Boston Celtics Tony Gaffney And Oliver Lafayette Look To Keep Their NBA Dreams Alive
[picappgallerysingle id="3883352"]Tony Gaffney and Oliver Lafayette a year ago were praying to find a road to the NBA. Lafayette was playing in the D league after a solid college career at the University of Houston. Despite showing solid defensive skills and a decent ability to score, many NBA GMs thought he was too small to be a two guard and not the right skill set for a point guard in the NBA. However, Lafayette was given an opportunity first for the Erie BayHawks and Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA D-League. Lafayette would improve his game greatly and make NBA type adjustments. The results were he went from scoring thirteen points a game to almost 18 points a game. Ainge would be watching a different player and saw Lafayette light it up. Boston needed players after the Eddie House for Nate Robinson trade that included Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens. The result was Lafayette was signed to an NBA contract for the rest of the year. Not bad going to the NBA Finals after being in the D- League with no team.
The Mass native that is Gaffney began the year in of all places LA. After being a star defensive player in college for U Mass, he still went undrafted as teams did not like anything about his offensive game. LA invited him to camp and he was the last player cut during training camp. He then went to of all places Israel to play. After a foot injury, he returned. Danny liked his defensive game in college and again needed wing players if for nothing else practice. The team had an out of position Tony Allen and Marquis Daniels, and of course Paul Pierce playing small forward. Gaffney was defensive minded and a hard worker. The team needed a body and Gaffney was Ainge’s man.
Ainge brought these men in not just because he needed bodies, but because he liked something in their games. It could be because both are hungry and work very hard. It could be that both are solid defensive players that take that end of the floor seriously since college. We forget that to even play college basketball anywhere, a player must be very talented. To make a D-League roster, a player must be even more talented. No matter the answer, it appears right now that Gaffney and Lafayette have a shot at both contracts and at least a date in Maine playing as Celtics property in the D League. This may be a road to the NBA for both of them. Both have an uphill battle, but in the NBA anything can happen. Maybe Gaffney and Lafayette should not be forgotten just yet.
Boston Celtics Glen Davis Is A Cult Hero: He Needs To Be More
[picappgallerysingle id="9127495"]The Boston Celtics have one man that transcends the sport with his off court antics in Shaquille O’Neal. He might have some competition with the man that shares his college ties at LSU in Glen Davis. Glen Davis has always been a bit of a ham since his rookie season. His jumbotron rants to ignite the crowd into frenzy were always some of the best. Any man that dons a Mohawk as a rookie should be considered to be hardwired mentally a little different. Davis was enthusiastic, immature, and funny.
Glen Davis is starting to command serious attention. His Twitter and Facebook are must sees for most Celtic fans. His antics off the court are becoming must see as well. The man wears ridiculous outfits at time with pictures like his Where is Waldo outfit complete with glasses and striped shirt. He goes to the MMA fight on Saturday at the Garden and the media pounces on him. The man tweets about a five AM workout and about six blogs appear throughout the course of the day. It may not be news and the offseason may be slow for stories, but people will read the story and click on the site. At least this shows that he is getting ready for the season.
The Celtics need Glen Davis to not only continue to improve, but be a difference maker. The team is going to need Davis and his energy in the paint. Davis is not the biggest guy, but he can play like a bull and grab rebounds. Charles Barkley says rebounding is all about desire. Davis had a lot more desire than most. Davis also has a sweet mid range jumper from the top of the key ala Kevin Garnett. I do not think anybody has forgotten about that after the 09 playoffs. Davis seems to elevate his game at the biggest moments and that makes him a very valuable piece off the bench. The man that seems to come up big most nights in the playoffs needs to be that way every game.
This means the playful Davis needs to vanish for the season. Davis has matured a little over the years. The guy that broke his hand in a stupid fight that set his development back or the guy pushing a little kid that was a Magic fan after a big shot needs to vanish. The man can be fun loving and play with emotion, but to be truly great, he must use his emotion to sharpen not weaken his intensity on the court. Too many times even last year against good teams, Davis would vanish. It seemed a guy would get in Davis’s head (mostly larger opponents) and he would become a different player. Now I realize Davis is undersized, but he can more than hold his own with his wide frame and jump shot. The fact that he can do so much on the court makes his bad games noticeable. The Big Three are older and the entire starting unit needs a lift this year from the bench. A serious Glen Davis can provide that. I am hoping that when the season begins, the tweeting and foolishness ends and the animal that could be Glen Davis is unleashed.
