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Showing posts with label Keyon Dooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keyon Dooling. Show all posts

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Keyon Dooling Abruptly Retires & The Celtics Sign Darko Milicic To Veteran's Minimum

I didn't expect to be talking about the Celtics whatsoever today but they made two minor moves that are worth mentioning: guard Keyon Dooling retired after 12 years in the NBA (1 in Boston) and center Darko Milicic was signed to a veteran's minimum deal.

That means the Celtics have 13 guys guaranteed under contract heading into training camp, meaning one spot is up for grabs with guards Jamar Smith, Dionte Christmas and rookie Kris Joseph expected to be vying for it. Dooling leaving helps all those guys immensely, it gives them better odds of making it.

Dooling wanted to spend more time with his family which is understandable and you have to respect his decision since he was at the end of the line. The weird thing was that the Celts signed him to a veteran's minimum deal in July. It sounds like a cliche but his value at this point was about mostly off the court contributions, rather than games. Even in the short time he was here, you could sense that he was a great leader that everybody respected. Boston will need someone else to step up and be watchful of Rajon Rondo next season, who is always liable to be a pill.

Milicic is famously known as one of the biggest busts in the last decade of the NBA. The No. 2 pick by the Pistons in the 2003 draft, ahead of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh among others, the native of Yugoslavia has never done anything remotely close to justify that spot. This will be his sixth NBA team in 10 years (Pistons, Magic, Grizzlies, Timberwolves-twice and Knicks).

Obviously with that deal, there is no risk on Milicic and he actually provides a decent backup for a position that basically didn't exist last season for the C's: center. Kevin Garnett played there most of the year and stiff Jason Collins was also signed this offseason to provide more bodies (and fouls). For his career, Darko has averaged 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in 18.5 minutes.

Since Nenad Krstic's brief spell in Boston two seasons ago, the Celtics have lacked a big goofy European. If nothing else, Darko should fit the bill well in that regard.





Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Every Team Can Use A Good Reverend On Their Side

It is not often that you can say this in the NBA but Keyon Dooling's worth in the locker room, on the bench and on the practice court are more valuable than his limited role in games at this point.

The Celtics re-signed the veteran combo guard to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum ($1.35 million). Boston won't make much national news with this move since Dooling only averaged four points and 1.1 assists in 14.4 minutes (46 games) during his first season with the Green.

However, if you watched him in the playoffs or better yet, caught any of his weekly interviews on the Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich, you realize that he is a natural leader. His two greatest contributions to the Celts: mentoring mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo and also, bringing "flexin" to Boston's bench celebrations in the postseason along with Marquis Daniels.

Dooling is a winner and a pro that realizes a good thing when he sees it. Who knows how many more years he'll be in the NBA (he's 32)? That's why he's coming back to the Celtics, he got a taste of what it was like last season and he wants more as they strive for another deep playoff run next spring. He was even willing to take a pay cut (he made $2.2 in 2011-12), something that is very rare in the NBA or pro sports in general these days. Guys like him are always welcomed back with open arms.





Monday, June 4, 2012

Wade Misses Winning 3 At Buzzer, Celtics Survive OT In Game 4 To Tie Series At 2


First off, let me say that I was shocked that Dwyane Wade (20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks) missed a wide-open 3-pointer that would have won Game 4 in overtime for the Heat.

After Rajon Rondo (15 points, 15 assists) made one of two free throws, Miami elected to go for the win and they couldn't ask for much more as Wade got Marquis Daniels to bite on a pump fake. Trouble is, Wade is not a good 3-point shooter (probably the only major flaw in his game).

Instead, Boston held on for a gritty 93-91 win tonight at TD Garden, evening the Eastern Conference Finals up at two games apiece. The Celtics had six players score in double figures (a first for this series) while all five starters did the same for the first time since Game 7 vs. Philadelphia.

Boston would need all of those contributions since Paul Pierce (23 points, 6 rebounds) fouled out (3rd time in last 5 games) on a charge (correct call) early in overtime. Soon after that, LeBron James (29 points, 6 rebounds, 7 turnovers) fouled out for the first time in four years (wish I was joking). With that, the offensive burden fell to Wade and it should come as no surprise that the guy who hasn't topped 23 points in the four games so far in the series, couldn't finish the job. Ironically, LeBron (the guy who isn't clutch at all) hit a tying 3-pointer late in regulation. Still, he also passed up the final shot to Udonis Haslem (12 points, 17 rebounds) who had to force an airball as regulation expired. Sweet last possession Coach Spo.

