If it feels like I've neglected to talk much about the NBA and more specifically, the Boston Celtics, then you are correct. I'm sure once the regular season starts I'll get into it a bit more but honestly at the moment, the Bruins and Patriots (in that order) take priority.
I love college basketball but I've never been a huge NBA fan so the lockout that just ended was the perfect reason to start caring even less about the NBA. There are so many things wrong with the league and the product that we're all well aware of. Still, I admit I do enjoy watching the Celts and the NBA playoffs are usually pretty awesome too.
The abbreviated 66-game NBA 2011-12 regular season officially starts on Sunday (Christmas) with the C's visiting the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. It's a tasty rematch from last season's playoffs (Boston swept New York) that is the beginning of a nice slate of games.
Boston's 14-man roster for the opener appears set since they waived three players today: forward Michael Sweetney (remember when he was a lottery pick out of Georgetown?), center Jamal Sampson and undrafted rookie guard Gilbert Brown (Pitt). No surprises there. Sweetney is washed up, Sampson is a bum and Brown probably needs some playing time in the D-League before he makes the leap to the NBA.
The Celtics brought four invites to training camp but D-League center Greg Stiemsma is the only one that stuck.
Here's the expected roster for Sunday
Guards: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Avery Bradley, Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling, E'Twaun Moore
Forwards: Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett, JaJuan Johnson, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Chris Wilcox
Centers: Jermaine O'Neal, Stiemsma
The starting five has to be Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett and O'Neal. Pierce has a heel injury which reportedly could keep him out of Sunday's game; if he can't play, expect Daniels to start in his place.
The first few guys off the bench (when everyone is healthy) should be Daniels, Bass, Wilcox and Dooling.
I'm most intrigued by Moore (who has been tearing it up in camp and preseason games), Johnson, Bass and Wilcox. Moore and Johnson are rookies so they'll be up and down but after great four-year careers at Purdue, I expect them to have less of a learning curve than most guys that enter the NBA at an earlier age. We know what Bass can do, it'll be interesting to see how he fits in Boston's gameplans. Wilcox is somewhat of a wild card: he's not young but he's been on mostly terrible teams so being on one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference should rejuvenate his career.
UPDATE 12/23: Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said today that Pierce is doubtful for Sunday's game so it looks like Pavlovic will get the nod if the captain can't suit up for the opener. Apparently, the thinking with Sasha starting is that Daniels is one of the leaders of the bench so they don't want to break that up. Um OK?
The Phoenix Suns released swingman Mickael Pietrus yesterday and rumors swirling around Boston are that the Celtics could sign him, to fill their empty 15th spot on their roster. I'm a huge Pietrus fan so I hope they do it, he's a good player that would see some decent minutes on this team. Stay tuned I guess.
Tweet
Follow @RichSlate
No comments:
Post a Comment