The Erden Watch

In today's game vs Puerto Rico, Celtics Rookie Semih Erden showed some good things that bode well for his future in the NBA.   He scored 10 points, pulled down 6 rebounds (3 offensive) and had a blocked shot without committing a single turnover in 19 minutes of play. 

His Turkish team was up just one point going into the 4th period and were battling a very feisty Puerto Rican squad that featured NBA players Renaldo Balkman and JJ Barea.  Erden scored 7 of his 10 points in the final quarter.  He was active on the boards and set some very strong screens.  He also got to the line often, hitting 6 of 7 free throws.  His defense around the basket has been quite good as well. 

Erden's team won the game 79-77 to move their record to 4-0 in group play, remaining the only undefeated team in Group C.   They close out group play on Thursday against China.  The game will be at 2:00 PM ET and will be televised on NBA-TV.

Smoke Turns to Fire: Celtics Signing West

The Boston Herald is reporting that the Celtics are set to sign Delonte West to a non guaranteed contract.

According to a source, West will sign a non-guaranteed contract and will be on hand when the team begins camp this fall.

Since the contract is non-guaranteed, that puts Delonte on the same footing as Tony Gaffney and Oliver Lafayette going into camp.  Each will be on a non-guaranteed contract and each will be fighting for that 15th spot on the team.   I'd say that it will come down to either Delonte or Gaffney.  Delonte brings toughness and defense that would fill Tony's vacated role.  But, there are a lot of questions about his mental state after several problems last season, one of which will result in a 10 game suspension to start the season because of a weapon's charge.

  I loved Delonte when he was with the team the first time.  I love his sense of humor and he was a tough player who played all out when on the floor.  I'm not sure that he is what the team needs right now, however.  A lot will depend on how Quisy and Wafer do as backups to Pierce.    Delonte will have to earn his spot in training camp and if he does, I'll be fine with signing him.


UPDATE & Danny Ainge's statement after the Jump. 

I Miss the Celtics

I miss the Celtics. I miss the battles on the hardwood, pre-games, and post-games. I miss Tommy and Mike Gorman, and yes even Greg Dickerson. I miss the rush of adrenaline that each contest provides. I miss knowing that at the end of a long day of school and work the C's will be there for me to watch at night.

I miss Ray Allen. I miss him pulling up and hitting three-pointers in transition. I miss his silky smooth jumper and hot streaks matched by almost no one in the league.

I miss Paul Pierce. I miss the captain and I miss the Truth. I miss his trademark turn-around elbow jumper. I miss his fist pump after hitting a clutch shot. I miss his aggressive drives to the rim and intensity on defense. I even miss his dice-roll handshake after a big play.

I miss KG. I miss him banging his head against the base of the basket before games. I miss his backdoor oop off of Rondo's alley lob. I miss him crawling on the floor screaming at his teammates in the fourth quarter of a blowout win.

I miss Rondo. I miss his ridiculous ball fakes, awe inspiring passes, and Cousyesque ball-handling ability. I miss him pestering opposing point guards and forcing turnovers.

I miss Perk. I miss his glare. I miss his scrappy play cleaning up boards and setting countless screens. I miss his strong interior defense, limiting superstars like Dwight Howard. I miss hearing his interviews after games, he always tells it how it is.

SQ #32--Delonte, Really?

Summer Quandaries #32
Sept 1—29 Days to camp

Delonte, Really?

The Delonte sightings meter has been pegged this week. On the surface it seems like a bad fit. Point guard position already four deep led by a rising young star who has been the team leader in minutes. Two guard is four deep counting Bradley and Daniels, five if you want to include Gaffney who would be a nasty defender for tall shooting guards with his height and mobility. And its not like West is going to put in a few minutes at small forward where most observers feel the Celtics still have a need. But there are a few lines of reasoning that suggest there may be some flame amidst all this smoke and mirrors.

Danny has talked of adding a shooter, Delonte certainly fits the description. Doc preaches defense, West is a tenacious on-the-ball defender and provides opportunistic and heady help off the ball. If you examine the head-case potential on this team, Von Wafer and Nate Robinson are prime suspects. Each would be eligible for trade on December 15, about two or three weeks after Delonte would come off the suspended list. Suspended for his own head-case issues but in Delonte’s case it appears to be mostly self destructive as opposed to the type of team/coach/time/play conflicts that have made Von and Nate persona non grata at their prior stays. Well except for the whole bedding the star teammate’s mom thing, which has too many soap opera resonations to be worthy of discussion. I’m not saying D&D won’t clear the air with Delonte on this subject but I’m not dipping my keyboard/pen into that particular septic tank. Like some of the other “bad boys” Delonte has left home, found some rocky times outside the shelter of the Celtics club, and hopefully learned some lessons and arrives a chastened man eager to turn over a new leaf.

Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 9/1

Herald   Reserve judgment on this U.S. team
We Hear: Delonte West, John King & more...
So, Brandon Spikes is dating Celtics coach Doc Rivers’ daughter? Awesome
Globe    US learning on the fly at world championships
CelticsBlog    30Q: Will The Celtics Rebound Better?
CelticsLife    SQ #31--Continuing to Gamble With the Right Odds
The Erden Watch
The Rumor That Just Won't Go Away: Delonte West
Red's Army    Summer Forecast: The Quisy conundrum
Another unsubstantiated Delonte rumor

The Rumor That Just Won't Go Away: Delonte West

In spite of all the reasons for not considering Delonte West for the 15th spot on the team,  the rumors about him just keep coming.  This may be a case of a lot of smoke and no fire or there could be something to it.  Here are some of the rumors that have been swirling in Boston about the former (and possibly future) Celtic. 

First, on August 26th,  a listener texted the Toucher & Rich show to say Delonte West was spotted at Logan Airport and he's in town for a workout.  A lot of players come in for workouts when teams are filling out their rosters,  so that in itself wasn't remarkable.  But then, yesterday, Red's Army posted this unsubstantiated rumor.

 I'm going to pass this along with one huge caveat:  This is an unconfirmed email we just got.  It says Delonte is at New England Baptist Hospital right now getting a pre-signing physical.

Ok, so the rumors are still swirling.  First Delonte is at the airport.  Then, Delonte is at the hospital getting a physical.  But still, these are unconfirmed rumors.  We still haven't seen anything in the papers about Delonte in town. Until today, that is.  This is from today's Herald:

We hear that former Celtic Delonte West, who was recently waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves, was apartment hunting in Waltham. We have no idea why Delonte would be nosing around Celtics] country, what with Rajon Rondo and Nate Robinson already in da house. But do stay tuned . . .

So, let's review.  First Delonte was spotted at the airport (unconfirmed rumor). Next, Delonte was spotted at the hospital getting his physical (unconfirmed rumor).  And now, he is shopping for an apartment in Waltham (confirmed rumor).  Seems like too much smoke for there not to be some fire.  As the Herald said... Stay tuned.