Boston Celtics Shaq Already Bringing Larger Than Life Persona To Boston
[picappgallerysingle id="6122186"] Boston is also one of the most crazed sports areas on the planet. Boston also has one of the most knowledgeable and rabid fans on the planet. Boston is a city that has one of the largest media outlets in the world. The Boston Celtics just added a player in Shaquille O’Neal that transcends his sport. What do you get when one mixes all those ingredients together? The perfect storm is the answer.
Shaq has only been in town a short time and I believe that the shadow he leaves off the court is larger than the one he leaves on the court. This is not a knock, but the guy is everywhere. I have heard his commercial with Ben Stein for Comcast a million times. He has been on every radio station or media outlet since his arrival. I will admit his knock on WEEI radio personality Michael Holly after Holly asked Shaq what kind of shape he was in was tremendous. The man goes to a MMA fight on Saturday as his first official appearance in Boston as a Celtic after his signing was covered by a multitude of media outlets. Granted there is not much going on in the world of Boston Celtics basketball right now, but is a guy going out on a Saturday night really news? All this for a man that is likely to be a role player on a very good team.
The bottom line is I do not believe this team has ever had a star that has transcended his sport like Shaq. Larry Bird was a household name because he was a tremendous basketball player. We know of Bill Russell’s greatness because of his skills on the court. People that do not watch basketball know a lot about Shaq due to his pop culture icon status. Shaq rapped. Shaq was in terrible movies like Kazam. Shaq is in commercials. The man has countless followers on Facebook and Twitter. Shaq is everywhere. Boston get used to seeing the Big Shamrock’s face. You will be seeing a lot as long as Boston is his home. Due to the fact he may help bring Banner 18 home due to his defense, rebounding, and inside presence it is a face Celtic fans are glad to see.
Boston Celtics Luke Harangody May Be More Important Than You Think
[picappgallerysingle id="8260701"]The Boston Celtics roster still has one remaining spot. Paul Pierce may not have been right to have made his comments about the roster public, but he is right. The Celtics have a definite need for a true small forward. Do not get me wrong, I like Daniels at that spot. I believe at times that he has the length with his long arms to cover most small forwards in this league. I also believe that he will score a lot more points this year as well now that he is not setting up the second unit offense. I also believe that Von Wafer can handle some minutes at the three. If the lineup goes small, he could provide some athleticism and scoring should Wafer play like the Wafer of 09. However, at times the team is going to need a man that is a small forward by trait. The Celtics will need a guy that can both shoot and score in the paint. More importantly they will need a man with the true body frame for their defensive sets. Right now that job is in the hands of a rookie. That rookie is not even a high first round pick. A lot has been made of the Celtics plans for Avery Bradley at the point guard. Right now the most important rookie is Luke Harangody.
This is the type of situation that makes Doc Rivers cringe. Doc does not enjoy playing young players in big time situations. The lone exceptions are Rajon Rondo (He had zero choice in 08) and Glen Davis. Rondo had to start because the team had zero money left for a point guard after the formation of “The New Big Three”. Davis really was not used in too many big situations, but injuries forced glimpses of Davis. Davis showed glimpses of potential and found his way into a larger role in 09. The same could happen this year for Harangody.
The team has no real backup for Pierce. Granted most of Boston’s sets will have Pierce, Allen, or Rondo on the second unit at times to make Marquis Daniels the defacto backup for Pierce or Allen. This does not mean that Harangody will not see action. If injuries occur like in 2010, Luke Harangody will get a chance to show his worth. If the team needs a larger frame to defend, Harangody is that man right now. If foul trouble occurs, Harangody will see minutes. Looking at these possible scenarios, it is easy to see Luke may just get a chance to shine.
The question is can Luke help this team? The answer is a resounding yes. Luke is not a young player coming into this league. He played all four years at Notre Dame. He was a great college player. He was a meat and potatoes type player that worked hard and got the most out of his skills and talents. Every year in college he got better. He rose from an 11 points a game freshman that scored more on his hard work in the paint to a scorer with a reliable mid range jump shot that scored 20 plus a game. The man worked his butt off. Even after a great junior year, he knew he needed to work on his shot. That work ethic on the improvement of his game showed enough to be drafted by Boston in the second round.
