Let The Tanking Begin! Pierce & Garnett Shipped To Nets For 5 Players & 3 Future First-Round Picks

The end of the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett era with the Celtics officially came to a bizarre end tonight as both were shipped to Brooklyn in a blockbuster deal along with Jason Terry that totally overshadowed the mostly dull 2013 NBA Draft (in terms of possible star players in the future). The Nets will send in return Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph (drafted by Boston last year), the expiring deal of Kris Humphries, Reggie Evans and Keith Bogans along with three first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Once Doc Rivers went to the Clippers earlier this week, you knew that this day was coming soon especially since Pierce was owed an option for next season by Sunday. Rivers, KG and Pierce would have preferred to stay together but the players wouldn't have been able to join the Clippers this season because of an obscure NBA rule so the Celts had to find a new suitor: enter the Nets who have money to burn and seats to fill at the Barclays Center. This makes Brooklyn-a playoff team last season-much more of a contender. They should win the Atlantic Division and home court at least in the first round of the playoffs when their new additions mesh with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez.

It will be strange to see both of these guys in Brooklyn, who just hired Jason Kidd to be their head coach. Pierce spent his entire career with the Celtics (since 1998!) and KG was here since 2007 but it felt like even longer. Both are locks to make the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. Boston has now fully committed to tanking next season (for Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker?) and they are basically guaranteed to be awful for a few seasons. Who can blame them though? Getting lottery picks (to use or trade) is the only way for the C's to rebuild since truth be told Boston is not a coveted destination for most quality free agents. Losing Doc meant they had less of a drawing card and now without KG and Pierce, expect plenty of empty seats at TD Garden in 2013-14.

You have to wonder if Boston's final step is to trade Rajon Rondo-the only player they have left with any real value. In some ways it's tough to see them centering the new look team around a guy that's such a pain in the ass and anything but a leader. Oh and they still don't have a head coach. Yeesh. We wish KG and Pierce well, their jerseys will be retired in the rafters someday soon and we'll always have the 2008 NBA title plus six playoff bids in all six seasons that they were teammates.

What do the next few years have in store for the Celtics (other than many losses)? Your guess is as good as mine at this puzzling moment.

UPDATE 6/28: Instead of Evans, former PC star MarShon Brooks (who was also originally drafted by Boston) was included in the package to the Celtics.

UPDATE 6/30: To create another roster spot and free up a little salary, the Celtics waived guard Terrence Williams.

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This Isn't The NBA Summer League Anymore, Celtics Make First 2 Cuts Of The 2012-13 Roster

So far, I have avoided the Celtics' preseason games since they make NFL preseason games feel as exciting as the Super Bowl. An 82-game NBA regular season plus the playoffs is way more than enough. Today, Boston made its first two roster moves since they began training camp: they released guards Dionte Christmas and Jamar Smith.

If you didn't watch any of the NBA Summer Leagues this past summer and you're not a college basketball junkie (i'm guilty in both cases), then you probably don't even know who those guys are. They both played very well for Boston, especially Christmas whose minimum deal was half-guaranteed for $236,000 this season. I'm convinced from that and his time at Temple that Christmas can play in the NBA but he would never get minutes here so this probably isn't the worst thing to happen. As for Smith, he seems like D-League material to me.

By getting rid of these guys, the Celtics are down to 16 players on their roster. That means, they'll need to release one more player and they still have non-guaranteed camp invites left in swingman Micah Downs and forward Rob Kurz. I remember both from college and there is no chance either will be on the C's, sorry.

What I bet happens is that rookie guard Kris Joseph makes the team (today's moves really solidified his place) while Boston will sign some veteran in the next two weeks that gets released by another NBA team. It's hard to believe it but Celtics' regular season opener is two weeks from tonight, in Miami against the defending champions-the team that beat Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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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.

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Different City But Same Team & Same Result

The Boston Celtics are staking their claim as the best team in the 2012 NBA Summer League. After going 4-1 in Orlando last week, they begin their stay in Las Vegas with a one-sided 87-69 blowout of the Atlanta Hawks this afternoon at Cox Pavilion.

The C's (1-0) led from start to finish and had five players score in double figures. Rookies Kris Joseph and Jared Sullinger (7 rebounds) helped Boston cruise to victory with 14 points while Dionte Christmas and Jonathan Gibson scored 11 and Jamar Smith had 10.

Rookie Fab Melo had his best game of the summer (which isn't saying much) with seven points and five rebounds and E'Twaun Moore added nine points.

