indiana Pacers

The Bulls have far more talent and athleticism against the Pacers. Danny Granger stated that if they contain D-Rose, they'll have a chance at the series. The question is that how will they do it and if they can do it. In the end, the Bulls have too much firepower to even allow the Pacers to make this series interesting.

Bulls in four.

4. Orlando Magic vs 5. Atlanta Hawks

This will be a rematch of last year's Conference Semi-final series. Last year, the Magic demolished the Hawks by 101 points in the four games combined. This year, Atlanta will try to use Jason Collins to try and contain Dwight Howard. With Collins, Atlanta might be able to match up with Howard better than last year. But now, can Atlanta's wing players match up with Hedo Turkoglu? Can they contain the point guard combination of Jameer Nelson and Gilbert Arenas? This series, however, will be more interesting.

Magic in six.

2. Miami Heat vs 7. Philadelphia 76ers

Miami swept the Sixers in their regular season series. Doug Collins stated that Philly should get 80% of the 50-50 balls. Andre Iguodala will be matched up against LeBron James. Elton Brand will be against Chris Bosh. Now, who do the Sixers have for Dwyane Wade? Louis Williams is not healthy, so you should expect Jrue Holiday to be guarding Dwyane Wade. Miami's bench needs to step up. The Sixers' bench was among the top scoring benches in the league Miami's? The other way around. Even though the Heat have a superior starting unit, the Sixers' bench will make this series interesting.

Heat in six. 

3. Boston Celtics vs 6. New York Knicks

A rivalry renewed. The Celtics were stumbling heading into the series while the Knicks were red-hot. Amar'e Stoudemire will be going up against Kevin Garnett. Garnett is arguably the best defensive power forward in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony vs Paul Pierce will be the key battle in the series. Rajon Rondo has to step up against Chauncey Billups. With the Knicks being able to match those 3, who will they have against Ray Allen? I know some will say that Toney Douglas will "match up with Ray Allen". Even though Douglas is playing well, he's still not in the level to match up with the all-time leader in 3-pointers made. Expect a big series from Ray Allen.

Celtics in five.

As I'm typing this, the Celtics are being blown out (by the refs) in Houston. The refs really wanna throw the game. As Tommy Heinsohn said; "He just breathes on him, and then he falls down." The Bulls just lost to the Pacers, and the Celtics are on their way to lose this game, which means the standings will remain as it is. But, Miami blew out Atlanta. Does the NBA want Miami on top? I mean, Glen Davis gets pushed into the photographer, and he ends up being T'd. And another thing, the refs are buying Kevin "the straw man" Martin's flops.

The playoffs are coming!!! A month and 16 days away...... The C's need to hang on to the number 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. We'll have home court advantage this year, hopefully. I can feel it. 3 great teams fighting for the number 1 seed, the other teams trying to catchup for the 7th and 8th spot in the East. Phoenix's late rampage and the heating Sixers. The Knicks getting back in contention for the first time in about a decade. NBA on ESPN Theme playing in Game 1. It's getting closer and closer.

 

LET ME HEAR YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glen Davis has always been stepping up his game in the past 2 playoffs. Now, he's also doing it so far into the regular season. He's also getting the playing time over Jermaine O'neal (though JO is injured).

He's scoring 13.5 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and shooting 72 percent from the field. His free throws are down to 50% percent though. As I'm typing right now, he has 8 points at the half against the Knicks.

My list of the greatest players (imo) since MJ left the Bulls. The players' teams are their teams from 1999- present.

1. Shaquille O'neal (Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers, Celtics). An unstoppable force down low, Shaq won 3 rings with the Lakers, 3 Finals MVP's and 1 more ring with Miami. He also has 1 MVP Award.

2. Tim Duncan (Spurs). Another fantastic big man, Duncan led the Spurs to 4 championships along with his 3 Finals MVPs and 2 Season MVPs.

3. Kobe Bryant (Lakers). Kobe has uncountable numbers of great games, most notably his 81-point performance against Toronto in 2006. People say he can't win without Shaq, but could Shaq have won without him? Kobe has 5 championships, notably the latest one against the Celtics.

4. Kevin Garnett ( Timberwolves, Celtics) KG, led the Wolves to the Conference Finals in 2004, he also won MVP that year and his always-present defense helped him succeed and also to win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008 en route to his 1st NBA championship.

5. Jason Kidd (Suns, Nets, Mavericks twice). Jason Kidd is known as the best rebounding point guard in the league, he is the type of guy that dominated even without scoring a point.

6. Steve Nash (Mavericks, Suns) Steve Nash dazzled everyone's eyes with great passes, although he has no rings, he has 2 MVPs and his great play is unquestionable.

7. Dirk Nowitzki ( Mavericks) Dirk led the Mavs to the NBA Finals in '06 only to loose to the Miami Heat in six games but Dirk has averaged 20 points in just about all the seasons that played.