Kevin Garnett had 17 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, Ray Allen put up 16 points (including 4 3-pointers) and Brandon Bass notched 11 points and seven rebounds. The pleasant surprise for the Celts was Keyon Dooling (10 points) who hit three 3-pointers and provided the only points off Boston's bench which otherwise scored one total point. That's not to say they didn't make plays though since Mickael Pietrus drew LeBron's sixth foul and grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession late in overtime-helping Boston kill over a minute off the clock.

This game followed the pattern of the previous two where Boston jumped out to a big early lead (21-6 & 61-43 before settling for 61-47 at halftime) but Miami responded with a big third quarter (21-12). The Celts scored 34 points in the first quarter and had 61 at the half, the most the Heat have allowed all postseason. The Heat scored 23 in the first quarter and 24 in the second quarter. Miami outscored Boston 21-16 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Yes, that's correct: the Celts scored 28 points in the second half and captured a must-win playoff game.

If it makes you feel any better, the C's offense really exploded in overtime (4-2). Looking at the box score, it's hard to say why the Heat lost. They made three more free throws (17-14), had twice as many fastbreak points (14-7) and 10 more points in the paint (48-38). This was the first game that the team with more points in the paint lost in the series.

Boston's three more 3-pointers (9-6), four more offensive rebounds (11-7) and two more assists (22-20) were just enough for them to somehow survive.

The first eight games of the Western Conference Finals and Eastern Conference Finals have all been won by the home team, proving how insanely important home court is in the NBA playoffs. To break this streak and advance to the NBA Finals, the Celtics (and Thunder) will need to find a way to win on the road. I think all Boston needs is one so why not on Tuesday in Game 5 (8:30 p.m., ESPN)? I have confidence that Boston will win Game 6 at home mainly because they're 8-1 at the Garden this postseason while Miami is 3-4 on the road; plus, the Heat have lost seven of their last eight (including playoffs) in Boston.

If we're being honest, the C's let Game 2 (115-111 OT loss) slip out of their hands which means that although they could be up 3-1 in this series, they at least can have confidence that they can win at AmericanAirlines Arena. They've won the last two games in the series so keep the momentum going that way. As I've said all along, the Heat are facing all the pressure and scrutiny in this series. Nobody outside of New England expected the Celts to make this a competitive series let alone win it. Early reports after Game 4 indicate that Chris Bosh is expected to return in Game 5 (he was injured in Game 1 vs. Indiana). That sounds like the move of a dare I say, desperate team?





Friday, June 1, 2012

Some Unexpected Help Pushes Celtics To A 101-91 Game 3 Win Vs. Miami

It turns out that coming home was all the Boston Celtics needed to completely change up their gameplan and therefore find a way to beat the Miami Heat.

In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight at TD Garden, Boston was able to play the way that got them here: they were unselfish (4 guys in double figures), they pounded the ball inside (58-46 advantage in points in the paint) and hit free throws (20-10). This all added up to a complete 101-91 win for the Celts that brought some life to this series, cutting the Heat's advantage to 2-1.

It's hard to believe that in a must-win game to save the season, Marquis Daniels (9 points, 5 rebounds) and Keyon Dooling (7 points, 4 rebounds) were two major keys to the victory. That's the gospel truth though, both provided major energy, defense and some timely scoring as Boston's bench (19 points, series high for them) finally showed a flicker of life.

When Boston focuses on getting Kevin Garnett (24 points, 11 rebounds) the ball down low, good things usually happen, especially with no Chris Bosh in the lineup for Miami. Paul Pierce scored 23, Rajon Rondo orchestrated everything with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while Ray Allen had 10 points and five rebounds. Off the top of my head, I think it was the best single game for those four players this postseason; meaning that they all showed up at the same time in a big way.

