Eddie House  had a much better year than last and continues to be a threat off the bench for the Celts. He was able to start appearing in different situations not just as a point guard, but also has a shooting guard on occasion too. House really benefited from the arrival of Stephon Marbury as the two them really enjoyed being on the floor together and made a good guard set while Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen got to have a breather.

Mr. Catch and Shoot had a good regular season when he appeared in all but one game. He had solid numbers off the bench in 18.3 minutes per game, which was slightly lower then his 19 minutes per game in 2008. Eddie finished the regular season averaging 8.5 points, 1.1 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game. He also seemed to have improved his ball handling skills which I had criticized him for after last season. Continue reading Eddie House: 2008-2009 Celtics Review »

Wednesday, the Boston Herald reported that Leon Powe believes his days in Boston have come to an end. The third-year forward was not offered a qualifying offer from the Celtics and now has become an unrestricted free agent. While I am a little sad to see Leon go, it is not an overly surprising move. With the severe knee injury he suffered, Powe is going to be out for a good length of time, estimates range from December to February on when he will be ready to play again.

The Celtics were not willing to tie up money and a roster space on a player they were uncertain would be healthy and ready to play come the start of the season. Powe was a good young player while in Boston and will be missed. He is a player who always gave it all and did things the right way. He was an important piece to a championship team and will be remembered fondly in the city. Continue reading Leon Powe Not Returning to the Celtics »

“These teams are muck!”

I can see it now, NBA franchises complaining all over the league if Rasheed Wallace agrees to a deal with the Celtics. It would just be unfair. When you consider Wallace even taking a sixth man type role, the Celtics are considerably stronger than the 2008 team that won the championship.

“Can there be a veto to this deal!?”

Maybe it’s not so unfair. With Shaq going to Cleveland and Vince Carter going to Orlando, the Celtics are looking to stack up too. The Eastern Conference is becoming a war zone and there will be pandemonium if Wallace becomes a Celtic.

Continue reading Rasheed Wallace Headed to the Celtics? »

Toward the end of last year, Tony Allen seemed to fully recover from his knee injury that sidelined him for much of the 06-07 season, which had appeared to be the beginnings of a breakout year. He showed flashes in 07-08, punctuated by that great 360-degree dunk to finish of the Lakers in the finals last year, and seemed ready to take the next step.

Allen was my guy of choice to be the new sixth man after the loss of James Posey. Last October, at the start of the season, Allen did take on that role for a while until injury struck again. Allen ended up only playing in 46 games this past year and still has yet to realize his immense talent. Continue reading Tony Allen: 2008-2009 Celtics Review »

The draft has come and gone, and thankfully, in my opinion, the Celtics’ starting lineup remains in tact. I say give ‘em another year. The NBA free agency period officially opens on Wednesday. Celtics’ management has said that they would be willing to pay for the right veteran. Before we examine all options, let’s officially rule some players out.

The Celtics can offer no more than the mid-level exception (MLE) to any given player. This year the MLE will be just under $6 million a year as a base pay. Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Shawn Marion and Hedo Turkoglu will not be Celtics next season. Each of these players either played too well in the playoffs to be fielding MLE offers or have teams that want to keep them too badly to let them walk for the MLE.

The C’s are obviously going to inquire about NBA veterans Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyss, Grant Hill, and Joe Smith, but who else is out there? Here are my five favorite under-the-radar free agents that would fit nicely on the C’s. Continue reading The Celtics Have Market Options »

So, this might not directly affect us as Celtics fans, but anytime someone of Yao Ming’s stature looks like he could be leaving the NBA, it causes ripples. The giant Chinese superstar suffered a hairline fracture of one of the bones in his foot during a playoff loss against the Lakers in Houston. Initial reports indicated that he’d be unable to play for eight to 12 weeks. Since nobody really gave the Rockets much of a shot at getting past Los Angeles anyway, it was thought to be a big deal, but nothing too grave.

New details have emerged, however. The Rockets announced last week that he would be consulting with doctors to “map out a new course of treatment,” according to ESPN.com. It is thought that Yao could miss at least half of next season, and with fellow Houston cornerstone Trace McGrady set to miss a similar amount of playing time, one of the tougher teams in the Western Conference is in real trouble. Worse, Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that the center’s injury “could be career-threatening.”

What’s it all mean to a Celtics fan, anyway? Continue reading Stop Laughing Right Yao: Could the Rockets Center be Done for? »