8. Paul Pierce (Celtics) Led the Celtics to the NBA Championship in 2008 and winning NBA Finals MVP, Paul Pierce is clearly underrated. He shut down Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in '08 and shut down LeBron James again when they beat the Cavs. (Paul Pierce is also one of three players to make 100 3's per season this past decade along with Jason Terry and Ray Allen)

9. Chauncey Billups ( Pistons, Nuggets twice) Chauncey Billups led the Detroit Pistons to 6 straight Conference Finals appearances including 2 NBA Finals and 1 championship in '04 in which he won the Finals MVP.

10. Ray Allen (Bucks, Sonics, Celtics)A well-known sharpshooter, Ray Allen helped the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title. He also led the Bucks and Sonics to multiple playoff appearances.

Other great players from 1999-the present era:

Rasheed Wallace, Michael Finley, Ben Wallace, Shawn Marion, Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd.....etc.........

Take note that this is my list

France made light of the absence of Tony Parker, Joakim Noah, and Mickael Pietrus and pulled off a 72-66 victory over defending world champion Spain Saturday in the opening round of the FIBA World Championship.

 

They played lock-down defense and hit 10 of 12 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. Point Andrew Albicy - filling in for Parker and injured Dallas Maverick Rodrigue Beaubois -- made five fourth-quarter free throws, the last two with 16 seconds left as white-clad French fans chanted his name.

"The free throws condemned us," said Spaniard Felipe Reyes said. He added the loss was "a learning experience," echoing other team personnel who said more focus at the end of upcoming games is imperative.

Mickael Gelabale led France with 16 points, Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trailblazers scored 14 and Albicy had 13.

Spain built a 12-point lead early in the second quarter, but France used a 9-0 run to tie the game at 25. French coach Vincent Collet said. "We were not very good offensively in the first minutes, but then we picked it up."

The game was taut through much of the second half, and at times chippy.

A stout halfcourt pick by Florent Pietrus left Spanish point guard Rubio crumpled on the floor with 8:53 left in the third quarter, holding his head in apparent anguish. Many in the crowd nearly filling the 10,000-person Halkapinar Arena booed. The 19-year-old stood up and played on.

Rubio helped tie the game at 53 with less than four minutes left when he ran off a teammate's three-point line screen, then threw a no-look pass over his left shoulder while reverse pivoting on his right foot. Felipe Reyes caught it, and hit a three.

Spain got no closer. A traveling call on Juan Carlos Navarro, who led Spain with 17 points, and a Batum three-pointer pushed France's lead to 58-53. With Spain down 58-53, Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers fouled out with 1:30 left after receiving a technical.

Spain's head coach Sergio Scariolo attributed the win to France's suffocating defense down the stretch. He added: "The French players were more calm in the key moments."

Starting slowly in a major tournament only to ultimately win it is nothing new for this Spanish team. It lost its first and fourth games of the 2009 Eurobasket before winning it all. Along the way, it knocked off France 86-66 in the quarterfinals, handing Les Bleus their only loss of the tournament.

France and Spain are part of Group D, which includes New Zealand (0-1), Canada (0-1), Lithuania (1-0) and Lebanon (1-0). France plays Lebanon Sunday, and Spain plays New Zealand.

"With the guys they have, they are going to be a hell of a team" said Karl Malone.

Malone also joked that former coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy "must have had some red wine that night, a lot of it," when he predicted recently that the Heat could break Chicago's record of 72 wins set in 1995-96.

Pippen, who played on that team, said the Heat need to start with smaller expectations.

"I'd like to see them win a championship first," he said.

James was criticized for deciding to announce his free agency decision during an ESPN special, rather than inform the Cavaliers and his other suitors himself. Pippen agreed that wasn't the best choice, but said there was nothing wrong with him leaving Ohio.

"I don't know what all the grief was about," Pippen said. "No fans, no organization, no one can decide what a free agent can do or should do or where he's going to go, and there's no reason for anyone to hold a grudge against LeBron for making that decision."

Oscar Robertson also defended James, saying the free agents were just taking advantage of the "Oscar Robertson Rule." Robertson, as president of the NBA Players Association, filed a class-action lawsuit against the league and its teams that the league settled in 1976, removing a team's option to keep a player for life and opening the door for unrestricted free agency.

Malone spent nearly his entire career in Utah before joining a powerful Lakers team that had Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant for a last-ditch run at a title in 2003-04. So he wasn't going to criticize James for bolting Cleveland for a better shot on a better team - though he didn't care for the way it was done, either.

"That's his decision. My decision, when I left Utah, I went to L.A. to win a championship and had an opportunity," Malone said. "Him leaving, that's him. I don't know what to tell you. The way it went down, I'm not into that."