LeBron James (34 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) scored 16 in the first quarter but the Celtics' collapsing defense was able to limit him the rest of the way. He only took five foul shots (making one) and after hitting every jumper early on, those same shots weren't falling when it mattered. This loss didn't fall on LeBron's thick shoulders though, Dwyane Wade (18 points) no-showed for most of the first three quarters. Mario Chalmers (14 points, 6 assists) and Mike Miller (11 points, 6 rebounds) continued their strong play for Miami.

The Celtics led from start to finish and while their 24-point advantage shrunk to as little as eight points in the fourth quarter, they had them all the way (haha yeah right, I think we all sweated out those last few minutes).

Boston was up 30-28 after the first quarter and 55-42 at halftime thanks to a late 3-pointer by Allen. It would have been even more if not for some easy fastbreak buckets the Heat converted after made shots by the C's. The third quarter has been Miami's jackpot in the playoffs but the Celts didn't allow that to happen (30-21). The Heat made a run in the fourth (28-16) credit to them for not packing it in but a lack of 3-point shooters (5 for 17) really hurt them.

While Game 3 was the most important of the series, the same can now be said for Game 4 on Sunday night (8:30 p.m, ESPN). All Miami wants is one road win and they'll go back to South Beach with a chance to close it out. Not for nothing but Boston is 7-1 at home this postseason and the Heat have lost six of their last seven playoff games at TD Garden (spanning three postseasons).

Without Chris Bosh, the Celts are a deeper and more unselfish team. Tonight was a perfect example of what happens when Rondo, KG, Pierce and Allen are in harmony. Add in some great minutes from Dooling and Daniels and now we have ourselves a series.










Sunday, May 6, 2012

The Celtics Finally Play Like They Are Capable Of, The Hawks Are Toast (As Always)

After screwing around for the first three games against a clearly inferior opponent, the Boston Celtics finally woke up tonight and dominated the Atlanta Hawks like they should have been doing all series long.

The C's won 101-79 in Game 4 at TD Garden to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first round series. Believe me when I tell you that it wasn't nearly that close since Boston led by 37 (80-43) early in the third quarter so it was extremely extended garbage time for a playoff game with every active player on both rosters seeing action.

The funniest part of the blowout was that Josh Smith (15 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) and Al Horford (12 points) both surprisingly played but it still couldn't create a pulse in one of the most pathetic teams in professional sports. Jannero Pargo (11 points) was the only other Hawk to score in double figures.

If you created a perfect scenario for the Celts, it wouldn't have strayed too far from how this one unfolded. The starters played great and they earned plenty of rest ahead of a possible closeout game. Paul Pierce led Boston with 24 points in get this, 17 minutes. Rajon Rondo played even better than he did on Friday when he had a triple-double in Game 3. He put up 20 points (8 of 11 from the floor including 2 for 3 on 3-pointers), 16 rebounds and three steals with only one turnover. Kevin Garnett had 13 points and Brandon Bass (10 points) reached double figures for the first time after scoring eight points each time in the first three games.

Ray Allen had 12 points off the bench and Keyon Dooling added 10. A blowout like this has to shatter any remaining confidence Atlanta could have possibly possessed. Boston has held the Hawks to 84 points or less in every game and in Game 4, they coupled that stingy defensive effort with an offensive explosion (after scoring 90 or less in the first three games).

The Celtics hit seven more 3-pointers (11-4) and swatted six more shots (6-0), those are two signs of a team that has already checked out and is thinking about the offseason.

Boston will look for its fourth consecutive win on Tuesday (8:00 p.m., CSNE) as they get their first crack at sending the Hawks home (although they'll be at Philips Arena) for good. If you want another reason to get this series over, Philadelphia is up 3-1 on Chicago (winner of this series faces that winner) so the Celtics would not only get the Sixers instead of the depleted Bulls but they would have home-court in the next round. Moreover, it looks like the Sixers are going to eliminate the Bulls in Game 5 (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.) themselves because they've won the last three games since Derrick Rose went down.











Friday, April 20, 2012

No Reason To Fear The Atlanta Hawks

It's that time of year again, when the Celtics willfully tank games to get rest for the Big 4 heading into the playoffs.

Atlanta was the first stop on the 2011-12 tour and the Hawks (38-25, 21-9 home) almost suffered an embarrassing loss but they held on 97-92 over the Celtics (37-27, 15-18 away) earlier tonight at Philips Arena.

Since this was likely a first round playoff preview, the Celtics' bench proved its worth against mostly starters for the Hawks. That should do something for both squads' confidence especially because Boston will have the home court advantage. Still, it's one game so let's not go overboard. Atlanta will be a challenge if they meet but I think that Boston should get by them.

Former Celtic Joe Johnson (30 points, 6 assists) and Josh Smith (19 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) were the only Hawks in double figures.

Avery Bradley led the Green with 28 points, Keyon Dooling (3 of 4 on 3-pointers) had 17 points, Marquis Daniels had 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Brandon Bass scored 10. Ryan Hollins played his most minutes (30) in a Celtics uniform and he responded with eight points and five rebounds as a substitute.

This was the final road game of the regular season, Boston will face Miami (Tuesday) and Milwaukee (Thursday) next week at the Garden. Feel free to sleep until next Saturday when the playoffs begin and don't be fooled into taking tickets to either of those games since you know everyone will be giving them away. I doubt anything remotely interesting with the Celtics will occur between now and then.

Expect to see plenty of JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, Sasha Pavlovic, Dooling, Daniels and Hollins against the Heat and Bucks. I wouldn't hesitate to rest the Big 4 as much as possible since they are really going to be counted on starting next weekend.










Friday, March 30, 2012

Sorry Kevin Love, Kevin Garnett Still Runs Minnesota


The Celtics are 14-5 since the All-Star break and in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division for the first time this season. Rajon Rondo recorded 10+ assists for the 12th straight game (a team record).

Those are the three most notable highlights from Boston's (29-22, 11-14 away) 100-79 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-28, 13-13 home) this evening at the Target Center.

Ray Allen missed his fifth game in a row but the Celtics still managed to win their fourth straight and sixth out of their last seven games.

Since this was in his former home, it was only right that Kevin Garnett (24 points, 10 rebounds) was the best player on either team. I'm not sure what he did over the All-Star break but he appears to have found an anti-aging formula since he's playing some great basketball, it's the best he's looked in years.

Paul Pierce added 21 points, Rondo notched 17 assists, six rebounds and three steals (with two turnovers), Avery Bradley scored 17 and Brandon Bass had 12 points. Keyon Dooling (8 points, 3 assists) and Greg Stiemsma (8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) are the two bench players that are taking the most advantage of their increased minutes.

Minnesota is Kevin Love's (22 points, 11 rebounds) team and although he's been playing out of his mind this season, especially lately, suggestions that he could win an MVP award are absurd since the Timberwolves are under .500 and unlikely to make the playoffs.

Without Ricky Rubio (lost to an ACL tear), Love doesn't have enough help. Luke Ridnour had 15 points and eight assists. Rookie Derrick Williams put up 14 points and seven rebounds. No other Timberwolf scored in double figures.

This was one that Minnesota really needed to keep their fading playoff hopes alive but the funny thing is that the Celtics basically never gave them a chance. Boston was up 31-20 after one quarter and 56-45 at halftime. The Green took a 79-67 lead into the fourth and although the Timberwolves cut it to 10, the C's never were truly threatened.

Boston had one of its best defensive performances as they shot 14.2% better than Minnesota (48.9%-34.7%). Nearly doubling up the Timberwolves in assists (29-15) helped the Celts overcome 13 more made free throws (21-8). The Celtics had four more steals (9-5) while the Timberwolves committed a whopping 11 more turnovers (20-9). That helped Boston lead 16-3 in points off turnovers plus they had 10 more points in the paint (46-36).

This next week is arguably the toughest of the season for the Celtics in terms of opponents: they face Miami, San Antonio, Chicago and Indiana over seven days. April looks very tough as Boston starts out with seven playoff teams in a row. The good news is that their back-to-back couldn't be any easier: at Raptors, at Nets and at Bobcats.

The Heat come to TD Garden on Sunday afternoon and if it feels like they haven't played the Celtics in months, it's true. Their only meeting was the second game of the season, a 115-107 win by the Heat in Miami. Boston needs to prove they can beat a team the caliber of the Heat on a consistent basis. I'm excited since I'm going and it's my first Celtics game of the season. I haven't seen them play the Heat since Miami signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh so it should be a fun atmosphere (3:30 game on ABC, national audience).





Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Cue The Excuses: Celtics Off To 0-3 Start After Embarrassing Loss In New Orleans


I'm sick of the excuses for the Boston Celtics. I love this team but they started in the preseason and they're only going to get worse since they are off to a pathetic 0-3 start after losing 97-78 tonight to the New Orleans Hornets at the New Orleans Arena.

If you're a green teamer, you'll say it was the first back-to-back of the season for the Celts (0-3). They were playing their third game in four days and Paul Pierce sat out for the third straight time. Whichever bogus loser's lament you want to chose, Boston just began 2011-12 with three depressing losses on the road.

Sidenote, I love Tommy Heinsohn but his constant theme of harping on the refs (deserved or not) gets mighty old when your team sucks. Just saying.

By far, this one was the worst since at least in the other two (at New York and Miami), they showed some fight and competitive spirit before losing games they had no business winning. Nope, tonight they simply laid down to a team that not only was missing its best player-Eric Gordon-but likely won't even make the playoffs in the Western Conference.

After a 9-2 run to start the game by the C's, it was never really close as the Hornets (2-0) rolled in their home opener. One last excuse, it was the third home opener the Celts had to be the visiting team for.

Former Worcester Academy star Jarrett Jack had a game-high 21 points with nine assists while Carl Landry had 20 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans. Others in double-figures for the winners included former UConn star Emeka Okafor (13 points, 5 blocks), Marco Belinelli (13 points) and Chris Kaman added 12 off the bench.

Ray Allen led Boston with 15 points, Rajon Rondo was the only other Celtics starter to reach double-digits with 13 points. Brandon Bass (11 points) and Keyon Dooling (10 points) continue to score well off the bench.

The only real thing I learned from this contest was that Doc Rivers might as well start rookie Greg Stiemsma. In his first action of the season, the former D-League player and Wisconsin center had six blocks in 20 minutes. That's enough to convince me that he should start over the ghost of Jermaine O'Neal (2 points, 6 rebounds in 21 minutes). Well at least until Danny Ainge signs or trades for a better option.

New Orleans led 24-19 after the first quarter and 48-39 at halftime. Boston never really fought back as they draw even with the Hornets in the third (24-24) and eventually waved the white flag in the fourth (25-15 Hornets).

Boston's tired legs caused a bunch of ugly numbers for them. New Orleans shot 45.6% from the field which is average but looks great against Boston's 37.2%. The Celts hit three more 3-pointers (7-4) but the Hornets made eight more free throws (21-13), grabbed 11 more rebounds (48-37) and had three more steals (7-4). With no big-time inside presence, the Hornets still owned the paint (46-24).

It can only get better from here, right? Boston limps home and then faces the Detroit Pistons (0-2) at TD Garden on Friday night. It's hard to call a game before New Year's a must-win in the NBA but if the Celts lose to the Pistons and fall to 0-4, it might be time to start figuring out how to blow this all up.

Also, can Pierce suit up on Friday? Or is that too much to ask for a guy with a bruised heel? I hate to compare sports but could you imagine a Bruin or Patriot missing this much time for such a fraudulent and not very serious injury.





Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Celts Fall To 0-2 With Strange Loss In Miami


I wanted to believe that the Boston Celtics had a chance to steal a win tonight in Miami against the Heat but I'm a realist. Without Paul Pierce, whatever slim chance they possessed was basically nullified.

The Heat (2-0) got up by as many as 20 but they had to sweat a comeback by the Celtics (0-2) who cut it to three before falling 115-107 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

If I told you that rookie point guard Norris Cole was the Heat's best player in the fourth quarter, with 14 of their 24 total points, you wouldn't believe me right? Welcome to the NBA, where scrubs can shine when they are on a team with superstars.

As expected, LeBron James (team-high 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Dwyane Wade (24 points, 8 assists, 4 blocks) went crazy when Miami's minds were into the game. However, once the Celtics threw a junk zone defense at them in the third quarter, that changed everything. I'm shocked a noted Xs and O's guy like Coach Spo wasn't able to solve that riddle.

Ray Allen (game-high 28 points including 6 of 8 on 3-pointers), Rajon Rondo (22 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds) and Keyon Dooling (18 points off the bench) made it interesting until Cole (20 points) sealed it with a jumper, steal and some free throws.

It's nice to see that Boston didn't pack it in when they certainly could have but there are much bigger issues than that for this squad that seems to be aging twice as fast as normal. Namely the fact that Kevin Garnett (12 points, 5 rebounds) looks terrible, Jermaine O'Neal (0 points, 1 rebound) is still the starting center-with no real backup-and Sasha Pavlovic (5 points) got another start in Pierce's absence.

On the bright side, Brandon Bass (13 points, 5 rebounds) had another solid game off the bench for the Celtics.

Things have gotten so bad for KG that Chris Bosh (18 points, 11 rebounds) is clearly outplaying him. Not that it takes much when you play with LeBron and Wade.

Miami led 30-27 after the first quarter and 69-54 at halftime. That was the most points Boston had allowed in a first half in over 6.5 years. Pathetic.

The Heat pushed it to 20 points (85-65) midway through the third after a jumper by LeBron but they started to lose focus and go for highlight reel plays rather than smart basketball moves.

The Celtics outscored the Heat 29-22 in the third (down 91-83 headed into the fourth) and cut it to three with a few minutes left but Rondo threw a stupid lead pass to Dooling that was easily stolen. Cole made a shot, Bass hit a shot to trim it to three again but another Cole jumper closed the door and prompted ironic MVP chants by the cartoonish Miami crowd-featuring Rick Ross and DJ Khaled!

For the game, Miami shot 56.0% to 51.4% for Boston. The Celts made twice as many 3s (12-6) which is what kept them in it. The Heat hit four more free throws (25-21) and grabbed 10 more rebounds (38-28). Miami's athleticism showed up in the other numbers: seven more steals (16-9), five more blocks (8-3), 24 more points in the paint (52-28) and 14 more points off turnovers (33-19).

Chris Wilcox didn't play in the second half because of a shoulder injury so Doc Rivers already declared him and Pierce out for tomorrow night's game in New Orleans. Rivers might as well give rookies JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore the first run of their NBA careers; at least they won't have tired legs like everyone else.

It's the last contest of this three-game road trip to start the season and if we're being truthful, the C's could really use a win. 0-3 is not how they want to start this shortened schedule.

The Hornets (1-0) are not particularly good without Chris Paul but they're young and they have nothing to lose, not a good combo for Boston facing its first back-to-back of the young season.

PS. Why does Dick Bavetta still have a job?





Thursday, December 8, 2011

Marquis Daniels Appears To Be Returning To The Celtics For The 2011-12 Season


According to the Boston Globe, the Boston Celtics are "very close" to bringing swingman Marquis Daniels (on a one-year deal) back for his third season with the Green.

Last year was a bizarre one for Daniels since he suffered a scary spinal cord injury Feb. 6 against the Orlando Magic. He was traded to Sacramento before the deadline for a 2017 draft pick (haha really) but he never played a game for the Kings.

Daniels' health is always the biggest issue, he missed a bunch of games in 2009-10 due to a thumb injury. However, since he's been here before, he is capable of jumping in and contributing much faster than other veterans that have never played under Doc Rivers and with the Big Three.

Daniels can play three positions (both guard positions and small forward) and he's an outstanding defender. Best of all, he's 30-years-old (going into his ninth NBA season) so he should have something left in his legs. Haha on the Celts, he'd be one of their younger guys and more importantly, he'd anchor the bench which at the moment is basically non-existent.

In other news with Training Camp beginning tomorrow in Waltham, undrafted rookie guard Gilbert Brown (Pitt) is expected to be there. The C's thought about drafting him in June but when he went undrafted, they kept in touch with Brown and his agent. His strengths are defense and his size for a guard. He could definitely make the team as one of the last guys on the bench.

Veteran guard Keyon Dooling (who averaged 7 points, 3 assists last season with the Bucks) and big guy Michael Sweetney have also been mentioned as names that could turn up tomorrow in Celtics practice gear. Dooling has reportedly been obtained for a future second round pick of the Celtics.