Big Baby out for tonight

Via the Celtics Twitter account:

Big Baby is not participating in today's shootaround, he's out for tonight's game vs. Phoenix and is considered day-to-day.

The Morning Walkthrough: Rajon Rondo is 'made of carbon'

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn't mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald - "'Things happen to us that you turn and you ask yourself, ‘Why me?’ ” Garnett said as the Celtics had yesterday off in preparation for tonight’s road trip finale against the Phoenix Suns. “I told him when he went to the line (Monday), I smacked him and I said, ‘Yeah, redemption. Payback.’ I just kept filling him with that. It either makes you or breaks you, man. You can’t break this kid. This kid is made of carbon, man. Everybody knows what carbon is. You know that it’s damn near invincible. It’s just more than a pleasure to be his teammate.' Rondo shrugged it all off, but he was seriously down in LA. 'I was bummed out up until gametime (Monday),” Rondo said. “But luckily it’s the NBA. We had a back-to-back, so I tried to redeem myself, but we still got another loss. For me, I get down on myself. I’m very hard on myself. But I’m still confident. I’m going to play the game and feel like I’m the best at it.'"

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe - "'I think it’s a combination of we’re getting some pretty good performances by other teams and we’re not playing as hard as we can play for 48 minutes,' he said. 'We think we can show up for a quarter or a half, and that’s not good enough in this league, and that’s been our pattern. We come out of the gates ready to play and have shown up to play in some cases. Other cases we haven’t; we’ve had to turn it on in the second half. That’s the fear I had at the beginning of the season - play it out and wait for the playoffs to roll around and not bringing it night in and night out. This is the second stretch where we really haven’t really shown up. The urgency of winning from the get-go hasn’t been important enough.' Mentally - and that’s 90 percent of how NBA games are won - the Celtics had the Warriors defeated. All that was required was basic execution for the final three quarters. But with tired bodies on the second game of a back-to-back stretch, Paul Pierce sitting in his Waltham home trying not to kick the television with his healing right leg, and the offense depending solely on Rajon Rondo, the Celtics faltered."

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald - "On one hand, Doc Rivers has derided his team’s play even in victories. But he seemed to be debating himself when he let his guys off the hook. 'If you look around, all the good teams have tight games against the lower teams,' he said. 'These are NBA players, so they’re going to play well. And it’s tough to win an NBA game. I think if you ask the bad teams, they’ll tell you that.' The problem the Celtics encounter is a boredom of sorts. They generally lose the mental energy to simply run their stuff and make extra passes when they get around teams they see as beneath them. On the rare occasions when they stick with their plan, they systematically run the foe out of the building. But too often they take the ball and try to make individual plays. The issue is even more acute down the stretch. With the experience and alleged wisdom on the team, it just shouldn’t be happening this often."

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE - "For a veteran team, we played with absolutely zero composure,' Rivers said. 'We just didn't play like a veteran basketball team tonight.' Little did Rivers know that would be a recurring theme just 24 hours later. Ill-timed turnovers. Poor shot selection. Mental breakdowns defensively. If there was a way to keep the Warriors in the game, the Celtics were more than willing to give it to them. Kevin Garnett understands what's going on. The Celtics aren't playing Celtics basketball."

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe - "Davis left Oracle in arena wearing a protective boot and walking with crutches. 'I haven't heard anything, which means nothing is serious,' Ainge said. 'I sent (trainer) Eddie (Lacerte) a text and I haven't heard anything and usually that means it's not much.' Meanwhile, Ainge said the team will evaluate Paul Pierce's right knee this weekend to determine when he will return. 'We don't have any definite dates or change on Paul,' he said."

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

Glen Davis sprains his ankle at a bad time

It's been a rough season so far for Glen Davis. First he went down for a few months after throwing a haymaker at his friend. Then he struggled to come back, played in three games, and now he's hurt again.

Via Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston:

Celtics forward Glen Davis, playing in only his third game of the season after missing the first 27 because of a fractured right thumb, departed Monday's game against the Golden State Warriors with a mild right ankle sprain.

Thankfully, it doesn't seem too serious:

"I didn't even ask; he'll be all right," Rivers said when asked about Davis' health. "The way I look at it, we'll find out [Tuesday]."

The injury comes at a bad time for Davis, who was seemingly just finding his way how to become a professional.

Via the Boston Herald:

“[My injury] made me think about a lot of things,” Davis said. “I still think all the time about basketball, but what happened made me think even more about me as a person, as a man off the court. I’ve just been thinking about what’s important and what I need to do to be successful on and off the court. So it’s been a big time for me to reflect on me as a person and my morals and my goals further on.”

Davis came to the striking conclusion that, at age 23 (he turns 24 on Friday), he didn’t know everything.

“I think I’ve really started to understand that no matter how old you are you can never stop learning,” he said. “You never stop learning how to be a better person. You watch people around you. You have to be able to learn from everyone. I think I’ve also learned the business of basketball even more. You have to go out and play hard and enjoy it, have fun and all that. But at the same time you have to approach it in a serious way, because it is a business. I just came to the conclusion that I’m not as old as I think I am.”

Besides maturing, Davis had shown some signs of playing very good basketball. Against the Clippers, he was a beast on the offensive glass and a menace flopping taking charges. It's too bad he had to go down; hopefully the recovery will be as quick as the Celtics seem to think.

UPDATE: It might not be such an easy recovery after all.

Via the Globe:

Glen "Big Baby" Davis left the arena on crutches and told reporters he has a sprained right ankle. He was wearing a protective boot and said he couldn't walk without aid. He could be out for an extended period. He didn't sound positive. X-rays were negative.

The Return of Glen "Big Baby" Davis

With Glen "Big Baby" Davis having returned to the Boston Celtics lineup, it's a good time to ask the question: Where does Big Baby fit in the rotation?

(Note: I know he wants to be called Glen Davis now, because he's maturing and growing blah blah blah...but anytime you break a thumb punching a buddy, especially a season after weeping uncontrollably on the bench after a tongue lashing from KG, you're still a Big Baby. I'm Sorry, Glen, it's not my fault the nickname fits. He's immature, maybe, but lovable.)

The Boston Celtics frontcourt has been collectively playing amazing ball during the recent win streak, and Rasheed Wallace and Shelden Williams have more than filled in during Davis' absence.

But it's hard to forget Big Baby's heroic performance last season after Garnett was lost for the season, culminating in this game winning shot in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic:



Before The Big Three was born in Boston, Doc Rivers was well-known as a coach who had trouble maintaining a consistent rotation; one night, Rajon Rondo would play 25 minutes, the next, only 10 minutes. Lineups were mixed, minutes were seemingly random, and the Celtics struggled finding the flow of the game.

However,the arrival of Garnett and Ray Allen was a blessing for Rivers: he had a veteran squad and lineup that was very hard to tinker with.

While I am impressed with Rivers' growth and improvement as a coach, I'm still slightly worried he'll be compelled to tinker with the frontcourt lineups, especially when Paul Pierce and Marquis Daniels return.

Despite Shelden Williams' consistent play, I think Big Baby is a better fit as the fourth big man on this particular Celtics team. Though Big Baby is not a terrific rebounder, he is a superior offensive rebounder and finisher than Williams, and a much better mid-range shooter.

Also, though neither Big Baby or Shelden Williams are great defenders, Big Baby is a better fit alongside Perkins or Wallace because he has the mobility to guard most power forwards, and has really improved at flopping... er, I mean taking charges.

If I were Doc Rivers, my 9-man rotation would include the usual starting five (Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins) with Eddie House, Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels (when healthy) and Glen Davis playing significant roles off the bench. Shelden Williams, Tony Allen, and Brian Scalabrine would contribute spot minutes and provide security, depending on the health of our other players, and the particular game matchups.

When Big Baby gets his body into game shape, I am confident he will be another big factor off our devastating bench. I just hope Doc Rivers figures out the new rotation quickly.

KG to play tomorrow, Glen Davis might too

Via the Globe:

There were positive developments on the Celtics' front Thursday afternoon, a day after Paul Pierce underwent surgery for an infection in his right knee.

First, Pierce might be able to return sooner than the two weeks originally estimated. Second, Kevin Garnett (right thigh bruise) practiced at full speed and will play against the Orlando Magic Friday. Third, forward Glen Davis (broken right hand) could be activated against the Magic.

Also, Pierce could be back quicker than the originally stated two weeks:

Rivers said Pierce's return was a "guesstimate by a doctor who never played basketball."

"I think it may be shorter than two weeks," Rivers said of Pierce.

Sorry for the short post...

I just played basketball for the first time in about four months. For a guy who used to be a college basketball player, I am in the worst shape in my life and, quite frankly, I suck. Kind of like Glen Davis in today's practice:

Davis, who was injured in a fight with a friend on even of the season-opener, "went through whole practice, he sucked but he didn't injure himself, so that's good," Rivers said.

He'll be fine once he works himself back into game shape, I'm sure. But for now, he's like me...

Fat, out of shape, and not the player he once was.

Glen Davis working hard to stay thin(-ish)

The holidays are a time for family, a time for friends, and a time for relaxing.  But, most of all, the holidays are a time for eating.

I've only been home for the holidays for a single day, and already I've gained 15 pounds.  (Note: I think this is an exaggeration but, judging from the size of my gut, it may not be.)  When Christmas comes around, it'll be even worse; then, I'll stuff my face with all the hor'deuvres my aunts and uncles have made.  I'll sit in front of the t.v. and not stop eating for the entire day.

But, no matter how out of shape I get, and everyone else gets, over Christmas, Glen Davis is determined not to.

Via Jessica Camerato, WEEI:

Davis has hired a personal chef to cook nutritional meals this season. He is not limited to a daily caloric intake and keeps the pounds off by following a dedicated workout routine during his rehab. Davis explained to WEEI.com how he has adapted his diet to stay thin without being on the court. (And yes, he can sneak a cookie too.)

A Disciplined Diet: “I’ll eat an egg white omelette topped with a piece of French toast, carbs, protein [for breakfast]. Then I’ll lift, work out, do a lot of cardio. I have proportional meals so now I cut my lunch into half and then I eat it three hours later. I eat the other half three hours later, and I eat dinner, and I work out.”

Maybe next time Davis gets in a fight, he could use the rules of his diet.  He should just punch his friend a little at first, then save the rest of the punch for three hours later. I bet if he did that, he never would have broken his thumb.

Watch Big Baby play Wii Tennis

Remember when Big Baby said he'd want to play in the NFL after his NBA career was over?  Looks like he may want to give tennis a shot, too:



So watch out, Roger Federer. Move over, Rafael Nadal. Glen Davis is on his way to take the ATP's number one spot...

Once he finishes mastering the Wii junior circuit, that is.

(h/t Chris Forsberg's Twitter account)

The Morning Walkthrough: Celtics whole starting five should be in the All-Star game

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn't mean we have to.  Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.   

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald - "There are many quality guards in the Eastern Conference, and now that sentimental favorite Shaquille O’Neal is with Cleveland, the competition for an All-Star spot at center is thick as well. But in the biased view of their teammates and coaches, Rajon Rondo [stats] and Kendrick Perkins [stats] are as worthy of a trip to Arlington, Texas, for the Feb. 14 game as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce [stats] and Ray Allen. 'Our starting five should go,' coach Doc Rivers said after yesterday’s practice. Funny how that sentiment has spread. 'He means so much to this club,' Pierce said of Rondo. 'But our starting five should be in the All-Star Game.'"

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston - "'Mentally, you have to be confident in that ligament, that thumb,' said Davis. 'What I have to do right now is get strong, mentally, using it. To shoot, or when somebody hits you and you have to stay focused, and make sure you don't hurt it again. When I get over that, that's when I'll probably be 100 percent.'  Davis pegged his birthday -- Jan. 1 -- as a potential return date (the Celtics host the Raptors on Jan. 2), but admitted he's taking everything slow at his teammates' urging.  'It's a good sign when Baby got the cast off,' said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. 'For him to come out here and do some stretches with us, he hasn't been able to do that in a while; a couple dummy offensive plays. Slowly, but surely. It's still a long season. We want these guys to be healthy at the right time, and completely healthy.'"

Scott Souza, Courtside View - "Marquis Daniels also watched practice and lent a few thoughts on some things he saw from the sideline. He is expected to miss the next five to seven weeks after surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb.  Daniels said he would have kept trying to play through the injury if not for Rivers pulling him off the floor.  'As a basketball player with a competitive nature you want to be out there with these guys competing,' he said. 'But everyone is keeping me up and involved.  I was trying to keep going, but (Rivers) pulled me out of practice, telling me he was noticing it a lot more. It was something we decided that needed to be done. … I wasn’t going to (pull myself out). I just want to play and be on the floor. We have a great team right now, so you don’t want to take yourself out of it if you don’t have to.  Unfortunately, I had to get this taken care of.'"

Steve Weinman, D-League Digest - "'All of this brings us back to Hudson. His job is to show that he can run a team because that’s what the Celtics may need him to be able to do. Forget for a moment that there is a jump from playing at UT-Martin to playing in the D-League and an even larger jump from UT-Martin to the Association, so how much of his scoring ability will transfer to the next level of basketball remains in question. It doesn’t matter. Not right now, anyway. Hudson, whom at least one scouting report pegged early in his senior year as possessing mediocre ball-handling skills and speed, needs to show that he can help create opportunities for those around him without turning the ball over with abundance. He needs to make smart decisions with the ball in his hands. He needs to use his length (listed at 6-3 and possessing a sizable wingspan) to cause defenses problems offensively and to make his man tentative with the ball at the other end. Given the lack of playing time he is receiving with the Celtics, any chance to get some run is significant for Lester Hudson. But this one is especially important because it will give Hudson further opportunity to focus on turning himself into an NBA-level point guard.'"

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston - "The Celtics enjoyed a couple of days of downtime after polishing off a perfect three-game road trip Monday in Memphis and coach Doc Rivers noted there was some expected rust to shake Thursday. 'Practice was OK, it was typical of taking a couple of days off," said Rivers. 'We were flat early, but I thought we got it going... We had one more drill left, but I blew the whistle and said, 'That's it.' We were going so hard at the end, let's save something for [Friday].' Said captain Paul Pierce: 'It's good to get back out there. It was nice to get some rest after playing so many road games, get the body adjusted back to the time. We came in today, freshened up -- it's not as crisp as we want to be, but as practice went on it got better.'"

Greg Payne, CelticsBlog - "As that season went on, the notion of a championship became more and more realistic and we quickly adjusted to the fact that that squad was really, really good. It was almost as if the 22 years prior to that had never happened. But when we locked ourselves into that mindset that told us a championship was possible, we began to expect certain things, and when they happened, we took them as they came, rather than appreciating them for all they were worth. Even simple things like a Pierce step back jump shot, or an Allen three-pointer in transition were taken for granted because they happened so routinely. But the uniqueness of these players makes every play they make that much more memorable, and we need to recognize that."

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop - "Every which way people slice and dice crunch time numbers -- field goal percentage, plus/minus, you name it -- Bryant is not the NBA's best in crunch time. A glance at last year's crunch time numbers on 82games.com makes clear Bryant shoots more than anyone else in the NBA in crunch time, but is he more skilled at making those shots? That's what we're trying to judge, right? In crunch time field goal percentage, last season Bryant finished 92nd in the League, right behind Michael Beasley. Others ahead of him include Kevin Garnett, both Gasols, Zach Randolph, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Terry, Jameer Nelson, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, Eric Gordon, Brandon Roy, Andre Iguodala, Jason Kidd, Ben Gordon, and Chris Bosh."

Tom Halzack, CelticsBlog - "Thought [the Celtics] were going gently into their assisted living facilities, eh? Tut tut, my skeptical friends. The ‘assisted living’ comes courtesy of one Rajon Rondo, point guard extraordinaire. Rondo plays one gear higher than the rest of his starting unit.  11 game win streak says they are rounding into shape after starting strong, stumbling, then slowly righting the ship. The only major surprise was/is the lack of 48 minute intensity, and rebounding woes. They still look like one of the best teams in the NBA to challenge the Lakers. Back with a vengeance? They are back. Vengeance comes later."