Atlanta (1-2) fielded a team with basically no NBA experience so its no wonder they got walloped. Rookies Mike Scott (6 rebounds) and John Jenkins paced the Hawks with 12 points while Keith Benson put up 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston rolled since they shot 5.7% better from the field (41.8-36.1), hit seven more 3-pointers (9-2) and made seven more free throws (22-15).

The Celtics led 23-16 after one quarter and 49-31 at halftime. Boston were up by as many as 23 points as their chemistry forged last week in Orlando started to take over. The Hawks cut it to 10 in the third quarter but still trailed 67-52 heading into the fourth.

Boston plays Chicago (0-0) tomorrow night (10 p.m., NBA TV).

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The Dream Is Over: Celtics' Unbeaten Summer League Run Goes Down In Flames

After three very solid games in a row to start the 2012 Orlando Summer League, the Celtics laid an egg this afternoon against the Pistons.

Detroit (3-1) led the whole way and coasted to an easy 93-79 victory over Boston (3-1) to hand them their first loss of the week or summer if you will. All you need to know about how one-sided it was: the Pistons shot 12.5% better (48.6-36.1) and dished out 14 more assists (23-9).

Here come the excuses: the Celtics gave their main starters a bit of a break so the bench guys started. Not that it mattered since the Pistons were on fire all game long; credit to Boston for cutting it to seven in the fourth but they were never really in it.

Former Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight looked like Rajon Rondo with a game-high 19 points and 14 assists. Austin Daye had 15 points and eight rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 12 points and UConn product Andre Drummoned added 10 points and eight rebounds.

The two real bright spots for the C's were JaJuan Johnson (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks), who had his best performance of the week and Kris Joseph (17 points, 11 rebounds), who continues to open eyes. Jamar Smith had 13 points, Jared Sullinger struggled from the field (2-for-9) but still managed 11 points and seven rebounds while Dionte Christmas scored his customary 10 points.

Boston closes out its week in Orlando with a matchup against the host Magic (2-2) tomorrow morning (10 a.m., NBA TV). After that, the C's will fly to Las Vegas as they are also participating in NBA Summer League in Sin City. Their first game there is on Monday night vs. Atlanta (6 p.m., NBA TV).

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Celtics Keeping Rolling In Orlando Summer League, Too Bad The Wins Are Meaningless

The beauty of NBA Summer Leagues is that provided you have a working DVR, you can watch your favorite team play a bunch of games in a short period of time. The results don't mean much and the rosters are made up of many has-beens, never weres and never will-bes but still, there is a reason to pay attention. You could be seeing the next great rookie or guy that comes out of nowhere like Jeremy Lin.

Boston (3-0) is the only unbeaten team left in Orlando as they knocked off Indiana (2-1) 85-77 this afternoon. It's unusual to see a Summer League team, which are usually thrown together at the last minute, have chemistry but the C's appear to work well together.

Six Celtics scored in double-figures led by Jared Sullinger (16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) and E'Twaun Moore (15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists). Kris Joseph (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) continues to be the most pleasant surprise for the Green and Dionte Christmas (10 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) has a good chance to make some NBA team while Jamar Smith (12 points) and JaJuan Johnson (11 points, 5 rebounds) both provided a lift off the bench.

The Pacers were a two-man team with Lance Stephenson (19 points, 7 turnovers) hogging the ball and Miles Plumlee (18 points, 8 rebounds) cleaning up inside despite his goofy hairdo.

There was plenty to like about Boston's effort since they basically outworked Indiana in every category which must have drove Larry Bird (sitting courtside) crazy. The Celtics shot 11% better from the field (51.6-40.6), grabbed six more rebounds (37-31), handed out twice as many assists (16-8), made one more steal (10-9) and two more blocks (7-5).

It was tight the whole way but the Celts outscored the Pacers in every quarter. Boston led 18-15 after one quarter and 36-31 at halftime. The C's edged the Pacers 19-18 in the third then both teams exploded in the fourth (30-28 Boston).

Once again, Boston gets the early start (11 a.m., NBA TV) as they face Detroit (2-1) tomorrow afternoon. Look out for UConn big man Andre Drummond on the Pistons, who has the potential to be great in the NBA or a complete bust. Nobody really knows which is part of what makes the Connecticut native so intriguing.

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You Can't Stop Jonathan Gibson, You Can Only Hope To Contain Him

The Celtics (2-0) staged a nice rally from 17 points down in the first half and 9 points in the fourth quarter as they beat the Nets (0-2) 82-73 tonight in the 2012 Orlando Summer League.

Guard Jonathan Gibson (New Mexico State) went off in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 17 points to help Boston take care of Brooklyn. He was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers overall and 4-for-4 from the field in the final frame. Most impressive, he did all his damage in only 14 minutes.