The summer league showed Ainge might have uncovered another late round gem. Harangody was easily the best player on the court for most of the summer league games. Luke showed a great mid range jumper and a nose for rebounds. I know Boston had a problem rebounding, I know this guy has had zero problems grabbing rebounds on any level he has played at. Granted the talent level at the Summer League is nowhere near NBA quality. However, in order to be an NBA caliber player, one must outshine those that have skills, but are just not NBA material. Harangody did that. The last guy that played like this during the Summer League was Glen Davis. He turned out to be a solid contributor to the team.
Bottom line is a lot has made of the Celtics need for wing help. Pierce is begging for a backup. Maybe, the reason Ainge has not pulled any trigger yet is because of the promise that Harangody has showed. If Pierce can mentor the young lad like KG did Davis, then maybe the answer is Harangody at small forward. The work ethic the kid has is great and his skills are solid. Pierce’s training would put him over the top. If the backup small forward answer is Harangody then Ainge will once again prove that no one drafts better late than Danny Ainge.
Boston Celtics Danny Ainge Keeping His Eyes On Denver?
Danny Ainge is exploring all options right now in his quest for the last roster spot. Looking at what is going on in Denver, he might have his eyes pointed in that direction. The Nuggets are one Carmelo Anthony trade away from a fire sale. That being said, there will be a lot of trades facilitated by Denver with guys like Chauncy Billups, Kenyon Martin, Nene, Chris Andersen, or more importantly J.R. Smith available.
There are reports out there that the Nuggets want to shop Mello to either the Nets, Timberwolves, or the Kings. Talk about hurting a player. The Nuggets despite injuries are a serious playoff threat. If George Karl did not go down with cancer, they might have seriously challenged the Lakers. The team did play tremendous basketball before Karl went out. I remember one big win over Cleveland on the road that had people claiming that they were the team to topple the Lakers out West. Now Mello would be exiled to a bottom feeder? I guess be careful what you wish for.
If this deal goes down, then Denver does not need Chauncy Billups. Billups would be of no use to a team rebuilding, thus he would be dealt. The next couple dominos would be J.R. Smith and Andersen. Any team needing a big man might land Nene or Martin.
However, a lot of these guys outside of Billups and Mello come with buyer beware tags. Andersen has had drug issues in the past and is not much a shooter for the price he is paid. Martin and Nene have injuries. The man the Celtics would have interest in has an assault case looming over his head. J.R. Smith may be talented, but he is trouble. Stephan Marbury and Rasheed Wallace may have had issues, but they were not like Smith. Those that think the veteran Celtic team and strong willed Doc Rivers could help this man, clearly do not understand that this man’s terrible attitude extends off the court as well. Rasheed may have been a headache at times on the court, but the man had zero issues to distract the team off the court. Marbury was still semi sane upon his arrival in Boston. He also was desperate to play for a winner after being in purgatory in New York. He also had minimal issues off the court at that time. J.R. Smith is on a winning and contending team and still causes issue on and off the court. This would be a disaster waiting to happen.
I believe Ainge knows this. I believe that he will stay away from the toxic Smith. However, sometimes teams need a third party to deal. This means other players vanish. Does Omri Cassapi have no use if Mello is in Sac-town? His 1,167,000 salary would fit Boston’s pay structure. His soft shooting touch and young energetic play also is what the Celtics covet in Rudy Fernandez. I doubt his low salary would be included in the deal to make salaries match. Is Terrence Williams from the Nets expandable due to Mello’s arrival in New Jersey? His low salary and energy play would fit Boston perfectly. The team more likely would give up Derrick Favors and Travis Outlaw to make salaries work.
If these teams need a third party for more draft picks or a young player (Luke Harangody) to help facilitate a trade, Boston would be glad to help. Is Danny looking at Denver? My guess is that the thorough Danny Ainge is looking at the reports and examining all angles. Do not be surprised if a third team is needed that Ainge swoops in and steals another piece in the championship puzzle.
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