The Boston Celtics Report Is Moving

 

The Boston Celtics Report is moving to a new home. As of Saturday at the earliest or Monday at the latest, the Boston Celtics Report is
now a part of RANT Sports. The new site will have Rob Nelson’s work featured in the Celtics section of the site as well as the NBA section. This new and
updated site will have many cool features as well as be more interactive. By logging in to a Rant Sports account, you will be able to submit possible
articles. The bottom line is Rants Sports is growing and the Boston Celtics Report is Proud to be a part of it. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!

 

The site address will be RantSports.com. Look forward to seeing you there.

 

Boston Celtics Jermaine O’Neal’s Health A Huge Factor For Next Season

The good news for Celtics fans is they have at least one center on their roster. The great news is he played tremendous in the playoffs and should he give Boston the type of shot blocking and inside presence that he gave Boston in the post season during the regular season in 2012, they will be in great shape. The problem is that is a serious question given the fact he only NBA center under contract is Jermaine O’Neal.

The team played night and day with a reliable defensive center in the middle. The Boston Celtics looked unstoppable with Shaq playing solid minutes in early 2011.
Shaq helped the Celtics defense immeasurably by sealing off the paint and making the help defensive schemes work. It is a lot easier to play up on the opposing shooters if a defender knows a capable big man in the middle is waiting. If Boston can get that type of defensive presence in the middle, they will look more like the team that was best in the East in the first half rather than the floundering team in the second half. Right now they are relying on JO for most of those minutes.

The fact is JO was just not reliable last season. The once great center’s body betrayed him. First it was his wrist injury. Then his knee and back were issues. His knee never really
recovered and he ended up missing most of last season with swelling in his knee area that caused him to need surgery. Jo deserves a lot of credit for busting his butt and returning the way he did to help Boston get past the Knicks in the first round. The problem is even that was short lived as JO appeared to have hurt his back and wrist in the final moments of the Miami series.

JO can obviously still contribute when healthy. The man did a great job blocking sixteen shots in nine playoff games for the playoffs. The role JO is more suited for is back up for double digit minutes. However, even those minutes are crucial in Boston’s defense. Proof of this can be found in the Krstic minutes last season that killed Boston
defensively. The bottom line is JO is no longer a lock to pencil in for 20 plus minutes a night at center. This means Ainge needs to get some help fast. I like JO, but this is not a situation that will work.  Stay Tuned on the answers to this problem. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!

Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo For The Last TIme Is Not Overrated

                Rajon Rondo. Though he’s one of the league’s elite passers and defenders, Rondo’s inability to develop a reliable jump shot, improve his free throw shooting or consistently attack the rim has hindered his claim as “the best point guard in the NBA.” Put kindly, he is an offensive liability and overvalued by fans

Jovan Buha from ClipperBlog Courtesy Of ESPN

The fact is that ESPN can call him overrated all they want, but Rondo is a star in this league now. Is he a
complete player like Chris Paul right now? Sadly, the answer is no. However, the fact remains that all the positives that Rondo brings to the table more
than make up for deficiencies and then some. The man is arguably the best passer and defender at his position. The beautiful fact is Rondo did not need
to be a great shooter to help Boston win most of the time. His role was facilitator and defender. Not many can say they have done that better than Rondo
over the last few seasons.

The true measure of a point guard is how often his team wins. Granted Rondo has had some great teammates, but
plenty of other guys have had great players and done a lot less than what Rondo has given Boston. The man has guided his team to two NBA Finals appearances, an
NBA title, three 50 plus win seasons, and a 60 plus win season in the last four years. These win totals are with injury filled rosters and missing a solid
backup point guard for the last four years. How much better would he be with a guy to give him some rest? How much less banged up would he be?

I find myself laughing at Buha’s foolish analysis. If he bothered to watch Rondo, he would understand that Rondo
can get to the rim whenever he wants. I truly believe Rondo on a bad team would average in the top 15 in scoring. The man wants to win and will do what he
feels he needs to do to accomplish that. On a bad team that means score more. He would do just that.

I believe people foolishly think Rondo is worried about the free throw line. I think that is quite the opposite.
Rondo wants to draw the foul. Every foul puts the other team closer to the penalty. The penalty changes the opposition’s defense. The reason he does not
attack is usually either an injury and he is trying to stay on the floor. The other issue is the game plan has him as the team’s fourth option to score. This
means he is looking to pass and not attack. I will guarantee with the Big Three older, Rondo will look to carry more of the scoring load. The only issue is Ainge
better have a backup that can give him a rest and not have him burnt out come playoff time.