Malone ended up getting hurt and the Lakers fell short, and he warns that injuries could get in the Heat's way. Pippen, meanwhile, thinks Miami's size could be a problem.

"There are a couple of teams in the East that they're going to have to contend with, that they're going to have matchup problems with," Pippen said. "You think of Boston, Orlando. I don't see anybody that they can get to run up and down the court with (Dwight) Howard right now and that's a game changer."

Malone said the Lakers also got better over the summer with the additions of Matt Barnes and Steve Blake. While admitting he's biased, he believes they will win a third in a row.

"As long as you've got Kobe on that team," Malone said, "and Derek Fisher on that team and Pau Gasol and coach (Phil) Jackson and his staff, I'm picking the Lakers."

NBA.com

I know how to answer the C's need of a big. Trade Sheed's contract to the Kings. The Kings have A LOT OF BIGS. Here is the list of Sacramento's bigs.

Demarcus Cousins 6'11 270 pounds

Samuel Dalembert  6'11 250 pounds

Donte Greene 6'11 226 pounds

Jason Thompson 6'11 250 pounds

Hassan Whiteside 7'0 235 pounds

I don't know if Sacramento will accept Sheed's contract for any of those bigs. I have also been hearing that Sac is getting rid of it's bigs (trading Hawes and Brockman). Maybe we can add Bradley or another player in the trade.

Poll

Which big do you want from the Kings?

32%

Cousins

110 votes

18%

Dalembert

63 votes

2%

Greene

8 votes

15%

Thompson

51 votes

9%

Whiteside

33 votes

22%

No thanks

75 votes

340 votes | Poll has closed

West

1. Lakers. PA Division winner

2. Suns.

3. Thunder. NW Division winner

4. Mavs. SW Division winner

5. Nuggets.

6. Blazers

7. Jazz

8-10. Spurs or Rockets or Grizzlies

11. Kings

12. Warriors

13. Clippers

14. Hornets

15. Timberwolves

East

1. Celtics (I believe we can win 60+)AT Champs

2. Heat. SE Champs

3. Magic

4. Bulls. CE Champs

5. Hawks

6.Bobcats

7.Bucks

8. Raptors

9. Wizards

10. Knicks

11. Nets

12. Pacers

13. Sixers

14. Pistons

15. Cavaliers

I organized these questions by conference.

West.

1. Who poses the biggest threat to the Lakers? This is what they ask every year, this year, it's the Portland Trailblazers in my opinion, they were 2-1 vs the Lakers last season and considering how the Lakers struggle in Portland.

2. Will the Phoenix Suns be able to overcome the loss of Amar'e Stoudemire? I think they can, they made moves to replace him with Hackimm Warrick, Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress and resigning Channing Frye, but those guys have to step up big time. Look for them to break the 50-win mark.

3. Will Denver rise back up this year? With Al Harrington and a healthier Melo, Yes.  They could be the second best in the West this year.

4. Will the competition be as tough or tougher than last year? No. Players are moving East, expect only 5-6 teams to win 50+.

5. How is Dallas (the oldest team) gonna do a year older and coming off a first round loss? They will be as good or better unless Dirk starts declining, but remember, Jason Terry is one of 3 players to hit 100+ 3's per season this decade (Paul Pierce and Ray Allen).

East.

1. Should we crown Miami as Southeast champs? No. We can't crown them anything until they prove something.

2. How is the competition in the East? Tougher.  NY and many other teams got better. Only Cleveland is losing 60 games.

3. Is Boston improving or declining? IMPROVING. KG a year removed from surgery, Ray Allen without distractions, Rondo even better. 60+ wins w or w/o Perkins as long as they don't coast through the regular season.

4. Will Toronto and Cleveland overcome the loss of their superstars? Cleveland won't. Toronto, IMO has some weapons to at least get 41-44 wins (don't forget the rise of Andrea Bargnani).

5. Will Detroit return to playoff form? Not championship form but playoff form. They were screwed by injuries, player issues in the last 2 seasons, perhaps an even better Rodney Stuckey could propel them back to the playoffs.

Take note that these are my answers.

Poll

How high will Boston finish?

33%

1

37 votes

38%

2

42 votes

28%

3

31 votes

110 votes | Poll has closed

The market is running out of wing players, to me, Matt Barnes won't play for little money, some people don't understand the salary cap. Watching those other players go to other teams is pointless, I think we may have to give Marquis Daniels another shot, don't you think? I like the player and his game, he has a pretty good jumper IMO, and a solid defender, he played great D on LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade during the few minutes/seconds he was in the game. I am also thinking of digging up Stephon Marbury. We could use the very little money on Daniels.

Poll

Do you think we should give Marquis another shot?

62%

Yes

218 votes

28%

No

101 votes

8%

Yes and try bringing back Marbury!