Three other Celtics scored in double-figures: E'Twaun Moore (15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Kris Joseph (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Dionte Christmas (10 points). Jared Sullinger (8 points, 12 rebounds) didn't have quite the scoring output of Monday but he made up for it by owning the glass, including four offensive boards. JaJuan Johnson and Jamar Smith each scored eight points as well in the satisfying victory.

Al Thornton led the Nets with 16 points and eight rebounds, showing that his career could get back on track. Providence College alum MarShon Brooks added 13 points and four assists while former No. 3 pick in 2006 Adam Morrison had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) and rookie point guard Tyshawn Taylor put up 10 points but also seven turnovers.

Boston led 24-18 after one quarter but an extended drought in the second quarter gave Brooklyn a 45-31 advantage at halftime. The Celtics rolled 51-28 in the second half including 30-14 in the fourth quarter.

The C's hit five more 3-pointers (7-2) which made up for six less free throws made (23-17).

After playing in the final game of the day on Tuesday, Boston gets the first one on Wednesday. They'll meet Indiana (2-0), live at 11 a.m. on NBA TV.

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It's All About Celtics Rookie Forward Jared Sullinger On Day 1 Of Orlando Summer League

It only took one game in the 2012 Orlando Summer League that lasted 40 minutes to show why rookie forward Jared Sullinger could turn out to be a complete steal for the Celtics in the near future.

He had a game-high 20 points and six rebounds as the Celts (1-0) held off the Thunder (0-1) 73-65 this afternoon at the Magic's practice facility.

Second-year guard E'Twaun Moore (16 points, 4 assists) and guard Dionte Christmas (10 points, 10 rebounds) were the other C's in double-figures.

Oklahoma City rookie forward Perry Jones III, who fell even further than Sullinger in the 2012 NBA Draft, proved that when he puts his mind to it that he can be very effective on a basketball court. He had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Former Boston College guard Reggie Jackson led the Thunder with 19 points while Marquette forward Lazar Heyward added 18 points.

Boston jumped out to a 15-point lead (25-10) at the end of the first quarter but Oklahoma City cut it to 36-34 at halftime. The Thunder trailed 51-50 heading into the fourth.

Sullinger along with fellow rookies Kris Joseph (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Fab Melo (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks) all came off the bench for the Celtics.

Sullinger took over in the second half as he scored 14 of his 20 points. He showed versatility in his game: hitting a key 3-pointer in the fourth, make a nice spin move then layup and even a running hook shot off the glass. He was also 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

Guard Jamar Smith posted nine points for Boston while forward JaJuan Johnson grabbed eight rebounds in the victory.

The C's meet the Brooklyn Nets (0-1) and former Providence College star MarShon Brooks (subject of many trade rumors involving the Dwight Howard situation) tomorrow night (5 p.m., NBA TV).

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2012 NBA Summer Leagues: Feel The Excitement In Orlando & Las Vegas

Just a quick reminder that if you consider yourself a true hoops junkie like myself, you will definitely want to tune into NBA TV the next few weeks for the Orlando Summer League (July 9-13) and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (July 13-22).

The fun starts tomorrow as the Orlando Summer League kicks off at 11 a.m. with the Brooklyn Nets taking on the Orlando Magic. The Celts face the Oklahoma City Thunder at 1 p.m. (bless you DVR). Here's the rest of the schedule, note that the games are closed to the public.

Orlando Summer League
Date Time Opponent
Monday, July 9 1:00 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, July 10 5:00 p.m. Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, July 11 11:00 a.m. Indiana Pacers
Thursday, July 12 11:00 a.m. Detroit Pistons
Friday, July 13 10:00 a.m. Orlando Magic

Here's the schedule for Vegas, that one should be much more exciting with many more teams and actual crowds. I officially hate anyone that gets paid to cover those contests.

NBA Summer League
Date Time Opponent Venue
Monday, July 16 4:00 p.m. Atlanta Hawks, Cox Pavilion
Tuesday, July 17 10:00 p.m. Chicago Bulls, Cox Pavilion
Thursday, July 19 6:30 p.m. Sacramento Kings, Thomas & Mack Center
Saturday, July 21 10:30 p.m. Milwaukee Bucks, Thomas & Mack Center
Sunday, July 22 6:00 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers, Cox Pavilion

According to the blog Secret Rival, these are the players that will at least start on the Celtics' roster tomorrow afternoon in Orlando. True to form in summer league games, things are pretty fluid so some guys might leave, get hurt, etc. so by no means is this final.

He lists age, position and what team they played for most recently.