The aspects of his game that are weak will get better. Rondo puts a lot of hours of practice on his game night
in and night out. People do not see him before the games working hard on his elbow jumper. They do not see the countless three point shots hoisted in effort
to improve his shot. Rondo reminds me of a young Jason Kidd. Kidd took a long time to develop the shot that helped secure Dallas an NBA title last season.
Much like Kidd, give Rondo time and he will be a solid shooter. The man puts in too much effort for his touch to not round into form. Besides Rondo’s jump shot
did not stop Boston from scoring 50 wins, dismantling the Knicks, and giving Miami a minor run in all five of those playoff games despite a very flawed roster.

Never mind the fact I believe a healthy Rondo changes the entire Heat series and believe Miami LOSES in seven games. A healthy
Rondo ahs Boston win game four and then the pressure mounts. Having watched LeBum James with real pressure on his back for his entire career, we all know
the possibility of a choke is huge. When Rondo went down, the pressure was off and LeBum went off. The bottom line is Rondo is a star. As far as overrated
goes, Buha is a Clippers Fan. No further comment is required. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!

Boston Celtics Marquis Daniels Professes Love For Boston: The Real Reason

Once again Marquis Daniels is being mentioned in a possible
return to the Boston Celtics. Daniels’s agent is again professing Marquis’s love
for all things Green. He loved his teammates. He loved working with Doc Rivers
even though he benched him in 2010. He loved the city and the fans. However, a
deeper look at the situation shows the real story here.

Daniels has always been injury prone. The man has missed games even during his solid seasons
in Indiana. The problem is the last two injuries have been devastating. Daniels
has now twice in as many seasons had a serious spine injury on plays that seem
pretty common. Daniels was injured all year with a thumb injury in 2009- 2010.
When he returned for the playoffs, he suffered a spine injury while driving to
the basket. In 2011-2012, he did the same exact thing in a regular season game
that forced Ainge to trade Perkins away for the wing help that he was supposed
to provide. The result was Daniels was put out of commission for important
parts of the season. Is there really a huge demand for a guy like this?

The answer is a resounding no. Not many teams want an injury prone guy, particularly
one that has a serious spinal injury every year. Daniels needs a job and his
agent is trying to drum up interest in any way shape or form. He is also trying
to let Boston know that he will return on the cheap to help fill out the
roster. If Ainge needs a body, Daniels is available. I am hoping Danny rolls
the dice elsewhere and avoids a possible strike three with Daniels. However, if
he does sign Daniels, at least he knows the system and could contribute until
the injury bug bites him. Folks the injury bug will bite this guy as history
has shown us. Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops. Remember Go
Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!!

Boston Celtics Danny Ainge Once Again Could Have Sights Set On Grant Hill

The Celtics could use a solid defender, rebounder, and scorer from the wing
position. The East is now has Carmelo Anthony, LeBum James, and Andre Iguadala
to deal with. This means wing help is a must. Danny Ainge needs a reliable guy
to come in and give the team valuable minutes off the bench.

The impact on the roster would be huge. The
fact is Boston getting a small forward that could give them double digits off
the bench would make life a little easier on Jeff Green. Green could rotate to the
power forward slot and work more in the post. Green’s range would also help the
Celtics with opposing power forwards forced to play outside the paint. This
would free up the lanes to the paint for the Celtics to attack the paint. Paul
Pierce could also get more rest and not be gassed come playoff time. The team
would also have great depth for KG with Green backing him up. This leaves Glen
Davis expandable or ready for minutes at the backup center spot.  Rookie JaJuan Johnson could also be groomed to
play center with the Celtics training staff focusing on him gaining mass like
they did with one Kendrick Perkins.

The only problem is there are not many impact small forwards. There is one that the Celtics always seem to extend
their hand to. Usually this man ends up declining the offer. However, this time
Ainge could land his man. This is the off season that Grant Hill could come to
Boston. Hill would be the perfect addition to the Celtics. Hill is a veteran
that seems to be aging like fine wine. Last season the man averaged 13.2 points
on 48.4 percent from the field, grabbed  4.2 rebounds, and dished out 2.5 assists during
30.1 minutes per game in his 80 starts for Phoenix. The man still played great
defense and was a tireless defender. He can get to the basket, has a solid mid range
shot, and can shoot from the three point range. His numbers would shrink off
the bench in Boston, but he could easily give Boston a boost that they need. The
best part is Hill only earned $3.2 million last season. This means he could be
in the Celtics price range.

Last season Hill was trying to choose between Boston and the Suns. He ultimately took the money and stayed in
Phoenix. However, this season could be different. Hill is getting older. The
man wants an NBA title. The Suns are not going to be fighting for one anytime
soon. The idea of joining the Celtics and competing for an NBA title might be
very tempting. Hill has great respect for Doc Rivers and knows Boston would be
a great fit for him. Ainge knows that he the perfect fit. The only question is
Danny going to be able to get Hill to put his name on the dotted line. Stay
tuned. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!!!!

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