31 votes

350 votes | Poll has closed

Never forget that basketball is a team sport, it takes the entire team to win, that's how the Celtics play. The only other teams that play like a team to me are the Suns and the Trailblazers. You might ask me why I am doing a preview already, that's because most of the big named free agents are taken although there are still some key pieces out there. Never forget that we had a 17-5 record last year against those stars (but they were on different teams). I know it will be tougher to take them down in one series but we can/will do it. Never stop believing fellow Celtic fans! For the first seed and the title! For the doubters, START BELIEVING!

Mike Miller signed a 5-year, 25 million contract with the Miami Heat. He was yet another player who took less money to win a championship right after Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem. This should draw more attention from the media, and the Magic and the Celtics will be underdogs. Where is the love for Boston and Orlando? They were the teams that faced off in the Conference Finals, a month after D-Wade was handed his fishing pole.

Reports say that Amar'e Stoudemire can no longer return to Phoenix because they used so much money to re-sign Channing Frye (30M 5 years). To me, this wont be that devastating to Phoenix as LeBron's departure is to Cleveland. If he doesn't come back, that might be an opportunity for Robin Lopez and Channing Frye to play even better than they did a year ago. Don't worry Suns fans, Channing Frye and Robin Lopez are there as well as Gani Lawal.

Louis Amundson is a FA this year. He is only 6'7 but rebounds, plays D, and blocks shots from the weakside. He is an undersized center, but helped Phoenix match-up with Lamarcus Aldridge and Tim Duncan in the playoffs. He will dive for loose balls and play with a lot of energy. He has limited range, and is horrible from the charity stripe. He can be a good option if we can't get Brad Miller. He has to come off the bench though.

Steve Blake agreed to a 4-year, 16M deal with the Lakers.

Blake will almost certainly take Farmar's place next season backing up Derek Fisher, who is also a free agent but is expected to re-sign with the two-time defending champions. The Lakers didn't place a qualifying offer on Farmar before the start of the free agent period, making him an unrestricted free agent. Blake also had interest from the Knicks and other teams but the opportunity to play for the Lakers was too enticing.

The 30-year-old Blake has played for five NBA teams since being drafted in the first round in 2003 by the Washington Wizards, with career averages of 7.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. He started last season in Portland, where he started for most of the first half of the season for the Trail Blazers, but the injury-riddled Blazers, desperate for a big man after season-ending injuries to Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla, dealt Blake at the trade deadline to the Clippers along with forward Travis Outlaw for center Marcus Camby.

There is just no way he is going to take cheap money. Some Celtic fans like me just try to close their eyes once spotting "Lebron". Lebron ain't even taking 15/per. But if you wanna dream about him coming here then fine, but I am telling you, he's not coming to Beantown. I don't even like his chances of returning to Cleveland. He's after titles (you can find them here) and money (not so much here). Our cap space ain't enough to grab him unless we give up BOTH PP34 and Ray Allen. His superstar game doesn't suit the C's team game. I don't even know if he knows how to spell UBUNTU.  Now I am starting a "Lebron will not come to Boston" club, are you with me?

Once again, if you are dreaming about him coming here, it's fine, so don't get pissed Ok?

Poll

Where will Lebron land?

8%

Heat

10 votes

4%

Knicks

6 votes

19%

Fagaliers

24 votes

30%

Bulls

38 votes

7%

Fakers

9 votes

11%

Nets

14 votes

17%

Nike Basketball Poster

22 votes

123 votes | Poll has closed

There was one thing that killed the Celtics last year: REBOUNDING. Anyone who plays basketball knows how important rebounding is.But we also need a 3 point shooter off the bench (Thanks a lot Sarver!) and a guy who can replace Ray Allen.

Here are my choices for the Celtics in the off-season.

1. Chris Bosh. This guy is a walking 25 PPG and 12 RPG. But going for him means big bucks.

2.  David Lee. Another 20-10 guy. But also costs big bucks.

3. Carlos Boozer. He is a fantastic rebounder, but like the others above, he's gonna cost.

4. Jermaine O'neal. Ok, I know you guys are gonna say; "The guy can't score!" He can't score as much as Bosh, Lee and Boozer but he plays defense better than them.

5. Kenyon Martin. The guy can dunk, play D, dunk (more),  block shots and rebound. Maybe we can a portion of the MLE for him and Jermaine.

Poll

What do you like to do?

19%

Give up Ray but take Bosh

8 votes

19%

Give up Ray and take Lee

8 votes

16%

Find a way to get Boozer

7 votes

11%

Sign Jermaine with a portion of the MLE

5 votes

2%

Use entire MLE on Jermaine

1 votes

0%

Sign K-Mart with portion of the MLE

0 votes

4%

Use entire MLE on K-Mart

2 votes

26%

Split MLE between O'neal and Martin

11 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed