1) Mike Gorman graciously gave us the heads up on Brandon Wallace hours before the game. He reported on FSN that Wallace has looked great in practice and the Celtics are taking a REAL look at him. Big Baby and Pruitt both looked promising but just not quite there yet- Baby being maybe a little out of NBA shape and Pruitt a little light. But the third rookie, Goldilocks-like, looked JUST RIGHT.
Brandon Wallace seems exactly like a prototype tall small forward minus the dead-eye shot. He has great athleticism, great length, great motor and great defense. Hey, great! This is no prophecy of future accomplishments or knocks on the Celtics' second rounders, but at first glance Wallace projected as the best looking Celtic rookie on the floor.
(I don't want to get too crazy here. But so far so good.)
2) In case you missed it, the seating arrangement among Celtics management in the front row was from right to left: Ainge, Wohl, Rivers, and Telfair.
3) I thought Rondo was terrific without filling up the stat sheet at all. He controlled tempo and stymied the Blazer offense before it began. That and the pounding that Mr. Powe and Mr. Baby laid on Greg Oden -keeping him off balance- were huge factors in the easy victory. (Yes it's meaningless, but it sure feels good.)
4) On the other side of the ball defensively, I was impressed with Taurean Green. He managed to stay in front of Rondo on a regular basis, and though Rondo still managed to be effective, he had to work extra hard to get into position.
5) Sergio Watch: Their Sergio had a horrible game. Our Sergio didn't play. —Advantage: nobody.
6) Back to Brandon Wallace: Bulpett reported in today's Herald that Wallace (a highly touted recruit entering college) played center for his entire career at South Carolina, yet was a small forward in high school. That makes you think... He's OBVIOUSLY a small forward. So I want to know why SC couldn't recruit better to get him into proper position? And even more, I want to know who the heck did that high school team have at power forward and center??
The Celtics have a real need for a defensive ace at the wing position. With Tony Allen possibly not being ready in November, could Wallace fill that role?
7) On Oden's poor debut: It means NOTHING.
That Portland team had probably 4 regular season starters in their lineup, but thanks to the injury plagued season that just ended, the Celtics guys came in with an abundance of recent experience and took advantage for one summer league game.
On Yi's impressive outing against Memphis: It means SOMETHING. I've warmed up to having Ray Allen around, but I still REALLY want Yi.
8) I thought Gerald Green had bulked up some and looked confident getting his shot off. With his height and jumping ability, it's just so simple for him to get a look. He just has to figure out what gives him the best percentage.
9) How many regular people would now be dead or hospitalized if they had been pounded by Big Baby and Powe for 40 minutes? Let's see some hands. (I personally would have been morgue bound after 3 minutes.)
10) The most tantalizing thing from Doc Rivers when he had the mike on during the fourth quarter: He spoke about Boston having the mid-level and bi-annual exception, and made it clear the Celtics are eager to use them... stay tuned. Something is going to happen. Something, something.
...How come they don't play 48 minutes in summer league? This is the pros now...
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5 comments:
Boooring, do you even think before you type, or do you just throw a bunch of words together and see if it all sticks. >_>
Thank you for writing Anthony. I actually just mash buttons on the keyboard at random with a spatula. It's amazing how often it comes out grammatically correct.
Good stuff as always dude !!
Thanks JS33! I appreciate all the good vibes.
I recently started reading your insights, and enjoy them very much. Keep up the good work.
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