BOSTON CELTICS
Craig Brackins (24) - C - Maine (D-League)
Dionte Christmas (25) - SG - Rethymno (Greece)
Jonathan Gibson (24) - SG - Trabzonspor (Turkey)
JaJuan Johnson (23) - F - Celtics
Kris Joseph (23) - SF - 51st pick out of Syracuse
Stephane Lasme (29) - PF - Obradoiro (Spain)
Fab Melo (22) - C - 22nd pick out of Syracuse
E'Twaun Moore (23) - SG - Celtics
Jamar Smith (25) - SG - BK Prostejov (Czech Rep)
Jared Sullinger (20) - PF - 21st pick out of Ohio State
Sean Williams (25) - F/C - Celtics/Mavericks

Things to note about those players:
1) Brackins prepped at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire before going to Iowa State
2) Christmas played at Temple, he was a very good college player
3) Lasme went to UMass-Amherst and nearly made the Celtics last season.
4) Johnson, Moore and Williams were buried on Boston's bench in the playoffs last spring so they'll be trying to show what they have.
5) All three 2012 draft picks are scheduled to play.

It is understandable if the NBA Summer Leagues don't do it for you; I get that it's a sickness to watch more than one or two of these games and I can accept that. Still, keep in mind that many of these players make NBA rosters if not next season then in the near future. It's also a great chance to get your first look at the next crop of rookies around the NBA and get a feel for who is going to be good, bad, etc.

Last of all, it's the MLB All-Star break aka the most dead period in the sports year so there really aren't any other options as far as this week goes. Follow me on Twitter (@RichSlate) since I will be watching all the Celtics' games and tweeting about them. If I feel like they deserve some blog posts, I'll do that too.

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2 Orange & 1 Buckeye Are The Newest Boston Celtics

After much speculation about Boston trading up in the 2012 NBA Draft, maybe even to select head coach Doc Rivers's son Austin, the Celtics ended up keeping all three of their original picks: No. 21 (Jared Sullinger, sophomore power forward, Ohio State), No. 22 (Fab Melo, sophomore center, Syracuse) and No. 51. (Kris Joseph, senior small forward, Syracuse).

All three players are particularly well known to college basketball fans since not only are they from two of the better programs and more prestigious conferences (Big Ten and Big East respectively) but the Buckeyes and Orange faced each other in the Elite 8 at TD Garden this past March. I'd say that Danny Ainge did all the scouting he needed then but Melo was suspended for the NCAA Tournament so there goes that half-ass lazy theory.

Of those guys, Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) is by far the one that makes me most hopeful. The two-time All-American would have been a Top-10 pick if he left Ohio State in 2011 after his freshman year. It's not that he had a bad sophomore season (17.5 points, 9.2 rebounds) as the Buckeyes went to the Final Four but in his case two things worked against him: more exposure meant increased scrutiny and possible issues with his back raised a red flag the last few weeks at workouts.

He's a great low-post player that is also able to step out and hit jumpers consistently. He gets to the basket, draws fouls and hits free throws. Perhaps most importantly for the Celts, he knows how to rebound (one of their biggest issues last season). Sullinger is pretty slow and not particularly agile so it'll be interesting to see if he can be as effective against bigger and faster guys in the NBA. One thing's for sure: he knows how to play the game and he's a winner which is why I think this was a steal for the C's provided his back holds up.



Which leads me to Melo (@fabpmelo); I have already bashed the man in print (check out last week's Metro Boston boom/bust Draft preview) but I have to admit that he made sense in this spot. There weren't many other great options then and his potential upside is huge if he can just get focused. He was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year last season with 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks for the Orange. If nothing else, he can give Boston the defensive presence at center (he's a legit 7-feet) that they've lacked. I don't know if I'd call him a project (although his offensive game is very basic) but I certainly would be surprised if he gives the Celts much his rookie season. It'll probably be a big adjustment for him to the NBA but that's usually how it goes with big men.



One could argue that the Joseph (@Krisjo32) (13.4 points, 4.7 rebounds last season with Cuse) pick was a throwaway choice so it didn't really matter but I have to say that I didn't really understand it. I saw him a million times in college (since he was a senior) and he never impressed me despite the fact that he led Syracuse in scoring the last two seasons. He's just OK at everything: shooting, driving, passing and playing defense. He could have a hard time making this roster next season although that's not to say he couldn't hook on in a less intense environment.

I'll keep you updated to see if these players will be on the Summer League teams that begin play next week. I doubt the Celts' front office would let Sullinger suit up. Melo seems like he could and you know Joseph will be there from Day 1.

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