Random Thoughts as Preseason Creeps Closer
Just 2 more days until Celtics basketball. Now begins the nervous waiting to find out whether I'll get to watch the game or not. CSNNE is televising it and I have that channel through the sports pack on DTV but sometimes they black out preseason games and sometimes they don't. And I already signed up for League Pass but sometimes they show preseason games and sometimes they don't. Celtics.com says that it will be on TNT, but NBA.com doesn't show that it is on TNT and the TNT regular schedule doesn't have it either. NBA.com shows that the second game will be on NBA-TV but that doesn't show on Celtics.com. So, with all those maybe's, I may or may not get to watch it. I may have to go in search of one of those illegal streams and hope some good Samaritan will stream it for those of us who are aching to watch the Celtics again. I'll let you know how it all works out. Tony Gaffney is signing in Turkey according to a tweet from Chris Forsberg. That leaves Von Wafer, Stephane Lasme, and Mario West competing for that 15th spot on the roster. Wafer has been touted as a scorer with defense being not so much. However, he has struggled with his shot in camp. Mario West has impressed Doc with his defense and work ethic. And Lasme is an intriguing prospect who can shoot and defend. It may boil down to offense vs defense for that final cut. I personally like the guys with scrappy defense and a strong work ethic. Wafer realizes that it's a tough fight as this is what he posted on Twitter: " im in a dog fight but ima fight to the end "
Seems as though all is not all happy happy joy joy in La La land. In an ESPN article, Phil Jackson has declared this training camp a bust for the Fakers. Kobe is still struggling to rehab from knee surgery and has been limited in camp so far. Maybe we'll see the Kobe version of what we saw from KG last year as he struggled with rehab. Andrew Bynum has decided that he won't be ready until at least December. That guy has to be the slowest healer in history. We might even see Perk back on the court before Bynum makes it back. Luke Walton is still struggling with back issues. They have 5 new players who need to learn Jackson's complex triangle offense on the fly as they begin their preseason in Europe. Not to mention that finally people are noticing that the Celtics aren't the only team that's aging. The Lakers have 9 players who are 30 years old or older and are overall older than the Celtics.
Rasheed Wallace showed up at the Pistons' training camp on Friday. I found it odd that he went to visit Pistons' camp but not his old pals on the Celtics. But then, maybe it's just me.
Carlos Boozer broke his hand at home on an off day for the Bulls and will be out for at least 8 weeks. He says that he was going to answer the door and tripped over a bag. When he went to catch his fall, he heard it snap. At least when Big Baby broke his hand he told the truth about how he did it. His injury gives Brian Scalabrine a chance to make the team. Thibs really likes him for his locker room presence and as a help to install his system with the new team, but now with Boozer out, Scal may actually get to play. Although, with his red hair, those Bulls uniforms definitely aren't his color. All that red! I wish the best for Scal. He was a good Celtic while he was with the team. He never complained about playing time and was always ready when they needed him. He was a good teammate and I'll always chuckle over the story about Tony's mom being concerned about Scal driving them to the hospital after both injured their knees and Tony telling her that it was better than an ambulance because it was Scal. Good luck Scal, but those red uniforms just aren't your best look. Nate posted another twit vid last night. In this one he and Rondo team up to tackle Shaq in the hallway coming back from team dinner. Maybe this is a payback for all those "touch ups" from Shaq through the years. Maybe it's time for Nate to ease up a little on the Big Pranked. Poor guy can't even walk back to his room from dinner without getting jumped on.