Have a link I might want to look at?  Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter. 

Glen Davis in shape, could be ready by Dec. 27 road trip

Remember that time when Glen Davis got a terrific idea?  You know, when he decided it'd be awesome to go out with his old college buddy until the wee hours of the morning, then let his drunk college buddy drive both him and his fiance home?

Yeah, that one!  The one where he then proceeded to punch his buddy in the face -- while he was driving the car! -- and in the process hurt himself, rather than his drunken buddy.  Well, he's finally just about healed (via the Globe):

Glen “Big Baby’’ Davis could return for the Celtics’ West Coast trip, which starts with a Dec. 27 game against the Clippers in Los Angeles, Rivers said before last night’s game.

Big Baby hasn't been playing, but he's apparently been keeping in great shape. (Okay... I meant "better" shape.):

“I’ve been just waiting,’’ Davis said. “Everything is fine. I’m just looking forward to getting back as soon as possible.

“If it was up to me, I’d play tomorrow. I haven’t played in a month. I’m in shape, I’ve been in shape the whole year. It feels weird, I haven’t used [the hand] in a while. But I’ve been making sure I stay in shape and go to rehab and all the stuff I need to do - running and more running; keep the weight down, avoid the holidays and all the good food, stay away [from] soda pops. I know I feel light. Don’t you know when you feel heavy? I feel good.’’

Davis’s recovery is on schedule.

“When I get [the cast] off, it means the bone healed,’’ Davis said. “But it’s all about the ligament.’’

My favorite part of that quote: "Don't you know when you feel heavy?"  Unfortunately, I've learned the answer to that one the hard way, while gaining the first gut of my life with a couple recent months of inactivity.  Yes, yes, you do know when you feel heavy.  You see it every time you look in the mirror, and you feel it every time you begin to exercise.

But, Big Baby, you should know that a lot better than I do. 

Glen Davis has cast taken off, does 'light work' in practice

Via the Globe:

Glen “Big Baby’’ Davis had the soft cast removed from his right hand and did some light work Sunday

So the Big Fella could be returning soon, presumably to take over whatever's left of Shelden Williams' minutes. 

Just don't let him catch a pass from "Nolan Ryan Rondo".

Also from that Globe article, Ray Allen is playing terrific defense despite his prolonged shooting slump:

Since arriving in Boston three years ago, Allen has drastically improved his defensive reputation and worked arduously to blend into coach Doc Rivers’s help-oriented defensive system. Assigned to some of the league’s top shooting guards, Allen put special emphasis on stopping dribble penetration and contesting jump shots.

While Allen has been working to end his perimeter struggles, his defense is peaking and that is not lost on Rivers.

“It’s funny you noticed because we were kidding with him that I thought it was one of his better games,’’ Rivers said of the Oklahoma City game. “And San Antonio as well on [Manu] Ginobili at times. What we want him to do as much as possible is to keep the ball square and then contest shots and I thought he did both. Harden, I don’t think, got a shot off without a hand in his face. He was right in his face. When Ray does that, it brings another dimension to our defense.’’

Ray has been playing very good defense, but it's nothing new.  Ever since coming to Boston, Ray has been a surprisingly good defender capable of guarding some of the league's best shooting guards.  Remember Kobe's poor Finals performance, when he didn't have a single breakout game?  Well, it was mostly Ray guarding him.

It's nice to see Ray get some credit for his defensive work, but his effort on that end of the court hasn't changed.

Glen Davis staying in shape while out with injury

Via the Globe:

“He’s really worked hard and he looks in better shape,” coach Doc Rivers said before the Celtics met the San Antonio Spurs. “He looks like he’s really put some time into conditioning and that’s a great way of winning your teammates back, coming back in better shape than when you left.”

 I hope he hasn't been doing too many MMA workouts.  That's the crap that got him injured in the first place.  (On second thought, maybe I should wish he did a lot more MMA work.  Then, maybe he'll hurt the other guy next time rather than himself.)

Whatever he's doing to work out, he'll be back fairly soon, and from the sounds of it he'll be svelte (or, at least, a bit svelte-er) when he returns.